Rondeau Ric

Mourning Warbler Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur We had a surprise visitor to our water bucket a few days ago. A Mourning Warbler dropped in, worked the bushes for some insects, had a drink then moved on. This bird skulks and is shy, prefers thickets and undergrowth and generally is not easy to see, never mind photograph. I only had a moment to grab the camera and take a shot through the Wonderful Wildlife Window. We are on the very south end of its summer range. Oporonis philadelphia

Get out of my bedroom!!! Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur How would you like it if I came into your bedroom and took pictures?? Go away. Eastern screech owl at Rondeau Provincial Park.

Where did you put the BBQ instructions? Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur A little Forest Gump here.. stupid is as stupid does At the birding festival in West virginia the were starting up a new bbq and thought it was smoking a bit more than it should. When they open it up to look for the problem they found the directions. the directions probably would have told them to remove the directions before lighting the bbq.

I love a facial first thing in the morning Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur Four abandoned puppies showed up at a hostel where we were birding. After they got used to the people there they came to be petted. This one seemed to enjoy sitting in the sun while getting a "facial". I'll tell more of the story in my next post, dial up permitting.

Nesting yellow warbler Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur Yellow warblers are all over Rondeau and thier nests tend to be easily seen along some of the paths. Have a great long weekend.

Oven bird Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur This little skulker is often heard and rarely seen. The call is said to be an emphatic, teacher, teacher, teacher, getting more insistent with each repeat. Its nest is close to the forest floor and is shaped like an old dutch oven, hence the name.

I know about watersheds but..... Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur woolsheds? And there wasn't a building to be seen.

Bower of the Satin Bower Bird Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur We didn't see the satin bower bird however the nest/bower was interesting by itself. Where it gets it blue/purple items is a mystery. This was along way from any towns. He rearranges the items on a regular basis to attract a female.

Magnolia warbler Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur Although the focus on the bird isn't super crisp, I think this is my favourite photos so far this spring. We finally had a bright day and the maggie was flitting around and just popped up in a bush. Finding birds this spring has been difficult and photo conditions have been less than good.

Blackburnian Warbler Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur Am I boring you with bird photos? Well it is the migration season and we only see these birds for a few weeks, so get used to it for the rest of May! The blackburnian, also called the fire throat, is one of the most colourful of the wood warblers and is one of my favourite birds. Small,fast moving it becomes a blur of colour in the trees.

Nest building Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur Flickers are cavity nesters and some times the cavity isn't quite right. Look closely and you can see the debris in his bill. It is a male as it has a "moustache", which the female does not have.

Sweet, sweet, I'm so very sweet. Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur The yellow warbler always tells you how sweet it is. The male has red streaks on its breast. The prothonotary warble,is an incredible yellow colour, and at a glance the yellow may be mistaken for it. The prothonotary is rare in Canada and the yellow is common. Still a pretty little bird.

Chestnut sided warbler Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur It has been a cold slow spring at Rondeau. The warblers are slow coming in and the leaves are out making it a challenge to see these beautiful wood warblers. This chestnut sided warbler was on Spicebush Trail on the weekend. His call is "pleased, pleased to meet cha" A good way to remember the bird and its call is to think of an inn keeper, wearing a chestnut coloured vest and a yellow cap, greeting each person with a Pleased to meet you. Get out and enjoy nature.

Mr. Bluebird's on my shoulder... Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur well at least he's near by. We don't get a lot of bluebirds at Rondeau, at least not that I see. We were looking for a yellow breasted chat when this bluebird showed up. Have a good weekend

Which came first... Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur It's in the same category as the chicken and the egg. Did the bus hit the barn or did the barn collapse on the bus? Way back in the mountains down in a "holler" in West Virginia. If you go birding off the beaten path you can find wondrous and strange things.

Rondeau Ric and the bluejay Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur Who is that handsome devil and what is the thing holding him. While in West Virginia at a birding festival I had the opportunity to release a bluejay that had been banded. We had a great time, good birding, good food and excellent people. Photo by Anne.

Blue gray gnatcatcher Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur We saw this tiny bird in West Virginia lat week. It is about 4 1/4 (11cm) long. The nest blends in so well it often is overlooked which is just what the bird wants.The nest was built out of lichen which grows on the trees. The nest was found by following a flying bird

Gone Fishin' Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur We were away for a few days to do some "away" birding in Ohio and West Virginia. Didn't see much on the Ohio side of lake Erie. This egret was fishing in a canal and caught several small fish while we were watching. West Virginia started slow but really picked up late in the week