Crab apple blossoms and birds

My parents left Ottawa this afternoon, but in the morning, I took my mother to the Arboretum to look at the crabapple blossoms that usually bloom at this time of the year (e.g., last year).  My mother loved how colourful the flowers were and took a lot of photos.

Close-up on a flower.

We also saw many birds, such as this cute Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina).

A Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) singing high up on a tree.

A vireo, probably a Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus).

While photographing the blossoms, I noticed a flash of orange in the tree and realized it was a male Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) with a female nearby.  I quickly called my mother over to look at the birds and she was amazed at how beautiful they were.

Such a handsome male.

Now that my parents are back in BC, it's time for me to get back to my thesis-writing!