Rondeau Ric

Oct 27, 2022, just outside Rondeau Provincial Park. Taken at the Magic Brook at friend David's stream. We had 15 in our stream while I was out on my bike ride but they were seen by another birder who was checking the yard. Coccothraustes vespertinus. The Evening Grosbeak is a songbird without a song—that is, it does not seem to use any complex sounds to attract a mate or defend its territory. It does have a small repertoire of simple calls, including sweet, piercing notes and burry chirps. source - allaboutbirds-org

At the water feature, recently called McArthur's Oasis by a visitor. 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. source - allaboutbirds-org

Bath time. A rare visitor to Ontario from B.C. Townsend's warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, Oct 25, 2022. Video looks much better in HD rather than the default SD. Setophaga townsendi. Sometimes a female Townsend's Warbler will partially construct a nest in one tree, then move all the materials to another tree and finish the nest there. source-allaboutbirds-org

This bluejay was bashing the caterpillar on the ground pausing, then repeating. I don't know if it finally ate the caterpillar or not. Rondeau Provincial Park, Oct 20, 2022. Cyanocitta cristata. The black bridle across the face, nape, and throat varies extensively and may help Blue Jays recognize one another.

There were more starlings in the bird bath but several flew before I got the shot. There was plenty of room in the garden stream. Sturnus vulgaris All the European Starlings in North America descended from 100 birds set loose in New York's Central Park in the early 1890s. The birds were intentionally released by a group who wanted America to have all the birds that Shakespeare ever mentioned. It took several tries, but eventually the population took off. Today, more than 200 million European Starlings range from Alaska to Mexico, and many people consider them pests. source - allaboutbirds-org

Rondeau Provincial Park, Oct 16, 2022. Bird activity at the yard is slowing down with the cold, wet weather. The numbers of species and individuals is down significantly from a few days ago. Catharus ustulatus Territorial disputes between males often take the form of singing duels, with song volume and frequency escalating until the combatants’ physical exertions are clearly evident. During these contests, rivals very occasionally invert their customary melody so that it spirals downward in pitch. A sing-off can lead to a chase and even occasionally to physical attack. source- allaboutbirds-org

A rare bird in Ontario. This bird has a crossed bill but it seems healthy. My wife Anne, was the one who identified it, I thought it was a Blackburnian. Seen at our water feature by several birders. Rondeau Provincial Park, Oct 16, 2022. Setophaga townsendi Forages mostly in higher parts of trees. Searches actively among twigs for insects, often hovering briefly to take items from foliage. Sometimes flies out to catch flying insects in the air.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Oct 14, 2022. a regular visitor to the water feature in the yard. Poecile atricapillus The Black-capped Chickadee hides seeds and other food items to eat later. Each item is placed in a different spot and the chickadee can remember thousands of hiding places. source - allboutbirds - org

In the yard, Rondeau Provincial Park, Oct 13, 2022. A regular visitor along with the downy, red-belly and flickers. Dryobates villosus Hairy Woodpeckers sometimes drink sap leaking from wells in the bark made by sapsuckers. They’ve also been seen pecking into sugar cane to drink the sugary juice. source - allaboutbirds-org.

White-eyed vireo, at our water feature, Rondeau Provincial Park, Oct 11, 2022. Still a good flow of migrating birds passing through the yard. Very dry in the park and we have running water which is bringing the birds in. Young birds have a dark eye that turns white in their first winter or spring. Vireo griseus. In Florida, scientists found a 400,000-year-old wing bone from a White-eyed Vireo from the late Pleistocene. It is North America’s only fossil record for the whole vireo family. source -allaboutbird-org.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Oct 10, 2022. Vireos are still passing through on migration. We also had a blue-headed vireo. 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 - allaboutbird-org.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Oct 6, 2022. Thrushes are starting to pass through the yard in reasonable numbers. We also had Swaninson's thrushes at the water. Catharus guttatus. Hermit Thrushes usually make their nests in and around trees and shrubs, but they can also get more creative. Nests have been found on a cemetery grave, on a golf course, and in a mine shaft. source - allaboutbirds - org

More warblers passing through the yard and visiting the water. Pine warbler and a Nashville sharing the bath. Rondeau Provincial Park, Oct 5, 2022. Pine - Setophaga pinus Nashville - Leiothlypis ruficapilla

Rondeau Provincial Park, Oct 2, 2022. Seems to be the last of the flycatchers coming to our yard this year. Birding has been slow the last few days, probably due to strong east winds. Sayornis phoebe The Eastern Phoebe is a loner, rarely coming in contact with other phoebes. Even members of a mated pair do not spend much time together. They may roost together early in pair formation, but even during egg laying the female frequently chases the male away from her. source - allabloutbirds-org

Rondeau Bay, Sept 29, 2022. Another of the birds we saw on the weed mats out in the bay. At times it would start sinking through the weed mat. Ardea alba. Great Egrets fly slowly but powerfully: with just two wingbeats per second their cruising speed is around 25 miles an hour.

We haven't seen an American golden-plover in many years. Black-bellied plovers are common along the south beach of the park during migration. We were out on the pontoon boat on Sept 29 and spotted a golden and a black-bellied on a weed mat in Rondeau Bay. Gives a nice size comparison. American golden-plover - Pluvialis dominica In the 19th and 20th centuries, colloquial names for the American Golden-Plover included bullhead, field plover, greenback, muddy-belly, and prairie pigeon. Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola The Black-bellied Plover is the only American plover that has a hind toe on its foot—although the toe is so small it’s hard to see in the field.