Rondeau Ric

An icy morning at Rondeau.

We went down to Point Pelee today to look for the Townsend's Solitare that has been hanging around for about 2 weeks. At first we thought we were going to miss it as it had just left the immediate area. About 15 minutes later it came back and put on a nice show while feeding on berries. Myadestes townsendi If you ever thought that you liked berries, check out a Townsend's Solitaire's appetite. One study suggested they would need to eat between 42,000 and 84,000 juniper berries to survive the winter. Now that is a lot of berries. source -https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Townsends_Solitaire/

We don't get to see many mockingbirds in our area. They're here, we just don't have much luck with them. Spotted this one in Burlington, Ont under the QEW. Certainly didn't expect to see one in February. Mimus polyglottos Northern Mockingbirds continue to add new sounds to their repertoires throughout their lives. A male may learn around 200 songs throughout its life. source -  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Mockingbird

Went looking for the tufted duck again and missed it again. We still had a good day and saw a group of white winged scoters at Lasalle Park in Burlington. Melanitta fusca Although the White-winged Scoter winters primarily along the coasts, small numbers winter on the eastern Great Lakes. Populations on the Great Lakes may have declined during the 1970s, but appear to be increasing in response to the invasion of the zebra mussel, a new and abundant food source. source -  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-winged_Scoter

While looking for the tufted duck near Hamilton, Ontario we saw this wood duck sitting in the snow at a marina. Didn't see the tufted duck. Aix sponsa Wood Ducks pair up in January, and most birds arriving at the breeding grounds in the spring are already paired. The Wood Duck is the only North American duck that regularly produces two broods in one year. source -  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck

I don't get many opportunities to photograph crows as they tend to be skittish. A murder of crows was along the road and chose to ignore me. Corvus brachyrhynchos American Crows congregate in large numbers in winter to sleep in communal roosts. These roosts can be of a few hundred up to two million crows. Some roosts have been forming in the same general area for well over 100 years. In the last few decades some of these roosts have moved into urban areas where the noise and mess cause conflicts with people. source -https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Crow

An unusual view. I haven't seen this patterning on a long-tailed before, it may be eclipse plumage. I like the pattern on the breast. Clangula hyemalis The Long-tailed Duck is one of the deepest diving ducks, and can dive as deep as 60 meters (200 feet) to forage. source -  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/…/Long-tailed_Duck/lifehistory

One of the many species that come to our little water feature. Oreothlypis ruficapilla The Nashville Warbler sometimes uses porcupine quills as nest material. Most first-year Nashville Warblers migrate along the Atlantic coast, while adults tend to migrate along inland routes. source -  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/…/Nashville_Warbl…/lifehistory