The middle bit

July, a month for looking at dragonflies and butterflies and only occasionally seeing birds.

After the bird overload that is a visit to the Neotropics, motiviating to go birding at home is always tough, doubly so when the weather restricted opportunities are few.

Some of the best places to go birding in Quebec are from cycle paths. They bisect the better marses and cut through scrub and farmlands, skirt rivers and follow streams. They also attract lots of users in summer and even dawn visits are no guarantee of some peace. I'm not complaining about the users here, they enjoy the countrside in their own way although the ones who strap a radio to the handlebars and share with the World at high volume should be drowned in a bucket.

I had hoped to visit St-Lazare sand pits more often this year but the habitat is reduced by more workings and the water body has been found by anglers, the least said about them the better.

In passing I dropped in, expecting nothing but actually fnding a couple of Eastern Bluebirds for the pits year list. Further on a four Purple Martins were hawking the fly ridden tree tops, another pits year tick and a bird I only see there perhaps one a year.

Below is all I managed, it was a bit grey for flight shots and the martins got a bit edgy when they realised I was not just a big fly.

The video clip shows the Eastern Bluebird at the end of a good preen. The grainy photo shows an immature Purple Martin just about to terminate a fly.

Things will get better.