Rondeau Ric

Chatham-Kent Ontario, Nov 30, 2021. Received a rare bird alert about an egret close to our place. Unusual in our area and this time of year. Bubulcus ibis Cattle Egrets are native to Africa but somehow reached northeastern South America in 1877. They continued to spread, arriving in the United States in 1941 and nesting there by 1953. In the next 50 years they became one of the most abundant of the North American herons, showing up as far north as Alaska and Newfoundland. source- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Nov 28, 2021. Fairly late for us to have a field sparrow in the yard. Spizella pusilla The oldest recorded Field Sparrow was at least 10 years, 4 months old when it was recaptured and rereleased at a banding station in Maryland in 2007. It had been banded in the same state in 1999. source- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Blackpoll warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, 2021. One of the most dramatic changes between fall and spring plumage. Setophaga striata The sharply marked Blackpoll Warbler is nature’s hearing test, with a high-pitched, almost inaudible song that floats through the boreal forests of Canada. This long-distance athlete weighs less than half an ounce yet makes the longest overwater journey of any songbird—nearly 1,800 miles nonstop over the Atlantic Ocean to its wintering grounds. In the fall, this black-and-white warbler molts into yellow-green plumage and loses its black cap. Although still numerous, it has lost an estimated 88% of its population in the last 40 years. source- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

I'm so old I remember when this was a store. Maybe it was just a Canadian thing.

Cute but voracious and ingenious when it comes to getting on peanut feeders. Sciurus carolinensis The tail has many important functions. It acts as a rudder when the animal jumps from high places, as a warm covering during the winter, as a signal to other eastern grey squirrels indicating an individual’s mood, and perhaps as a sunshade. Finally, the tail can be used to distract a pursuing predator.

House finch, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Nov 23, 2021 A vistor to the water feature. Haemorhous mexicanus The red of a male House Finch comes from pigments contained in its food during molt (birds can’t make bright red or yellow colors directly). So the more pigment in the food, the redder the male. This is why people sometimes see orange or yellowish male House Finches. Females prefer to mate with the reddest male they can find, perhaps raising the chances they get a capable mate who can do his part in feeding the nestlings. source- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Tufted titmouse, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Nov 22, 2021. Classic side view of a titmouse with the crest up. Baeolophus bicolor Tufted Titmice often line the inner cup of their nest with hair, sometimes plucked directly from living animals. The list of hair types identified from old nests includes raccoons, opossums, mice, woodchucks, squirrels, rabbits, livestock, pets, and even humans. source- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

American goldfinch, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Nov 21, 2021. Another forager in the back of the yard. We have planted the majorty of the property in native tall grases and floweres for the wildlife. Also I hate cutting grass. Spinus tristis Goldfinches move south in winter following a pattern that seems to coincide with regions where the minimum January temperature is no colder than 0 degrees Fahrenheit on average. source- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

American tree sparrow, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Nov 20, 2021. A fall/winter bird for us. When they come along with the juncos winter isn't far behind. Spizelloides arborea American Tree Sparrows need to take in about 30 percent of their body weight in food and a similar percentage in water each day. A full day's fasting is usually a death sentence. Their body temperature drops and they lose nearly a fifth of their weight in that short time. source- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Cats are either very smart or extremely weird, maybe both. It has long since cooled down from being used. Does he know it used to be warm?

Rufous hummingbird, southwestern Ontario, Sept 24, 2021. A rare bird for our area, had the priviledge of going to a private residence to view the bird. Normal range pacific coast and American south west. Selasphorus rufus The Rufous Hummingbird breeds as far north as southeastern Alaska – the northernmost breeding range of any hummingbird in the world. Of the western hummingbirds that occasionally show up in the east, the Rufous Hummingbird is the most frequent. source- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

An upclose conversation with a bison. Parc Omega, Quebec, Canada, April 2019.

A dog house perhaps? Or something very tall that can get down low. We will never know. Quebec, April 2019.

This northern pintail looks like it has been weight lifting and is showing off. Texas Jan 2012. Anas acuta Northern Pintails migrate at night at speeds around 48 miles per hour. The longest nonstop flight recorded for a Northern Pintail was 1,800 miles. source- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

 Who knew it was an alternative fuel.

Yellow-rumped warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Nov 9, 2021. New photo blind/hide set is finished. One of the first birds to come in to the pond area. 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- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Sage thrasher, a long way from home. Mitchell's Bay, Ontario, Canada, Nov 7, 2021. It was moving around in stag horn sumac bushes and grape vine and wouldn't come all the way out. Good looks at the wanderer. This bird is way out of it's normal range in the American Southwest. Oreoscoptes montanus In the high desert of the sagebrush steppe there can be extreme daily fluctuations in temperature. Sage Thrashers often orient their nest entrances eastward to capture solar heat in the cold mornings and to shade the eggs in the hot afternoons.

Red-bellied woodpecker, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Nov 4, 2021. Alright it doesn't really have a red belly, more of a pinkish blush, live with it. 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.

Dark-eyed junco, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Oct 31, 2021. At a glance they can look grey and white but there is a little colour in there. Be kind, I am partially colour blind or if we are being fancy - colour perception disorder. Junco hyemalis The Dark-eyed Junco is one of the most common birds in North America and can be found across the continent, from Alaska to Mexico, from California to New York. A recent estimate set the junco’s total population at approximately 630 million individuals. source- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Eastern towhee, May 6, 2021, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Usually skulking in the undergrowth, this male came out into the sunshine. Pipilo erythrophthalmus Eastern Towhees tend to be pretty solitary, and they use a number of threat displays to tell other towhees they’re not welcome. You may see contentious males lift, spread, or droop one or both wings, fan their tails, or flick their tails to show off the white spots at the corners. Studies have shown that male towhees tend to defend territories many times larger than needed simply to provide food. source- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.