Rondeau Ric

March 31, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. A first for our yard, number 178. Taken through the wonderful wildlife window. Pooecetes gramineus Vesper Sparrows sing a sweet tinkling song during the day and well into the evening hours—the twilight of vespers, prompting its name. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Mar 30, 2020, near Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Went for a short drive today, saw lots of flickers, heard a towhee and came across this muskrat sitting at the side of the road. Ondatra zibethicus The muskrat, the only species in genus Ondatra and tribe Ondatrini, is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitats. It has important effects on the ecology of wetlands, and is a resource of food and fur for humans.

May 10, 2018, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Setophaga fusca In springtime, rival male Blackburnian Warblers perform remarkable territorial conflicts that recall an aerial ballet. They chase one another through and around the treetops, flying in loops, plummeting downward through the branches in a whirling pattern, gliding with tail raised and spread, or slowly flapping in exaggerated “moth flight,” as researchers call it. Once territories are established, the aerobatics die down. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Bay-breasted warbler, May 15, 2018, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario Canada. One of my favourite warblers. Setophaga castanea Bay-breasted Warblers are voracious predators of spruce budworms. One study concluded that they consumed over 13,000 budworms per hectare (about 2.5 acres) in just 41 days. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Red-winged blackbird, March 25, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Finally had some decent light and birds at the same time in the yard. Agelaius phoeniceus The oldest recorded Red-winged Blackbird was 15 years, 9 months old. It was banded in New Jersey in 1967, and found alive, but injured in Michigan in 1983. It was able to be released after recovering from its injuries. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Red-bellied woodpecker, June 13, 2019, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Sticking its tongue out, perhaps a comment on an empty feeder. Melanerpes carolinus A Red-bellied Woodpecker can stick out its tongue nearly 2 inches past the end of its beak. The tip is barbed and the bird’s spit is sticky, making it easier to snatch prey from deep crevices. Males have longer, wider-tipped tongues than females, possibly allowing a breeding pair to forage in slightly different places on their territory and maximize their use of available food. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Baltimore Oriole, May 28, 2019, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. From the archives hopefully they will show up soon. Icterus galbula Planting bright fruits and nectar-bearing flowers, such as raspberries, crab apples, and trumpet vines, can attract Baltimore Orioles year after year.

Harbour at Trout River, May 28, 2018. One of many small harbours along the west coast of Newfoundland.

Brown Thrasher, Sept 22, 2018, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Toxostoma rufum An aggressive defender of its nest, the Brown Thrasher is known to strike people and dogs hard enough to draw blood.

Sept 11, 2018, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Still going through the archives. Archilochus colubris Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are eastern North America’s only breeding hummingbird. But in terms of area, this species occupies the largest breeding range of any North American hummingbird. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Five lined skinks, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Aug 27, 2019. Plestiodon fasciatus The five-lined skink is a smooth, slender lizard that can grow to 21 centimetres in length, but most individuals are much smaller. Their coloration varies with age. Juveniles and young adult females are glossy black with five cream stripes down the back and a bright blue or blue-grey tail. Males and older females gradually fade to a more uniform bronze, although often the stripes are still visible. Males in breeding condition have a bright orange chin and jaw.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, July 3, 2018. Not getting out much just now so I am going through the archives. Thryothorus ludovicianus A pair bond may form between a male and a female at any time of the year, and the pair will stay together for life. Members of a pair stay together on their territory year-round, and forage and move around the territory together. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Red-breasted nuthatch, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, March 12, 2018. Checked out the pine cone but it had already been picked over. Sitta canadensis During nest building, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is aggressive, chasing away other hole-nesting birds such as the House Wren, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Downy Woodpecker. A particularly feisty nuthatch may go after Yellow-rumped Warblers, House Finches, Violet-Green Swallows, and Cordilleran Flycatchers. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Just like the advertisements. A full niger feeder with a few tree sparrow and a lot of goldfinches. Jan 7, 2018, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Oct 7, 2019 A visitor to our tiny pond. Regulus calendula The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a tiny bird that lays a very large clutch of eggs—there can be up to 12 in a single nest. Although the eggs themselves weigh only about a fiftieth of an ounce, an entire clutch can weigh as much as the female herself. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.