I never used to be particularly fond of swamps and feared they harboured snakes and hordes of mosquitoes. It would never have occurred to me to buy a house which backed on a wetland for fear of having a wet basement and other flooding problems. A couple of years ago another nature lover introduced me [...]
Archive for the ‘environment’ Category
Laurentian Wetland
Posted in environment on December 22, 2009 | 4 Comments »
Clutter, Chaos, and Creativity
Posted in environment, this and that on November 20, 2009 | 11 Comments »
Sunset at Pacific Grove CA I have been back in Canada for a little over two weeks and during that time the contractor has been at the house daily continuing with our renovations. Things have taken shape nicely but we move from rooms which are almost empty to rooms which are crowded with furniture and [...]
Where are the Butterflies and Bees?
Posted in butterflies, environment on August 11, 2009 | 16 Comments »
Northern Pearly Eye We are continuing to experience unusual summer weather this year. July was cold and wet and while the temperatures have warmed up in the past few days, we have been drenched by frequent heavy rains. Our lawn is thick and green and needs cutting twice a week. The garden is butterfly and [...]
Southern Ontario Sandhill Cranes
Posted in birds, environment, Manitoulin Island on July 23, 2009 | 18 Comments »
I have several bird books, from a 1947 edition of Peterson’s “A Field Guide to the Birds” to a 2006 edition of “Sibley Guide to the Birds”. The distribution of a number of bird species has changed significantly in the sixty years between the publishing of these two books. In a few more years, changes [...]
Attracting Wildlife: Part 2- Using Bird Songs
Posted in birds, environment on June 5, 2009 | 15 Comments »
Baltimore Oriole responds to a birdJam call I appreciate the thoughtful comments on my previous post and agree that keeping clean and protected feeders is not a disservice to birds, as long as the welfare of the bird or animal is put first, not the interests of the person attracting them. I have purchased a [...]
Attracting Wildlife: Part 1
Posted in birds, environment on June 4, 2009 | 14 Comments »
We have plenty of cute critters in our neighbourhood and go out of our way to attract some of them to stay around. Thankfully we do not have slithery reptiles around the house like Jayne and Mary (uggh!). This week we managed to get this little chipmunk to eat peanuts from our hand. I started [...]
Slumbirds
Posted in birds, environment on May 28, 2009 | 16 Comments »
Travelling the major highway connecting Toronto and Niagara Falls Ontario you must pass a large “bird slum” along Burlington Bay. The off ramp just before the Burlington Skyway leads to a road along the docks and industrial basin of the city of Hamilton. It is home to thousands of community dwelling birds. Two weeks ago [...]
Advantages of being Disorderly
Posted in birds, environment on May 11, 2009 | 17 Comments »
One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one isconstantly making exciting discoveries.A. A. Milne I cannot remember when I became aware of this quote*, but it describes my philosophy very accurately. I like reading articles which report that children who grow up in excessively clean homes are more likely to develop allergies. Our [...]
Saturday Hike with Neil Taylor
Posted in environment, trails on May 2, 2009 | 13 Comments »
Slide show of still pictures taken today “Homer Watson Park offers a wonderful experience for the novice or the enthusiastic naturalist of any age. The park is rich in flora and fauna. Spring ephemerals such as Spring Beauty, White Trout Lily, Blood Root, Hepatica, etc., are abundant. Join Neil at his neighbourhood park, a special [...]
Earth Day Urban Skywatch
Posted in environment, skywatch on April 23, 2009 | 19 Comments »
Today marked Earth Day 2009. Last year I took a number of photos to reflect the theme of the day and posted them here on my Flickr page. April 2008 was warmer than this month as my forsythia was already blooming. Today we had drizzle, snow flurries and cold winds so I did not spend [...]
