Rondeau Ric

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept 23, 2020. At our small water feature just prior to having a bath. Setophaga petechia In addition to the migratory form of the Yellow Warbler that breeds in North America, several other resident forms can be found in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Males in these populations can have chestnut caps or even chestnut covering the entire head. The oldest-known Yellow Warbler was a female, and was at least 11 years old. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow_Warbler

Hazy moon. Full moon rising, just above Lake Erie in the clouds on the horizon.

Sept 14, 2017, Rondeau Provoncial Park, Ontario, Canada. Seen along the edge of the marsh from the pontoon boat. Nycticorax nycticorax Black-crowned Night Heron nest in groups that often include other species, including herons, egrets, and ibises. The oldest Black-crowned Night-Heron on record was a female who was at least 21 years, 5 month old. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/.../Black-crowned_Night-Heron

 

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 2, 2020. In the yard getting his fill. Archilochus colubris The Ruby-throated Hummingbird beats its wings about 53 times a second.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, August 13, 2020. In our front yard which is naturalized with tall grass prairie species. Hemaris thysbe, the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth or Common Clearwing (wingspan 38-50 mm), readily visits flowers by day throughout the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada, where it ranges far to the north, even into the Yukon.

Oct 23, 2020, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. A regular fall visitor to the yard and the pond. 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. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-rumped_Warbler

Keith McLean Conservation Area, Ontario, Canada, Feb20. 2021. In a mixed flock of snow buntings and horned larks, hoping for a Lapland longspur however, none showed up. Eremophila alpestris Horned Larks inhabit an extensive elevation range, from sea level to an altitude of 13,000 feet. Linnaeus named this bird Alauda alpestris: “lark of the mountains” (it has since been moved to the genus Eremophila).

Near Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Feb 19, 2021. A friend mentioned there was a mixed flock including snow buntings so I went and sat in my car for an hour. Got some shots of the buntings and horned larks. Plectrophenax nivalis Male Snow Buntings head to their high arctic breeding grounds when the ground is still covered in snow and temperatures can dip to -22° F. That doesn't seem like a good time to arrive, but males need to arrive early to make sure they get one of the limited nesting spots in a rock crevice. Females join them 3 to 4 weeks later when things start to warm up. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snow_Bunting

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Feb 18, 2021. A rare winter visitor to our yard. The pond is bringing in a steady stream of birds and critters. Passerella iliaca People have spotted individual Fox Sparrows in Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Germany, and Italy. Some of these vagrant birds probably made part of their transatlantic journey by ship, after touching down to rest on a vessel far from shore.

Feb 16, 2021, Stefina Line, Blenheim, Ontario, Canada. Went out for a drive after the snow storm to check for birds. Didn't get the Virginia rail or snowy owl but did get two northern harriers, four rough legged hawks and two snipe, only one in the photo. Much closer than the last time. Gallinago delicata Wilson’s Snipe feed by burying their bills deep into soft, wet soil to probe for insect larvae, worms, and other invertebrate prey. The bill’s flexible tip can open to grasp food while the base of the bill stays closed. Snipe can slurp small prey from the mud without having to remove their bill from the soil. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Feb 15, 2021. It isn't often that a pileated comes to or flies through the yard. This now landed in the trees next door. Dryocopus pileatus A Pileated Woodpecker pair stays together on its territory all year round. It will defend the territory in all seasons, but will tolerate new arrivals during the winter. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker

Southwestern Ontario, Canada, Jan 27, 2019. Seen somewhere in the country side while looking for snowy owls. Calcarius lapponicus Some winter flocks of Lapland Longspurs have been estimated to contain 4 million birds.

Near Blenheim, Ontario, Canada, Feb 11, 2021. Two snipe in a drainage ditch, uncommon this time of year. We have had snipe at this location, over the winter, for several years now. Gallinago delicata Wilson’s Snipe look so stocky thanks in part to the extra-large pectoral (breast) muscles that make up nearly a quarter of the bird’s weight—the highest percent of all shorebirds. Thanks to their massive flight muscles this chunky sandpiper can reach speeds estimated at 60 miles an hour. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 10, 2019. Needed some colour and a reminder of spring. -15C in the mornings. Tired of the polar vortex. 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 - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bay-breasted_Warbler

South Western Ontario, Feb 8, 2021. We had 7 short-eared owls at one time, 2 harriers and several rough-legged hawks. Great afternoon. None came close enough for good shots but you take what you can get. These birds were about 300 meters away. Asio flammeus As suggested by their wide global distribution, Short-eared Owls can travel long distances over vast expanses of ocean. Witnesses have reported seeing these owls descending on ships hundreds of miles from land.

Shrewsbury, Ontario, Canada, Feb 9, 2021. A rare hold over from warmer weather. It seemed to be getting enough to eat, it had open water and was sticking its head through a covering of snow to find food. The first photo looks to me like it has ice on its face. Rallus limicola As a group, rails have the highest ratio of leg muscles to flight muscles of any bird, which may explain their propensity to walk rather than fly. source- https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Virginia_Rail

Cold, windy, overcast with sunny breaks, not an ideal beach day. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada.

Red-winged blackbird, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Feb5, 2021. Not many around at this time of year. He is taking advantage of the running water. Air temp -5C. 23F. Through the wonderful wildlife window. Agelaius phoeniceus Red-winged Blackbirds roost in flocks in all months of the year. In summer small numbers roost in the wetlands where the birds breed. Winter flocks can be congregations of several million birds, including other blackbird species and starlings. Each morning the roosts spread out, traveling as far as 50 miles to feed, then re-forming at night. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird

Feb 2, 2021, Erieau, Ontario, Canada. Definitely out of season, should be long gone. We always seem to have one or two stay over, not sure that they survive the season. First saw it standing on an ice flow with a few gulls. Not sure what it was going for, the water is about 20 feet deep at that point. Ardea herodias Great Blue Herons in the northeastern U.S. and southern Canada have benefited from the recovery of beaver populations, which have created a patchwork of swamps and meadows well-suited to foraging and nesting. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Feb 1, 2021. An unusual winter visitor to our yard. It came in for the running water in our little garden stream. Catharus guttatus Males usually gather food for the nest, while females feed the nestlings. The young birds start by eating bits of larvae, then grasshoppers, moths, and spiders. One Hermit Thrush has been seen trying to give a nestling a salamander more than 1.5 inches long. source - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hermit_Thrush/

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Feb 1, 2021. At the small water feature in the yard. Not much free water available, mostly frozen. Check out the fur on its feet. Sciurus carolinensis It is native to eastern North America, where it is the most prodigious and ecologically essential natural forest regenerator.