Rondeau Ric

 Stay out of dark alleys, you don't want to mess with this guy. April 18, 2024, Brown headed cowbird, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Molothrus ater Brown-headed Cowbird lay eggs in the nests of more than 220 species of birds. Recent genetic analyses have shown that most individual females specialize on one particular host species.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 10, 2018. Still no warblers coming through so here is one from the archives. ,  Though it has very specific habitat preferences in the breeding season, the Magnolia Warbler occupies a very broad range of habitats in winter: from sea level to 5,000 feet in cacao plantations, orchards, forests, and thickets.

Oh, somewhere over the rainbow Blue birds fly And the dream that you dare to Oh, why, oh, why can't I?  

 Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, April 21, 2024. A non rescript little bird that shows up about the same time as the tree sparrows disappear for the summer. Spizella passerina.  The nest of the Chipping Sparrow is of such flimsy construction that light can be seen through it. It probably provides little insulation for the eggs and young.

White throated sparrow, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, April 20, 2024. First time this year I could get a decent photo in this charming sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis White-throated Sparrows typically nest on or near the ground. Occasional nests are built up to 15 feet off the ground in conifers. Usually, these nests are second attempts after a pair has had a ground nest robbed by a predator. source - allanoutbirds.0rg

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 10, 2017. One of my favourite warblers, very striking when you see one in person Setophaga citrina. The white spots on a Hooded Warbler's tail help them capture more insects, possibly by startling the insects into taking flight. An experimental study conducted in Pennsylvania found that birds with temporarily darkened tail feathers were less successful at capturing insects than those with white spots on their tails. source - allaboutbirds-org.

 Nashville warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, September 10, 2020. Spring migration should be starting soon. Leiothlypis ruficapilla.  Nashville Warbl e rs have been known to use porcupine quills as nest material.

 It poured sunshine all day so I sat out to see what would come in. Nothing special but I like the feisty little guys. Rondeau Provincial Park,Ontario, Canada, April 13, 2024. Dryobates pubesce ns.  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. source- allaboutbirds-org.

 Not a fancy bird, but the chipping sparrows show up in the early spring about the same time as the tree sparrows leave. Rondeau Provinciaal Park, Ontario, Canada, April 9, 2024. Spizella passerina.  The early naturalists had a gift for description you just don’t see anymore. In 1929, Edward Forbush called the Chipping Sparrow “the little brown-capped pensioner of the dooryard and lawn, that comes about farmhouse doors to glean crumbs shaken from the tablecloth by thrifty housewives." source -allaboutbirds-org

That's going to be a one star rating. May 25, 2009, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Procyon lotor The raccoon, also spelled racoon and sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from the other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of 40 to 70 cm, and a body weight of 5 to 26 kg.

 

 An American goldfinch slowly melting away like the Wicked Witch of the West. "You cursed brat! Look what you've done! I'm melting! melting!" Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, September 4, 2018. Spinus tristis Goldfinches move south in winter following a pattern that seems to coincide with regions where the minimum January temperature is no colder than 0 degrees Fahrenheit on average .

 Be very careful when you travel the back woods, there are things that no-one has seen and survived . Rondeau Provincial Park, April 26, 2018.

Look Ma, no cavities . Herring gulls, Twillingate, Newfoundland,June 2, 2918, Larus argentatus The Herring Gull has extended its breeding range southward along the Atlantic Coast, and may be displacing the more southern Laughing Gull from some areas. At the northern end of its range, however, the Herring Gull is itself being displaced by increasing numbers of the Great Black-backed Gull.

Chest-mandibled Toucan, One of the many toucans, toucanets, barbets etc that we saw on our Costa Rica trip in 2002. Ramphastos ambiguus swainsonii Small flocks, usually consisting of 3–12 birds, move through the forest with an undulating flight, rarely travelling more than 100m at a time. This species is primarily an arboreal fruit-eater, but will also take insects, lizards, eggs, and frogs. Flocks will follow keel-billed toucans to exploit their sources of food.

Three legged rabbit. Don't know of there were 4 legs but ether way it was fast. Newfoundland, Canada,May 27, 2018.

  A pair of fox kits playing while waiting for mom to bring food. May 10, 2021, Shrewsbury, Ontario. Vulpes vulpes The red fox, is a member of the Canid family, which also includes the wolf, coyote and jackal. The Cree word for red fox is “Wah-kus,” while among the Chippewa it is known as “Nak-ee.” To French Canadians, the fox is “le renard”. In 1650, the European red fox was imported to the Atlantic coast of what is now the United States. The foxhunting settlers who imported it had found the local grey fox unable to give their horses and hounds a suitable chase. Eventually, a red fox native to more northern areas of the continent encountered and interbred with the imported fox producing the strain found today.

Black-billed magpie, March 13, 202 4, Fargo Line Near Blenheim, Ontario. Followed up on a report of a black-billed magpie in the neighbourhood. Rare here, common further west and north. Got 2 for the price of 1 Not a super shot but you take that you can get. Pica hudsonia The Black-billed Magpie frequently picks ticks from the backs of large mammals, such as deer and moose. The magpie eats the ticks or hides some for later use, as members of the crow and jay family often do with excess food. Most of the ticks, however, are cached alive and unharmed, and may live to reproduce later.

Golden-crowned kinglet, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada.,April 3, 2023. This little speedster stopped long enough to get an image.  Normally the are flirting around so much you can't get one in focus. Regulus satrapa The tiny Golden-crowned Kinglet is hardier than it looks, routinely wintering in areas where nighttime temperatures can fall below –40° Fahrenheit.

The reflection As light as a feather, Rondeau Bay, Ontario, Canada.  3, 2017

  Seems to be unhappy with something or he is signing on territory. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, August 27, 2021. Vireo olivaceus On May 27, 1952, Louise de Kiriline Lawrence counted the number of songs sung by a single Red-eyed Vireo seeking a mate on his territory 180 miles north of Toronto. He sang 22,197 songs in the 14 hours from just before dawn to evening, singing for 10 of those hours. source-allaboutbirds-org.

Don't know about ducks, but I've got my swans in a row. February 4, 2023, Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Mute swans Cygnus olor The black knob at the base of the male Mute Swan's bill swells during the breeding season and becomes noticeably larger than the female's. The rest of the year the difference between the sexes is not obvious. source-allaboutbirds-org

 House finch, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 30, 2023, waiting its turn at the water. Haemorhous mexicanus. The red of a male House Finch comes from pigments contained in its food during molt (birds can’t make bright red or yellow colors directly). So the more pigment in the food, the redder the male. This is why people sometimes see orange or yellowish male House Finches. Females prefer to mate with the reddest male they can find, perhaps raising the chances they get a capable mate who can do his part in feeding the nestlings.

 Take from the pontoon boat at Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, October 14, 2023. Ardea herodias,  Great Blue Herons can hunt day and night thanks to a high percentage of rod-type photoreceptors in their eyes that improve their night vision. source-allaboutbirds-org

  May 21, 2023, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Sitting on a branch above the small water feature. Setophaga fusca.  If your backyard has plenty of trees, you might attract Blackburnian Warblers on migration or in summer. They may remain hard to find in the tree canopy, but they may come down into view if you offer a bird bath or water dripper. See more ideas for   creating water features  in your yard. Warblers don’t come to seed feeders, although they may stop by if you offer mealworms. source-allaboutbirds-org

  This one is for Denise, she asked for more warblers while waiting for the birds to show up. Tennessee warbler just above our little water feature. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Leiothlypis peregrina.  The Tennessee Warbler is a common nectar "thief" on its wintering grounds in tropical forests. Most nectar-eating birds, bats, and insects probe a flower from the front to get the nectar, spreading pollen on their faces in the process. But Tennessee warblers pierce the flower tube at the base, lapping up the nectar without helping pollinate the flower.

Continuing a theme, grey, snow shower and limited species of birds sent me back to the archives,  May 21, 2023, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada 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.

Still waiting for the spring migration. Another from the archives, May 21, 2023, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Waiting for its turn in the water feature. Leiothlypis ruficapilla.  Nashville Warblers don't breed anywhere near Nashville, Tennessee, although they do migrate through. The species got its name because Nashville was where Alexander Wilson  first saw it, in 1811, and went on to name it. source-allaboutbirds-org

Prothonotary warbler, May 23, 2023, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Another from the archives.    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.

  Another from the archives, May 29, 2023, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Just before its bath in our little water feature. Setophaga pensylvanica.  On the wintering grounds in Central America the Chestnut-sided Warbler joins in mixed-species foraging flocks with the resident antwrens and tropical warblers. Individual warblers return to the same areas year after year, joining back up with the same foraging flock it associated with the year before.

  In the yard at Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, February 8, 2023. A winter visitor taking advantage  the feeders and water, puffed up against the wind. Spizelloides arborea.  Misleadingly named by European settlers reminded of Eurasian Tree Sparrows back home, American Tree Sparrows are ground birds. They forage on the ground, nest on the ground, and breed primarily in scrubby areas at or above the treeline. source -alllaboutbirds-0rg

 Still a lack of birds to photograph, so one from the archives. Cerulean warbler, Rondeau Provincial Park, May 11, 2019, Ontario, Canada. Setophaga cerulea The female Cerulean Warbler has an unusual way of leaving a nest after sitting on it a while. Some people call it "bungee-jumping." She drops from the side of the nest, keeping her wings folded to her sides, and opens her wings to fly only when she is well below the nest. source - allaboutbirds-org

Seen at Rondeau Provincial Park, August 26, 2016, along the marsh edge. A hard to find/see bird even without the fish it just caught. Ixobrychus exilis John James Audubon  noted that a young captive Least Bittern was able to walk with ease in a 1.5-inch gap between two books, even though the bird's body normally measured 2.25 inches across—indicating that it could compress its body to an extraordinary degree to squeeze between marsh stems and reeds. source- allaboutbirds-org

Chipmunk Rondeau Provincial Park, June 29,  Not photoshopped, its tail covered the post the sculpture is attached to. Tamias striatus Eastern chipmunks mate in early spring. The female usually has one litter a year with between three and five young. In some areas, a female may have a second litter. The young will come above ground when they are about six weeks old.

Baltimore oriole, Rondeau Provincial Park, June 29, 2023. Removed the sculpture support in photoshop. Alternate title - Surfin' Bird Icterus galbula. Baltimore Orioles sometimes use their slender beaks to feed in an unusual way, called “gaping”: they stab the closed bill into soft fruits, then open their mouths to cut a juicy swath from which they drink with their brushy-tipped tongues. source - allaboutbirds-org.

Red admiral butterfly up close and personal. Rondeau Provincial Park, July 23, 2023 Vanessa atalanta Butterflies can commonly be seen wicking near muddy puddles of water. Red Admirals are also known to drink tree sap and even wick from dung. Butterflies that live in more northern latitudes migrate to the Southern states, like Texas, to avoid a loss of food resources in the winter.

July 24, 2023, warmer times in our little water feature, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. A few that come to our feeder still have/are getting colour. Nice to see on another dreary day  Spinus tristis.  American Goldfinches are unusual among goldfinches in molting their body feathers twice a year, once in late winter and again in late summer. The brightening yellow of male goldfinches each spring is one welcome mark of approaching warm months. source -allaboutbirds-org

  A friend told us about 2 long eared owls that could be seen from the road. Tucked away behind all sorts of twigs and branches we were able to spot both. Images taken from the car with  telephoto lens to avoid disturbing the owls. Asio otus Like other owls, the Long-eared has a body adapted for silent flight and precision hunting. Flight feathers with fringed edges and downy surfaces mute the sound of the owl’s passage through air. The owls gain incredible hearing from their asymmetrically placed ear openings and large, sound-catching facial disks.

 Fluttering after the bath, to dry off,  Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, October 2. 2023. Thryothorus ludovicianus The Carolina Wren is sensitive to cold weather, with the northern populations decreasing markedly after severe winters. The gradually increasing winter temperatures over the last century may have been responsible for the northward range expansion seen in the mid-1900s.

It is almost warm enough for me to go back out to do photography. This is from Feb 5, 2023 at Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Sitta carolinensis.   If you see a White-breasted Nuthatch making lots of quick trips to and from your feeder – too many for it to be eating them all – it may be storing the seeds for later in the winter, by wedging them into furrows in the bark of nearby trees.

 Rose-breasted grosbeak enjoying a bath when the stream was open. Rondeau Provincial Park,Ontario, Canada,  June 10, 2023. Pheucticus ludovicianus.  The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak takes a turn incubating the eggs for several hours during the day, while the female incubates the rest of the day and all night long. Both sexes sing quietly to each other when they exchange places. The male sometimes sings his normal song at full volume from inside the nest. source- allaboutbirds-org

  White tailed deer, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada,Jan 15. 2023. Another yard visitor looking for water. The opening would probably be closed except Anne adds some hot water each morning.

  The opening in our little stream is getting smaller on each sub-freezing temperature day. This wild turkey came into the yard and spent time cleaning up under the feeders, before having a drink. The water feature has a heater that helps keep the water flowing. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, January 14, 2023. Meleagris gallopavo

It has been cold the last few days resulting in the stream freezing over. Just a small opening for the birds to get their drinks.   Blue jay, Rondeau Provincial Park, January 15, 2024, Ontario, Canada. Taken through a very dirty window because I wasn't going out in the cold.   Cyanocitta cristata Tool use has never been reported for wild Blue Jays, but captive Blue Jays used strips of newspaper to rake in food pellets from outside their cages.

Northern Cardinal, February 5, 2023, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Still a small selection of birds in the yard, so panther from the archives.  Cardinalis cardinalis. The male cardinal fiercely defends its breeding territory from other males. When a male sees its reflection in glass surfaces, it frequently will spend hours fighting the imaginary intruder.

Another from the achieves. Nothing flashy, just another little brown job. Savannah sparrow, June 12, 2019, Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada. Passerculus sandwichensis.   Raising young is hard work: a female Savannah Sparrow must gather 10 times her weight in food to feed herself and her young during the 8 days they are in the nest. source-allaboutbirds-org

 From the archieves, a hermit thrush along one of the trails in Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 5, 2019. A big winter storm with rain, heavy, wet snow and high winds is forecasted over the next 2 days. Personally I'm staying in and hoping the power doesn't go out. 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.

 Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, September 23, 2016. Another one from the archives. Podilymbus podiceps Pied-billed Grebes can trap water in their feathers, giving them great control over their buoyancy. They can sink deeply or stay just at or below the surface, exposing as much or as little of the body as they wish. The water-trapping ability may also aid in the pursuit of prey by reducing drag in turbulent water.

Cattle egret. January 24, 2015, southern Florida. Bubulcus ibis The Western Cattle Egret has a broad and flexible diet that occasionally includes other birds. In the Dry Tortugas off the coast of Florida, migrating cattle egrets have been seen hunting migrating warblers. source-allabourbirds-org.

 Limpkin, Viera wetlands Florida, Jan 22, 2015. We have had a limp kin show up in Ontario, Canada at 3 different locations. I wasn't able to travel to those spots but I have a flight shot from a visit to Florida. Aramus guarauna. The Limpkin's bill is uniquely adapted to foraging on apple snails. The closed bill has a gap just before the tip that makes the bill act like tweezers. The tip itself is often curved slightly to the right so it can be slipped into the right-handed curve of the snail’s shell. source - allaboutbirds-org