31-DEC-2009
Crows
There were about 5 crows at this site near the Old Field. The one on the right was breaking off pieces of ice and eating them like a popsicle. He would tap and tap at the branch until some ice loosened and then grab it in his bill, manipulate it until it was positioned just right and swallow. Seemed to be enjoying himself. This one also had a great big gob of whitewash over his eye! One of the perils of roosting with hundreds of your kin!
31-DEC-2009
Frozen crabapples
This crabapple tree was full of ice and snow, very attractive. Can you see the perfectly formed snowflake on the top of the last apple on the right?
29-DEC-2009
New woods, above the pond
A fast walk around FWG and the Arboretum in late afternoon was quite enchanting. The ice formed during the freezing rain of a few days ago is still on many shrubs and trees, today's cold ensuring it will remain for awhile yet. Not many birds around, and few squirrels, not surprisingly as it was -15 or so and about -25 with the wind. The Amur corktrees in the Arboretum are almost stripped of their fruit, but a big flock of starlings and one robin were gleaning what they could from them.
28-DEC-2009
Icicles on Interpretive Centre
Diane was at the FWG on Dec. 28 and says that few birds were around except at the Backyard Garden Feeder where she notes "I saw Cardinals, Chickadees, House sparrows."
The icicles on the pergola make an attractive pattern.
31-DEC-2009
Red squirrel/écureuil roux
Diane said that although there were few birds, the red squirrels were very noticeable and since they were busily eating bird seed, they allowed Diane to get some very nice photos.
31-DEC-2009
écureuil roux/ Red squirrel
This little guy looks like he is standing at the entrance to a squirrel cave, watching the winter world.
31-DEC-2009
Pond/étang
Diane's photo of the pond shows what looks like a vast white space... very cold and wintry.
27-DEC-2009
Amphibian pond
After taking a long walk in the west end, I dropped by the garden in late afternoon to check on the pond and the beaver. The water immediately under the downed maple is open again, and there is a piece of debarked branch floating there, so I can only hope that the little guy is OK and was able to store enough food under the water for the winter. I certainly saw him dragging branches under the water so.... when spring arrives I very much hope we'll discover he survived the winter.
27-DEC-2009
Icy branch
After the day of freezing rain yesterday, everything in the city is coated with ice and looking very magical and winter wonderland-like.
27-DEC-2009
Setting sun
The setting sun turned the sky pink and the ice glistening on the trees was quite a sight, which I unfortunately, could not capture.
27-DEC-2009
Looking west toward the Butterfly Meadow
I'm standing on the service road by the Ash Woods looking west to the Butterfly Meadow, still trying to capture that pink sky and the icy trees! Still unsuccessful.
27-DEC-2009
Red barn against the setting sun
22-DEC-2009
Fox tracks across the pond
Not a lot of fox signs this winter so far, but at least these tracks (and some scat)show that they are still around.
22-DEC-2009
Tracks, probably vole
These tracks make an intriguing snow pattern. I think they are meadow vole tracks, although they don't look quite right. They also don't look quite right for white-footed mouse, and are too big for shrew. The tunnel entrance at the top suggests vole, but I'll have to leave this as a question mark.
21-DEC-2009
Turtle raft in snow
The snow crystals on the frozen pond were dazzling today. And I thought the turtle raft looked rather pretty outlined by the snow. There were fox tracks across the pond, not many, just a few. But there were lots of other tracks, not sure what they were, but am guessing dogs.
17-DEC-2009
European starling eating Amur Corktree fruit (Phellodendron amurense)
Taken in the Arboretum not far from the FWG. Also eating this fruit were some robins.
17-DEC-2009
"snowflakes" or ice crystals on the Interpretive Centre window
I was inside the centre briefly this morning and noticed these crystals on the window, so decided to shoot a few photos. At one point, one of the ribbons we have put up to prevent birds from hitting the windows, blew across the window and I snapped this because it looks quite seasonal!
17-DEC-2009
House Sparrow, male
The cedars on the north side of the Interpretive Centre provide a nice, warm, snug hideaway for birds on these cold days. There were several cardinals, a few house finches, chickadees, and 7 house sparrows hiding in them. Gone are the days when winter brought flocks of 80+ house sparrows to the garden. Now, if we see a dozen we think that a lot. Whatever one may feel about house sparrows, which are not a native species, the reason for their decline (which is widespread, including in their native land of Britain and Europe)should worry us! Or at least give us pause. Do we know if their decline is caused by a natural falling off in their population, perhaps because as an introduced species they have reached a "critical mass" before falling back to small numbers? Or is something else that may impact on native bird species. Let me add, that I like house sparrows!
15-DEC-2009
Amphibian pond at the FWG
This is the seventh shot of the pond I've posted this month so far, and the month is only half over! It is just that the pond is very beautiful and can look so different under different conditions.
15-DEC-2009
American robin
This was one of five robins in the Ravine. Just after I said I hadn't seen any for quite awhile, these five turned up. They were feeding on crabapples. Later I saw them, or perhaps another group, in the Arboretum, eating the fruit of the Amur Corktree.
14-DEC-2009
FWG in mist and sun
This morning early I was on my to Larose Forest for a meeting, but the fantastic conditions created by the mist and hoarfrost enticed me to the FWG for 10 minutes. As I started photographing, the sun tried to break through the mist. Both mist and sun created a winter wonderland, very magical. The drive out to the forest was likewise very beautiful, the ordinary transformed into the extraordinary. On the way home at 2 p.m., the land had settled back into its usual mode, still beautiful in the snow, but without that element of wonder.
14-DEC-2009
Joe-pye weed with frost in the early morning
All of the plants were transformed into crystallized objects. Sadly, I could not capture what I saw.
14-DEC-2009
Backyard Garden
The Backyard Garden (BYG) at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, behind the Interpretive Centre. The sun breaking through the mist created this pinkish hue, quite magical.
14-DEC-2009
Mourning dove
While the others flew into the safety of the ravine, when I rounded the corner of the building, this one stayed put. Nothing was going to deter him from having a feed.
14-DEC-2009
Cardinal, male
At the BYG feeder. This was one of 4 males at or near the feeder. There were also 3 females, several mourning doves, half a dozen house finches, about 8 chickadees, and a male downy woodpecker. I could hear a white-breasted nuthatch in the distance across the ravine.
13-DEC-2009
Re squirrel eating sumac buds
Sumac seeds, bark and buds all feed squirrels. Birds too will eat the flower seeds.
10-DEC-2009
Another view of the Amphibian pond
You can see there is still open water at this point and the ice is still just a bit more than a skin.
10-DEC-2009
After the first snowstorm: Amphibian Pond
Or maybe it should be temporarily called the Beaver Pond. A thin skin of ice over part of the pond, but where the beaver is active, you can see open water.
10-DEC-2009
American goldfinch nest
This is one of many nests revealed as the leaves fall. Most of the ones I've seen this year have been goldfinch and robin nests. I've found a couple of yellow warbler nests, a cardinal nest, and a song sparrow nest, as far as I can remember.
08-DEC-2009
Icicles on the Info Kiosk, Fletcher Wildlife Garden
Late afternoon sun reflects off the icicles on the FWG info kiosk by the parking lot
08-DEC-2009
Apple stored by Red squirrel
Red squirrels are great at storing apples, walnuts, mushrooms,cones, etc. in trees. With nuts, cones and fruit, they will often "decorate" a tree with their bounty, placing one piece of fruit on each branch. In the November blog I posted a photo of a walnut in a similar position. In that case, the entire spruce looked like a Christmas tree ready for the holidays!
08-DEC-2009
Old field in December
A light dusting of snow, barely visible under the goldenrods and raspberries.
08-DEC-2009
New England aster seeds
The fluffy seedheads of the asters are quite noticeable now. When other food is less available, finches and sparrows will feed on these.
08-DEC-2009
Crow eating snow
This crow was eating a lot of snow, hopping up and down the branch near the Ash Woods birdfeeder. This is a way for them to get some moisture.
Notice the white splotches on his feathers? This is what happens when hundreds of crows roost together in close proximity...if the one above let's go, the ones below get the splat! You rarely see this in summer when crows are off doing their own thing, but once they begin congregating again in large roosts the white splotches become evident on many crows.
07-DEC-2009
Snow on the pond
A light snow this morning which lay on the thin skin of ice over most of the pond.
07-DEC-2009
Ash woods
A red-tailed hawk flew into the woods this morning, pursued by a contingent of crows. Over at the Ash Woods feeder, there were over 30 house finches, a couple of morning doves, 5 chickadees and a couple of cardinals.
04-DEC-2009
Highbush cranberry fruit (Viburnum trilobum)
We are not sure if this is the true native Viburnum trilobum, or one of the cultivars sold under the same name. At any rate, the fruit rarely gets eaten and yet it is said that this species of Viburnum is popular with wildlife. Either it isn't, or this is a cultivar that has no wildlife value. At least the fruit is very beautiful, especially on a cool December day!
04-DEC-2009
Légendes de Castor
Thanks to Diane Lepage, we now have a French translation of our beaver sign. I installed it at the pond a couple of days ago.
04-DEC-2009
Beaver work
The beaver has finally succeeded in taking down the big Manitoba maple that self-seeded there about 8 or 9 years ago. He has already begun chewing some of the lower branches in the water, but the higher ones may be too far out of reach. He hasn't chewed completely through the stump, and I am thinking that I may have to take a saw or an axe and help him out a bit by cutting through that "hinge" that is keeping the tree where it is. He is certainly an industrious little guy and it is quite amazing to see his work up close. For example, it seems that after eating the bark off the branches, he then uses them to shore up his dam.
04-DEC-2009
Pond reflections
The beaver's food raft is at the top of the photo, but the clouds and the cattail reflections seem to float through it.
04-DEC-2009
Amphibian Pond
A nice calm pond, between the gusts of wind.
04-DEC-2009
Prairie smoke (Geum triflorum)
Backyard Garden. These flowers have been visible for several weeks, looking more springlike than winterlike.
01-DEC-2009
Phlebia radiata
This odd-looking polypore is growing on a birch snag, and there is quite a lot of it. It likes to fill crevices and cracks and small cavities. I also found some growing on an ash tree in the Ash Woodlot.
