Rondeau Ric

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept 29, 2019. I hear this species much more often than I see one. Pipilo erythrophthalmus Eastern Towhees tend to be pretty solitary, and they use a number of threat displays to tell other towhees they’re not welcome. You may see contentious males lift, spread, or droop one or both wings, fan their tails, or flick their tails to show off the white spots at the corners. Studies have shown that male towhees tend to defend territories many times larger than needed simply to provide food.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept 26, 2019. A pleasant surprise at the pond yesterday. Melospiza lincolnii The Lincoln's Sparrow shows less geographical variation in song than any other species in its genus, perhaps a result of high dispersal rates among juveniles.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept 20, 2019. Looking ratty during its molt. Cardinalis cardinalis A perennial favorite among people, the Northern Cardinal is the state bird of seven states.

Peregrine Falcon, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept 20, 2019. Managed to get out on the pontoon for a short cruise along the south beach to look for shore birds. Saw a few sanderlings and gulls but nothing else. We came upon this peregrine grooming on a snag which may have had something to do with the shortage of small birds. Falco peregrinus The Peregrine Falcon is a very fast flier, averaging 40-55 km/h (25-34 mph) in traveling flight, and reaching speeds up to 112 km/h (69 mph) in direct pursuit of prey. During its spectacular hunting stoop from heights of over 1 km (0.62 mi), the peregrine may reach speeds of 320 km/h (200 mph) as it drops toward its prey.

Sora, Chatham Kent, Ontario, Canada, Sept 18, 2019. Went looking for a life bird which I missed, but it was still a nice outing. Large number of soras running through the grasses. This one stopped long enough to ge its photo. Porzana carolina Soras might not look like they can fly long distances with their stubby wings and chubby bodies, but they fly hundreds of miles each spring and fall to wetlands in Central and South America.

A two fer. Magnolia Warbler, Setophaga magnolia and a Chestnut-sided Warbler Setophaga pensylvanica, in the little water feature in the yard. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept 16, 2019. More warblers moving through the yard, still in small numbers.

Black throated. green warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept 11, 2019. Another of the fall warblers stopping for a break in the yard. Setophaga virens In areas where multiple species of warblers breed close together, Black-throated Green Warblers are generally dominant to Blackburnian Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Northern Parulas, but subordinate to Magnolia Warblers.

Tennessee Warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept 14, 2019. A pond visitor late this afternoon. Leiothlypis peregrina The Tennessee Warbler is a common nectar "thief" on its wintering grounds in tropical forests. Instead of probing a flower from the front to get the nectar, and spreading pollen on its face in the process, the warbler pierces the flower tube at its base and gets the reward without performing any pollination.

Chinese Mantis, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept 13, 2019. Anne found this 3 inch long mantis on her walk and took me to it, just around the corner from our place. The  Chinese mantis  ( Tenodera sinensis ) is a species of  praying mantis  native to Asia and the nearby islands. In 1896 this species was accidentally introduced by a nurseryman at  Mt. Airy  near  Philadelphia , United States

Mute Swan, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario , Canada, August 30, 2019. Seen while out cruising the marsh edge. Cygnus olor All of the Mute Swans in North America descended from swans imported from Europe from the mid 1800s through early 1900s to adorn large estates, city parks, and zoos. Escapees established breeding populations and are now established in the Northeast, Midatlantic, Great Lakes, and Pacific Northwest of the U.S.

Mitchell's Bay, Ontario, Canada, Aug 31, 2019 We were invited to watch purple martins come into a roost. At first there were a few and then there were more than a few. This is a small segment of the sky, they were coming from all directions. Estimated at between 125,000 and 150,000 birds. Absolutely amazing.