Rondeau Ric

When we went looking for the Smith's Longspur three were a lot of sandhill cranes flying around. None came close for crisp photos so this is what you get today. Antigone canadensis The Sandhill Crane’s call is a loud, rolling, trumpeting sound whose unique tone is a product of anatomy: Sandhill Cranes have long tracheas (windpipes) that coil into the sternum and help the sound develop a lower pitch and harmonics that add richness.

Tundra swans walking/paddling/swimming in a shallow semi frozen pond in a farmers field. Cygnus columbianus  Lewis and Clark provided the first written description of the Tundra Swan during their expedition to the West, where the birds’ whistle-like calls prompted Meriwether Lewis to dub them “whistling swans.”

One of our under appreciated birds. It's common here so it can't be special. Stunning really. Cardinalis cardinalis.  The male cardinal fiercely defends its breeding territory from other males. When a male sees its reflection in glass surfaces, it frequently will spend hours fighting the imaginary intruder.

One of the 41 species of hummingbird we saw in Ecuador. Booted Racket-tail Hummingbird. Ocreatus underwoodii

We took a road trip to see the Smith's Longspur and the bird was exactly where the directions said. It was hanging out with two Lapland Longspurs and a bunch of snow buntings. A lifer for us. We had never seen buntings on a wire before. Calcarius pictus "Longspur" refers to the elongated claw of the hind toe.

We were checking to see what ducks ere in the marina at Erieau now that Rondeau Bay is frozen over. One was a pied billed grebe eating a fish. Podilymbus podiceps Part bird, part submarine, the Pied-billed Grebe is common across much of North America. These small brown birds have unusually thick bills that turn silver and black in summer. These expert divers inhabit sluggish rivers, freshwater marshes, lakes, and estuaries. They use their chunky bills to kill and eat large crustaceans along with a great variety of fish, amphibians, insects, and other invertebrates. Rarely seen in flight and often hidden amid vegetation, Pied-billed Grebes announce their presence with loud, far-reaching calls.

A group of mallards were in a parking lot next to a river and crowded the car looking for a handout. More kept flying in. We didn't have anything for them. Anas platyrhynchos Ducks are strong fliers; migrating flocks of Mallards have been estimated traveling at 55 miles per hour.

Our feeders are getting lots of activity in this cold weather. Heated pet bowl is providing water for the wildlife. Sitta canadensis Red-breasted Nuthatches migrate southward earlier than many irruptive species. They may begin in early July and may reach their southernmost point by September or October.

Not sure if this is a first year buck or not. Small antlers, makes me think of devil horns. In the yard today, through a window.

Map turtle hatchling at Rondeau. You could fit three in your hand without a problem.

Redheads at Erieau before the artic blast. Dec 2016. Aythya americana In winter much of the Redhead population forms huge flocks in two Gulf of Mexico bays that share a name, the Laguna Madre of Texas and Laguna Madre of Mexico. Flocks numbering up to 60,000 can occur, feeding on seagrass in the bays.

The pond has one small opening where the current from the pump swirls the water. This fox sparrow came in for  a long drink. Shot through a window. Passerella iliaca Fox Sparrow fossils from the Pleistocene (about 11,000 years ago) have been found in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and at the La Brea tar pits in California.

Horned grebe at Erieau. Podiceps auritus  Like most grebes, the small chicks of the Horned Grebe frequently ride on the backs of their swimming parents. The young ride between the wings on the parent's back, and may even go underwater with them during dives.

Forecast is for well below freezing temperatures starting Wednesday so the pump comes out Tuesday. Spizelloides arborea Misleadingly named by European settlers reminded of Eurasian Tree Sparrows back home, American Tree Sparrows are ground birds. They forage on the ground, nest on the ground, and breed primarily in scrubby areas at or above the treeline.

 Not getting as much as some places but it looks like we will have a white Christmas. White breasted nuthatch at the suet log. Sitta carolinensis If you see a White-breasted Nuthatch making lots of quick trips to and from your feeder – too many for it to be eating them all – it may be storing the seeds for later in the winter, by wedging them into furrows in the bark of nearby trees.

The pond is iced over and the stream is down to a trickle but there are still a lot of birds coming in for a drink. The heated water-bowl will be out later today. We had jays, goldfinches, sparrows and juncos at the water today. Junco hyemalis The Dark-eyed Junco is one of the most common birds in North America and can be found across the continent, from Alaska to Mexico, from California to New York. A recent estimate set the junco’s total population at approximately 630 million individuals

The pond and its little stream are slowly freezing up. A few more days and I will have to disconnect the pump for the year. Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata  The pigment in Blue Jay feathers is melanin, which is brown. The blue color is caused by scattering light through modified cells on the surface of the feather barbs.

It seems Caspian terns have to show off when they catch a fish. This one was flying in the channel at Erieau, Ontario. Hydroprogne caspia The oldest recorded wild Caspian Tern was at least 29 years, 7 months old when it was found in Louisiana in 1989. It had been banded in Michigan in 1959. The average life span of Great Lakes Caspian Terns is estimated to be 12 years.

A common visitor to the yard. Picoides pubescens 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.

An inquisitive blue headed vireo. Continuing in the pond series. Vireo solitarius The Blue-headed Vireo is the only vireo within its range that makes extensive use of coniferous forests, although it also occupies deciduous habitats.

We had a male sharp shinned hawk buzzing around our feeders. He spotted one bird and they swooped around the yard. He missed nut keep coming back. Based on its hunting skills I think it was a young bird. Shot through a window. Accipiter striatus Female Sharp-shinned Hawks are about a third bigger and heavier than males. This is a typical pattern for many hawks and owls, but otherwise rare in the bird world.

Another of the visitors to the yard and pond. A few minutes later he was splashing away. Setophaga coronata The Yellow-rumped Warbler is the only warbler able to digest the waxes found in bayberries and wax myrtles. Its ability to use these fruits allows it to winter farther north than other warblers, sometimes as far north as Newfoundland.

Just a little sparrow on a cool December day. Taken October 10 in the yard. 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.

A while back, before we took the pontoon out for the year, we had a great blue heron do a fairly low fly over. Ardea herodias Great Blue Herons congregate at fish hatcheries, creating potential problems for the fish farmers. A study found that herons ate mostly diseased fish that would have died shortly anyway. Sick fish spent more time near the surface of the water where they were more vulnerable to the herons.