Rondeau Ric

A ruby-throated hummingbird and a downy woodpecker are regular visitors to the oriole nectar feeder. Just not usually at the same time. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 30, 2021. Dryobates pubescens Archilochus colubris

May 10, 2021. Chatham Kent, Ontrio, Canada. Just left the kits, probably on a food run. I didn't realize how long their tails are.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 28, 2021. Went out on the pontoon boat to get away from the heat. Spotted this least bittern along the marsh edge. They are about 11.0-14.2 in ( 28-36 cm) long. Ixobrychus exilis Perhaps surprisingly, tiny Least Bitterns use areas with deeper water than the much larger, longer-legged American Bittern. Least Bitterns can do this because their long, agile toes and curved claws allow them to grasp reeds and hunt small prey while suspended from these precarious over-water perches.

Cotton candy flavouring for KD? Photo by Anne. No wonder I don't like grocery stores.

Point Pelee National Park, Ontario, Canada, June 22, 2021. A follow up to yesterdays post, two chicks looking for food. Chlidonias niger

Point Pelee National Park, Ontario, Canada, June 22, 2021. First birding road trip in a year. We've been seeing postings of the black terns for a few weeks now. Decided to make the hour drive to Pelee. Yes, we followed cover protocols. We saw multiple pairs, some siting on eggs and one with chicks. Telephoto lens used so the birds weren't disturbed. Chlidonias niger The Black Tern is very social. It breeds in loose colonies and usually forages, roosts, and migrates in flocks of a few to more than 100 birds, occasionally up to tens of thousands.

A red-belled woodpecker stood his ground when a red-headed woodpecker swooped into his perch. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 19, 2021. Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus Red-headed Woodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalus

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 7, 2021. On one of the trails in Rondeau. Catharus ustulatus In New England spruce-fir forests, the nests of Swainson’s Thrushes are often lined with root-like cords of horsehair fungus. The fungal filaments can have antibiotic effects and may help deter nest pathogens. Source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology- All About Birds

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, April 30, 2021. A fast moving little bird, doesn't sit still to get good photos but I got lucky. 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- All About Birds

Newfoundland, Canada, June 5, 2018. On our east coast birding trip.

I don't think anything is going to float this boat. Worked hard, abandoned on the shore. Seen on a birding trip to Newfoundland, Canada.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 15, 2021. Another pond visitor who posed nicely for me. Leiothlypis ruficapilla Most first-year Nashville Warblers migrate south along the Atlantic coast, whereas adults tend to migrate along inland routes.

A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non-mosquito. A very small sample ended up in the stream/pond in the yard. It got worse as the evening progressed. They feed the birds and they don't bite, just keep your mouth closed.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 8, 2021. Today was a 4 turtle day. Blanding's, painted, map and snapping were all out laying eggs throughout the park. Emydoidea blandingii The Blanding’s Turtle is a medium-sized turtle easily identified by its bright yellow throat and chin. Unlike most Ontario turtles that have wide, flatter shells, the Blanding’s Turtle has a domed shell that resembles an army helmet. Its shell is black to brown with yellow flecks and streaks and can reach 27 centimetres long. Its head and limbs are black-grey and the bottom shell is rich yellow. source - https://www.ontario.ca/page/blandings-turtle

Yellow warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 7, 2021. Failure to launch, just flapped his wings and continued eating midges. 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. Source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology- All About Birds

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 6 2021. Two waxwings came in and made good use of the tiny stream to cool off. Bombycilla cedrorum Building a nest takes a female Cedar Waxwing 5 to 6 days and may require more than 2,500 individual trips to the nest. They occasionally save time by taking nest materials from other birds’ nests, including nests of Eastern Kingbirds, Yellow-throated Vireos, orioles, robins, and Yellow Warblers. Source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology- All About Birds

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 4, 2021. An enthusiastic bather, it can splash a significant amount of water out to the stream. Turdus migratorius An American Robin can produce three successful broods in one year. On average, though, only 40 percent of nests successfully produce young. Only 25 percent of those fledged young survive to November. From that point on, about half of the robins alive in any year will make it to the next. Despite the fact that a lucky robin can live to be 14 years old, the entire population turns over on average every six years. Source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology- All About Birds

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 4, 2021. A late day visitor to the pond. Setophaga magnolia In 1810, Alexander Wilson collected a warbler from a magnolia tree in Mississippi, giving it the English name "Black-and-yellow Warbler" and "magnolia" for the scientific species name, which became the common name over time. Source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology- All About Birds

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 3, 2021. We have nesting prothonotary warblers close to our house, I did a quick stop today. The male was singing and finally stopped by on a branch close to me. The Prothonotary Warbler got its name from the bright yellow robes worn by papal clerks, known as prothonotaries, in the Roman Catholic church. Source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology- All About Birds

Keith McLean's Conservation Area, Morpeth, Ontario, Canada, June 2, 2021. Went looking for a white faced ibis that was seen in the area, yes we saw it, and found this marsh wren signing its heart out. Cistothorus palustris Marsh Wrens are boisterous songsters that sing not only at dawn and dusk, but sometimes throughout the night.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 1, 2021. A very unexpected visitor to our area. Seen in the Erieau channel from our pontoon. Limosa fedoa Most Marbled Godwits breed in the northern Great Plains, but there are two far-flung exceptions. One small population breeds along the southwest coast of James Bay, Ontario, Canada. Another small group breeds on the Alaska Peninsula. The Alaskan birds have shorter wings and are heavier than those breeding in the Great Plains. Source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology- All About Birds