Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, sucking sap
An wonderful sign of Spring in the North Eastern states and Eastern Canada is the flowing sap. For many this may mean Maple Syrup and the Sugar Shack. For birders it also means the Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers can feed. All eyes are out for these woodpeckers as the 2014 Bird Migration continues.
I had the privilege of meeting up with my first Yellow-bellied Sapsucker of the season at the Parc des Rapides de Lachine in Lasalle, Quebec, just this last week-end. Although he wasn’t the most cooperative photo subject, he gave a whole crowd of photographers and birders alike a great show.
Des Rapides Park in Lasalle is a refuge nestled along the St Lawrence river just west of Nuns Island. It offers wet lands, ponds, brushes and wooded areas that are home to a variety of animals and shore birds. A great deal of birds, especially ducks pass through this area during their Spring and Fall migration. The park is also home to a colony of Storeria dekayi. The brown Snake. Many birds make this Park their home during the nesting season, from the the small Yellow Warbler to the larger Canada Geese.