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Shall we dance?

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  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

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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.

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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

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

Red-eyed vireo.

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  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.

Mute swans

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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.

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 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.