Morning Stroll and...

With the brutal heat and humidity of this summer, birding has almost become a distant memory because it feels so long ago.  I know I have birded, despite the heat, but haven't seen a whole lot of anything.  Or rather, nothing that I am not seeing in my backyard for the most part.

There have been less blazing days lately and I've started to wander away from the backyard again.

Not straying too far from home because of some home projects; but you know, sometimes just knowing your own neighbourhood is a good thing and you'd be surprised what is actually around your house at times if you just stop and look.

Prime example, I found this Great Horned Owl literally in our neighbourhood.  I am talking just a little more than a stone throw away from our front door.

He/she was a wonderful surprise this past Monday.  And honestly an Owl was the last thing in my head of birds I thought I might see today.  I associate Owls with the colder months although I am well aware Great Horns and Screech Owls are about the city all year round.

I just happened to look up into a large pine tree and notice an odd "stump" on one of the branches.  Instantly I thought, "holy s**t, that's an Owl!" but argued with myself about it, debating it, until I got the bins on this object for confirmation.

I should have taken a photo without the zoom, so you could see the distance, and how well these creatures blend in with their surroundings.  I guess not that well this time since I happened to see him.

I moved around the tree, keeping a good distance back.  For one, I didn't want to stress him out; although most start to feel some stress as soon as they take notice of a person watching them which is why people really need to limit their Owl viewing to 5 minutes or so and move on.  And second, backing away from the tree gives a person a better frontal view of the bird as opposed to being under the tree and under the bird providing the bird even sticks around with your invasion of his "house".  Hey, another good reason is that he just might s**t on you.  Some say it's good luck, you'll come into money, win a lottery; trust me, I've been s**t on enough times by various birds to know that is just a myth.

Anyways, viewing the Owl from the front now, I could see he was awake.  And he wasn't calm.  Which surprised me because every other Great Horned Owl I have seen in the wild, high up in a tree, sit up there like Kings and pay little attention to us puny Humans walking about the ground below them.  But this one, he wasn't relaxed at all.  And it wasn't just with me looking at him.  Noisy children in the distance got his attention.  Some city workers maintaining the grounds with power tools nearby had him looking over that way.  Squabbling Robins in another tree was another seeming annoyance.  And of course, he would turn back and glare at me as well.

I cut my time with him even shorter than I usually spend with these creatures.  I felt bad for him.  Was he just grumpy today?  Was he a younger Owl and curious of all that was going on around him?  Maybe he just arrived on this location recently and is still checking it out, seeing if it's good grounds to live from, and adjusting to the sights and sounds around him?  Who knows?  So I took a few photos and then moved on...

Ya, he looks cranky...

As I wandered the woods, I happened to find a few Raccoons, like I almost always do wherever I go. 

This one was perhaps a little camera shy?

 I passed the Great Horn one final time as I headed for home.  Still in the same tree, just moved a little higher up.  I was still bothered by his agitated state.

As I key this, it's Wednesday now, and I went for another walk today before some errands and found him once again.  I was delighted to see him in a much more relaxed state on this fine morning.  I watched him with the bins for a moment, took this photo and immediately moved on.  He's content, and I aim to do my part to keep him that way.

Read More

Meadow's 9th birthday "mis-adventure"

A few weeks back we took Meadow in for her annual check-up.  She's been going every July since her one year birthday and gets the works.  They've been tracking her blood from the very beginning and compare each new sample with previous years for any changes.

Meadow turned 9 this July.  Her check-up seemed to go well, and she lost just over one pound which was awesome.

The following day we got our normal phone call from the vet regarding her blood work but this time there was some issues, white cells down significantly and they wanted to do another blood test and a urine test.  It's kind of a blur now but words like leukemia and diabetes were put out there as worst case scenario along with something about a low grade virus (like a cold) being on the least case of possibilities.

About ten days prior to her annual, we did notice Meadow being more lethargic than usual.  And her appetite was down.  We blamed this on heat and humidity.  My Grandma used to say this about one of her cats, "he's just not a summer cat" as this one guy, Pinky, changed entirely in appearance and attitude from summer to winter.  And Meadow does the same from when it's 35c outside to 15c going from a lazy Lion to a hyper kitten.  While she's not into the heat, she will spend far too many hours on the top floor of the house and sleep away to a point where she can be sick like.  We've started closing the door to the upstairs on some of the brutal days we've had in recent weeks.  We have central air but it just can't cool to the top of the house which is like a finished attic, one room across the top.

We were asked to wait another 2 weeks before bringing her in for further tests and the vet told us to try and not worry about it.  HA!  How could we not?  She's our little baby!

And now speaking for myself here (Angie has her own unique bond with Meadow that has been years in the making, something she may blog about one day)...

 Meadow has been with me since she was not much more than 5 weeks old.  She came into my world some months after I bought this house and was the reason I finally settled in here.

She's been with me just about every day since then.  She's my sidekick.  We watch movies together, we eat together, we nap together, and she gets involved with much of what I do inside and outside the house.

In our younger days, we'd be outside filling up bird feeders at 1:30 in the morning, middle of winter, sub zero temperatures.  Kinda crazy to some people but it was one of the many adventures we shared over and over.

About 5 years ago she sent me to the hospital one night after a misunderstanding at home lead to something pretty bad.  Cat bites can be terrible for your health.  I was in emergency, hooked up on an anti-biotic through IV.  It was even suggested by one of my closest friends at the time to put her down.  He said she probably had a "blood lust" now and would never be the same.  But for me, like any person with some common sense and a love and understanding with our pets, knew what happened, why it happened and that it would not happen again if played out differently on my behalf.  The whole story is right here.

We have so many memories now after 9 years.  And hope we have many more over many more years to come.

But I let the worst case scenario get the best of me in our waiting time.  And it got worse with every day that came closer to her next appointment.  And how the age of 9 can already be classified as a senior for a cat boggles my mind.  She will always be my little baby, no matter her age.  And what if she was really sick?  What then?  What if our time was going to be cut short?  I didn't even research anything during the wait time, I just swallowed it up, and it grew like a tumor in me over the 2 weeks and I was ready to explode.  Something I won't do again.  It made me emotionally exhausted and physically ill.  I have understanding friends I can talk to about this but I didn't.  And I should have opened myself up more on this to Angie.

Finally the day came, and we took her in.  It was shocking to us that they took her immediately to the back where the labs are, and we weren't allowed to come in.  Usually we talk with a tech, the vet, and then things get done.  Just bing boom bam, get 'er done, and that was it.  About 15 minutes later, a tech came out and said there was a problem with retrieving a urine sample from her.  We had a choice.  Leave her with them or come back another day and try again.  As much as we didn't want to leave her, it was the best thing, lets get this done today.  And we left.  We were both stunned to be leaving the vet without Meadow,something that's never happened before except when she got spayed at 6 months.  And over the next 6 1/2 hours at home, waiting and wondering, the house didn't feel the same with her not in it.  Even if we don't see her for hours while she naps, the comfort of knowing she is there is all we need...  and we didn't have that.

This shot makes me sad as you can see the fear and confusion in her one eye peering through her carrier.

In the end, all was well.  She recovered from whatever *bug* she had and everything was good with her.  Recommendations for some diet changes have been suggested once again, moving her into a senior blend of food.  There's that word again...  senior.  Blah!

I couldn't help but think the worst.  This was new to me.  Sure we've had other cats in the past, and I was very close to them too; but it's different with Meadow.  I am sure anyone reading this will get that if they've had that special bond with an animal.

Here are a couple favorite photos of Meadow...

What she loves to do outside in the warmer months on a sunny afternoon

A reminder to us all, that one must stop and smell the flowers every now and then

Read More

Cruising for Yellow Warblers

Back when Angie and I first REALLY got into birding, sometime after the backyard bird feeding craze caught on with us.  We were learning more and more about the other birds that pass through the Toronto area, the migratory birds, and more specifically the Warbler species.

One of the first Warblers we discovered was the Yellow Warbler.  They were in abundance in the Carden area on our first real big bird trip out.  "Wow!"  Look at the photo above, what a stunning little bird, and such a loud song for such a tiny little bird.

I thought these Warblers did not hang around Toronto at all, only pass through, and I'd have to visit far off places like Carden in Kirkfield Ontario, which is about 90 minutes away, to enjoy them.

And one day in late Spring or early Summer, I took notice to many of them still in a park along the Lakeshore.  This park is called "Marie Curtis Park".  I'd heard the birding here is great in the summer months.  And to drive 15 minutes to see these Yellow Warblers was much more appealing than 90 minutes elsewhere.

There is something about Marie Curtis Park, that came as quite a surprise to me...  it is a "cruise spot" for gay men.  So many years ago I used to purchase my weekly comics at Pendragon just up the street from M.C.P. and I'd drive over to the park after and skim my new comic releases.  Just sit on a bench by the lake and read a comic or two was great in the warmer months!  Also, little did I know that back then, Angie lived in the area and often sun-tanned in the same park.  Go figure! 

So, the first visit to M.C.P. on my own birding one weekday afternoon was an uncomfortable time.  Hey, be gay, be straight, I don't care; but please, keep the sex antics out of the public places.  I will skip the details but let's just say I stayed off certain paths as I took notice to things unfolding (unzipping?) around me.  Talking to others after this, is when I learned it is a well known "cruise spot".  And assumed most activity was on weekdays when most people are working, kids in school, etc.

M.C.P. became a place I avoided after this just because I was not enjoying myself seeking out Warblers and wildlife in general when there was a fear of not knowing what was around the  next corner on a path or that rustle in the bushes; was it a Rabbit or ???

Then, a few years later, one beautiful Saturday afternoon in July, I found myself with a few hours to kill on my own.  So I went birding by the lake.  I hit a few places and thought I should check out M.C.P. once again.  I mean, it's Saturday!  It's a beautiful day out.  There are lots of people enjoying the lake trails as family outings.  How bad could things be this afternoon for "cruising"?  HA!  Read on...

For the first while, I was enjoying the Warblers buzzing around.  I even saw a Brown Thrasher and an Indigo Bunting.  Nice bird sightings I don't see very often.  I stopped at one point along the lakefront trail (paved path), viewing a Yellow Warbler bellowing out his song to the west of the trail.  I got my bins up for a better view, camera hanging off my shoulder.  Suddenly I hear some rustling in the bushes about 20 ft in front of me and out comes this old guy, pulling up the last bit of his pants and zipping up his fly.  Our eyes met for a second before he reached down and pulled his bicycle out of the tall grass, hopped on and raced out of there as fast as he could.   I guess me with the bins and camera made many things run through his head as he sped off?

I was in a slight state of shock to say the least.  And next thing I know, up stands this large naked man, a real jolly fellow and he starts calling me to join him in the bushes.

I can compare the two guys to George Bush Sr. being the first one to  surface from the bushes and the big jolly guy as a Rob Ford look-a-like.

For a moment I thought I should say something like, "if that thing can point out a Prothonotary Warbler, let's talk".  But I opted for a silent and quick turn around, and began heading down the waterfront path with the general public out enjoying the beautiful day by the lake.  About a minute later we all could hear a slew of profanities that were being shouted from another individual he tried to lure in.

It's a great spot for wildlife as we've seen Deer, Raccoons, Rabbits, and Coyotes occasionally have been spotted as well in addition to so many species of birds.  It's the "two legged wildlife" I can do without.

This is one of a number of more interesting outings I will be sharing in the coming weeks.

Read More

Where'd He Come From?

Over the weekend Angie and I took notice to one particular Pigeon out back who stood out amongst the group of nearly ten.  His personality was quite different, like how he walked among the group and not soon after, we found out how different he really is...

A morning coffee on the deck and I had company.

Of course it's not just me he's hanging onto, anybody who happens to be out in our yard.  Angie had some personal moments with him.  And so did some visiting friends on Saturday afternoon.  Be it on the knee, the tip of your toes, forearm, arm of the chair, whatever he decided, he did.  But this is all on his terms, he's still got some wild in him that you can't pick him up (which is a good thing).  I worry about wild creatures like this, getting too adapted to the world of people.  Sure he's safe with us, but who knows if he tried sitting on the lap of someone a few yards over who is not so caring about wildlife, especially Pigeons.  I know 10x as many people who have no love for these birds compared to those that go from toleration to admiration of this well adapted city bird.

Monday afternoon he chased me from one end of the yard to the other, and this is a near 100 ft.  He didn't fly the whole time, just ran as fast as his little legs could go (a Pigeon running through the grass is rather comical).  He is well and able to fly, and does so when he leaves us to join his friends at the back, or when the sun sets, and they all return to their roost for the night.

Today, Wednesday, I get up around 9am and he's sitting out in the middle of the yard just staring up at the back of the house, like he's waiting for someone to join him.

Thoughts go about trying to deter him but I don't think they will work.  He's quite set in his attitude.  And perhaps he's a little smarter than most would give him credit for, knowing we would never hurt him.

I figure we'll just enjoy his company while he is with us, try to look out for him the best we can when we are home, and hope he lives a happy long life. 

A funny photo op on Saturday afternoon.  Hey, might as well have some laughs and make things memorable.

And today I shot video this while sitting out back enjoying the cool morning.

Read More

Macro Mania

A fellow birder photographer friend of ours, Ann, offered me a macro lens a couple weeks back.  She happened to take notice that I enjoy photographing insects during the summer.  I jumped at the offer.

The lens is a Tamron 180mm 1:3.5, macro 1:1.  Which really doesn't mean a whole lot to me because I just don't understand all the technical talk.  It doesn't sink into my brain.  I find, like with most things, the practical means goes a lot further with me than the theory.  Practice makes perfect or as good as I can get with what I got.

Here is one of the first shots I took with the new lens, as soon as I got home, with the Butterfly bush out front of the house.  I am quite certain it's a "Painted Lady".

And soon after, I sought out a Spider in the shed.

I learned fast that a steady hand helps; but even better would be a tripod and a remote shutter button. The slightest movement and most of the shots are crap. New settings must be learned when photographing the invertebrates with this lens.

My friend Brian, who is much better at this kind of stuff, gave me lots of info over the weekend. And also gathered up a "subject" for us from a window sill. A small House Fly. We had a blast this past Saturday night with the little guy as the drinks flowed.

I am constantly seeking out other creatures in my travels through the yard. I see everything so much differently when in this "mode". The plants out back are the homes to these little creatures, their entire worlds for one season. And the detail on these guys is astounding. Insects half the size of my finger nail, being so colorful, having so much detail. Wow! Check it out...

Here is "Ash", one of our Fire Bellies.  I never knew he had tiny black spike looking things about his body.  And the pores are so visible too.

A Bee inside a Pumpkin flower sure looks like he's enjoying himself.

Not a clue what kind of Beetle thing this is, but he was chilling on the Milkweed.

Another mysterious creature out back.

I found this Moth resting on the lid of our BBQ.  The eye is huge.  But even cooler in this image, at least I see it and maybe you do too, is the bottom right corner, that squiggly stuff sure looks like my name.  Its either webbing, as you can see some on the Moth, or inside BBQ cover fluff.  I checked back for the squiggly stuff this morning to see what exactly it is, but its gone now.

And last is this really tiny colorful creature.  He was maybe an eighth of an inch long.  And I just found out he is called a "Candy Striped Leafhopper".

This summer is blazing hot and disgustingly humid but more tolerable for me when I get lost in the world of macro.

A big thank you to Ann for the Tamron!

Read More

Not What I Was Expecting

I am not certain if I even blogged on here about the Chickadee house having a second hatch. Maybe I keyed out the mystery of them possibly returning so soon after the first hatch had fledged?  Hard to remember right now, so much going on, and the nasty heat of this summer has seemingly fried my brain. It was all rather mysterious this second time around, and for the longest while, we weren't entirely certain what was going on. Its later in the season, it is hot and humid, the birds are far quieter now. But we were noticing one, possibly two Chickadees returning to the nest box. We never saw two together but especially over the Canada Day weekend there was a lot more frequency with in and out darts from the nest hole. So many times we would sneak up to the house and listen for peeps but never heard nothing; that is until this Sunday when I finally heard a teeny tiny Chickadee noise inside. Soon after I saw one little face peering out at me from within. I couldn't wait for Angie to get home and witness this once again for herself. And of course, she did.

Tuesday I took notice to the sounds of multiple Chickadees in the yard. Two for certain, maybe three.

Wednesday, all was quiet. I didn't even see an adult throughout my time at home.

Today, Thursday, having my morning coffee out back and listening to what was around me, and watching the little house... still nothing. I knew it was over, whoever was inside had "flown the coop" for sure.

I decided it was safe now to finally open the house up and see inside. I recalled the first time we had the hatch a few years back, and how I took apart the house, there was a perfect little nest inside. It was so soft and I couldn't get over how clean it was. Interesting that the little guys kept it clean. I never would have thought that. There were no feathers, no shells, just all the nest material nicely packed down. I expected to find the same today.

It turns out I was partially correct. The nest was as neat as it could be but sadly I did find one egg not hatched, and even more disappointing was the remains of one baby Chickadee. But let's try and not get too upset with this. First off, think about their first hatch... they had 5 healthy little Chickadees fledge. Second, the body within definitely was not that of the one we were hearing a few days ago. This one probably died very soon after the hatch, there really wasn't anything to him judging by his size. And with the scorching temperatures this summer, I am surprised anyone survived. The nest box gets lots of shade through the afternoon due to leaf cover from the Lilac tree, but lately, you just couldn't escape that heat when outdoors. And the nest box has only one hole in it, there is no air circulation. My mom and I were discussing it last week about how hot it must be inside.

I carefully pulled the nest out.  I placed the dime next to the egg to give you an idea on how small the egg is and the body as well.

That's one tiny egg, but when I think about the size of a Chickadee, its still pretty big.  I wonder how mom pushed 5 of those out the first time around.

I buried the nest with the little body in it out near the back.  I stopped for a moment to think about how many others have made their way here before him.  At least 7 creatures that lived with us over the years...  Kermy, Fatso, Pickle, Maude, NO, Bitch and Alice. rescue Toads, Newts and Tarantulas.  A surge of memories hit me all at once.  A few wildlife creatures came to mind as well of those who also share the ground under the apple trees.  Nice that we have such a large backyard with all that unused space when I think about it.

The house is rather dilapidated now.  We are going to seek out the same style come the fall and have it ready for their hopeful return next Spring.

Here is my blog from 2009 regarding the first fledge with the Chickadees.

And if you missed this from their first fledge of 2012, here you go.

Read More

A Story Long Overdue

Back in early May, I had heard from my friend John that our neighbourhood woods had a new guest in way of a Great Horned Owl. He and a mutual friend, Graham, had spotted it a few days earlier.

Angie and I had just started our holidays with many plans on the go already but were going to try and squeeze in some time to hopefully see this Owl so close to home.

Friday May 11th, we happened to be out in Whitby at another famous wooded area which can be quite a hotspot in the Spring migration for Warblers and others migrants since it is right along the lake line. We happened to see the resident Great Horned Owls this particular morning, and had a great viewing of the mother and one of her chicks as seen below.

We arrived home in the mid-afternoon, ready for a bit of a nap after such an early start. I had just drove the GMC up the drive, didn`t even have it in park yet, and my cell phone was ringing. It was Graham. I assumed he was down in the woods and had spotted our hopeful new resident. I was correct except this was followed by `I think there is something wrong with the Owl`. Graham and John had nicknamed him `Popeye`. I wish I could tell more of their story with him the days earlier but I wasn`t there.

My friends had seen the Owl a couple times in the past week but today he was sitting on the paved path for walkers and cyclists. He did not move as bikes raced past him. Owls typically do not sit on the ground, perhaps upon the catch of a meal, they may eat it there, but for the most part do prefer to sit high up in the trees. Graham had seen it on the ground a day earlier; he had caught himself a Garter Snake and was consuming it. But with what was going on this day, it was very clear the Owl was not right and well.

Graham had called me seeking out emergency wildlife care numbers that I knew of. The only one I had come to mind was The Toronto Wildlife Centre.

Angie told me to get myself down there and see what else I could do, since she knew there was no way either of us was going to relax now. She stayed at home, researching further on such situations, and staying by the phone. I gathered some towels and the animal carrier if needed and headed down there. This is how I found the Owl...

I met Graham and it was a long couple hours with a number of phone calls to various places like TWC, The Humane Society, another organization some passerby suggested to my friend. And I also called my friend Tracy from The Canadian Peregrine Foundation for any further assistance, such as over the phone instructions on the situation. Tracy has rescued many Peregrine Falcons in the wild so I figured a Great Horned Owl is very similar.

We all knew TWC was our best hope for this guy. But TWC is run mostly by volunteers and being early May, its their busiest time of the year. Between all the animal babies arriving for one reason or another to countless injured birds through migration, the centre is just swamped. And their volunteers are beyond busy with caring for every creature and taking phone calls with more animal emergencies every hour. Its unfortunate their response time cannot be as quick at this time of the year.

Graham had called and left a message. About an hour and a bit later, I also called and left another message. John was notified earlier about what was going on through Graham and luck have it that John was actually working up near TWC. He was finishing up, called us to see how things were going and decided to stop into the centre to hopefully speak with someone regarding the situation with the Owl. It was almost as if fate stepped in right when needed. And I believe moments after John had arrived at the centre, one of TWC`s volunteer drivers, Andrew, had just returned to the centre. Another moment of fate it seems! And soon after, John and Andrew were on their way to our favorite wooded spot near home to hopefully rescue this Owl.

From the time John and Andrew arrived on scene, it wasn`t long after that Andrew had Popeye in his hands and was walking back to the van with him. We all worked together, under Andrew`s instructions and guidance, to distract the bird with various light noises like breaking fallen sticks on the ground, snapping our fingers and low whistles while Andrew set a net over him. Popeye put up no resistance; another sign he was clearly unwell.

Andrew made a few phone calls back at the parking lot, even one to The Owl Foundation. I was raising my hand to take him there right away if possible since I had been to the Foundation back in the fall. But the decision was made to return back to TWC for further assessment. Andrew had already warned us this Owl was emaciated (meaning deteriorated from within due to starvation) and one of his legs was black and pretty much mummified due to a tie or wrap around it of cable of some sorts. One can wonder how the cable ended up around his leg and so tight but it doesn`t matter now. And with the lack of use with this leg, his other leg was now very swollen.

Sadly but understandably so, after his arrival at TWC, an assessment was made with the vets and it was best for him to be euthanized. We had such high hopes for this bird, especially after the adventure with him this day and what my friends saw of him earlier in the week. But at least he wasn`t suffering any further and kept his dignity in the end, something we all hope for.

I realized that afternoon something else, I missed my friends John and Graham. I used to see John quite often down in the woods, which I realize I never made mention of what woods... Lambton. It was there where we met and became friends through our mutual interest in wildlife and photography. And it is also where I met Graham. And John and Graham also met there. But with changes in work schedules for me and other events over the past year and a bit, we`ve just not run into each other very often.  During the wait this day, Graham and I had a lot of time to catch up and share our recent tales from the wild.  And after the smoke settled later in the day, John and I had time to catch up as well. Hopefully after the summer, when most people leave the parks as the weather gets cooler, we`ll be seeing more of each again through fall migration and into the winter months. Yes, I know it`s July now; but the colder months are far better birding months than the summer.  They are good guys, and over the past couple years, I`ve had some shifts in friendships for one reason or another; and have met a number of great people out there who share a common passion with the wild world around us.

Here is a nice photo John took of Popeye.  I can see through this why he got the name he did.

But that is life, it`s constant death of one, birth of another.  We were treated to a young Great Horned Owl sighting during our trip to Point Pelee National Park less than a week later.

This Owl caused some commotion amongst many people, creating a bit of a traffic jam in the park with so many trying to see him just mere feet from the road.

And we learned of another Great Horned Owl family west of Toronto.  This is a mother Owl who has at least one chick behind her up inside this bridge.  A very odd place to have a nest but also very safe being a few hundred feet up in a concrete structure.  No predators to worry about and that bridge is about the strongest nest a bird can have, it can take one hell of a wallop from Mother Nature and remain standing.

I wanted to tell this story a while back; but with Spring migration, and then the Falcon watches, there wasn`t the time to piece this together...  until now.

Read More