Rondeau Ric

Cedar waxwings singing a duet for New Years. Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot,and auld lang syne? For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne. July 27, 2020,  at Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario Canada.

 October 6, 2016, Rondeau Provincial Park. Cloud number 9, possibly Still grey and rainy but I did get my bike ride in, 6 C, no snow. What an unusual December. Do you see any faces?

Bay breasted warbler, May 10, 2019, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Another from the archives on a grey, rainy day. At least I don't have to shovel rain. Setophaga castanea Young Bay-breasted Warblers in fall can look very similar to Blackpoll Warblers. One surefire way to distinguish them is by the colour of the soles of their feet—bluish grey in Bay-breasted, yellow in Blackpoll. source - allaboutbirds-org.

 A grey, damp day but it is 42 F in mid December, so I checked the archives for an image.  Tui bird.  Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae,  New Zealand November 4, 2009 at my nephews Bach( cottage) A large, dark nectar feeder endemic to New Zealand. Easily distinguished by two curled white feather tufts (“poi”) visible on the throat. Tail and wings have blue, purple, and green iridescence. Found throughout much of New Zealand, including Auckland, Kermadec, and Chatham Islands, though mostly absent from Canterbury. Favors native forest and scrub, also venturing into suburban parks, farmland, and rural gardens. Often detected by its unique voice consisting of melodious notes intermixed with croaks, coughs, clicks, and wheezes. Also listen for its noisy whirring flight. Similar to male Eurasian Blackbird, but easily identified by its white throat feathers and iridescence. Song can be easily confused with that of a bellbird, but listen for distinct loud coughs, grunts, and wheezes in Tui song.

 American tree sparrow, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, December 19, 2023. Not rare but it is what is coming to the yard these days, 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.

  Long-tailed jaeger, Aug 9, 2018, Burlington, Ontario, Canada. We took  a road trip down to see this bird and it was very co-operative. Moved around the Bech, flew a bit and posed nicely Stercorarius longicaudus For several kinds of Arctic predators, including Snowy Owls and Arctic foxes, lemming populations can make the difference between survival and starvation. But Long-tailed Jaegers are long-lived and eat lemmings only in the summertime; they forage at sea in the winter. This means they can avoid lemming shortages simply by choosing not to breed, a strategy that has been likened to “skimming the cream” off the lemming’s population cycles. source-allaboutbirds-org

Pileated woodpecker,Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Dec 13, 2023. A treat, we had two pleated in the yard, we usually hear them but don't see them. This one dropped down to the little pond in our water feature. a new pond bird. Dryocopus pileatus A Pileated Woodpecker pair stays together on its territory all year round. It will defend the territory in all seasons, but will tolerate new arrivals during the winter. source - allaboutbirds-org. Photo by Anne.

  Eastern bluebird, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. May 13, 2023, I do like seeing these birds, If you're old enough - Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay My, oh my, what a wonderful day Plenty of sunshine headin' my way Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay Mister Bluebird's on my shoulder It's the truth, it's actual Ev'rything is satisfactual Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay Wonderful feeling, wonderful day, yes sir! Sialia sialis Eastern Bluebirds typically have more than one successful brood per year. Young produced in early nests usually leave their parents in summer, but young from later nests frequently stay with their parents over the winter. Source, all bout birds org

Lesser Scaup, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada.  Caught him in a flyby April 13, 2023. Aythya affinis Lesser Scaup chicks don't waste any time. As soon as their down dries, under the water they go. The little ones are a bit too buoyant to stay down for long, but by the time they are 5 to 7 weeks old, they can dive for up to 25 seconds and swim up to 60 feet underwater.

Doesn't look happy about something. Chipmunk, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, April 3, 2023. Chipmunks hibernate. They burrow in subterranean nests, waking frequently to feed on stored food. They are omnivorous, eating seeds, nuts, invertebrates and even small eggs. Chipmunks are small rodents in the same family as squirrels. Most species of chipmunks bear one litter each summer with five to six young, but Eastern Chipmunks bear two litters per year with three to four young each. source - Nature Canada.

Pine warbler at the water feature, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, October 16, 2022. Setophaga pinus Most warblers leave the continental U.S. for winter, but the Pine Warbler stays in the Southeast and is one of the first to return northward in spring. It arrives as early as February in areas just north of the wintering range and may begin breeding by late April. source - allaboutbirds-org

  Red-winged blackbird with tassel foot , Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, November 16, 2023. Just saw if for two days. Photo by Anne. A bird ailment that is common among caged birds and also affects many other bird species. It is caused by mites in the genus Knemidocoptes which burrow into the bird's flesh. The tunnels made by the mites within the skin cause dermatitis and scaly lesions. Scaly face is caused by the same mite responsible for scaly foot and other related mites cause depluming. The condition is transmitted from one bird to another by direct prolonged contact.

 Northern flicker, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 5, 2023. One of the many summer visitors to our water feature. Colaptes auratus. Flickers eat mainly ants and beetles, digging for them with their unusual, slightly curved bill. When they fly you’ll see a flash of color in the wings – yellow if you’re in the East, red if you’re in the West – and a bright white flash on the rump.

  Cape May warbler levitating between perches, Rondeau Provincial park, Ontario, Canada, May 11, 2023. Setophaga tigrina The tongue of the Cape May Warbler is unique among warblers. It is curled and semitubular, used to collect nectar. Source, all bout birds org

Golden-winged warbler, RondeauProvincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 3, 2019. 2019 was a good year for warblers. I photographed blue-winged, golden-winged, Brewsters and Lawrence's warblers in the course of two days. Vermivora chrysoptera. Minnesota has the highest remaining density of Golden-winged Warblers, with about half the global population. Source, all bout birds org

From the archives, Blue-winged warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 8, 2017. Vermivora cyanoptera Blue-winged Warblers do not visit feeders and may only stop off in your yard during migration, but you can still provide habitat for them in your yard by landscaping with native trees and shrubs. Creating a bird-friendly backyard can provide excellent stopover habitat to support warblers as they migrate to and from the breeding grounds. source, all bout birds org

The pollinator.  July 24, 2017, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada .Not sure what type of bee this is but it was gathering pollen on a purple cone flower.

Cedar waxwing, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 13, 2023. A regular visitor to the water feature during the summer months. 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.

Baltimore oriole, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 13, 2023. Enjoying his bath time. Icterus galbula Unlike robins and many other fruit-eating birds, Baltimore Orioles seem to prefer only ripe, dark-colored fruit. Orioles seek out the darkest mulberries, the reddest cherries, and the deepest-purple grapes, and will ignore green grapes and yellow cherries even if they are ripe.

  Hermit thrush, rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, October 25, 2023. We haven't seen as many thrushes compared to previous years. Perhaps we are looking at the wrong time of day. 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, all bout birds org

  One of my favourite birds that visit the yard. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 24, 2023. Melanerpes erythrocephalus The Red-headed Woodpecker is one of only four North American woodpeckers known to store food, and it is the only one known to cover the stored food with wood or bark. It hides insects and seeds in cracks in wood, under bark, in fenceposts, and under roof shingles. Grasshoppers are regularly stored alive, but wedged into crevices so tightly that they cannot escape. Source, all bout birds org

From the archives, a junco new  the water feature at rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada,  March 29, 2019. Junco hyemalis Juncos are the "snowbirds" of the middle latitudes. Over most of the eastern United States, they appear as winter sets in, and then retreat northward each spring. Other juncos are year-round residents, retreating into woodlands during the breeding season, or, like those of the Appalachian Mountains, moving to higher elevations during the warmer months. ource, all bout birds org

Lincoln's Sparrow, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, October 28, 2023. A semi-regular fall visitor to the yard and water. Sometimes, singing a beautiful song might not be enough to win over a female. In a laboratory study, female Lincoln's Sparrows were more attracted to males that sang during colder mornings more than those singing during warmer mornings. This may be because males singing in the cold showed off more than just their song; singing in the cold requires more energy and could mean that males singing in the cold would make better mates.

 A yellow warbler in its version of a coat of many colours. Part way through its molt. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, July 9, 2023. 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, all bout birds org

  A very large number of yellow-dumped warblers descended on our little water feature today . This went on for about 20 minutes, then everything left only to come back about an hour later to repeat the action. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, October 19, 2023.

 Female purple finch, Rondeau Provincial Park, October 17, 2023. Not common this time of year which makes it nice to see. Haemorhous purpureus Purple Finches seem to be losing numbers in eastern North America as House Finches have moved in after being brought to New York City in the 1950s. One study of finch behavior found that Purple Finches lost out to House Finches more than 95% of the times the two birds encountered each other. Source, all bout birds org

  A rare shot to a red-crested nuthatch stalking a spruce cone, a dangerous proposition Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, March 12, 2018. Sitta canadensis During nest building, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is aggressive, chasing away other hole-nesting birds such as the House Wren, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Downy Woodpecker. A particularly feisty nuthatch may go after Yellow-rumped Warblers, House Finches, Violet-Green Swallows, and Cordilleran Flycatchers., 

Black-throated green warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, October 1, 2023. Fall plumage the black bib is much later than in the spring migration. Setophaga virens In areas where multiple species of warblers breed close together, Black-throated Green Warblers are generally dominant to Blackburnian Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Northern Parulas, but subordinate to Magnolia Warblers.

 White-booted racket-tail, Tandayapa, Ecuador, May 13, 2016. Forest hummingbird, tiny except for male’s long tail.   Ocreatus underwoodii. Source, all bout birds org

  Palm warbler, October 7, 2023, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario Canada. We see palms more in the fall than the spring migration. Setophaga palmarum Though the Palm Warbler’s name might imply it is a tropical bird, it’s actually one of the northernmost breeding of all warblers (only the Blackpoll Warbler breeds farther north). They got their name from J. P. Gmelin who named them based on a specimen collected on Hispaniola, a Caribbean island with a lot of palm trees. Source, all bout birds org

Common yellow throated warbler, October , 2023, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada Not rare but we don't get many at the water, particularly this time of year. 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 - allaboutbirds org

  Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, October 1, 2023. They have been showing up regularly over the last few days. Getting a photo is still a challenge. Certhia americana The Brown Creeper builds a hammock-like nest behind a loosened flap of bark on a dead or dying tree. It wasn’t until 1879 that naturalists discovered this unique nesting strategy. . Source - allaboutbirds org

Rondeau Provincial Park, October 1, 2023.  Leiothlypis ruficapilla. Nashville Warblers have been known to use porcupine quills as nest material.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, October 2, 2023. Loots of kinglets moving through, both ruby crowned and golden crowned. Regulus satrapa. Each of the Golden-crowned Kinglet's nostrils is covered by a single, tiny feather. Source - allaboutbirds org

  Scarlet tanager, fall colours, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept 25, 20323. Such a drastic change from its spring colours of a red body with black wings. Piranga olivacea The response of the Scarlet Tanager to habitat fragmentation varies from place to place. Results from the Cornell Lab’s Project Tanager indicate that in the heart of the species’ range in the Northeast, it can be found in small forest patches. In the Midwest, similar sized forest patches tend to have no tanagers Source - allaboutbirds org

  Blackpoll warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, September 20, 2023. Photo by Anne. Warblers seem sparse this year, we get a little flurry every few days and that is it. Setophaga striata The song of the Blackpoll Warbler will put your hearing to the test. Most birds sing at a frequency between 1,000 Hz and 8,000 Hz, but the Blackpoll’s song can reach 10,000 Hz, even higher than the song of a Brown Creeper.

Sharp shinned Hawk, Rondeau Provincial Park, Sept 10, 2023. Photo by Anne.Had a sharpie come to the pond and spend about 15 minutes bathing. At one point it stood at the "waterfall" and hung its tail over as if it was washing its bottom. It spent another 20 minutes grooming in the hedge. Oddly, we had no other birds in the yard.

So the Tennessee (and The Monkees) say. The yellow seemed to be very deliberate in landing on the Tennessee as if to say, get out of my pond. Rondeau Provincial Park, Aug 12, 2023. Leiothlypis peregrina- Tennessee warbler Setophaga petechia - Yellow warbler.

Sora, Rondeau Provincial Park, Aug 11, 2023. First sora of the year, they've been hiding from us. Porzana carolina. It may not seem like it, because seeing a Sora takes some effort, but the Sora is the most abundant and widespread rail in North America. source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology

See I do post things other than birds. A snake at the pond this afternoon. Rondeau Provincial Park, Aug 10, 2023. Eastern garter snake .

Black and white warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, August 9, 2023. Grooming after a enthusiastic bath. Mniotilta varia. Black-and-white Warblers have an extra-long hind claw and heavier legs than other wood-warblers, which help them hold onto and move around on bark. source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology (Fandango is a lively partner dance originating in Portugal and Spain, usually in triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets)

Prairie warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, August 7, 2023. We have had one in the lot next to us that we watched from the yard but the is the first time one has come to the water. Setophaga discolor. Like most warblers, Prairie Warbler sings two similar, but distinct, song types. The faster “A Song” is directed at the female for courtship and the “B Song” is sung at territorial boundaries to deter other males. source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Blue-gray gnatcatcher taking food out of a spider's web. Rondeau Provincial Park, Aug 5, 2023. Polioptila caerulea The nesting range of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers has been shifting northward since the early twentieth century. Over the last quarter of that century, the shift was about 200 miles, in concert with increasing average temperatures source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Blackburnian warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, August 5, 2023. Another fall migrant in the yard Setophaga fusca In springtime, rival male Blackburnian Warblers perform remarkable territorial conflicts that recall an aerial ballet. They chase one another through and around the treetops, flying in loops, plummeting downward through the branches in a whirling pattern, gliding with tail raised and spread, or slowly flapping in exaggerated “moth flight,” as researchers call it. Once territories are established, the aerobatics die down. source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Milkweed tussock moth, Rondeau Provincial Park, August 2, 2023. Evidently a swarm of caterpillars is unusual for this species. Leave it to Anne to find something like this. Euchaetes egle, the milkweed tiger moth or milkweed tussock moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae and the tribe Arctiini, the tiger moths.

Another migrant, Bay-breasted warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, Aug 2,2023. Don't recall having a bay-breasted at this time of year, particularly one with such good colour. Setophaga castanea. Bay-breasted Warblers are voracious predators of spruce budworms. One study concluded that they consumed over 13,000 budworms per hectare (about 2.5 acres) in just 41 days. source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology