Central Winds Park, 5/7/2012

Northern Parula

This morning I went to Central Winds Park on my way to work for about an hour.  I had a pretty good time.  I went the trees between the playground and the lake, and I found three Northern Parula on and near the ground.  As I watched them, it became clear that one was young and had just left the nest, and the parents were feeding it.  It could fly but apparently still dependent on its parents for food.  I also found about 5 American Redstarts including 2 females.  And, I finally found a Blackpoll Warbler--my first of the year and my first photos ever.  It seems a rule with me that my first photos of any species are terrible (back-lit, grainy, etc).  This morning, my Blackpoll photos were a notch above terrible, so I figured I'd risk sharing a couple.

Northern Parula
with a treat for the kiddo

Blackpoll Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Black Morph) ?

Trumpet Vine