Rondeau Ric

You thought you were having a bad hair day?  American redstart in the water feature in our yard. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 15, 2025. Setophaga ruticilla  The oldest American Redstart was at least 10 years and one month old, when he was recaptured and rereleased during a banding operation in Ontario.

 Designer, architect, builder, Robin Construction does it all. This American Robin was bathing with a mouthful on nest building materials in our little water feature in the yard. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 12, 2025 Turdus migratorius An American Robin can produce three successful broods in one year. On average, though, only 40 percent of nests successfully produce young. Only 25 percent of those fledged young survive to November. From that point on, about half of the robins alive in any year will make it to the next. Despite the fact that a lucky robin can live to be 14 years old, the entire population turns over on average every six years.

  Downy Delivery, absolutely fresh, right to your nest. A 5 star rating is a really feather in his cap. Downy woodpecker, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 11, 2025. Dryobates pubescens Woodpeckers don’t sing songs, but they drum loudly against pieces of wood or metal to achieve the same effect. People sometimes think this drumming is part of the birds’ feeding habits, but it isn’t. In fact, feeding birds make surprisingly little noise even when they’re digging vigorously into wood.

  Gorgeous bird that doesn't show up in our yard very often. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 11, 2025. Passerina cyanea Sometimes nicknamed "blue canaries," these brilliantly colored yet common and widespread birds whistle their bouncy songs through the late spring and summer all over eastern North America.  

  While out on the pontoon boat we came across this black crowned night heron with the long breeding feather. We usually see them in the fall with winter plumage. Not colourful but still a good looking bird. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 7, 2025. Nycticorax nycticorax Young Black-crowned Night Herons leave the nest at the age of 1 month but cannot fly until they are 6 weeks old. They move through the vegetation on foot, joining up in foraging flocks at night.

  Not sure if this was a breeding display for the female that was in the yard or an aggression display to keep other birds out of his bath. Either way it is a beautiful bird. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, June 4, 2025. Setophaga ruticilla The male American Redstart sometimes has two mates at the same time. While many other polygamous bird species involve two females nesting in the same territory, the redstart holds two separate territories that can be separated by a quarter-mile. The male begins attracting a second female after the first has completed her clutch and is incubating the eggs.