Rondeau Ric

The Komodo dragon, also known as the Komodo monitor, is a member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. It is the largest extant species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 m, and weighing up to 70 kg. Image taken at a zoo Feb 1, 2012. (Varanus komodoensis)

Well we got the freezing rain as predicted. Lots of tree limbs and power lines down in the area. The power was out for 2 days, thankfully we have a backup generator. Had a large branch hit the cottage at 2.30 a.m. It punch 3 fist sized holes in the roof and broke off a section of rain gutter. Disaster Repair company has already done a patch. It was so much fun that we are going to do it again on Monday. Another weather system is following the same tract and the forecast is for rain, freezing rain, snow, and ice pellets. OH JOY!

Freezing rain is still falling along with small branches and chunks of ice. Nothing major so far but it is still early. Power has flickered but so far....

Hairy woodpecker feeding young some of our home made suet, Rondeau Provincial Park, June 26, 2017. 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.

Rondeau Bay, Ontario, Canada, Feb 19, 2023. This swan has been seen for a few days. Believed to be an escapee as it is so far out of range. Cygnus cygnus Immense swan of frigid northern regions; breeds on the tundra, taiga, and steppe and winters in marshy lakes and wetlands, often in wild areas. Fairly straight neck, short tail, and sloping bill distinct from Mute Swan; told from smaller Bewick’s (Tundra) Swan by larger and pointed yellow patch at base of bill, also lower-pitched and more bugling calls. Juvenile often dingier through first winter than juvenile Bewick’s; juveniles of both usually found with adults as family groups.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Feb 18, 2023. Sitta canadensis Diet includes both insects and seeds. Feeds mainly on insects and spiders in summer; in winter, eats many seeds, especially those of conifers. Young are fed mostly or entirely on insects and spiders.

Yellow-rumped warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Oct 14, 2019. 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.

This yellow warbler jumped straight up from the water for no observable reason. Rondeau Provincial Park, July 5, 2022. Setophaga petechia In addition to the migratory form of the Yellow Warbler that breeds in North America, several other resident forms can be found in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Males in these populations can have chestnut caps or even chestnut covering the entire head. source-allaboutbirds-org

Our American goldfinches are starting to show a little colour, a sure sign of spring. Rondeau provincial Park , Ontario, Feb 14, 2023. Spinus tristis

Ecuador, Mar 23, 2023 near Tandeyapa. Thalurania colombica Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, and heavily degraded former forest.

Playing the alligator, hiding in plain sight. Leopard frog, Rondeau Provincial Park, May 19, 2020. The northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) is green or brown with dark, rounded, light-edged random spots, and has prominent dorsolateral folds (folds of skin running down each side of the back) and a white belly that occasionally has a yellowish tinge.  The call is a low snore followed by several low grunts and does not carry very far. source - ontario nature-org.

 At best it's a pinkish blush but red-head was already taken. Ojibway Nature Centre, Windsor, On, Feb 7, 2023. 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.

  This is at least the 5th year a screech owl has used this roost. Always nice to see one. Rondeau Provincial Park, Feb 10, 2023. Telephoto lens, heavily cropped. Megascops asio Like most raptors, male Eastern Screech-Owls are smaller than females, and are more agile fliers and hunters. The female doesn’t hunt while on the nest; she and the chicks depend on food brought them by the male. Though the male is smaller, his voice is deeper than the female’s.

This northern cardinal was deep in a group of bushes. The eye focusing on my camera is amazing.  It had no problem ignoring all the branches and picking up the eye of the bird. Cardinalis cardinalis The female cardinal sings duets with her mate during courtship and while she's on the nest. During that time, her singing tells her mate when to bring food — and also when to stay away. This warning keeps the more conspicuous male's visits to a minimum, lest his flashy color expose the nest to predators.

White-breasted nuthatch.  Very tame birds at Ojibway Nature Centre in Windsor Ont., Anne had them eating out of the palm of her hand. Feb7, 2023. Sitta carolinensis The habit of creeping headfirst down a tree trunk, then stopping and looking around with head held out at a 90-degree angle, is characteristic of nuthatches. The White-breasted is an inquisitive, acrobatic bird, pausing occasionally to hang and hammer at a crack. Essentially nonmigratory, during the fall it stores food for winter in crevices behind loose tree bark.

I want to fly like an eagle, to the sea Fly like an eagle Let my spirit carry me I want to fly  A close encounter, this eagle flew right over us at tree top level giving a great view. Windsor, Ont, Feb 7, 2023. Haliaeetus leucocephalus The bald eagle is not always so majestic in habits: it often feeds on carrion, including dead fish washed up on shore, and it steals food from Ospreys and other smaller birds.  

Mute swan, Detroit River, Windsor, Ont, Feb 4, 2023. Cygnus olor Give plenty of space to nesting Mute Swans. They can be extremely aggressive and frequently attack canoeists, kayakers, and pedestrians who wander too close to a nest or chicks.

Windsor, Ont, Feb 4, 2023. A road trip with two friends to some birdng along the Detroit River yesterday. We ha hoped there would be more ice which would bring the ducks, geese, swans, and eagles in closer, but you take what you get. Aythya valisineria. The species name of the Canvasback, valisineria, comes from Vallisneria americana, or wild celery, whose winter buds and stems are the duck’s preferred food during the nonbreeding period. The oldest recorded Canvasback was a male, and at least 22 years, 7 months old when he was shot in California in 1991. He had been banded in the same state in 1969 source - allaboutbirds-org

Rondeau Provincial Park, Feb 3, 2023. Dryobates pubescens The Downy Woodpecker eats foods that larger woodpeckers cannot reach, such as insects living on or in the stems of weeds. You may see them hammering at goldenrod galls to extract the fly larvae inside.

Forget the ground hog, he lives in a hole. What does he know about the weather? THE SQUIRREL has spoken - spring will be here when it gets here! Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Feb 2, 2023

Rondeau Provincial Park, Sept 1, 2013. One from the archives. I had the opportunity to watch a nest of soft shells hatch out in an incubator. It was just pushing its way out. Apalone spinifera The Spiny softshell is a medium-large freshwater turtle that is easily recognized by its shell, which is round, rather flat, leathery and can reach up to 54 centimetres, 22 inches, long. It is also distinguished by its snorkel-like snout. Unlike any other Ontario turtles, this species has a soft shell.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Jan 31, 2023. Canon R7. One of the regular species in the yard this time of year. Junco hyemalis Feeding Behavior Forages mostly while hopping and running on the ground. Sometimes scratches with its feet in leaf-litter or snow. Will come to bird feeders, but tends to forage on the ground under the feeding tray.