Tennessee Warbler in the Impossible Apple Tree

After the rain, a Tennessee Warbler landed high in the impossible apple tree in our Regina, Saskatchewan, back yard.

Tennessee Warbler, checking for bugs in the new apple shoots.   © SB

At least, that's what I think this tiny migrating songbird must be, based on its colours: its back, a vivid bright green; belly, white; and head, soft gray with white eye arcs.

Warblers are fairly rare visitors for us. I think more visit the trees and houses in the parts of Regina near Wascana Lake and along Wascana Creek. But we live on the dryer high ground, to the north. (Odd for such a small city to have such clearly distinctive zones...)

And about that apple tree? Impossible, because we live so far out of normal apple range... And because its fruit, though reasonably plentiful, is bitter-sweet, not great for either eating raw or cooking — although these apples can be delightful if mixed with firmer fruit in pies.

Tennessee Warbler - view of back feathers. © SB

What is this? A Tennessee Warbler, as far I can figure from my bird books. 
Location: Backyard, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.  

Photo date: May 20, 2014

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White-crowned Sparrow - with a very white head

Mystery bird - looks like a White-crowned Sparrow © SB

An unusual bird visited our Regina, SK, backyard feeder many times this spring — one like nothing I've seen in bird books, but which we think is likely a White-crowned Sparrow with partial albinism.

Its head and neck are white, except for a few fine, lingering black traces on its crown.

Its markings were so striking that I started calling it a Ghost-crowned Sparrow.

At first, it was very timid — as all of the newly arrived migrating sparrows seem to be.

But it quickly realised that this was a fairly safe food source (our cats stay indoors, though others wander through... And a Sharp-shinned Hawk has landed here, too.)

In any case, it settled in for several weeks, then flew on.

White-crowned Sparrow - if that's what it really is - posing in the backyard.  © SB

A beautiful White-crowned Sparrow - with a difference!  © SB

For reference, here is a White-crowned Sparrow with typical markings. Others that arrived this spring are shown a few posts down: White-crowned Sparrows in my Regina backyard - Spring!

A typically coloured (and curious) White-crowned Sparrow   © SB

What are these? White-crowned Sparrows (the one at top seems to have partial albinism).  

Location: Backyard, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.  

Photo dates: Top photo, May 6, 2014; others, May 9, 2014.

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