Rondeau Ric

Orchard oriole and Baltimore oriole, June 28, 2023, Rondeau Provincial Park. A size comparison of the two orioles. Icterus spurius, Icterus galbula

Ruby throated hummingbird, Rondeau Provincial Park, June 29, 2023. We have had a dozen, or more, hummers in the yard harassing each other. This one was gauging two feeders so he was busy. Archilochus colubris. Make sugar water mixtures with about one-quarter cup of sugar per cup of water. Food coloring is unnecessary; table sugar is the best choice. Change the water before it grows cloudy or discolored and remember that during hot weather, sugar water ferments rapidly to produce toxic alcohol. source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Look closely under the tuft of feathers on the cheek. that's its ear hole. Who knew? Well Jim McCormac, Julie Zickefoose, etc... Northern cardinal, Rondeau Provincial Park, June 28, 2023 The outer ear consists of a short external passage, or meatus, ordinarily hidden under the feathers at the side of the head. Most birds have a muscle in the skin around the meatus that can partially or completely close the opening.

Downy woodpecker feeding young, Rondeau Provincial Park, June 27, 2023. Dryobates pubescens. Downy Woodpeckers have been discovered nesting inside the walls of buildings.

Chatham-Kent, June 25, 2023. up on a rare bird posting and the bird was exactly where it ws said to be. Birders will know how rare that is. Took this image through the moon roof or the car. Spiza americana. In preparation for fall migration, Dickcissels assemble into larger and larger flocks that can reach into the thousands. On their wintering grounds, these flocks can number in the millions of birds. source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology

I believe this is a northern water snake but I could easily be wrong. It was headed away from shore towards the other side of the bay, a distance of about 3 km - 1.8 miles. Rondeau Provincial Park, June 21, 2023.

Rondeau Provincial Park, June 21, 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. source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Rondeau Provincial Park, June 21, 2023. Anne managed to spot the bittern from approximately 100-150 feet away as we slowly cruised the marsh edge. Not sure how she found it as it was well hidden and it's relatively small, 11.0-14.2 in (28-36 cm). Ixobrychus exilis Perhaps surprisingly, tiny Least Bitterns use areas with deeper water than the much larger, longer-legged American Bittern. Least Bitterns can do this because their long, agile toes and curved claws allow them to grasp reeds and hunt small prey while suspended from these precarious over-water perches. source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Cedar waxwing doing its best to empty the stream. Rondeau Provincial Park, June 18, 2023. Bombycilla cedrorum. Cedar Waxwings love fruit. To attract waxwings to your yard, plant native trees and shrubs that bear small fruits, such as dogwood, serviceberry, cedar, juniper, hawthorn, and winterberry.

This is one of the raccoons that come into our yard each day. I warned him to stay away from the feeders. He just gave me a rude response. Rondeau Provincial Park, June 19, 2023. Procyon lotor They conserves energy during winter through inactivity, not hibernation - gets its English name from the Algonquian Indian word arakun, meaning "he scratches with his hand" -develops its familiar facial mask by about 10 days of age, usually before the eyes are open -is one of the few creatures that appears capable of making the adjustment from family pet back to wild animal -a body weight of 5 to 26 kg (11 to 57 lb).

American goldfinch, Rondeau Provincial Park, June 17, 2023. Singing his heart out. Spinus tristis. Paired-up goldfinches make virtually identical flight calls; goldfinches may be able to distinguish members of various pairs by these calls. source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology

We had a fawn at the edge of the yard that seemed to be checking out the water. The doe didn't come in so the little one didn't either. Rondeau Provincial Park, June 16, 2023. Odocoileus virginianus . Is the most widely distributed and the most numerous of all North America’s large animals

Grey catbird having a bath while holding onto its meal. Rondeau Provincial Park, June 15, 2023. Dumetella carolinensis. T he Gray Catbird belongs to the genus Dumetella, which means “small thicket.” And that’s exactly where you should go look for this little skulker. source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Rondeau Provincial Park, June 14, 2023. Oh, it's just another yellow warbler! How quickly we get jaded, first on of the year - OH!! Look a Yellow Warbler! Setophaga petechia. Life can be dangerous for a small bird. Yellow Warblers have occasionally been found caught in the strands of an orb weaver spider’s web. source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Cedar waxwing at the stream, Rondeau Provincial Park, June 13, 2023. Bombycilla cedrorum. Because they eat so much fruit, Cedar Waxwings occasionally become intoxicated or even die when they run across overripe berries that have started to ferment and produce alcohol. source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Rondeau Provincial Park, June 11, 2023. A late migrant visiting the water feature. Setophaga americana Before this species received the name Northern Parula (a diminutive form of parus, meaning little titmouse), Mark Catesby, an English naturalist, called it a "finch creeper" and John James Audubon and Alexander Wilson called it a "blue yellow-backed warbler." source -Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

The yellow-crowned heron continues at the conservation area. It was much closer and was snacks g on a Midland painted turtle. Others there before us said it was its 4th turtle, the first three were snapping turtles. Keith McLean Conservation Area, June 11, 2023. Nyctanassa violacea. To build their nests, Yellow-crowned Night-Herons usually break dead, brittle twigs and branches directly from standing vegetation. In some colonies, they may completely strip trees of their twigs. They also sometimes steal twigs from other nests. source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Baltimore oriole and a rose-breasted grosbeak in the water. Rondeau Provincial Park, June 10, 2023.

Keith McLeans Conservation area, June 9, 2023. Definitely out of its normal range, this bird was seen and photographed by numerous people. A rare treat. Nyctanassa violacea. Found year-round along the crustacean-rich southern Atlantic coast, Yellow-crowned Night-Herons in North America can also breed inland by feeding on crayfish in streams. They may breed as far north as Michigan and Ontario, and individuals can appear even farther north and west in spring (mainly adults) and late summer or early fall (juveniles). source- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Rondeau Provincial Park, June 6, 2023. Shortage of new birds, so here is a regular visitor to the yard. Pheucticus ludovicianus. Researchers used mounted specimens of male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks to explore aggressive behavior. Live male birds attacked the white rump and flanks of the models, suggesting that the white markings are more important than the red chest in stimulating aggression.

Red-winged blackbird, Rondeau Provincial park, June 7, 2023. Agelaius phoeniceus. The oldest recorded Red-winged Blackbird was 15 years, 9 months old. It was banded in New Jersey in 1967, and found alive, but injured in Michigan in 1983. It was able to be released after recovering from its injuries.

The problem with being the first one through the dunes, you gather all the spider webs with your face. Rondeau Provincial Park, June 6, 2023. Odocoileus virginianus . -is the most widely distributed and the most numerous of all North America’s large animals - leaves its fawn unattended for hours at a time - may have difficulty surviving the winter, particularly if there are too many dee competing for food or if the snow is too deep.

Gray catbird at the water, Rondeau Provincial Park, June 5, 2023. An enthusiastic bather. Dumetella carolinensis. The Gray Catbird’s long song may last for up to 10 minutes.

Northern bobwhite continues to visit our yard. Today he came within 10 feet of me and didn't really seem concerned. Rondeau Provincial Park, June 4, 2023 Colinus virginianus. The oldest Northern Bobwhite on record was 6 years, 5 months old. They have short lifespans but make up for it with prolific breeding abilities. In a single breeding season under good conditions, a bobwhite pair can produce 2 or 3 broods, totaling 25 offspring or more.

American redstart, Rondeau Provincial Park, June 2, 2023. Looks like a young male growing into breeding plumage. 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.

Wilson's warbler and a yellow warbler in the stream. Rondeau Provincial Park, June 2, 2023.

Red-winged blackbird showing his colours, Rondeau Provincial Park, June 1, 2023. Came for the peanuts, stayed for the mixed seed we put out for the Northern bobwhite. Agelaius phoeniceus The oldest recorded Red-winged Blackbird was 15 years, 9 months old. It was banded in New Jersey in 1967, and found alive, but injured in Michigan in 1983. It was able to be released after recovering from its injuries.

Rondeau Provincial Park, May 31, 2022. Don't see many of the females. We have had one or more around, with a male, for several days now. 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.