In the spring and summer months, P.E.I. forests come alive with the songs of birds. Meet some of these beautiful, colourful birds.
Meet some of the beautiful birds that call P.E.I. home
In the spring and summer months, P.E.I. forests come alive with the songs of birds like this northern parula.
Brendan Kelly
for CBC News
November 7, 2018
This photo essay is part of an ongoing series aimed at showcasing P.E.I. stories through the eyes of local photographers. If you are a photographer interested in pitching a photo essay, please email compass@cbc.ca.
If you're a birder, prowling the Island's wetlands, shorelines and forests will yield some of the most gorgeous sights P.E.I. has to offer.
Either flying high above or dancing along the Island's rolling hills, many birds call Prince Edward Island home year-round — and there's many others that call the province home if only for a little while.
These birds, both big and small, beautify the province's landscape, particularly in the spring and summer when choirs of songbirds add a peaceful soundtrack to the Island.
And there's more than just songbirds that call the Island home. Flocks of colourful birds of all shapes and sizes dot the Island's skyline and landscape.
Just about every wetland on P.E.I. has a family of red-winged blackbirds during spring and summer. These birds, with bright red wing patches, require cattail marshes to nest and raise young. Protecting wetlands and ensuring we have wide buffer zones will protect this species for years to come. (Brendan Kelly)
The provincial bird of P.E.I.! Blue jays have a wide range of vocal notes which range from car alarms to the scream of a hawk. These bold birds are known as ‘bully’ birds at bird feeders because of how aggressive they can be. Blue jays store food for the winter months behind pieces of tree bark or in the notches of trees. (Brendan Kelly)
This bright yellow bird with a black necklace is found in dense, wet, forested areas across P.E.I. The Canada warbler has suffered extreme population declines in recent years and has been designated as threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Protecting habitats for this vibrant songbird is in the hands of the people on P.E.I. as over 90 per cent of Island land is privately owned. (Brendan Kelly)
The yellow-bellied sapsucker is a species of woodpecker which lives in younger stands of trees, where it drills holes into the bark (as shown here). These holes drip with sap and insects, which are attracted to the sweet sap, become stuck to it — an easy meal for the sapsucker. Other animals such as squirrels and even ruby-throated hummingbirds will feed on the sap and insects when the woodpecker isn't around. (Brendan Kelly)
Tree swallows are aerial insectivores — meaning they almost exclusively eat flying insects. Pesticides entering waterways and killing insect larva, along with an unavailability of nesting cavities, has caused this species to decline significantly since the 1960s. Building a nest box and placing it in an open area is one way to help tree swallows! (Brendan Kelly)
Have you ever been to East Point or North Point and seen ducks bobbing around in the ocean below you? Chances are ducks you saw were Common Eiders. These large sea ducks spend their entire lives in the ocean where they dive for crustaceans and mollusks. Eiderdown is known to have some of the best insulative qualities found on Earth. This keeps the birds toasty warm even in the frigid North Atlantic waters in January. (Brendan Kelly)
The shorelines and wetlands of P.E.I. are a vital stopover site for thousands of shorebirds each spring as they migrate from their Arctic breeding grounds to their wintering grounds in South America. This mixed flock of short-billed dowitchers and lesser yellowlegs were found in Prince Edward Island National Park. (Brendan Kelly)
Shortly after a storm last fall, a strange white bird was reported from the western portion of the island. Turns out this strange bird was actually a very large white pelican. American white pelicans are normally found in central Canada in places like Manitoba where they breed and then fly south to Texas for winter. Apparently, P.E.I. seemed like a great place for a vacation. I agree! (Brendan Kelly)
Thanks to many farmers across P.E.I. delaying their first cut of hay this year, bobolinks were able to successfully nest and raise young! This species at risk can be saved by taking action on a local level. Simply delaying your first cut of hay saves lives! (Brendan Kelly)
Brendan Kelly
Brendan Kelly is a student at UPEI, completing his bachelor's degree of wildlife conservation.
While Brendan has always had an interest in nature and being outdoors, his passion has always been birds.
Since elementary school, Brendan has been photographing birds in various places across Canada and sharing his images through social media in order to educate others about birds.
Brendan's images have been published by Canadian Geographic, Parks Canada, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and Ducks Unlimited Canada to name a few.
