Not far from our home is a small 35 hectare woodlot of white pine, sugar maple, beech and red oak trees. The canopy towers high above the forest floor and busy roads and an industrial park line its perimeter. It is easy to walk through the trails in half an hour which makes it perfect [...]
Archive for the ‘trails’ Category
Parable of the Forest
Posted in health and wellness, nature, spirituality, trails, workplace on January 24, 2010 | 11 Comments »
Week Two of the January Bird Count
Posted in birds, trails on January 10, 2010 | 10 Comments »
“All the birds had fled…” I was out on trail every day this week but one looking for birds to add to my January total. I know where to look and dressed for the bitter cold each day after work to take an hour or so to check a woodlot, stream or river for any [...]
January Deep Freeze
Posted in birds, trails on January 3, 2010 | 13 Comments »
Frost on our back door Much of North America is experiencing a blast of Arctic air and we are not exempt here in south-western Ontario. Temperatures are in the minus double digits and strong north winds have created wind chills in the minus twenties. I opened the door early yesterday morning and was greeted by [...]
June Babies: Owls and More at the Swamp
Posted in birds, guest photographers, trails on June 17, 2009 | 14 Comments »
Swamp at Huron Natural Area I received a tip from a couple of birders/photographers that a family of Great Horned Owls lived in the vicinity of a swamp just a few minutes from our home. I have seen Snowy Owls in the winter but have never seen any other type of owl in the wild. [...]
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 [...]
Friday Foliage: Jack Pine
Posted in friday flowers, trails on February 21, 2009 | 14 Comments »
The City of Ottawa has a publicly owned Greenbelt which consists of a 20,000-hectare expanse of land which includes wetlands, farmlands and forests. Hiking opportunities abound in the Greenbelt and the admission free trail network extends over 100 kilometers. The Greenbelt includes Stony Swamp Conservation Area, Piney Forest, and the Green’s Creek. (Source: The National [...]
Skywatch Over a Frozen Swamp
Posted in skywatch, trails, vacations on February 19, 2009 | 39 Comments »
Just after sunrise I enjoy visiting cities and being in crowds of people from time to time. Toronto is always interesting and our trip to New York City last year was a great experience. We mingled with many other Winterlude visitors in Ottawa and walked through several tourist areas. I was ready for bed before [...]
Friday Flowers: Tamarack Larch
Posted in birds, friday flowers, trails on January 23, 2009 | 22 Comments »
Tamarack in April There are a few stands of Tamarack trees in our region. This native tree, also called the American Larch is a deciduous coniferous tree. Its needles turn yellow and drop each autumn and in the spring, fresh new needles and flowers appear. I took the above picture at the end of April [...]
More Winter Birding
Posted in birds, guest photographers, trails on January 19, 2009 | 16 Comments »
American Tree Sparrow We are now well into the last half of January. My bird count is at 52 species and I hope to find 60 by the end of the month. Larry set the challenge and Kathie has listed the people who are participating in this recent post. I may not have started if [...]
Where are all the Cardinals?…Here!
Posted in birds, trails on January 6, 2009 | 22 Comments »
Watched from behind by some male Northern Cardinals Kim, the Kitchen Window Birder asked yesterday, “Where are all the cardinals?” She lives in central Massachusetts and reports seeing fewer Northern Cardinals in her area this winter. We had a pair nest in our yard this summer. The adults and four juveniles were seen frequently in [...]
