Rondeau Ric

If a gator is growling he doesn't want to be pet. , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. This gator was in a ditch beside the road. He didn’t want to play so he went into a culvert. Fortunately the culvert had a big hole in it and Anne was able to get this shot. When I got close I heard a bass rumble start, so I left Photo by Anne

I love this sign , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. We managed before cell phones, we didn't need to be conected 24/7. I think this is very clever.

Fetch the stick, go fetch the stick boy, go fetch! a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. He treats me like a dog. I have rights you know. If he keeps this up I’ll do my stubborn act. Yah that’s what I’ll do. And if we wants that stick why does he keep throwing it away?

I told you not to leave the car where those darn cows could get at it. a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. They’ve been joy riding again and I’m NOT going to clean it up. You’d think they were born in a barn or something. And how late did you stay up waiting for them?

Let's go back early, he said. The weather is nice, he said. a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. We will be the first ones on the pond, he said. We will get the best nest site, he said. IDIOT, I say

No, it isn't a white picket fence. a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. I looked out the window last Friday after the latest snow storm and this is what I saw. We don't have a white picket fence, although we do have a snow fence. This one looks like it is made of snow.

That fish was this big! a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. Of course he doesn't eat fish, but just the same, he said it was this big. I don't know how this tundra swan found a fish that big in a flooded field, but who am I to say anything?

Female towhee a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. We have had a pair of towhees at the visitors centre at Rondeau Provincial Park for about two weeks. I didn't think they came until much closer to May. It gets its name from its call, towhee,towhee. An alternate call is drink you tea.

I wouldn't touch him with a 10 foot pole a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. I'm a firm believer in the "just because you can, doesn't mean you should" school of thought. Celine Dion is in that group. Just because you can warble a note for 25 seconds doesn't mean you should. Really, it isn't necessary. This racoon evidently doesn't follow this philosophy either. Just because you can climb up the side of the house and get to the feeder doesn’t mean you should. You still have to get down, which he couldn’t. I tried to shoo him/her away and it just looked at me. I wanted to get a branch for it to climb down, but all I could find was the 2x4. Just as I put it in place the racoon jumped off and ran away. Just ‘cause you can...........

A memory of summer a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. ENOUGH!!!!!!!!

The carnivore a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. The mink is back and this time he was trying to dig his way under the cottage. I assume he was looking for shrews, mice or chipmunks that use our crawl space as a winter resort. They are protected from the weather and the feeders are close by. I know the mink has taken one chipmonk as I saw him dragging it down the sidewalk. It has been a hard winter for everyone.

It must be spring a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. Each year the tundra swans pass through Southern Ontario, including Rondeau. These winged giants come from the Chesapeake Bay to our area over night. They feed here and then fly to Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, again, over night. After feeding and resting the fly to the arctic to breed. According to the National Geographic these birds can fly at altitudes of 8 kilometres or approximately 27,000 feet. They weight between 7 and 21 pounds and have wing spans between 5 and 6 feet.

Kookaburra a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. On our trip two years ago we saw a number of kookaburra in the wild. They eat lizards, snakes, insects and mice among other things. Thier laugh is amazing, a maniac laughing in a tree.

Nobody is going to get my tail. a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. We don't have rocking chairs but Crash can get protective of his tail. I know it all blends together but the tail does go under his paw. I like the rings on his tail.

Recently we went on a birding road trip near Hamilton Ontario. Down near Haggersville there was a banding station and they were getting snow buntings, horned larks and longspurs. It was a nasty, cold, very windy day, just the way these birds like it. It is the winter vacation in the balmy south. They use ground cages baited with seed. The snow and drifting was so heavy the cages were filling with snow. The banders go to the cages, reach in and take one bird at a time and put them in bags. They return to the shelter of their vehicles to do the actual banding.

It isn't just white men who can't jump Originally uploaded by ricmcarthur This racoon wanted some of the peanuts the squirrels have been raiding. I don't think the pro scouts will come calling anytime soon.