Rondeau Ric

Oh, somewhere over the rainbow Blue birds fly And the dream that you dare to Oh, why, oh, why can't I?  

 Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, April 21, 2024. A non rescript little bird that shows up about the same time as the tree sparrows disappear for the summer. Spizella passerina.  The nest of the Chipping Sparrow is of such flimsy construction that light can be seen through it. It probably provides little insulation for the eggs and young.

White throated sparrow, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, April 20, 2024. First time this year I could get a decent photo in this charming sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis White-throated Sparrows typically nest on or near the ground. Occasional nests are built up to 15 feet off the ground in conifers. Usually, these nests are second attempts after a pair has had a ground nest robbed by a predator. source - allanoutbirds.0rg

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 10, 2017. One of my favourite warblers, very striking when you see one in person Setophaga citrina. The white spots on a Hooded Warbler's tail help them capture more insects, possibly by startling the insects into taking flight. An experimental study conducted in Pennsylvania found that birds with temporarily darkened tail feathers were less successful at capturing insects than those with white spots on their tails. source - allaboutbirds-org.

 Nashville warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, September 10, 2020. Spring migration should be starting soon. Leiothlypis ruficapilla.  Nashville Warbl e rs have been known to use porcupine quills as nest material.

 It poured sunshine all day so I sat out to see what would come in. Nothing special but I like the feisty little guys. Rondeau Provincial Park,Ontario, Canada, April 13, 2024. Dryobates pubesce ns.  Woodpeckers don’t sing songs, but they drum loudly against pieces of wood or metal to achieve the same effect. People sometimes think this drumming is part of the birds’ feeding habits, but it isn’t. In fact, feeding birds make surprisingly little noise even when they’re digging vigorously into wood. source- allaboutbirds-org.

 Not a fancy bird, but the chipping sparrows show up in the early spring about the same time as the tree sparrows leave. Rondeau Provinciaal Park, Ontario, Canada, April 9, 2024. Spizella passerina.  The early naturalists had a gift for description you just don’t see anymore. In 1929, Edward Forbush called the Chipping Sparrow “the little brown-capped pensioner of the dooryard and lawn, that comes about farmhouse doors to glean crumbs shaken from the tablecloth by thrifty housewives." source -allaboutbirds-org