Meet Quincy the Snowy Owl

The other weekend Angie and I were at one of our favorite conservation areas... Mountsberg. I believe I have blogged about it before and making mention of their Raptor Centre.

I thought on occasion I would talk about one of the Raptors I have gotten to know over there and share their tale.

So, today I have chosen Quincy the Snowy Owl.



Quincy is a female. I have chosen her first to blog about because her story sticks to my mind with some very sad visuals.

She was born in captivity and raised by humans. Where this happened would be the equivalent of a "puppy mill". I couldn't believe that such a place existed! In a small town far out of the GTA, there was a farm, and the people on that farm bred and raised birds of prey to be sold as exotic pets to those willing to pay the price.

Apparently this farm was more like a junk yard. Picture one of those creepy old dilapidated farm houses with nasty inbred looking people within. That is my visual, right out of one of my horror movies. These people had absolutely no regard for the birds they were raising and selling. I honestly feel that anybody who bought a bird from them has no regard either. Eagles, Hawks and Owls chained to the litter about the property (rusted cars, fence posts, etc). They were fed Canada Geese that the people went out and shot themselves. So, this sucked for the Geese of the area as well; but even more so for the birds who ate them. Why? Well, the bullets remained within the Geese, which were then devoured by the raptors, and thus were slowly poisoning them with lead. Many carcasses of the Geese lay rotting about the property as well.

I don't know how many raptors were on site at the time of the arrests. I don't know how many had to be put down due to illness.

Quincy was one of the lucky ones to make it out of there alive. Since she was captive bred and hand raised, she can never be released as she knows nothing on how to fend for herself in the wild. She does have a great home with amazing people who care for her at Mountsberg.



If you ever make it out to Mountsberg, please stop and give a moment to Quincy. She is the only female Snowy Owl at the centre so you can't miss her.

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Jigger update and a question some may be asking...

So, after a few days of seeing Jigger hobbling about the backyard and taking in every bit of food offered to him; we finally went to The Toronto Wildlife Centre and picked up a Squirrel trap. They loaned it to us with a $20 deposit; this was on Sunday September the 5th. When we got home, Jigger was out back. We figured not to even try catching him since it was quite late in the day now. So, Jigger got a good feast of peanuts and away he went.

Now, it is the evening of the 8th and we have not seen him since.

A number of days ago I had hopes of catching him and getting him to the centre in order to be healed to good bouncy health again, with us then picking him up and bringing him home. After my last visit to the centre, I just had hope of getting him there and knowing where he was all the time and that one way or another, he would not be suffering... be it being safe, warm, fed and getting needed medical attention or if it were an injury beyond repair that he would be put out of suffering. I came to these thoughts as I said, after my last visit to the centre.

See, in our visit, with the centre looking up our file. Angie asked if there was any information on Bob. You all remember Bob don't you? And perhaps this is the question you may have asked in the last bit since reading my story about Bob... that being... well, what about Bob? What happened to him? A question that has sat at the back of my mind since the day we took him in. Unfortunately Bob's wound was beyond repair, being an old fracture of sorts, healing wrongly, leaving him forever unable to fly. Bob's return to the wild was never to be. Upon that analysis, Bob was kindly put to sleep. I use the "kindly" word as that is what the centre uses. And it is true. A simple needle putting the being quickly to sleep forever. Actually, I think it is two needles. The first puts one to sleep and the second is what stops the heart and ending it's life. A pain-free quick death.



So, in the end it was the best thing to happen to Bob. Since he had no where to go to live out his days only being able to flutter about and walk the Earth... a very bad thing for a bird in the city.




With this thinking in mind, I was even more ready to turn Jigger into the centre. As I said, my hope would be getting him healthy, but if it weren't to be, at least I know he'd have the same peaceful fate as Bob. Who knows where he is right now? Who knows if he is alive? I keep an eye out for him every afternoon when I get home from work until the sun goes down. I will continue to do so over the next few weeks. Every time I see a black Squirrel out back, I think it's Jiggs and am ready to spring into action. So far every time since this past Monday I have been wrong.

I have to end this with a reminder of why Jigger is getting all this fuss. He's been with us almost every day for about 4 years now. Every day I am outside, Jigger is around for much of it. I can honestly say I am outside just about every single day of the year, no matter the season, no matter the weather. Jigger is like a hyper little puppy. He's running and bouncing about, always around my feet, climbing my leg, my shoulder, the chair I sit on, whatever. He's touched my life, Angie's life, and most who have spent time in the back with him. While I have often called him "a royal pain in the a$$" as he constantly interrupts my garden duties climbing my legs trying to get the treats in my cargo pockets, digs up my freshly planted flowers and vegetables, knocks over my beverages, dirties the kitchen floor on rainy days with his muddy feet, gets me in trouble with the neighbours by burying peanuts in their flower beds, steals my chair when I get up and so on; he really never was that... but I couldn't rightly call him "a good boy" now could I?

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An Un-Healthy Jigger Returns...

So, literally minutes after I posted my blog below... I step outside with Meadow to give her that afternoon walkabout of the yard; when who do I see way at the back? Jigger! This was totally unexpected but such a great surprise. I called for him, and while I don't think he really knows his name, he does know my (and Angie's) voices. He looked up and began to come towards me but I could tell something was not right with him. It seems one of his hind legs is injured, but to what degree I don't know. I handed him a peanut and he devoured it quick. He had trouble staying up on his back leg while he ate. One Pigeon sensing his weakness was waiting for a chance to knock the shelled peanuts from his clutches... of course that wasn't going to happen with us around. Another 7 roasted peanuts later and he was on his way. His walk away was difficult too and every 4 or 5 feet found him stretching out in the grass for a moment of rest.

Angie was with us. We had discussed catching him and taking him to the Toronto Wildlife Centre but it was close to 5pm at this point. The Wildlife Centre closes at 6pm which probably was ample travel time; but they ask that you speak with someone live first at the centre, so they know you are coming. The few times I have called, the machine picks up, I leave a message and within 30 minutes someone calls me back. I should mention, that by this time though, Jigger had climbed way up a tall tree to safety. He disappeared up in the leaves.

So, tomorrow is the mission to find Jigger again (hoping he's down at the back), catching him and taking him to the centre. If they can fix him up, he could come back home in due time. If there is that chance he is not able to be brought back to health, I understand he will be kindly put down. It would be a better death than at the claws of a certain feline in the area or some predator. I will post updates as they occur.

I will write about the Toronto Wildlife Centre one day soon. They took Bob the Pigeon in and promised to do the best they could for him. I never learned of his outcome. We did get a tour of the facility and learned quite a few things in our short visit. We left a small donation after taking Bob in. The Centre works via volunteers and donations.

So, if you have not read about Jigger and his disappearance, please go on to the next blog below and send him your best wishes on his return to good health soon.

Here's another nice pic of him with Angie...

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Have You Seen This Squirrel?

Have you seen this Squirrel?



Many of you through my blog here, or via Facebook, and the few lucky ones to have met him in person know him as Jigger. He is one of the most personable Squirrels to visit my backyard. Why is he named Jigger? He did a little dance as he approached to take a peanut from our fingers back in his early days. No, not a cha-cha-cha or tango but this side to side shift as he moved cautiously towards the peanut in hand. Mind you, after a couple years of being with us, the dance disappeared and it was not uncommon for Jigger to jump into the lap of someone waving a peanut for him. I'd be digging in the garden and often Jigger would be climbing my cargo pants, trying to get into the pockets where I held the tasty treats for him. I never felt alone out back with Jigger around. Sure, there's always action with birds and Squirrels about, but Jigger sure added some excitement/entertainment.



I'd say it's been 2 weeks now since I've last seen him. This was his fourth year with us. How long do Squirrels live? Who really knows? Especially in the city. There are so many dangers for a Squirrel here.

He seemed in good bouncy health when we last met. It was raining heavily and I remember opening the backdoor to see him sitting there soaking wet. He stepped inside onto the mat, shook off the rain, took a couple peanuts from hand and off he went.





As the days passed, of course I began to wonder. A few incidents of late have left me wondering even more. One being that I have seen a Fox casually walking the sidewalk here at 11:30am last Sunday. I always thought Fox were more of a nocturnal creature and not keen on being around people. So to see one on this street is a first for me. I have seen them less than a kilometer from here, in the woods; but not here, around the homes and people. Squirrels can be a meal source for a Fox.

Another incident that I hate discussing is that a neighbour 3 houses over has this beast of a cat that runs free among the backyards and instinct gets the best of her often... we had a young Squirrel fall victim to this cat a couple weeks ago under the birdbath. Many times I have caught this cat hunting through the backyards and my super soaker comes in quite handy... but she still returns.

And lastly, a friend across the street recently informed me that some people over on her side have been poisoning the Squirrels. These people apparently work in this small factory behind the houses across the road. How true this is, I don't know. She was warned since she has a few cats of her own that she lets out. I don't agree with this. I don't understand this. Seriously! Some have talked about a decline in the Squirrels about the neighbourhood. I personally don't see this over on my side other than Jigger right now. It would be such an unfair end to his life. I think I should investigate this and blow the whistle on the individuals if it is true... it's cruel and it's against the law! This would have a large impact on the wildlife of the area! Not only does it harm the Squirrels but anything that happens to feed upon them... like the above mentioned Fox, Crows (since they can be carrion eaters), and Hawks who may choose to catch a slow moving (poisoned) Squirrel.

So, that's the one thing about befriending the wildlife around the 'hood. We get attached to them, they get names, they become our furry friends but in the end they still are wildlife and often we don't know what happens to them when they just don't come around anymore.



I've worried in the past about Jigger's comfortable habits with us and if he ever would be like that with other people in other backyards around here? An unsuspecting person would probably have some kind of freak. But, I'd like to think that he surely must recognize us and the offering of a peanut.



Unlike a human friend with an address and most times a telephone where we could call in to; this is not the case with a furry creature who bounces into the yard through the side gate and disappears to wherever via that same route.

I still hold out hope that perhaps I've just been missing him these days. Maybe he will return one day? Or I will eventually accept that he is truly gone.

A connection with any animal is an amazing thing and to bond with the wild ones is life changing with long lasting memories.




The newbies around lately are keeping me pretty busy. There's Scar, Charlie (who turns out to be Charlene), Nosey, Teddy, Starvin' Marvin and the return of Mr. Half-Tail who now has a full tail once again but his personality sure hasn't changed.

Here is Nosey...


One of the un-named young'uns checking out Meadow...


Another baby, and this photo makes me laugh every time... it's a little boy and I am wondering if he is curious about something down there (if you know what I mean)?


All I can say to finish this blog is that if Jigger is out there, I hope he's okay and comes home soon... we miss him.

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Bob the Broken Winged Pigeon

Last Sunday I noticed a Pigeon, errrrr, I mean "Rock Dove", in the backyard with a broken wing. It's wing just hangs a little to the one side and has made him unable to fly. I have wondered how he got here, how his wing got broken? Along with those thoughts I have wondered what to do with him? I mean, he's a Pigeon. Pigeons aren't high on any rescue list as they are thought of as pests and vermin in the city. I honestly don't care for them myself. They have terrible backyard etiquette especially when I am working on ways to keep them from getting at the bird feeders. Any bird who is still able to feed gets a flying ambush from one of these unhappy Pigeons. They will also cling onto the side of the feeders and swing them about, trying to spill the seed to the ground for the rest of the flock below. But, nonetheless, it is an injured creature that has somehow found it's way here... or may have gotten injured here. So I will do what I can for him; which is try to feed HIM and offer a water source.



I've named him "Bob" because he does just that... bobs along throughout the backyard, back and forth. I've picked him up when he's gotten himself stuck somewhere and that is an experience. A creature that most often care not to be held, and the feeling is quite mutual, is just sitting in my arms. He's not such an ugly bird at this moment nor dirty and mite covered. He's clean quiet and seems a lot smaller in my hands. Bob just sits there, puts up no fight, and I gently pat his head.

Bob and I... ignore my bad hair on a humid day or the "Leatherface" t-shirt I have on with him swinging that chainsaw right at Bob.


When I put him down he runs to the compost maker and hides behind it. It's not the best hiding spot and he can actually corner himself in there. I do know he's got quite the hiding spot somewhere in the yard for the night hours as I have looked for him with no luck on finding him. Unfortunately last night (August 1st) a neighbourhood cat found that hiding spot. Angie and I were sitting on the deck about 8:30pm when we saw Bob running as fast as he could across the lawn with this cat on his tail. Angie was up in a split second and rescued Bob from what could have been certain death.

Bob behind the compost maker...


I made Bob a bed in the shed with a Xerox box and some old t-shirts and there he stayed until I took him out this morning. I don't think this can be a nightly ritual for us since I don't know where his hiding spot is exactly. It was luck for him last night that we were still outside. On a work night, we are preparing for bed by this time.



So, what will become of Bob? I guess I will let him try to live out his days here but he faces much danger with the inability to fly. Perhaps I might find someplace soon that would want to care for him and repair that wing of his?

I watch Bob and I wonder if Pigeons think and feel about things besides food and survival. Like, as the evening comes, Bob's friends all disappear, flying off to wherever it is they sleep. Bob sits and can do nothing but watch them go. Bob then goes off to wherever he has made himself a sleeping spot on the ground, being quite vulnerable to whatever comes lurking around. He spends his night here and waits for the morning sun when his friends return and they feed, drink, bathe and nap throughout the day. It makes me kinda sad and also realize once again that us humans aren't the only ones on this Earth with stories to be told.

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A Black Crowned Night Heron... up close.

On Saturday July 17, 2010, Angie and I were down on the harbourfront of Toronto. We were attending an event called "Rock the Yacht" with a couple of Canadian hard rock bands (Helix and Revolver).

As we trekked along the Queens Quay to our meeting location, we happened to notice an odd sight... a Black Crowned Night Heron, just hanging out on a bench at the Marina. A couple of people were around him, one guy was just about sitting next to him. So, maybe it's not an odd sighting down there? It sure was for us. Our first thought was that this bird was injured, but that was not the case. It seems he is a seasonal resident down at the Marina. Apparently the people (boat owners) feed him so he's not too afraid of humans. I only hope they feed him proper food for his diet



We've seen a couple of Night Herons pretty close to home... at Smythe Park off Scarlett Road. They can be spotted up in the trees circling one large pond. But, never have we seen one this close before! I just wanted to sit next to him, pat him on the head and take in a moment of being next to such a stunning creature.



I took half a dozen photos or so and then we had to get on our way or else we'd miss the boat cruise.



I don't know a whole lot about Black Crowned Night Herons other than, well, they are part of the Heron family, probably are a fish eater, maybe frogs too, and their name is suiting since they have a black crown. I assume the "night" part of their name means they are active in the night. So learn with me here as I pull some facts out from the all about birds website.

- Young Black-crowned Night-Herons often disgorge their stomach contents when disturbed (this habit makes it easy to study its diet).
- The Black-crowned Night-Heron may nest in the same tree with ibises or other herons.
- Adult Black-crowned Night-Herons apparently do not distinguish between their own young and those from other nests, and will brood chicks not their own. The nesting in colonies explains this.
- They live in various wetland habitats, including salt, brackish, and freshwater marshes, swamps, streams, lakes, and agricultural fields.
- They survive on eating aquatic invertebrates, fish, amphibians, lizards, snakes, rodents, eggs, etc.
- They tend to eat in the early morning hours and then in the evening after the other species have gone back to their nests.
- The height of an adult Black Crowned Night Heron is 22" to 26" with a wing span of approximately 46".

Some interesting facts for sure... lets see if I can remember those.

Thanks for stopping in! Oh, and here is a couple pics from the "Rock the Yacht" cruise... I know it's non-animal related but if it weren't for this cruise, there is no way I would have been in this part of the city and seeing this bird. Thanks for hosting this guys!

A shot of Toronto as we cruised around the islands.


A large number of Double Crested Cormorants at the edge of the Toronto Island Airport. I am happy that our city has not participated in a large cull of the Cormorants that has been happening elsewhere.


The skies sure looked menacing throughout the afternoon but the rain held off for us and we all had a great time. I heard it rained a few times inland about the city that afternoon.


Brian Vollmer of Helix.


Nick Walsh (singer) and Laurie Green (bassist) of Revolver.


Nick and Laurie Green once again.

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Season of the Cicada

Man, what a hot summer we are having this year! Those humidity levels making it feel like 40c or more are just too much! Personally I am not a fan but I have to wonder if it's made for some interesting moments in my backyard lately?

I have seen more Cicadas the past 10 days than I have ever in my life. I have seen them at various stages as well.

First, some may be wondering what exactly a Cicada is? Well, it's an insect. What kind of insect? I could run off the big species terms to you but it would probably mean as much to you as it does to me... good luck pronouncing it too. You know on those really hot summer days, you are sitting around the backyard and suddenly you hear a very loud buzzing for 10 seconds or more and then it stops? You know it's a bug but never knew what exactly it was. Well, that is a
Cicada. Some think they are part of the Grasshopper family or Locusts. Apparently not true.




They can be quite damaging to trees and shrubs as the female cuts slits into the branches, deposits her eggs within (up to a couple hundred) and thus scarring the tree. When the eggs hatch, the newborn nymphs drop to the ground, where they burrow. Most cicadas go through a life cycle that lasts from two to five years. The nymphs feed from the tree roots, sucking the juices within. Then, one day, they dig and claw through the soil back to the surface, looking like a large beetle of sorts, where they cling tightly to a tree or other object and begin to molt (shed their skin) and start the final stage of their life... as a breeding adult. The adult stage is very short lived ranging from 4 to 7 weeks.

I found this Cicada just after the molt on the ladas below my deck about a week ago.


I have found the stage before they molt is a very trying time. It seems the Squirrels in my backyard have a taste for the juicy back end of these critters. I've witnessed more than a couple premature deaths of Cicadas due to Squirrel feasting. It is quite a shocking sight when one is not quite sure what is going on. The first time I thought the Squirrel was ill because of all the frothy goo dripping from his mouth. There is a lot of crunching and chomping as he breaks through the hard exterior. I guess the only way I can describe it visually is someone enjoying an over-filled Boston Creme donut... lots and lots of custard within. Sorry, I cannot think of another comparison.

Here you can see what a nice large rear end they have... good for eating according to my Squirrel friends.



Scar the Squirrel enjoying a Cicada as a snack...


Jigger also enjoying one a day earlier...

I have done a bit of research on this insect now as I do try to learn things about what I see in my backyard. The male is the one who makes the loud buzzing. The Cicadas in the GTA are about 2 inches in size. Some regions have them reaching sizes of 15cm (6 inches)! In some parts of the world Cicadas are a delicacy and are skewered or stir fried. In China, the hard shell after the molt has been ground up for medicinal purposes... but I have yet to discover what they believe the ground shell can do for a person.

The other day I found a pre-molt Cicada and placed it up on my picnic table. The insect was quite interested in my camera lens and followed it about the table. I have posted a video on YouTube of it... it's quite comical to say the least... excuse the clarity of the video though. Unfortunately moments after I finished recording, the Cicada was scooped up by one of the Squirrels and quickly devoured (see the Scar the Squirrel photo).

So, maybe Cicadas are more common than I think? I have spent 7 years in this backyard of mine but this year is the first for me really noticing them for so many days now...


*note* all photos were shot by me with my Canon Power Shot SX100 (I do enjoy the macro option so much)

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