Rondeau Ric

  The prothonotary was back today and I managed to get an image of it with a yellow warbler. It was a good day, as well as the prothonotary we had brown creeper, scarlet tanager, and a black and white warbler. Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, August 11, 2025. Protonotaria citrea Setophaga petechia

 Warblers all over our yard at rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 14, 2024. We had 16 species of warbler and I got images of the majority of them. Bay breasted. Black-throated green Blackburnian Cape May Common yellow throat. Magnolia  Nashville  Palm  Tennessee Wilson's Yellow-rumped Yellow Redstart

Two area farms are growing sunflowers this year. The massed colour is amazing. Planting 3 to 4 pounds of seeds can result in yields of 1300 to 2,000 pounds per acre. Average oil content is 40 to 42%. Oil yield extracted from the sunflower seed ranges from 35 to 80 gallons per acre. source - various.

Yellow warblers are a common sight this time of year at Rondeau. This one was either claiming a territory or calling for a mate. 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.

We saw this yellow warbler during migration at Rondeau in 2010. 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.

A yellow warbler took over my lawn chair and didn't seem inclined to leave. It looked so lovely in the morning sun that I used another chair that was in the shade. 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.

We are starting to get more warblers through on the fall migration. Capy May, black and white, redstarts and yellows. I think this one is a local that nested closeby 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.

Yellow warbler from this past spring. Going into the archives until my main lens is repaired. Setophaga petechia Yellow Warblers are small, evenly proportioned songbirds with medium-length tails and rounded heads. For a warbler, the straight, thin bill is relatively large. 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.

A yellow warbler and a summer azure butterfly landed at the pond at the same time. Grainy because of the shadow but I thought it was interesting enough to post anyway.

This small yellow warbler was staying close to the nest but wasn't very comfortable with us taking photos. We took a few shots then moved away so the bird could relax. This nest is highly visible but most people walk right on by. Setophaga petechia The nests of the Yellow Warbler are frequently parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird. The warbler often builds a new nest directly on top of the parasitized one, sometimes resulting in nests with up to six tiers.

This male yellow warbler puffed up like this 3 times in under a minute. I assume it was some sort of aggressive display to scare off any competitors. Setophaga petechia Yellow Warblers are small, evenly proportioned songbirds with medium-length tails and rounded heads. For a warbler, the straight, thin bill is relatively large. 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.

Yellow headed black birds are fairly rare in our area. There is only one spot I know of to see and photograph these birds. Each time I tried for a photo the bird would be up high on a phragmities stalk.  As soon as it landed the reed would slowly bend and the bird would sink into the reeds making for a less than ideal photo. I guess you take what you can get. Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus The male Yellow-headed Blackbird defends a small territory of prime nesting reeds. He may attract up to eight females to nest within his area. The male helps feed nestlings, but usually only in the first nest established in his territory. The other females have to feed their young all by themselves. The oldest Yellow-headed Blackbird on record was 11 years, 8 months old. source: Cornell Lab or Ornithology.

Missing lunch , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. This yellow warbler isn't paying much attention to the free lunch right under his feet. We had a major midge (insect thingy) hatch and there was food all over the yard. You can tell it is a male by the bold red stripes on his breast. Scientific stuff Setophaga petechia The nests of the Yellow Warbler are frequently parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird. The warbler often builds a new nest directly on top of the parasitized one, sometimes resulting in nests with up to six tiers. 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.

Mirror image? , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. Is he looking in the mirror while taking his bath? Perhaps there are two of them? We had numerous yellow warblers come into our little water feature in the yard for their afternoon baths. At one point we had 5 warblers in the pond. Other visitors included chipping sparrows, cedar waxwings, goldfinches and a cat bird. Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia The nests of the Yellow Warbler are frequently parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird. The warbler often builds a new nest directly on top of the parasitized one, sometimes resulting in nests with up to six tiers. The oldest-known Yellow Warbler was banded in New York in 2001 and then caught again (and re-released) in 2011, also in New York. It was at least 11 years old at the time.

A natural explosion , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. My wife Anne, took this photo of a plant growing next door to us. It is yellow salsify, tragopgon dubius. It produces a solitary terminal flower head on each stock. The fruiting heads are large balls of single seeds, each one a feathery parachute, similar to dandelions.

Yellow warbler , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. A small bird on a small nest. This is the most extensively yellow of the warblers. Even the tail spots re yellow. The male has rusty breast streaks which the female doesn't have or they are extremely faint. Dendroica petechia

Looking in the mirror , a photo by ricmcarthur on Flickr. Seeing double or checking himself out in the mirror? Two yellow warblers in our little pond last summer. Dendroica petechia