As the days go by, it is definitely becoming more spring-like in the world of nature. Butterflies are more evident, as I saw several of these Eastern Commas flitting about on a sunny, warm day recently. Some paused long enough to land and soak up a bit of sun, so I managed to get a few photos.
The trails sometimes had amphibians out and about. I saw half a dozen of these out on the Rondeau Marsh Trail a short time ago.
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Leopard Frog
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Killdeer are showing up in increasing numbers. I saw at least 7 along the Erieau Marsh Trail. It is possible that due to the mild winter weather, some may never have left, but they are more abundant now than during winter, such as it was.
Red-winged Blackbirds are quite abundant anywhere there are wetlands...
....they are often singing, as only Red-wings can sing, clearly trying to establish territories. I have seen them in conflict with other males fairly frequently.
Sandhill Cranes are more frequently seen now, but more often heard first. I had at least 7 along the Rondeau Marsh Trail, some of which were paired up, and making themselves heard.
Even though this is a pair, take a closer look at the one on the right. It is missing its right eye, but other than that, seemed to be acting and sounding quite normally.
American Robins are increasingly abundant, and they provide easy targets for the photographer. Mostly the males at this point, although I think I have seen the occasional female.
Northern Cardinals are more apt to be singing, although often they are partially obscured in a coniferous tree or some other tangle making it hard to photograph them.
Almost all of the waterfowl species are back, and getting paired up. With so much open water, many of them are not often in good photo range, but these three Northern Shovelers cooperated reasonably well.
Some waterfowl are becoming notable by their absence. There are very few Tundra Swans around now, as most have begun their northward journey.
Pileated Woodpeckers can be more often heard these days, as their distinctive drum roll tapping becomes apparent as they re-affirm their territories, which presumably were much more flexible over the winter. It won't be long before they are getting down to some serious egg-laying!
Red-bellied Woodpecker, another year-round resident, can be found more easily.
Wild Turkeys have been harder to find lately. Of course up until there was an Ontario re-introduction program established in about 1984, they were impossible to find. But after 1984, the population in Ontario expanded rather nicely. However in the last few years, they are less frequently seen in fields or at the edges of wooded areas. I suspect it is partly because the warm dry weather last autumn allowed many landowners to till the soil rather than leave it in stubble that the turkeys would forage in. I also suspect that the increase in coyotes over the years has taken its toll on the turkeys and their ability to nest and raise young. So it was nice to find a good-sized flock of about 62 birds widely scattered in this grassy field in between a couple of woodlots.
Of course Eastern Screech Owls are also year-round residents, and on occasion one will be quite evident as it looks out of its wood duck nest box that it over wintered in.
There are other things going on. While walking some of the roads and trails of Rondeau, I noticed this Raccoon, wandering around. It was walking rather erratically in the middle of the day. Not a healthy sign for this species. It had no fear of me, and as it got closer and I was able to get this photo, I could see its right eye was non-functional, and even its left eye showed some cloudiness. Quite likely it was suffering from distemper, which happens regularly with raccoons on a 3-4 year cycle. When they get to this stage, not much can be done about it, and so this individual's fate is likely sealed.
On a brighter note, at least from a native mammal point of view, the Eastern Chipmunks have been quite active in the last week or so, and occasionally one will stop long enough at a suitable distance to allow for a photo. They are always a crowd pleaser.When their population gets quite large, one sees more road-killed chipmunks. So far I haven't seen any road kills, but then the park visitation hasn't been all that abundant yet.
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