#ontariowildlife — Public Fediverse posts

I've been reading Ben Goldfarb's excellent road ecology book Crossings. While walking back from the library with it I passed this Eastern Gartersnake who had fallen victim to a vehicle, which is absolutely a coincidence I could have done without.

#RoadEcology #OntarioWildlife #Wildife

White Breasted Nuthatch - RBG

Species: Sitta carolinensis

The White-breasted Nuthatch is normally territorial throughout the year, with pairs staying together. The male has to spend more time looking out for predators when he’s alone than while he’s with his mate. That’s the pattern for most birds, and one reason why birds spend so much time in flocks. But the female nuthatch has to put up with the male pushing her aside from foraging sites, so she spends more time looking around (for him) when he’s around than when she is alone.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-breasted_Nuthatch/overview

Hendrie Trails is a 100-hectare sanctuary is centred on the Grindstone Creek Valley. It stretches to Carroll’s Point in Hamilton Harbour, and contains an extensive collection of floodplain wetlands.

Location: Hendrie Trails, Royal Botanical Gardens. Burlington, ON
Camera info/settings
- Canon 7D Mark II, Sigma 150-600
- Various

#canon #canonphotography #canon7dmarkii
#whitebreastednuthatch #nuthatch #sittacarolinensis
#royalbotanicalgardens #burlington #ontariowildlife #ontario
#birdphotography #hendrietrails

Tree Sparrow
Spizelloides arborea

Location: Guelph, ON
Camera info/settings
- Canon 7D Mark II, Sigma 150-600
- ISO 8000 f6.3 1/2000s
- Focal Length: 600mm

#americantreesparrow #sparrow
#spizelloidesarborea
#nature #naturephotography
#ontariowildlife #birdphotos #birdphotography
#canon #canonphotography #canon7dmarkii

Blue Jay - Jan 8, 2024
Cyanocitta cristata

Blue Jays love peanuts. They will pick through a bunch to find the heaviest, nicest one.

Location: Guelph, ON
Camera info/settings
- Canon 7D Mark II, Sigma 150-600
- 235mm, ISO 10000 f6.3 1/2000s

#bluejay #cyanocittacristata
#birds #nature #birdphotography #ontariowildlife
#canon #canonphotography #canon7dmarkii

Twin Female Cardinals
Cardinalis cardinalis

Location: Guelph, ON
Camera info/settings
- Canon 7D Mark II, Sigma 150-600
- ISO 8000 f6.3 1/2000s

#cardinal #cardinaliscardinalis
#birds #nature #birdphotography #ontariowildlife
#canon #canonphotography #canon7dmarkii

Tree Sparrow and seed ball
Spizelloides arborea

Another visitor to the seed ball.

Location: Guelph, ON
Camera info/settings
- Canon 7D Mark II, Sigma 150-600
- ISO 6400 f6.3 1/2000s

#americantreesparrow #sparrow
#spizelloidesarborea
#nature #naturephotography
#ontariowildlife #birdphotos #birdphotography
#canon #canonphotography #canon7dmarkii

House Finch - seed ball
Haemorhous mexicanus

A House Finch enjoying a holiday gift from our friends at Wild Birds Unlimited in Guelph.

Location: Guelph, ON
Camera info/settings
- Canon 7D Mark II, Sigma 150-600
- ISO 12800 f6.3 1/1600s

#housefinch #haemorhousmexicanus
#birds #nature #birdphotography
#ontariowildlife
#canon #canonphotography #canon7dmarkii

Stand off: Dark-eyed Junco vs. Sparrow

Junco hyemalis vs. Spizelloides arborea

Location: Guelph, ON
Camera info/settings
- Canon 7D Mark II, Sigma 150-600
- ISO 12800 f6.5 1/2000s

An American Tree Sparrow and a Dark-Eyed Junco were jockeying for the best spot by the feeder. The stand off lasted only a few seconds. But luckily the light was bright enough to capture some of the action. It has been cloudy and grey for the last 3 weeks. I had hopes of getting some decent photos over the winter break, but it’s has been very disappointing.

#darkeyedjunco #americantreesparrow #sparrow #junco
#juncohyemalis #spizelloidesarborea
#nature #naturephotography
#ontariowildlife #birdphotos #birdphotography
#canon #canonphotography #canon7dmarkii

Grabbing it’s fill

Sciurus carolinensis
Eastern gray squirrel

Black squirrels are a melanistic subgroup of squirrels with black coloration on their fur. The phenomenon occurs with several species of squirrels, although it is most frequent with the eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger). Black morphs of the eastern gray and fox squirrels are the result of a variant pigment gene

Location: Guelph, ON
Camera info/settings
- Canon 7D Mark II, Sigma 150-600
- ISO 12800 f5.6 1/500s

#sciuruscarolinensis #easterngraysquirrel
#nature #naturephotography
#ontariowildlife #squirrel
#canon #canonphotography #canon7dmarkii

Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis

Location: Guelph, Ontario
Camera info/settings
- Canon 7D Mark II, Sigma 150-600
- ISO 12800 f6.3 1/1000s

They are monogamous and will mate for life, and they are known for their unique courtship behavior, which involves the male puffing out his chest and flicking his tail feathers.
These birds are a favorite among birdwatchers because they are easy to spot and have a wide range of color variations.
They are also important indicators of forest health and can serve as an early warning system for environmental problems.
During courtship, male Dark-eyed Juncos perform a delightful, bouncing dance that involves fluffing up their feathers and spreading their tails to showcase their white outer feathers.
Dark-eyed Juncos are highly social birds and often engage in group activities like dust bathing and sunning. They are also known to engage in playful behavior, such as chasing each other and performing acrobatic feats in mid-air.
- https://learnbirdwatching.com/dark-eyed-junco-fun-facts/

#birds #nature #birdphotography
#ontariowildlife
#darkeyedjunco #juncohyemalis
#canon #canonphotography #canon7dmarkii

House Finch, Female, landing
Haemorhous mexicanus

Really enjoying the fast frame rate of the 7D Mark II…I expect there will be more in-flight shots for a while 😁

I’m just hoping for some brighter days so I can shoot at a higher aperture for a wider depth of field.

Location: Guelph, Ontario
Camera info/settings
- Canon 450D Sigma 150-600
- ISO 12800 f5.6 1/2000s

#housefinch #haemorhousmexicanus
#birds #nature #birdphotography
#ontariowildlife #birdfreaks #planetbirds
#canon #canonphotography #canon7dmarkii

Cardinal and House Sparrow

Cardinalis cardinalis and Passer domesticus

I recently picked up a new (to me) camera body that I have been hunting down for a while. The Canon 7D Mark II. Mainly for the increase in auto focus points and shot rate, but I am finding a ton of other features I really enjoy. It’s a great upgrade from the T4i. Now with such a rapid burst rate I can get shots like these.

Location: Guelph
Camera info/settings
- Canon 70D Mark II, Sigma 150-600
- ISO 12800 f75/6 1/2000s

#cardinal #cardinaliscardinalis
#housesparrow #passerdomesticus
#birds #nature #birdphotography
#ontariowildlife
#canon #canon7dmark2

American Red Squirrel
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus

Guelph, Ontario

Mushrooms are a favourite treat of the American red squirrel. Sometimes, these require a bit of prep work; red squirrels have been known to pluck shrooms at ground level and then hang them out to dry on tree branches before chowing down.

Camera info/settings
- Canon 450D Sigma 150-600
- ISO 4000 f6.3 1/800s
And
- ISO 6400 f8 1/800s

#tamiasciurushudsonicus
#americanredsquirrel
#squirrel #nature #birdphotography
#ontariowildlife
#wildlife #wildlifephotography

Cooper’s Hawk
Accipiter cooperii

Our Bluejays were sounding the alarm this morning and we found this beauty hanging out looking for a snack.

“Among the bird world’s most skillful fliers, Cooper’s Hawks are common woodland hawks that tear through cluttered tree canopies in high speed pursuit of other birds.

Dashing through vegetation to catch birds is a dangerous lifestyle. In a study of more than 300 Cooper’s Hawk skeletons, 23 percent showed old, healed-over fractures in the bones of the chest, especially of the furcula, or wishbone.”

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coopers_Hawk/

Guelph, Ontario
Camera info/settings
- Canon 450D Sigma 150-600
- ISO 2000 f8 1/1000s

#hawk #coopershawk #accipitercooperii
#birds #nature #birdphotography
#ontariowildlife

House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus

Guelph, Ontario

Camera info/settings
- Canon 450D Sigma 150-600
- ISO 3200 f7.1 1/1000s
And
- Canon 450D Sigma 150-600
- ISO 3200 f8 1/1000s

#finch #housefinch #haemorhousmexicanus
#birds #nature #birdphotography
#ontariowildlife

Black-capped chickadee
Poecile atricapillus
Location: Guelph Ontario

- The Black-capped Chickadee hides seeds and other food items to eat later. Each item is placed in a different spot and the chickadee can remember thousands of hiding places.
- Every autumn Black-capped Chickadees allow brain neurons containing old information to die, replacing them with new neurons so they can adapt to changes in their social flocks and environment even with their tiny brains.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/overview

Camera info/settings
- Canon 450D Sigma 150-600
- ISO 4000 and 6400 f8 1/1000s

#chickadee #blackcappedchickadee #poecileatricapillus
#birds #nature #birdphotography
#ontariowildlife #birdfreaks #planetbirds
#birdphotos #wildlife #wildlifephotography
#birdfreaks #birdsofmastodon

Female Eastern Downy woodpecker
Species:
Location: Hendrie Valley Trails, Royal Botanical Gardens

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.

Camera info/settings
- Canon 450D Sigma 150-600
- ISO 4000 f7.1 1/800s

#birds #nature #birdphotography
#royalbotanicalgardens #woodpecker #downywoodpecker
#ontariowildlife #birdfreaks #planetbirds
#birdphotos #wildlife #wildlifephotography

White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis
Location: Hendrie Valley Trails, Royal Botanical Gardens

The North Bridle trail of the Hendrie Valley trails is a fantastic part of this lovely trail system. It doesn’t have the boardwalks of the other trails but we came across this perfectly lit section. The late fall colours glowed in the mid-day sun. In the same 10 meters we saw these Nuthatches, a Downy woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadees, and of course there was an Eastern Chipmunk. Sadly I assume this is because people continue to feed the wildlife contrary to all the warnings but I am so happy to have had the chance to get these shots.

Camera info/settings
- Canon 450D Sigma 150-600
- ISO 800 f7.1 1/800s

#nuthatch #whitebreastednuthatch #sittacarolinensis
#royalbotanicalgardens
#birds #ontariowildlife
#birdphotos #birdphotography
#nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

Eastern Chipmunk
Tamias striatus

Guelph, Ontario

An average-sized chipmunk measuring four inches in length is almost as long as two golf tees lined up end to end. The biggest species is the Eastern chipmunk. An adult Eastern chipmunk measures about 11 inches long, from the tip of its nose to the tip of its bristly tail.

Imagine a smaller, cuter version of this?

Camera info/settings
- Canon 450D Sigma 150-600
- ISO 6400 f7.1 1/640s

#nature #naturephotography
#ontariowildlife #chipmunk #easternchipmunk #tamiasstriatus
#wildlife #wildlifephotography

Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus

Spotted while in a hike. Rather I heard them, crouched and waited, then one finally came into view. Tough to get a bead one since they flit about so much.

Rockwood Conservation Area, Ontario

Camera info/settings
- Canon 450D Sigma 150-600
- ISO 6400 f8 1/800s

#chickadee #blackcappedchickadee #poecileatricapillus
#birds #nature #birdphotography
#ontariowildlife #birdphotos #wildlife #wildlifephotography #rockwoodconservationarea

Blue jay - over the shoulder
Cyanocitta cristata

The dark pigment in their feathers is melanin. A trick of the light causes the blue color in their feathers. Scattering light through cells on their feather barbs’ surface makes their feathers appear to be blue.

Camera info/settings
- Canon 450D Sigma 150-600
- ISO 4000 f8 1/1000s

#bluejay #cyanocittacristata
#birds #nature #birdphotography
#ontariowildlife

House Sparrow, Male
Passer domesticus

Camera info/settings
- Canon 450D Sigma 150-600
- ISO 2500 f7.1 1/400s

#housesparrow #sparrow
#birds #nature #birdphotography
#ontariowildlife

American Robin
Turdus migratorius
University of Guelph Arboretum

Gobbling down what I think are Linden Berries, the Arboretum was full of Robins this morning.

Camera info/settings
- Canon 450D Sigma 150-600
- ISO 125 f7.1 1/400s

#americanrobin #robin #turdusmigratorius
#ArboretumGuelph #UoGArboretum
#birds #nature #birdphotography
#ontariowildlife

I know, yet another Northern Cardinal photo - but look at that pose!

Cardinalis cardinalis

Camera info/settings
- Canon 450D Sigma 150-600
- ISO 800 f6.3 1/160s

#cardinal #northercardinal #cardinaliscardinalis
#birds #nature #birdphotography
#ontariowildlife