30-DEC-2010
Willow catkin
The willow by the pond is putting forth catkins! The unusually warm (for Ottawa in winter)weather is likely responsible.
30-DEC-2010
Grey squirrels
I decided to take this shot because it shows the two colour phases of the grey squirrel. The grey, from whence the species takes it name, in front, and the melanistic phase behind. Notice also how rufous the grey is? Many greys, including the melanistic phases, can often show much rufous colouring.
27-DEC-2010
Bird feeder, Ash woods
This pretty little feeder is one of two made for us by Gord Belyea. They are in the Ash woods, alongside the trail, there for anyone who wants to put a handful of seeds in them. We know that many people do bring seed to the garden when they walk around, so they might be pleased to have a place to put it. Both feeders were active, this one more so as it still has a good pile of seeds in it.
27-DEC-2010
Crow tracks
A crow has been active along the edge of the pond, quite possibly searching for seeds from the weeds growing just outside of photo range.
27-DEC-2010
Red squirrel
This red was in quite a state! He had just finished chasing an interloper away from his territory in the ravine. I watched him chase the other red along the ravine, up the slope, across the trail, and through the sumac stand above the pond. The other red kept going, and this one stopped and climbed onto a sumac where he gave vent to his annoyance :-)
27-DEC-2010
Beaver log
A close up of one of the poplar trunks the beaver has chewed on. YOu can see individual tooth marks on this log.
27-DEC-2010
Amphibian pond
It was a bright, sunny, but very cold day at FWG. The temperature was -10, but with the wind, it was apparently closer to -20c. It certainly felt like it. There were very few visitors to the garden and I think I saw two during my hour+ there. Not much activity anywhere, but I did see a robin, a mourning dove, a few cardinals, lots of chickadees (of course), and a few house finches. Red squirrels and grey were active. And of course, tracks in the snow tell us who else has been out and about.
Here, there is some open water near the shore of the pond, where the beaver has been active until recently. He is using the food he stored before freeze-up to help him through the winter. On the left of the photo, you can see a submerged log, one of the poplar trees he cut down. It has been stripped of bark.
17-DEC-2010
FWG in the early morning
Jeewa was at the FWG early this morning and found a winter wonderland. She said everything was crystallized, plants, leaves, grasses and bark, all covered in white crystals. The garden was transformed.
17-DEC-2010
Winter wonderland
What a magical place the garden becomes when coated with crystals like this. The land of the Snow Queen!
17-DEC-2010
A landscape in white
Another view of the transformed landscape that is garden under a crystalline cover.
17-DEC-2010
Crystallized Pine branch
Even the most ordinary and commonplace of things become magical in conditions like this.
17-DEC-2010
Amur maple keys
A beautiful capture of these maple keys outlined in ice crystals. Although a non-native species, the maple keys are an important part of the diet of squirrels and birds.
17-DEC-2010
Female Northern cardinal
Jeewa reports that "There were number of Cardinals, A pair of White breasted Nuthatches,Juncos, Chickadees, Crows and a Downy woodpecker."
15-DEC-2010
Amphibian pond
For once we had a sunny day and fresh snow, so everything was sparkling and beautiful! You can see that the water near the shore where the beaver is active is still open. But the opening is not as big as previously. As we get more days of cold weather, this opening will likely freeze over.
15-DEC-2010
Snow crystals
This clump of snow was clustered on a cattail stem.
15-DEC-2010
Common milkweed pod with snow
Fresh snow transforms even ordinary things, and makes them objects of beauty.
15-DEC-2010
Crabapples with snow
The crabapples, those that are left, were snow covered and very seasonal looking. Not all the crabapples are attractive to wildlife, and some will never be eaten. Others will be consumed once the fruit has frozen. Still others are eaten as soon as they ripen.
15-DEC-2010
Fox tracks
These fresh tracks were nice and crisp in the new snow on top of the pond. Fox tracks form a distinctive straight line and can be discerned from a distance. Close up, the individual paw print looks like that of a small dog. But dogs never make these very determined, straight lined, purposeful tracks.
10-DEC-2010
Beaver
David was at the pond when he noticed some activity and sure enough, there was the winter resident beaver at work. Although beaver are largely nocturnal animals, their habits change according to season. With winter fast coming on, these animals know they have little time to finish preparations, and it becomes a period of intense activity where they lose some of their natural inhibitions as they hurrriedly prepare for the long dark winter when they will, in general,not emerge from beneath the ice until spring melt.
For more information about beavers in general and the beaver who spent last winter at our pond, please see: Beavers at the FWG
10-DEC-2010
Beaver
David noticed the beaver at work, in this shot gnawing away at a felled sumca. Although beaver are largely nocturnal animals, their habits change according to season. With winter fast coming on, these animals know they have little time to finish preparations, and it becomes a period of intense activity where they lose some of their natural inhibitions as they hurrriedly prepare for the long dark winter when they will, in general,not emerge from beneath the ice until spring melt.
For more information about beavers in general and the beaver who spent last winter at our pond, please see: Beavers at the FWG
09-DEC-2010
Mourning doves
These mourning doves were in the Arboretum, below the Fletcher garden. The are beautifully lit by the morning sun in this photo by Jeewa.
09-DEC-2010
Fox tracks on the pond
A lovely sunny, but cold, day at the pond and fox tracks can be seen purposefully crossing the snowy surface.
09-DEC-2010
Rabbit tracks across the pond
It was a very cold but sunny morning, with temperatures down to -10 (and a wind chill of -22). However, The sun and a dusting of fresh snow, created a beautiful scene on the pond which Jeewa captured. The turtle raft is seen as a silhouette and a couple sets of rabbit tracks are criss-crossing the pond.
08-DEC-2010
Grey squirrel underneath the feeder
Hoping that the birds will scatter some seeds and send them down his way, this grey, along with a couple of others and two reds, was hanging out at the bottom of the feeder in the BYG.
08-DEC-2010
Black-capped chickadee
I realized today that the red and green feeder was seasonally appropriate! It is well stocked and coming to it were many chickadees, some more house finches, about 20 goldfinches, and both a hairy and a downy woodpecker.
08-DEC-2010
House finch, male
This was taken near the Ash woods feeder, where there was constant activity of house finches (about 10), chickadees (about 5), and a couple of cardinals. Below, on the ground, 4 grey squirrels were busy gleaning some of the seed spilled from the feeder. Elsewhere, a fox was seen, and several red squirrels, but no sign of the beaver.
08-DEC-2010
The pond with snow
There is a light dusting of snow on the garden, including the pond, and some of the water is frozen, just. But there are still open areas, most notably near the dam, and several small spots near the shore.
08-DEC-2010
Black squirrel eating Manitoba maple keys
The Manitoba maple, a much reviled tree, considered an aggressive invasive by some (though it is, as the name suggests, native to the prairies), does have some redeeming values, one of which is that it provides an abundance of food for squirrels and birds in lean times, particularly when many other shrubs and trees may have already had their fruit or seeds eaten, or may be having an off-year, when production is low. The black squirrel is, of course, a grey squirrel but the melanistic version of.
04-DEC-2010
Red squirrel/�cureuil roux
A beautiful little red squirrel sitting amidst a cornucopia of seeds, taken by Diane.
04-DEC-2010
American robin/Merle d'am�rique
Diane got a gorgeous photo of this robin in perfect lighting, showing off his red breast to perfection!
04-DEC-2010
American robin/Merle d'am�rique
Diane was at the FWG and found several of the robins that have been hanging around the garden for over a week.
02-DEC-2010
Sumac stored by a red squirrel
Looking rather like a pretty red Christmas ornament, this is one of many sumac seedheads stored by red squirrels in multiple places around each sumac stand. The pale seedpods are those of Dog-strangling vine (pale swallowwort).
02-DEC-2010
Praying mantis egg cases
A few of the torn apart egg cases that the crow was feeding on. There are many eggs contained within each case. If you look at a Praying mantis egg case closely, you will see how intricate it is. The surface is grooved, each groove representing an internal corridor leading to a central chamber where the eggs are, and that is what the crow was extracting.
02-DEC-2010
American crow eating Praying mantis egg cases
I watched this crow fly to one of our wooden fences and busily peck away at something that looked vaguely brownish. A couple more crows came along to see what he was up to. When they flew off, I went over to check out what he'd been eating. It turned out there was quite a cache of the hard egg cases of praying mantis! The crow had pecked open the surprisingly hard case, and extracted the tasty bits!
02-DEC-2010
View from bridge
Our bridge is now open for use, though there is still a bit more work to do on it yet. It is the first time I've been on the bridge, and it is a relief to have it open as it saves me grumbling every time I see people bypassing our orange fence and blithely heading across the bridge - even when it was just being constructed -. Grrrrr! Anyway, nice to stand on it and look across the pond which looks quite impressive from this perspective. The heavy rain from yesterday has increased the water level, although it is flowing quickly through the beaver dam and heading down the ravine.
02-DEC-2010
Panellus stipticus
These beautiful little fungi are abundant on the birch logs which litter the Birch Grove and other parts of the garden. These species glow in the dark, though the luminescence is pretty slight. Still, a very neat thing for a fungi to do! If you check out our Mushroom gallery, you'll see many more photos of this species, including the delicately beautiful underside.
