Rondeau Ric

Bob our Northern Bobwhite showed up in the yard again today. He ranges up and down the dunes covering about 6 km - 3.5 miles. Anne put out some mixed seed for him and 16 blackbirds showed up. None when near Bob. Maybe he's the bad, bad, LeRoy Brown of the bird world. Rondeau Provincial Park, May 30, 2023. Colinus virginianus. The bobwhite genus is represented by more than 700 known fossils, dug up in sites ranging from Florida to Arizona to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Some of these fossils are at least 2.5 million years old. source- https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Bobwhite/

Connecticut warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, May 29, 2023. Followed up on a Discord post and found the bird. It was signing loudly near the roadside. Took a while to find the bird perched up about 2 meters. A rare find and any photo is a good photo of this sulky bird. Thanks Steve . Oporornis agilis. The Connecticut Warbler is an infamously hard-to-find bird that forages on the ground in remote muskeg, spruce bogs, and poplar forests. Simply plumaged, with a gray hood, yellow belly, and olive back, the Connecticut Warbler has a large bill and a large pale eyering—often the first field mark that stands out. Although males sing from trees, this species forages by walking slowly through underbrush, where it is difficult to see. Probably owing to its retiring habits and remote habitats, Connecticut is among the least studied of American songbirds. source- allaboutbirds.org

Ruby-throated hummingbird, Rondeau Provincial Park, May 13, 2023. One of the hummingbirds frequenting our yard. Archilochus colubris. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are eastern North America’s only breeding hummingbird. But in terms of area, this species occupies the largest breeding range of any North American hummingbird. source-allaboutbirds.org

Philadelphia vireo, May 27, 2023, Rondeau provincial Park. A splash and dash visitor to the water feature in the yard. Vireos tend to sit on a branch in the hedge, then I've to the water where they splash and immediately fly back to the hedge. Vireo philadelphicus. Philadelphia Vireo was named in 1851 by American ornithologist John Cassin, who described the species based on a specimen of a migrant in Philadelphia. A local name for the species in that city was once “Brotherly-love Vireo.” source -allaboutbirds-org.

Prothonotary warbler, May 25 2023, Rondeau Provincial Park. High in the tree with filtered light. Protonotaria citrea. Most warblers nest either on the ground, in shrubs, or in trees, but the Prothonotary Warbler and the Lucy's Warbler build their nests in holes in standing dead trees. They may also use nest boxes when available. source - allaboutbirds-org

Nashville warbler, May 21, 2023,Rondeau provincial Park. Another spring migrant passing through our yard Leiothlypis ruficapilla. Most first-year Nashville Warblers migrate south along the Atlantic coast, whereas adults tend to migrate along inland routes. source -allaboutbirds-org

High in trees, Rondeau Provincial Park, May 21, 2023. Cardellina canadensis Canada Warblers fly more than 3,000 miles from their wintering grounds in South America to their breeding grounds in the United States and Canada.

Male five lined skink during molt. Rondeau provincial Park, May 21, 2023. Saw this skink, which is shedding its skin like a snake does. The colour on its face was unusual and ,Anne did the photo colour is correct - I'm red/green colour blind. Plestiodon fasciatus Common Five-lined Skink is a small (up to 8.6 cm) black or grey coloured lizard. Juveniles have five cream-coloured stripes along their back and a blue tail. The stripes and blue tail fade with age. During the breeding season, males have orange colouration around the jaws and chin. Common Five-lined Skink feeds on insects, worms and other invertebrates. They are very agile hunters.

American redstart, near Rondeau, May 17, 2023. I was told they want to be a Baltimore Oriole when they grow up. Setophaga ruticilla. Young male American Redstarts have gray-and-yellow plumage, like females, until their second fall. Yearling males sing vigorously in the attempt to hold territories and attract mates. Some succeed, but most do not breed successfully until the following year when they develop black-and-orange breeding plumage. source -allaboutbirds-org.

Chestnut-sided warbler, near Rondeau Provincial Park, May 17, 2023. Setophaga pensylvanica. The Chestnut-sided Warbler sings two basic songs: one is accented at the end (the pleased-to-meetcha song), and the other is not. Males sing the accented songs primarily to attract a female; once nesting is well underway they switch over to the unaccented songs, which are used mostly in territory defense and aggressive encounters with other males. Some males sing only unaccented songs, and they are less successful at securing mates than males that sing both songs. source-allaboutbirds-org

Can you figure out what the two warblers are? Near Rondeau Provincial Park, May 17, 2023.

Loggerhead Shrike, near Shrewsbury, Ont., May 17, 2023. Received a Discord notice of the shrike about 25 minutes from the cottage and off we went. It stayed in the same area for a long time, flying up and sown one stretch of road. Lanius ludovicianus. A Loggerhead Shrike can kill and carry an animal as massive as itself. It transports large prey in its feet and smaller victims in its beak. source -allaboutbirds-org.

Cape May warbler in the yard, Rondeau Provincial Park, May 16, 2023. Migration continues, they were high in the trees today. This one stopped by the water feature. Setophaga tigrina. The tongue of the Cape May Warbler is unique among warblers. It is curled and semitubular, used to collect nectar. source-allaboutbirds-org

No it isn't a bird, but I do take other images soon occassion. This garter snake stopped by the pond for a taste before continuing on its way. Rondeau Provincial Park, May 15, 2023.

Veery, near Rondeau Provincial Park, May 14, 2023. At a friends water feature. Catharus fuscescens A study of migration using radio telemetry showed that the Veery can fly up to 285 km (160 mi) in one night, and that it can fly at altitudes above 2,000 m (1.2 mi). source - allaboutbirds-org

This bay-breasted warbler had an enthusiastic bath then moved to the hedge to groom and dry off. Still puffed up and scruffy looking at this point. Rondeau Provincial Park, May 13, 2023. Setophaga castanea In contrast to the more stable populations of other warblers, Bay-breasted Warbler numbers go up and down depending on outbreaks of the spruce budworm. The birds are abundant during infestations, but decline or even disappear from some areas a few years later. A similar relationship with spruce budworm exists for Tennessee and Cape May Warblers. Blackburnian and Blackpoll Warblers also readily consume budworms but are not as specialized in their diets.Rondeau Provincial Park, source - allaboutbirds-org.

Magnolia warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, May 12, 2023. Another of the magnificent song birds migrating through our area. Setophaga magnolia In 1810, Alexander Wilson collected a warbler from a magnolia tree in Mississippi, giving it the English name "Black-and-yellow Warbler" and "magnolia" for the scientific species name, which became the common name over time. source -allaboutbirds-org

Finally, we had a major migration of warblers and assorted others in the park today. We had 19 species of warbler after a late start. Highlights included, blue-winged, golden-winged, orange crowned, Blackburnian and a personal favourite, black-throated blue. Unfortunately i didn't get a good image of the BTB. Rondeau Provincial Park, May 11, 2023. Setophaga fusca No other North American warbler has an orange throat.

Red-headed woodpecker, Rondeau Provincial Park, May 10, 2023. Put on a show all day, you have to reward that type of persistence with a peanut. Melanerpes erythrocephalus The Red-headed Woodpecker has many nicknames, including half-a-shirt, shirt-tail bird, jellycoat, flag bird, and the flying checker-board. source - allaboutbirds-org

I t is "just" a yellow warbler but it is a start. Rondeau Provincial Park, May 8, 2023. 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

Red-headed woodpecker, Rondeau Provincial Park, May 7, 2023. We finally have a pair of red-heads back in the yard. Hopefully the will nest in the trees behind us again. 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 - allaboutbird-org.

Rondeau Provincial Park, May 6, 2023. The bobwhite returned or stayed in the immediate area. It shows well for 25-35 birders and non-birders. At one point the was a kerfuffle in a brush pile and the bobwhite chased a Virginia rail out. Another new yard bird although I didn't get a photo of the rail. After the crowds left the bobwhite returned to our yard had a drink and foraged a bit, then wandered off for the night. Colinus virginianus. The bobwhite genus is represented by more than 700 known fossils, dug up in sites ranging from Florida to Arizona to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Some of these fossils are at least 2.5 million years old. source - allaboutbirds-org.

Northern Bobwhite, Rondeau Provincial Park, May 5, 2023. Heard the bird calling across the road then it came into the lot beside us. Eventually it came into the yard and even went to the pond for a drink of water. Colinus virginianus. Northern Bobwhites are divided into 22 subspecies, some of which were formerly considered to be separate species—such as the Masked Bobwhite, the Rufous-bellied Bobwhite, and the Black-headed Bobwhite. Although the females mostly look alike, the males vary dramatically from one subspecies to the next. source - llaboutbirds-org

This American robin was foraging in the back of the yard and pilled up a worm. It din't seem to mind the sand. Just a little grit to help it go down. Rondeau Provincial Park, May 4, 2023. . 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.

Cattle egret in breeding plumage, Shrewsbury, Ontario, May 3, 2023. Received a notification that this rare, for our area, was easy to see beside a roadway. The notification was correct. Bubulcus ibis The short, thick-necked Cattle Egret spends most of its time in fields rather than streams. It forages at the feet of grazing cattle, head bobbing with each step, or rides on their backs to pick at ticks. This stocky white heron has yellow plumes on its head and neck during breeding season. Originally from Africa, it found its way to North America in 1953 and quickly spread across the continent. Elsewhere in the world, it forages alongside camels, ostriches, rhinos, and tortoises—as well as farmers’ tractors. source - allaboutbirds-org

Cliff swallow, Blenheim Sewage Lagoons, May 1, 2023. Chasing a laughing gull but found about 500 tree swallows, and a cliff swallow and assorted shore birds. Petrochelidon pyrrhonota. When a Cliff Swallow has had a hard time finding food, it will watch its neighbors in the nesting colony and follow one to food when it leaves. Although sharing of information about food at the colony seems unintentional, when a swallow finds food away from the colony during poor weather conditions it may give a specific call that alerts other Cliff Swallows that food is available. By alerting other swallows to a large insect swarm an individual may ensure that the swarm is tracked and that it can follow the swarm effectively. source - allaboutbirds-org