22-FEB-2010
More ATV tracks
It was a lovely day to be out, until I came across yet more ATV tracks at FWG. Despite our Chair writing to AAFC about the machines going into the Backyard Garden and then through the New Woods, clearly nothing was done. We know who is doing this!! But they seem to think they are above the law (which is rather funny, in a sick sort of way, considering who is doing this). They went through the Ash Woods the other day, off trail, very clearly OFF TRAIL, and into the woods. Now I discover they have veered off the service road and onto what is usually a narrow track leading by the Birch Grove (L), and the new section of the Butterfly Meadow (L and R). Well, clearly these bozos have no respect at all for the Fletcher Garden or for what we are trying to do there.
22-FEB-2010
Red squirrel enjoying tree sap
Still not many birds around. The usual few juncos, cardinals, house finches (have not seen the big flocks of 40+ birds for a couple of weeks), chickadees, three mourning doves, a couple of white-breasted nuthatches, and crows.
The most fun was watching a red squirrel contorting himself to get at the sap which was flowing from nips he'd made in the bark. This is a favourite activity at this time of year and always an excuse to take more photos of reds. Let's see.... I must have well over 1,000 shots of these guys now and there is little chance of my ending this obsession! So, here are a few photos from today.
22-FEB-2010
Red squirrel licking sap
The contortions are quite comical.
22-FEB-2010
Meadow vole tracks
I was also intrigued by a set of meadow vole tracks and runs as well as little hole dug in the snow with scat deposited. I followed the tracks and tried to figure out what was happening. At any rate, the tracks came out from under the snow on the edge of the old field, ran into the open, circled around a bit, then the hole was dug and the small pile of scat left. The tracks then headed north on the surface for about a metre before they turned into quite a significant "run" (like a tunnel without the roof). This pattern of traveling over the surface, then within a "run", carried on for about 100 metres, before the tracks veered back into vegetation and stopped at the entrance of a snow tunnel beside a tree. Dog and human prints disturbed the pattern in places, other wise I might have tried to get a video clip of the whole thing. Not entirely sure what was going on, but oh well, it gave me something to look at, and gave Tasha time to sit. Meadow voles are far less likely to travel across the snow surface in winter than mice are, but this doesn't mean they never do it. Just that they are more adept at tunneling beneath the snow.
22-FEB-2010
Meadow vole scat
This is the scat mentioned in the above posting.
22-FEB-2010
Crow with food
This crow was eating what looked like a rabbit's leg, but it was hard to tell for sure. Whatever it was, it was frozen and hard. The crow was pecking away and it was more like chipping at ice than anything. He swallowed the fur as well as the flesh, but every so often some tufts of fur would float down.
16-FEB-2010
Mallard, female
Although this was taken in the Arboretum, just below the FWG, I include it because she is such a pretty duck and the Arboretum is almost part of the FWG.... birds and animals go back and forth...
16-FEB-2010
American crow
This crow and one other were sitting in the row of Scotch pines at the Fletcher garden, every so often looking hopefully at a 3rd crow who had either a vole or a mouse which he was eating. Whether he caught it or scavenged it, I don't know. You can see small white splotches on this guy. They are the droppings which most crows in winter are splattered with... one of the hazards of communal roosting! You can compare this crow with the raven in the next shot.
16-FEB-2010
Common Raven
I don't know if this is the same raven that was gathering nest material in the Arboretum a few days ago, but this one was certainly hanging out between FWG and the Arboretum and seemed in no hurry to leave, despite being mobbed by his smaller "cousins" the crow.
15-FEB-2010
Eastern Cottontail rabbit
It was late in the day and I was looking at the large piles of rabbit scat in the BYG, and wondering if the rabbit was still around, when I noticed this one sitting just down the slope in the ravine. We haven't reached the large numbers of rabbits in the garden that occurred a few years ago, but have more than in 2008 and the first half of 2009.
09-FEB-2010
ATV tracks in Backyard Garden
It was a beautiful sunny day, mild, pleasant, a good day to be out. However, my pleasure was soon diminished when I found ATV tracks leading into and all the way through the New Woods, emerging, or perhaps starting at, the road into FWG from Prince of Wales Drive. What bozos, what idiots, would be stupid enough to head into the woods on a big machine, right next to a sign saying that they were entering the Fletcher Wildlife Garden. My answer is, people who think they can get away with doing whatever they want. And I'll say no more on that!
Later, I was doubly appalled to find these same yahoos had driven into and around the Backyard Garden, over two of our beds. Such respect they have for the garden, don't they?
09-FEB-2010
ATV tracks in BYG
Another shot of the ATV tracks, this time looking eastward to the end of the Backyard Garden.
09-FEB-2010
Double trouble!
These two red squirrels were too busy feeding to worry about me. A third one was sitting on the rock wall nearby, posing in that pensive mood that squirrels excel at! This made up to some degree for the anger I felt at the flagrant vandalism in this spot, caused by the ATVs.
09-FEB-2010
Mourning dove
Sitting in an apple tree by the Old Field area, this handsome dove is one of only a few this winter. It has been awhile since we had up to 30 at a time during the winter around the Ash Woods, in the Ravine and sitting here, by the Old Field. It was quite the sight to see so many doves lined up along branches or sitting on top of the vine covered snag near the feeder, catching the sun's rays. On cloudy days, they would hide in the vine tangle, or huddle deep within one of the large spruce nearby.
Once again, birds were few. The most interesting sighting was of a raven in the arboretum collecting nesting material. It was scraping soft bark off a dead tree branch until it had a great mouthful, and then flew off. All the while it was working it was besieged by crows who raise the same ruckus over ravens that they do over raptors.
07-FEB-2010
House Finches/ Roselin familier, male
Diane was at the FWG on Sunday and photographed the house finches hanging out near the feeder. She also reported that it has been pretty quiet for birds at the garden (and elsewhere). This photo shows the beautiful red colouration of the male. Sometimes exceptionally red males can be taken for purple finches, but male house finches have a brownish cap (not always that visible), which the purple finch males do not. As well, the purple finches are much deeper red.
07-FEB-2010
House Finches/ Roselin familier, female
And here is the female house finch. The females are often mistaken for sparrows by beginning birders, and no wonder! They certainly look like many of our "little brown job" sparrows at first glance.
05-FEB-2010
Shelter
Although it is a bit difficult to make out from this photo, this is a shelter made by someone in, I would say, the last week or so. It is on the south side of the New Woods, but north of the red barn. At first I thought the branches were some that had broken off during the freezing rain we had a month or so ago. But looking more closely I could see that the branches had been cut with a saw. As far as I can tell, the person who did must have stood on the lower branches of the tree and cut off some from high up, and then cut off those lower down, to make this shelter. Good thing I didn't catch the culprit!!! The poor pine is a bit butchered now.
05-FEB-2010
Black-capped chickadee with insect cocoon
There were several chickadees exploring and excavating these Scotch pines for insects. Many insects overwinter as larva or pupa under bark, underneath leaf litter, in twigs, vines, etc., and here you can see that the chickadee has found an insect cocoon. Chickadees, much as they like the seeds at our feeders, also like, and need, the protein that comes from eating insects. You can see them expertly probing all manner of vegetation, looking for insects. I've particularly noticed them working away at the dried DSV vines. Sometimes there will be 3 or 4 of them together diligently poking around in the vines and pulling out something so minute I can't see what it is they have. At any rate, we know that insects do use the DSV, but they appear not to be at all injurious to it. However... I suspect, from what I have heard, that we'll see a possible biocontrol agent in another 4 or 5 years.
05-FEB-2010
Black-capped chickadee excavating Scotch pine bark
And here is one of the chickadees probing away for insects.
05-FEB-2010
Tracks on pond
The human tracks dominate here! You can see where skiers have crossed the pond, where dogs and owners have cris-crossed it. At the far end of the pond, you can also see where crows, rabbits, and fox have also crossed the pond.
05-FEB-2010
Wing pattern made by a crow
This is a lovely fresh wing pattern made by a crow who took off just as I came along at the west end of the pond. Such wing patterns are abundantly common, but this was one of the freshest, and I thought I'd include it here because it is quite attractive.
03-FEB-2010
Red squirrel
This little guy was sitting on the edge of the Ravine, by the Backyard Garden. He looked very pensive, and even when I slowly approached, he did nothing but turn and glance at me before resuming this stance. Eventually he gave himself a little shake and jumped down into the Ravine.
03-FEB-2010
Northern Cardinal, female
Over at the Ash Woods feeder there was no more activity than at the BYG feeder. However, this pretty female cardinal sat quite still for several minutes allowing a fairly close shot. In addition to her, there were a few house finches, chickadees, a couple of mourning doves, a few grey squirrels and a couple of crows nearby.
01-FEB-2010
Northern Cardinal, male
A nice way to start the month is with a splash of bright colour in the form of this male cardinal. At the Backyard Garden feeder, located behind the Interpretive Centre, there was little bird activity. A few house finches, about 6 chickadees, a female downy woodpecker, and a dark-eyed junco. Three red squirrels were also hanging around beneath the feeder.
01-FEB-2010
Rabbit signs
You wouldn't think that the hairy stems of sumac would be that palatable, but the rabbits seem to enjoy chewing on the bark and in years when we have more than a couple of rabbits around the site, we can see many of the young sumac stems chewed to bits. Sumac spreads like crazy so we have lots of it and don't begrudge the rabbits and squirrels their meal of sumac bark.