Received a last minute invitation from good friend Bob to go on an exploratory hike in the Gatineau hills this morning. Weather was perfect!! As Ottawa prepares for the arrival of William and Kate later this afternoon it was a fantastic opportunity to leave all the city cares and woes behind.
Trails were a bit muddy from the recent heavy rains but we managed to ford over some of the flooded spots. Along the way we encountered plenty of deer track and even one large pile of bear feces.
FEMALE MOURNING WARBLER
Highlight of the morning was the finding of a nesting pair of Mourning Warblers. This was another life bird for me. Wow! Two in two days!!
MALE MOURNING WARBLER
The male Mourning Warbler was in resplendent colour. Lighting however was very difficult and we made it a point to return at a later date to try for better pictures.
We later spotted what we thought was a Cuckoo but couldn’t be sure. We did however run into two Northern Water Thrushes as can be seen below.
NORTHERN WATER THRUSH
MEADOW FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY
And finally, as a sure sign of summer, we spotted a Meadow Fritillary butterfly.
All in all, a great day. Many thanks to Bob for the transportation and the great lunch!!! Greatly appreciated!!