Rondeau Ric

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 19, 2021. Melanerpes erythrocephalus The gorgeous Red-headed Woodpecker is so boldly patterned it’s been called a “flying checkerboard,” with an entirely crimson head, a snow-white body, and half white, half inky black wings. These birds don’t act quite like most other woodpeckers: they’re adept at catching insects in the air, and they eat lots of acorns and beech nuts, often hiding away extra food in tree crevices for later. Source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology- All About Birds

Blue dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis), a.k.a. the Swift Long-winged skimmer (they aren’t especially long-winged, though that’s what longipennis means) and the Blue pirate. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. July 26, 2021.

The common whitetail or long-tailed skimmer (Plathemis lydia) is a common dragonfly across much of North America. Females have a brown body and a different pattern of wing spots than the males. - Wikipedia. In our yard, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, July 24, 2021.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, July 22,2021 Katydids get their name from the sound they make. Their repetitive clicks and calls sounded like someone saying, "Ka-ty-did", so that phrase became the common name. Both genders are capable of producing the sound. Katydids are related to crickets and grasshoppers, with large back legs for jumping. Unlike grasshoppers, Katydids have extremely long, thin antennae. Unlike crickets, their bodies are more rhomboidal, like a kite with four equal lengths. They have wings and will fly away from danger. Most sightings occur when they land on an object and linger. Some have even gone on car rides, clinging to the hood of the vehicle. source - https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description...

The wet head look. At our little pond. Leiothlypis peregrina The Tennessee Warbler is a common nectar "thief" on its wintering grounds in tropical forests. Most nectar-eating birds, bats, and insects probe a flower from the front to get the nectar, spreading pollen on their faces in the process. But Tennessee warblers pierce the flower tube at the base, lapping up the nectar without helping pollinate the flower. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, July 21, 2021.

In Rondeau's marsh, July 20, 2021. Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) grows in a wide latitude of locations—from the heat of Mexico to the Arctic Circle in Canada—mostly as a small round shrub (3-4') in the north to a small tree (6-8') in the south.Buttonbush offers its nectar to numerous bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, and its seed as food to more than 25 species of birds and at least three mammals. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, July 19, 2021. While hummingbirds live between 5-8 years, the lifespan of hummingbird moths is much shorter. The longest living moths live up to 7 months, but most live as little as 3-5 weeks. This moth is sometimes called "hummingbird moth" or "flying lobster - Wikipedia.

Feeding junior. Northern flickerr feeding young, Rondeau Provincial Park, July 17, 2021. Colaptes auratus Although it can climb up the trunks of trees and hammer on wood like other woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker prefers to find food on the ground. Ants are its main food, and the flicker digs in the dirt to find them. It uses its long barbed tongue to lap up the ants. Source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology- All About Birds

May 13, 2021, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. A spring visitor to the yard, haven't seen one for weeks now. Icterus spurius Orchard Orioles migrate north late in the spring and head southward early, with some returning to their wintering grounds as early as mid-July. Because of the short breeding season, researchers have trouble distinguishing between breeding orioles and migrating ones in any given location. Source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology- All About Birds

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, July 14, 2021. We have a small flock of yellows coming into the pond every day. The work the hedge eating small caterpillars and then have a drink/bath. Setophaga petechia The oldest-known Yellow Warbler was a female, and was at least 11 years old when she was recaught and rereleased during banding operations in New York. Source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology- All About Birds

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, July 12, 2021. A steady stream of woodpeckers today, mainly red-bellies and red-headed woodpeckers. Look closely and you can see a touch of red on the belly. 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- All About Birds

just how big is your stoop and scoop bag?

Catbird, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, July 3, 2021. Flitted around the pond as if it could hear a tune. Dumetella carolinensis

Look closely and you can see the mosquitos around the fawns eyes. White-tailed deer fawn, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, July 7, 2021. Seen in our yard by the water feature.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, July 4, 2021. More often heard than seen around our yard. The Gray Catbird belongs to the genus Dumetella, which means “small thicket.” And that’s exactly where you should go look for this little skulker. Dumetella carolinensis The oldest known Gray Catbird was at least 17 years, 11 months old when it was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in New Jersey in 2001. It had been banded in Maryland in 1984.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 30, 2021. A knowledgeable friend informed me the birds condition is likely follicle and/or feather mites of some sort. Sitta carolinensis The oldest known White-breasted Nuthatch was at least 9 years, 9 months old when it was found in Colorado.

It slid by to the east of us. Lake Erie from Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, July 2, 2021.