Rondeau Ric

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