Day 10, Magnolia warbler / Setophaga magnolia, by dry dock

Now I can start posting photos taken in the afternoon of 16 May 2018, Day 10 of our holiday to Point Pelee (Ontario) and Tadoussac (Quebec).

After a morning walk, we spent a little time watching and photographing some of the birds that visited our friend's garden. We also had lunch, ready for driving down to the dry dock. This was going to be a big day for the people of Tadoussac, as it was going to be High Tide, which happens twice a year, and the water was going to gradually overflow the entrance gate and flood the dry dock. Everyone was busy making final preparations on their boats for this event, and everyone was eager to see whose boat would be the first one to become afloat and make it out of the dock into open water. One of Anne B's brothers and his wife had a small boat and it was just about at the furthest point of the dry dock. Slowly, the water rose, and after maybe two hours (?) Alan and Jane's boat was ready to sail out, making them the winners. It felt so good to see a small community come together in this unusual, friendly contest.

While we were waiting for the tide to be at its highest, we had fun watching a beautiful little Magnolia Warbler feeding frantically on the ground, not far from our feet. All the birds who migrate had only just arrived on the coast, after flying across a huge body of water. They were exhausted and so hungry. Same thing at Point Pelee, Ontario, the week before.

"The magnolia warbler is found in the northern parts of some Midwestern states and the very northeastern parts of the US, with states such as Minnesota and Wisconsin comprising its southernmost boundaries. However, it is mostly found across the northern parts of Canada, such as in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. During the winter, the warbler migrates through the eastern half of the United States to southern Mexico and Central America. The warbler breeds in dense forests, where it will most likely be found among the branches of young, densely packed, coniferous trees. The magnolia warbler migrates to the warmer south in the winter, wintering in southeastern Mexico, Panama, and parts of the Caribbean. In migration it passes through the eastern part of the United States as far west as Oklahoma and Kansas. During migration season, the magnolia warbler can be found in various types of woodlands." From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_warbler