Rondeau Ric

April 30, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Another yard bird, a bit bland but interesting in its own way. Spizella pusilla If a male Field Sparrow survives the winter, it usually returns to breed in the same territory each year. The female is less likely to return to the same territory, and young sparrows only rarely return the next year to where they were born. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

April 29, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Grosbeaks returned in good numbers today, we had at least 6 at the feeders this afternoon. Photo through the Wonderful Wildlife Window. Pheucticus ludovicianus Rose-breasted Grosbeaks build such flimsy nests that eggs are often visible from below through the nest bottom. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

April 27, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Final a warbler showed up in our yard this year. It was coming to the suet, peanut feeders, and nicer feeders. Setophaga pinus The Pine Warbler is the only warbler that eats large quantities of seeds, primarily those of pines. This seed-eating ability means Pine Warblers sometimes visit bird feeders, unlike almost all other warblers.

April 26, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Not much colour but it's one of our yard birds so I will take what I get. Sayornis phoebe In 1804, the Eastern Phoebe became the first banded bird in North America. John James Audubon attached silvered thread to an Eastern Phoebe's leg to track its return in successive years. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Ruby-crowned kinglet, April 23, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. First of year for me. Regulus calendula Ruby-crowned Kinglets seem nervous as they flit through the foliage, flicking their wings nearly constantly. Keeping an eye out for this habit can be a useful aid to identifying kinglets. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Welcome to our 43rd anniversary. We've gone from 200 guests, a live band and lots of food and drink to two people in isolation with take out Chinese. Cheers everyone.

April 20, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Basking in the sunshine. Chrysemys picta

April 20, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Another yard bird, not much colour around except for the goldfinches. Junco hyemalis Juncos are the "snowbirds" of the middle latitudes. Over most of the eastern United States, they appear as winter sets in, and then retreat northward each spring. Other juncos are year-round residents, retreating into woodlands during the breeding season, or, like those of the Appalachian Mountains, moving to higher elevations during the warmer months. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Dark-eyed_Junco/

Brown thrasher, April 20, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Taken through the wonderful wildlife window. Have been hearing thrashers for a few days, this one showed up in our yard today. Toxostoma rufum Brown Thrashers are accomplished songsters that may sing more than 1,100 different song types and include imitations of other birds, including Chuck-will’s-widows, Wood Thrushes, and Northern Flickers. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

May 6, 2018, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Not much showing up in the area as far as warblers are concerned so this is from 2 years ago. Seiurus aurocapilla The Ovenbird female weaves the cup, side entrance, and roof of her domed nest from the inside as a single, integrated piece. Then she drops leaves and twigs on top to hide it. If the chicks inadvertently dismantle the dome as they grow, the female ignores the damage. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ovenbird/

April 16, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Seen at the entrance to the park. Leucism is a condition in which there is partial loss of pigmentation in an animal—which causes white, pale, or patchy coloration of the skin, hair, feathers, scales or cuticle, but not the eyes. It is occasionally spelled leukism. Unlike albinism, it can cause a reduction in multiple types of pigment, not just melanin.

American woodcock, April 11, 2017, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Such a funny looking bird. We have been seeing them doing their display flights and hearing their calls for weeks now. Scolopax minor Young woodcocks leave the nest a few hours after hatching, but for their first week they depend on their mother for food. They start to probe in dirt at three or four days after hatching. source -  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Woodcock/

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Still going through the archives. Haemorhous purpureus The Purple Finch uses its big beak and tongue to crush seeds and extract the nut. They do a similar trick to get at nectar without eating an entire flower, and also to get to a seed buried inside a fleshy fruit.

April 10, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Thryothorus ludovicianus The oldest recorded Carolina Wren was at least 7 years, 8 months old when it was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Florida in 2004. It had been banded in the same state in 1997. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

May 10, 2018, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Haven't seen a warbler yet but I'm sure there are a few species somewhere but there isn't anyone to see them. Setophaga pensylvanica The Chestnut-sided Warbler sings two basic songs: one is accented at the end (the pleased-to-meetcha song), and the other is not. Males sing the accented songs primarily to attract a female; once nesting is well underway they switch over to the unaccented songs, which are used mostly in territory defense and aggressive encounters with other males. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Hatchling,Sept 15, 2016, Ontario, Canada. Had the opportunity to participate in a hatchling release program. Graptemys geographica The northern map turtle is named for the markings on its shell, which look like the contour lines on a topographical map. source - Ontario Nature.

April 5, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Flickers have been back for about a week. Finally got a shot in the yard. Colaptes auratus Northern Flickers generally nest in holes in trees like other woodpeckers. Occasionally, they’ve been found nesting in old, earthen burrows vacated by Belted Kingfishers or Bank Swallows. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Aug 19, 2016, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Seven hummingbirds, no social distancing but lots of chasing and fighting. Very aggressive little birds. Archilochus colubris The oldest known Ruby-throated Hummingbird was a female, and at least 9 years, 1 month old when she was recaptured and re released during banding operations in West Virginia. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

April 3, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. We been looking for bluebirds and then tow showed up in the yard. Sialia sialis The male Eastern Bluebird displays at his nest cavity to attract a female. He brings nest material to the hole, goes in and out, and waves his wings while perched above it. That is pretty much his contribution to nest building; only the female Eastern Bluebird builds the nest and incubates the eggs. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

April 2, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Went looking for the frogs we could hear calling, just photos of leopard frogs. Lithobates pipiens The northern leopard frog breeds in lakes, ponds and marshes in the early spring, but it is primarily a frog of meadows and other grassy areas in the summer. In late autumn, the frogs return to the water where they usually remain more-or-less dormant on the bottom in winter.