In May 2011, after four years of life on McNutt's Island, we moved to Montreal. This blog remains, though, as a (sort of) daily record of our time on the island, and a winding path for anyone who would like to meander about among its magical places. For additional perspectives and insights I recommend Greg's book, Island Year: Finding Nova Scotia (2010), and my Bowl of Light (2012). I'll continue to post once in a while. If you do want to read this blog, one option would be to begin at the beginning of it (which is, as we all know, in blog-world, at the end), and read forward, concluding with the most recent entry. It's a journal, really, so it does makes more sense if you read it that way. But, you know, read it any way you like.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Our bird of the day


There were four Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in the bird feeder today, two females and two males. One of the males has a more faintly coloured triangular breast patch than the other. Maybe he is just immature. They have travelled from Central America to McNutt's Island and seemed tired and hungry after their long trip. They spent most of the day in the bird feeder, taking up all the space and eating constantly. 
The female does look a bit Sparrow-like, but she is bigger than a Sparrow, with the distinctive large beak that is a family characteristic. Once we got to know her we could see that she has markings and colouring that are clearly different from the Sparrow's. She is subtle, not showy, but very beautiful in her own right.  We admired one of the females as she perched on the edge of the new bird bath and drank water, tipping back her head.

We brought the bird feeder with us when we moved, but it wasn't until this spring that Greg attached it atop a spruce pole he sank in the side yard. Then he nailed an extra garbage can lid to a stump and filled it with water. Our bird bath. It's a little spa for birds, right next to the breezeway. 
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