Rondeau Ric

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 31, 2022. Anne spotted this fawn in our front yard. We think it was just 2-3 days old. A fawns first line of defence is to stay still. Odocoileus viriginianus Although fawns are able to walk shortly after birth, the doe (female deer) will hide them in a dry location sheltered by long grass or shrubs. Does prefer to keep a little distance from their fawns in an effort to keep them hidden, and will only have direct contact with them when nursing.

May 29, 2022, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. It was flitting through the hedge above the pond then moved out into the open. Troglodytes aedon A House Wren weighs about as much as two quarters, but it’s a fierce competitor for nest holes. Wrens will harass and peck at much larger birds, sometimes dragging eggs and young out of a nest site they want – even occasionally killing adult birds. In some areas they are the main source of nest failure for bluebirds, Tree Swallows, Prothonotary Warblers, and chickadees. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 26, 2022. We have at least one nesting pair of red-heads near out yard. They have been chasing all other woodpeckers and birds in general out of our yard. Melanerpes erythrocephalus Pleistocene-age fossils of Red-headed Woodpeckers—up to 2 million years old—have been unearthed in Florida, Virginia, and Illinois. aouecw - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Based on online information I think this is a short tailed weasel. We first noticed it in the yard about 5 days ago, racing through the grass, up and down trees and bushes and burrowing around our little water feature. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 27, 2022. Mustela genus(?) As nocturnal animals, weasels sleep during the day and are active at night. Most of a weasel's time awake consists of hunting, storing excess food and eating. Their bodies don't store fat, so they need a constant supply of food to provide enough energy. In fact, the least weasel eats 40 to 60 percent of its body weight every day, according to the Nature Conservancy. Though weasels can dig their own burrows quite quickly, they sometimes take over other animals' burrows and make them their own. They have even been known to take over termite hills. source - Live science.

Common yellowthroat warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 23, 2022. A pond visitor, such a striking bird to be called common. Geothlypis trichas Adult Common Yellowthroats sometimes fall prey to carnivorous birds such as Merlins and Loggerhead Shrikes. Occasionally they have more unexpected predators: one migrating yellowthroat was eaten by a Chuck-will's-widow, while another was found in the stomach of a largemouth bass. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 25, 2022. Went out on the pontoon boat and had a good day with shore birds. Whimbrel were the most populus. Numenius phaeopus Numenius, the genus assigned to Whimbrel, means “new moon” in Greek, a reference to the bird’s bill shape, which resembles a crescent moon. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, canada, May 23, 2022. The bird kept coming low over the small water feature in the yard. It looked like it wanted to take a dip but the water was running too fast. Archilochus colubris Ruby-throated Hummingbirds prefer to feed on red or orange flowers (though it's not necessary to color the sugar water you put in a hummingbird feeder). Like many birds, hummingbirds have good color vision and can see into the ultraviolet spectrum, which humans can’t see. source - Cornell Lab of ornithology.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 20, 2022. Regular visitor to the yard and the water. Rarely seems to have a bath, does more of a splash and dash action. Vireo olivaceus The red iris that gives the Red-eyed Vireo its name doesn't develop until the end of the birds' first winter. Then the brown iris the birds were born with becomes dull brick red to bright crimson in different individuals. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Believe this is a DeKay's brown snake. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 9, 2022.

Wilson's warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 17, 2022. A few warblers are coming into the yard but most are not cooperating wehn it comes to photogrraphs. This male Wilson's warbler was working the hedge above the water looking for a meal. Cardellina pusilla Naturalist Alexander Wilson, often called the "father of American ornithology," described the Wilson’s Warbler in 1811 which he called the “green black-capt flycatcher.” source - Cornell Lab of Ornitology.

Male orchard oriole, May 15, 2022, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. A regular if not common visitor to the yard. Such a striking bird. Icterus spurius Orchard Orioles are relatively easygoing toward each other or other bird species, nesting in close quarters with Baltimore Orioles, Bullock’s Orioles, Eastern Kingbirds, Western Kingbirds, American Robins, and Chipping Sparrows. The aggressive kingbirds may be useful neighbors because they ward off predators and cowbirds (which lay their eggs in the nests of other birds). source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

You can one or the other but you can't have both. Ozzie has taken to watching me in the shower. He sits on the medicine cabinet, then he sticks his head in the shower to watch me. If you didn't already know, cats are strange.

Black throated blue warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 6, 2022. Had a BTB come into the grape jelly feeder today which is unusual. They don't come to feeders but the weather has been cool/cold and wet. Not much in the way of insects to eat. Setophaga caerulescens This warbler doesn't spend much time in the treetops, so looking for this bird won't give you a case of warbler neck; look for them in the shrubby understory and lower canopy in larger tracts of forest during the breeding season. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Rondeau provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 5 2022. Typical activity, tossing leaves and skulking in the underbrush. Dumetella carolinensis The Gray Catbird’s long song may last for up to 10 minutes. source - Cornelll Lab of Ornithology.

House Finch. A recent visitor to our little water feature. Rondeau Provincial Park, April 24, 2022. Haemorhous mexicanus House Finches feed their nestlings exclusively plant foods, a fairly rare occurrence in the bird world. Many birds that are vegetarians as adults still find animal foods to keep their fast-growing young supplied with protein. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

White-crowned sparrow, May 1, 2022, Rondeau Provincial Park. Their head pattern reminds me of wet paint. Zonotrichia leucophrys A migrating White-crowned Sparrow was once tracked moving 300 miles in a single night. Alaskan White-crowned Sparrows migrate about 2,600 miles to winter in Southern California. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

 Henslow's sparrow. Got a call from a fellow birder to let us know about an unusual sparrow that he was looking at.  Craig, the man who found the bird described it as mouse like as it tunnelled through the grass looking for seeds. It is a good description of the behaviour. It did come out into the open once in a while but it was hard to get a clear image. Centronyx henslowii     Henslow's Sparrows take flight only with great reluctance, preferring to flee from threats by running through the grass. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.