24-FEB-2011
Common redpolls at the feeder
The suet was a big attraction for the redpolls. But I noticed that they were also avidly eating seeds from various plants that had fallen to the ground.
24-FEB-2011
Grey squirrel with nest material
Unfortunately, this is not a great photo, but is the best of the few I managed to take. I wanted to get a photo of this squirrel with her mouthful of nest material which she had scraped from a juniper. While walking along the service road between the Old Field and the Ash Woods, I heard what sounded like someone in the tall juniper breaking off branches. I couldn't see a person, and for a brief mad moment thought someone had climbed up into the tree intent on damage! Well, someone had, but it was a four-legged critter. This grey squirrel was vigorously pulling off strips of bark. When she had a big mouthful she leaped across the service road and into the Ash woods. I followed her as best I could as she rushed off a top speed through the treetops. Eventually she stopped and looked down at me as if to berate me for following. This is when I managed to get a few poor shots at a very high ISO. She just sat there so I left, as it was clear she was not going to move toward her nest until I did so.
24-FEB-2011
Redpolls and house finches
There were 14 common redpolls in the Backyard Garden today, along with three lovely male cardinals, one female cardinal, many busy chickadees, and five house finches. In the Arboretum I could hear several pine siskins giving their funny but distinctive wheezy call. Too bad that they were not around during the Great Backyard Bird Count last week.
24-FEB-2011
Common redpoll
A closer view of one of these pretty winter visitors.
24-FEB-2011
Interpretive Centre from across the Ravine
Under some softly falling snow, the Interpretive centre looks well nestled into its surroundings. Like a little cottage in the woods.
21-FEB-2011
Tracks, possibly of a shrew
This was a long line of very tiny tracks in an unusual pattern. They reminded me of shrew tracks and I am fairly certain that is what they are, but having said that, they don't look quite right, compared to other tracks I've seen that fit the classic shrew pattern.
21-FEB-2011
Mallards in BYG
These lovely mallards (two males and a female half hidden), were three of 9 mallards that made a brief stopover at the garden, feeding on spilled seeds and basking in the sun.
21-FEB-2011
Crow tracks
The crows were stomping around on the snow, looking very important as only crows can!
21-FEB-2011
Rabbit tracks in fresh snow
Several sets of rabbit tracks, in different parts of the garden.
21-FEB-2011
Red squirrel tracks
These perfectly formed red squirrel tracks were all around the garden in the light dusting of fairly dry snow that we had overnight. Such a light dusting is perfect for photographing tracks. The heavy wet snow that we often get distorts the tracks, but the kind of snow we had overnight is just right, not too deep, not too wet, and captures imprints well.
21-FEB-2011
Northern cardinal, male
Jeewa photographed this beautiful male cardinal in the Backyard Garden today. It was a cold day (-11, windchill of -27), and there was not a lot around, not even many birds. However, it was brilliantly sunny and the light on this photo is lovely.
18-FEB-2011
Insect cocoon
This tiny little wisp of a cocoon, was caught on the bark of a dead tree. I am thinking that a chickadee had found this underneath something (they are masters at finding insect eggs, larvae and cocoons) and had extracted the contents, leaving the wisp to float downward to be caught by this bark.
18-FEB-2011
Fungus: Phlebia radiata
There were long streaks of this running for some metres down a dead ash tree.
18-FEB-2011
The pond melting on a warm day
The pond is only temporarily melting. With the very cold temperatures called for in the next few days, today's warmth will seem like a dream, and the pond will freeze up again.
18-FEB-2011
Cedar waxwing in crabapple tree
Taken in the Arboretum. I was counting birds for the Great Backyard Bird Count today, and came across 6 cedar waxwings in a sparsely fruited crabapple.
It was a fabulous day, with temperatures at +10, sunny, very springlike. Walking was not easy, there were huge puddles of melting snow all over the place, and the snow was soggy and soft and easy to sink into. However, it was such a fine day to be outside that wet feet were a minor problem. House finches were singing up a storm, as were cardinals and chickadees, and there were even 7 ring-billed gulls on the melting Canal.
18-FEB-2011
Cedar waxwing in crabapple tree
Also in the Arboretum, but close enough to FWG!!
18-FEB-2011
Face-rubbing
This grey squirrel was vigorously rubbing his face along the branches of this serviceberry in the BYG. I watched for some time as he rubbed and rubbed in this position, then sat up and wiped his face with his paws over and over (like a cat), and then proceeded to do a full-body scoot along another branch, leading with his face and ending up splayed along the branch. When I saw the photos at home I realized that his face was very wet. I have no idea if he was trying to rub off whatever it was, but his actions seemed to suggest this. I remember a year or two ago, seeing a red squirrel with a very wet, almost sticky looking face, just as this guy has. Perhaps it got into something like oil, or maybe the warmth has caused some tree sap to flow, though I didn't notice any. Whatever it was, it seemed to be disturbing the poor guy quite a lot.
18-FEB-2011
More face-rubbing
In this shot, you can see how wet and sticky looking his poor little face is!
18-FEB-2011
Chewing on plastic
This squirrel was chewing away on the plastic "bucket" being used as a squirrel baffle. No doubt very annoyed that it was preventing him and his kin from accessing the feeder in the Backyard Garden.
15-FEB-2011
Sumac in late day sun
The fuzzy stems of the Staghorn Sumac catch the sun's rays sometimes, and look almost silvery in the light. I have tried and tried to capture what I see, but my photos never succeed in showing the true beauty of the sight.
15-FEB-2011
Moon over the Fletcher Wildlife Garden
Coming down the trail toward the centre in late afternoon, I noticed the pale moon against the deep blue sky with a couple of trees poking above the roofline of the centre.
15-FEB-2011
Amphibian Pond
Or as some people are calling it now, the Beaver Pond. This area looks like it was probably open water yesterday in the thaw when we had rain and above freezing temps. Wonder if it will open up again in the warm weather anticipated for the next few days (today it was very cold!).
15-FEB-2011
Mallards under the birdfeeder
Mallards are such funny ducks! A couple of winters ago we had about 150 in the Amphibian Pond (hard to believe) most of the winter. There were mallard tracks all over the snow, marching up to the parking lot, in the parking lot, around the map sign, etc. This winter we've been seeing them under the bird feeder in the Backyard Garden. I think 40 is the most that have been counted. The other day I saw one, Friday there must have been 20-25, and today there were about 9. Notice the squirrels are quite indifferent to them!
15-FEB-2011
Rabbit scat
After saying I'd seen no signs of rabbits for some time around the garden, today I was proved wrong. I saw quite a collection of fresh rabbit scat in one area, so there is at least one around.
12-FEB-2011
Ravine in the snow
Made a quick stop at the FWG to see if the beaver was around. The snow was coming down heavily at that point, but a few minutes later, the sun was out and the sky was blue. Such has been our weather this winter: all over the place!
09-FEB-2011
Mourning Doves keeping warm
When it is cold and very windy out, as it was today, mourning doves often seek shelter in protected places. These big Norway spruce are particularly attractive to the doves and when the sun is out, as it was for a little while this morning, they will sit half hidden by the branches and facing the sun.
09-FEB-2011
Black squirrel eating Manitoba maple keys
Finishing off the last maple seeds on this tree. There were four of these guys, all black phase, in the tree.
09-FEB-2011
Wing prints
This was the clearest set of wing marks out of the three that I found today. You can see there has been some activity behind the wing marks, and it covers an area greater than shown in this shot. It looks like a bird dropped down on the snow to capture a vole or mouse or...? The wing marks were 22 inches across at the widest point. A Sharp-shinned, Cooper's, Crow?
09-FEB-2011
Crow at FWG
Here is the same crow after dropping the lump of something!
09-FEB-2011
Crow with something in its bill
This is the crow that was eating the lump of flesh (?). He seemed to be having a tough time of it, and from the fact that he didn't appear to be eating, only bashing away at this whatsit, I assumed the lump was hard frozen.
09-FEB-2011
Scrap of fur
It was a partly sunny morning at FWG, but very cold thanks to a brisk wind. I came across a group of four crows, three watching the 4th eating something. I couldn't make out what it was, but it looked like a lump of frozen animal. After watching for some time, the crow appeared to drop the lump, so I went over to have a look. I couldn't find it, but did find much fur scattered over a wide area. This clump was on an Evening Primrose plant and those dots are seeds from the plant. I came across another area not too far away, where more fur was scattered about the snow. It could be rabbit fur, although I haven't seen sign nor hair of a rabbit for a long time. Generally, their signs are fairly apparent in winter. The last time I noticed rabbit presence was when some tracks were found in the first snow on the pond, a couple of months ago.
03-FEB-2011
A red squirrel in the BYG
This little guy is enjoying some warm February sun, especially welcome after the snows of yesterday.
03-FEB-2011
Tortricid moth gall
This is another type of gall on the Canada goldenrods, made in this case by a Tortricid moth. Notice how it is more elongate and rougher than the big round smooth balls caused by the Goldenrod Gall Fly which I posted a couple of days ago.
03-FEB-2011
Staghorn sumac
Lovely sunlight on the red seedhead of the sumac and the fresh snow. The seed is actually inside the fuzzy red capsules that together form the sumac 'cone'. If you look closely, you can see a seed or two.
03-FEB-2011
The Interpretive Centre
The FWG Interpretive Centre with a big mound of snow at the entrance to the BYG.
03-FEB-2011
Amphibian pond under snow
The pond is now under a heavy coating of lovely fresh snow. It was completely unmarked by any tracks at this western end.
03-FEB-2011
Looking west down Green Heron Way
A play of light and shadow on the service road as it heads toward the barn. It looks like a rural scene from far outside the city, doesn't it? Who'd think that this is in the heart of a big city!
03-FEB-2011
New Woods
This is a view west through the New Woods from the pond. The fresh snow is beautiful in the sun, and the mild temperature (-6), after yesterday's cold and blowing snow, made for a glorious day.
03-FEB-2011
Bird activity
In the fresh deep snow, this sign of activity stood out. Looking closer I could see two sets of wing marks, big enough to be either a crow or a hawk. It looks like the the bird dove down, put out its wings to steady itself, then hopped a bit further and spread its wings again. No doubt a mouse or vole was making its way just under or over the snow. Probably under, as I didn't see any tracks. Perhaps it surfaced at this point and caught the attention of whatever bird made these marks.
When I was leaving, I saw the red-tailed hawk sitting on the red barn by the New Woods. First time I've seen it for awhile.
01-FEB-2011
Manitoba maple keys (Acer negundo)
These are the seeds, or keys, of the Manitoba maple that feed so many birds and squirrels all winter. I was checking out how many are left around the FWG, and I'd say more than 75% of the Manitoba maple keys have been consumed. By winter's end, there will only be some here and there remaining. This maple is native to the Prairie provinces (hence its name), but is considered an invasive in Ontario. However, it seeds prolifically and grows quickly (not always a plus in many people's minds) and therefore quickly produces seeds which feed wildlife.
01-FEB-2011
Goldenrod galls in old field
There are a remarkable number of goldenrod galls in this shot, which shows a small fragment of the goldenrods in the old field. In winter, you really get an idea of how many galls there really are. Not only in the old field, but all over wherever Canada and tall goldenrods grow. Many of them are chewed open by mice, red squirrels, and birds, seeking the fly larva inside. These galls are made by the goldenrod gall fly which you can see here:
http://www.pbase.com/fwg/image/104072334.
01-FEB-2011
Double goldenrod galls
Many goldenrods show double galls, like this one. Some even show triple galls, and I saw one near the Butterfly Meadow, but was too cold by that time to stop and take a photograph.
01-FEB-2011
Mourning dove
Huddled in a crabapple with five others. You can see the few snow flurries that fell in the morning, drifting down. There were a couple more mourning doves in the BYG, along with 5 cardinals. There were about 10 house finches and between 10-15 chickadees. A white-breasted nuthatch was near the Ash woods. Over on the farm, I saw four snow buntings, which made a nice change!