Blackpoll warbler

In late May, when the boreal forest is still waking up, the thin, high-pitched song of the blackpoll warbler drifts through the spruce. The breeding male wears a crisp black cap, white cheeks, and a streaked back, and he is a small bird with a big journey ahead of him.

Blackpolls are famous for one of the great migrations of any songbird. In fall they fatten up along the Atlantic coast and then fly non-stop over the open ocean toward South America, a trip of more than two thousand kilometres. They breed in the northern spruce forests, and in Manitoba most people see them as they pass through in spring and fall.

Here is one of my favourite frames of this bird.

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