Nova Scotia’s hatch year birds

Atlantic Canada, Birds, Canada

Hatch year birds are confusing as they include two plumages, juvenile and immature.  Juvenile plumage is the first set of downy feathers, and the immature plumage comes in shortly afterward.  The immature plumage is the first real set of flight flight feathers a bird has, and it will likely look completely different after it’s first molt as an adult.  For birds that come to Nova Scotia to breed, like our visiting Wood Warblers, the immature plumage will carry them to a warmer climate in the Fall when they leave us until next Spring.

Either way, the field guides can’t show you everything and there is a definite lack of photos showing newly fledged / hatch year birds so I will try to build a little library of them here from my own photos.  It’s going to take me a long time, probably years, but that is half the fun…

Black-throated Green Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler fledgling (ID suggested by Mark Dennis and this makes sense as there were adults on the trail and it looks good for it with the wing bars and facial markings) June 21, 2016 Herbert River Trail

Magnolia Warbler

DSC_0185-hy-maggie

Dark-eyed Junco

1st year Junco just a little older than a fledgling I'd say - Taylor Head - July 3, 2016

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler fledgling (pretty darn sure) Taylor Head - July 3, 2016

Red-eyed Vireo

keji-25-26-august-loons 184

Boblink

hartlen-point-liz-sept-3 129

Chestnut-sided Warbler

sandy-cove-marian-sept-9 094

Yellow Warbler

russell-lake-july-15 093

Fox Sparrow

donkin-mines-schooner-pond-july-30 319

European Starling

baby-starlings-june-16 010

Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird -Fledgling

Alder Flycatcher

Doc shot of a recently fledged Alder Flycatcher

Common Yellowthroat

doc shot recently fledged Common Yellowthroat