Tuesday, December 23, 2008

"Butcher" Time

The “Butcher” Shrike Earl Plato We much older wild bird observers called them the
“Butcher” shrike. Today its appellation is simply Northern shrike. Have you ever seen one?
The late great nature writer Ed Teale gives us a vivid account as follows: “… the robin-sized black. white and gray stranger alights in our apple tree. At first glance it resembles a chunky mocking bird. For a time all is still.
.Below the tree juncos and tree sparrows continue their feeding. Then a bluejay shrieks. The small birds scatter.
… without warning the stranger has plummeted downward from the tree limb. As though wielding an axe it has delivered a deadly blow with its bill to the back of the skull of one of the feeding juncos. The swift and silent killer is that predatory “Butcher” bird, the Northern shrike. When there is a winter scarcity of food it can be driven southwards. Then its diet consists mainly of mice and small birds. The sketch above shows grasshoppers and would show other insects and mice impaled on its thorn tree summer larder. This scene I saw was on the bank of the o ld C.N.R. tracks in Fort Erie. The late Fort Erie naturalist, Bert Miller, verified my find. Keep observing in nature.
In the recent Bird Count this December Northern (Butcher) shrieks were seen in Niagara. The “Butcher” is back.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Why Believe

Believe in what. Why? Earl Plato
This is not my usual environmentally centred weekly nature article. It’s about human or inhuman nature. Yes, I am a ‘news junkie.’ CNN and Cable 14 repeatedly told me and showed me about the horrific spectacles of beheadings and car bombings in Iraq. Carl Wieland in an editorial entitled, The Power of Ideas, hit home with me. He said what you believe does matter. Those who perpetuated the atrocities were driven by certain ideas and beliefs. The Bible commands Christians to ‘do good to all’-Galatians 6:10. What do you believe? One acquaintance told me it doesn’t matter what you believe. He contended that belief in a supreme power is “just in your head.” Does it matter? Josef Stalin , dictator of Russia, was an avowed theist. No living God in his mind. History records that he killed millions of his people. What caused him to ruthlessly wipe out human life? Adolph Hitler murdered millions of Jews in ethnic cleansing as remembered at Auschwitz and other inhuman concentration camps. Down through the ages there have been unimaginable examples of “man’s inhumanity to man.” Many others too have carried out powerful ideas in recent years that resulted in the terrible losses of innocent lives. In their quest for power “The world belongs to the strongest” appears to be one of their beliefs. What they believed in made a tremendous difference. Again the question - What do you believe and in whom do you believe? It does make a difference. Do good and love your neighbours. Those are beliefs to live by in 2005. May those Iraqi people who believe in loving their fellow men and women be triumphant. We need more people in the world who know in what and whom they believe in 2005. Hopefully they will be constructive beliefs that build up human dignity. Beliefs that reveal a desire for a world of peace and concern for others is essential. Our Canadian responses to the “Tsunami” catastrophe shows mankind at its finest. That’s “man’s humanity to man. Believe in compassion and caring for our fellowman and yes, for our natural world too. This article was written last year and is a repeat.

Anomaly anyone?

nn1103 Earl Plato
An anomaly in the movies? I heard the word how many times while watching Matrix Reloaded recently. “Anomaly?” Anomalies in nature? I guess so. We have seen the “Witch’s Brooms” at Marcy Woods and in the Thunder Bay community outside Ridgeway. A virus had attacked coniferous trees such as hemlock and pine. The trees’ attempts to fight this virus incursion results in dense growths at the end of branches, hence the name, “Witch’s Broom.” The name fits the shape. There are other anomalies in nature.
C’mon Plato, what’s an anomaly in nature? It’s a deviation from the ordinary, from what’s the rule that you observe in the great outdoors. You can call it an abnormality and I apply it also to strange behaviour in animals.
The following anomaly in nature comes from Teale’s writings while he rambled in his woods one day.
“However, if the woodchucks fail to contribute to the interest of my walk, the house sparrows do provide a time of diversion at its end. When I started out nearly half a hundred were feeding with other small birds on seed scattered on the snow. When I come back I see them again. Now they are collected in the far corner of the yard close to a bluebird box that has been left on the fence post throughout the winter. Like tree swallows on telephone wires during the autumn migration, they are ranged side by side In dense rows along the barbed wires of the nearby fence. All are chirping in great excitement.” Here’s the anomaly.
“One after the other, little groups of four or five flutter up to the box. They hover at the round entrance hole or alight on the box. Then another band rises and takes their place, repeating the puzzling performance. None of the house sparrows, so far as I can see, enter the hole. After all the birds have flown away, I examine the box carefully. There is nothing inside that has caused the excitement!” I’d say this is an anomaly, a deviation from normal house sparrow behaviour.
Teale thought about it. Perhaps the sparrows had engaged in some mass response to an early mating and nesting urge. Training? As one who has had to lower his two Purple martin houses on the farm each spring and dig out the House sparrows’ nests before the Martins’ return, I know the tenacity of those (English) House sparrows.
What Teale saw was etched in his mind. It was not normal sparrow activities as far as he knew.
Know any more anomalies in nature?

The Cave Man

Bert, The Cave Man by Earl Plato

I came across an article about the late Fort Erie naturalist Bert Miller and cave exploring. Bert was a fearless explorer and loved caves. He would take a friend along on a Saturday ramble. That day it was to Cave Springs on the Niagara Escarpment. “See that small opening there,” he would say. Tying the end of a hug ball of twine securely to his belt he told his friend the following. “This is a new opening for me. Every so often I’ll give tug on the twine just to let you know I’m alright.” Now Bert was over six feet but physically fit. He squeezed into the opening with a sturdy flashlight. Minutes passed and then the friend felt a tug. Five minutes more and another tug. Fine, the friend thought. Time passed. The friend looked at his watch. Ten minutes passed. Then twenty.
The friend pulled on the twine. No resistance. A minute later he had retrieved Bert’s lifeline. What to do he thought, Bert’s car was down the way at the base of the escarpment. Panic stricken he went to the cave opening and yelled, “BERT!” e. A reply came. “Hey, you almost broke my eardrums!” A smiling Bert Miller emerged from the cave opening. “Sorry about untying the twine. I had come to the end of the line but there ahead the cave opened up and I could stand up. Amazing place! Cool like a refrigerator. I’ll return with my camera.”
You had to know Bert who lived into his nineties. Always curious always exploring. A real cave man, eh.
***
Wookey Hole is found in eastern England on the edge of the Mendip Hills near Bristol. Wife, Elaine. and her cousins drove us to Wookey Hole caves. I was a little sceptical. I didn’t think that England had many caves as North America. I had been to Howe Caverns N.Y., famed Luray Caverns of Virginia and many more even Bonnchere Caverns in Ontario. So what would we see here? Elaine’s English cousins seemed proud of this unusual cave. This cave was hunted! A witch inhabited Wookey’s Hole. That’s what our guide said. In 1694 the witch of Wookey Hole was well established. Records of the day stated, “ the old Witch herself and even her dog was mentioned.” It became a legend. This day was rainy and cool day in August. Not a very nice day. There were nine chambers in all. The ninth was opened in 1975.
A strange place as noises were heard and reverberated.
In 1914 archaeologist Balch uncovered human remains in the cave. Stone altars some feel were sacrificial had been found at Wookey. Here may be the origin of the legend of the Witch of Wookey Hole. The Hole is located in wildly beautiful surroundings along with an ever gushing giant spring. A memorable day.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Pill Bug

Pill Bug Earl Plato
Six year old grand daughter Ashlyn Kells is fascinated with bugs. I found her this past Saturday digging bare handed in her back yard. She was looking for bugs in the dark, rich earth and she found one. It was a dark little pill bug. I like bugs too. The pile of old and decaying cut wood just east of the Marcy cabin is gone. It was on the surface of one log that a bug was moving. It was a pill bug. It is a small and primitive creature. Ed Teale, naturalist called it , “ a terrestrial isopod crustracean..” Looking at it it suggests a prehistoric trilobite in miniature. On this May day at Marcy Woods Ashlyn and I are looking for a pill bug in a mouldering pile of logs on the Lower Trail. No luck today. The name pill bug comes from its ability to roll its brownish-gray body into a round pill-like ball. The internet tells us that it resembles an armadillo in its curling up in a ball. I learned that its scientific name of the pill bug’s family is Armadillidae! I remember seeing a white spot on that old log near the cabin. Fellow naturalist, Ernie Giles, said that it was chitin from the pill bug that had just emerged. It was the almost translucent shell of the insect. This outer coating is the exoskeleton that takes the place of the internal framework in mammals. The sequence on that May day long ago was that the pill bug free of its old covering saw its new chitin rapidly hardening. It moved slowly across the log. Look for bugs on your walks. Ashlyn and I will too.
***
I read it again. It made sense. Here it is. “Perspective colours our lives as much, if not more than other fundamentals. Keep the same old perspective and our lives devolve to a gray routine. Change our perspective and our lives take on new colour and excitement.” Do you know what I mean? Especially us seniors! Almost all of my life I have done bird watching from the ground. I gained a new perspective. High up in the canopy of white pines on Our Walk in the Clouds in Haliburton we looked down into a Red-eyed vireo nest. Down from 50 feet in the air! A new and thrilling perspective? I guess so. Don’t get me wrong I will not be climbing too many trees for these unique views of bird nests. However, I can suggest a new setting just for sighting birds that I experienced years ago. In he east side of Wainfleet Marsh at the north end of Biederman Road is a deer run. Every so often there are hunter platforms used during deer hunting season. This was spring and I climbed up to one platform and there nestled among the row of alders came the songs of birds. There just a short distance away, 20 feet above the ground, was a RED EYED VIREO looking me in the eye. Try something different in nature this year. Have a different perspective. Who knows what new outlooks you will experience. Try a new perspective in your nature endeavours.

Newfoundland Last Year

Newfoundland Earl Plato
Fraser Churchill born and aised in Newfondland was glad that my wife, Elaine, made it to the “Rock.” “When are you going back? He asked recently this may. Here’s an article I wrote for he Niagara Falls Rev1ew last year.
We were told that there were no snakes or skunks in Newfoundland. During our ten days in Newfoundland we saw no road kill. Yes, they have raccoons and squirrels. We saw twelve moose mainly on the west side of the province. Most of these giant animals were in the wetlands. We saw a few near the only highway in the area. There were signs to warn us of moose crossing areas. Our big Denure tour bus meeting a bull moose circa 2,000 lb. would be quite a collision. At Twillingate in the north at the local lighthouse point we saw several Humpback whales as they jetted their sprays into the air. These are huge mammals as I found out later. At Grand Falls we visited the giant salmon ladder. The Atlantic salmon are raised there and when large enough climb the man-made ladder to reach the upper reaches of the Exploits River where they spawn. You can see these fish up close through a glassed in area. Salmon and cod were on the menu all over the island. Excellent eating. On to St. John’s where I went on a whale watching hunt on a catamaran. All ready cancelled the day before because of stormy weather we braved the elements the next day. After all we had come this far to see whales up close. I normally can take care of boat motion, however, I took a Gravol and it worked. Several people were seasick as the boat plunged into the rolling waves. Then a mother Humpback and her young came into sight. A marvellous view as they dove and emerged. The mother whale blowing her jet of water. Four dolphins passed by us as we headed for Puffin island. Hundreds of Kittiwakes and thousands of Puffins were seen and smelled. The ammonia from their droppings assailed our nostrils as we neared the cliffs. Countless nesting holes on the cliff side held these colourful Puffins called “Sea parrots.” A rare sighting of a Northern Phalarope was shown to me by one of the boatmen. As I viewed it with my binoculars he said, “That’s a female phalarope. They’re the colourful one. Brighter than the male. He’s the one who incubates the eggs,” as he chuckled. Was he kidding me? Not so. Check it out. The “Rock” is a great place to visit. However, we saw only one lonely iceberg. Plenty of flora and fauna though.

Looking Ahead

Looking Ahead Earl Plato

I have had e-mails and telephone calls about wild turkey sightings. Niagara Falls resident, Dianne Morris, e-mailed me a good one. She saw 15 in a field at the corner of McLeod and Kalar. They headed for the playground off Kalar Road. Dianne was pleasantly surprised. The last part of her message invoked memories in me. She wrote, “... I was on the Millenium Trail and on the other side of the fence between the Trail and the canal, I saw two adult wild turkeys with five babies trailing behind.” That’s my experience too but down in ski country just past Ellicottville in Cattaraugus County. We were headed back Hungry Hollow Road toward my cousin’s rustic place. In an open field just beside us near the road was a duplicate of Dianne’s sighting. Five chicks too. I was as close as I have ever been to wild turkeys. How close have you ever been to wild turkeys in Niagara? Yes, I know there’s a wild turkey hunt coming up shortly April 24-25. Tou need the St.Catharines course to get a hunting licence. Me? I still hunt but with a camera ***
Raincoat and knee boots I walk the Bert Miller Nature Trail at Point Abino. What should I write about this April shower day? I don’t have to for my nature writer mentor, Ed Teale, said it best. “Yesterday the thermometer was up; today it is down. Yesterday the sky was far away, shining, burnished blue. Today it sags low, dragging sluggish clouds, heavy and opaque just above the tree tops. Before dawn the April rain began. Hour after hour it has been soaking the meadows, dimpling the pond and drenching the woods. ... I find myself repeating the words: “Rain, rain, April rain! Rain and green grow the grasses-o!”
Soon these sandy woodland vales of Point Abino will be covered with trilliums. What a joyful sight it will be!
***
Hey, I have become well equipped again nature-wise. My fold up tripod seat has been replaced. I’ve lost weight so I hope this one holds me up! I recently bought a collapsible walking stick. I intend to travel overseas with it but these old knees need some extra support. Right now it helps me over the many fallen limbs on the trail. I have my light-weight bird glasses. I often take my little camera and my field sketch pad. You never know what you’ll see. On this warm spring day I need no jacket. I talked with Rick at the gate. He said, “I saw a large group of Northern flickers near the Point Abino lighthouse.” soon these Abino woods will be full of spring birds. I’m equipped. How about you nature-wise?

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Bear Time!

Bear Time Earl Plato

I have seen the devastation that fallen tree limbs can do yet I still have good memories of certain trees. “Tree hugger’? Yes. The late peninsula naturalist Bert Miller had tears in his eyes when in the 1950’s his giant Tulip tree of Rose Hill was cut down without warning. On my many trips with Bert Miller as a youth trees were high on his list to view and appreciate. I am still a tree lover all of these years. What trees do you appreciate?
***
On one of our picture walls we have a photo of wife, Elaine, brandishing a club-like tree branch. Why? We are deep in Spruce Bog Trail, Algonquin Park, just the two of us alone. She was prepared io meet a black bear! The waiter back at our resort had told us not to worry only if “you meet a mother and her cubs.” Nice guy. It was early June of this year. Of course nothing happened. Then I read this little article from the Buffalo News. I quote: “Studies in animals have shown that new mothers have low levels of CRF, a brain chemical linked to fear and anxiety.” Makes sense, eh, when you hear of a mother bear driving off a huge male in order to protect its young. Memory flash back: Son Paul and daughter Elizabeth and myself started on a hemlock lined trail in the Bay of Fundy National Park circa thirty years ago. Our plan was to walk to the edge of a little peninsula. Suddenly a young man came running down the trail toward us. : “There’s a mother bear and cubs back there!” He rushed past us. Case in point - respect a female bear with young - we asked no questions and headed for the station wagon pronto.
***

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Raccoons

Raccoons Earl Plato

Want to get a good nature reference book? I invested again in a Bennet&Tiner book, The Wild Woods Guide . I still have the old 1985 edition. This newer edition is extremely well illustrated and the two men’s writings are both informative and interesting. Love the book? Yes. On a recent drive the back way to Dunnville along the Grand River Road we counted at least fourteen road kills. Skunks, squirrels, rabbits, opossum and six raccoons. Why so many raccoons? I thought that they were intelligent animals. I read from my new book the following: “Raccoons are extremely bright.” So tell me why they become roadkill apparently so easily. Tiner goes on to say, They repeatedly beat dogs, cats and foxes in animal IQ tests.” How many foxes do you see as roadkill? Raccoons are every where. They are one of our more numerous wild animals in North America. Shreer numbers may be one reason for their deaths on the roads. Locally our new raccoon-proof green boxes have deterred visits to our road side garbage pick- up. It was at Longmeadow farm west of Ridgeway that I and my dogs had two encounters with these black-masked animals. First was Sheba, our Border collie, a bright animal, who met a young raccoon on the long drive way near the pony barn. I watched in amazement as the little dog surrounded the small raccoon and systematically wore it down. Darting in and out Sheba did the poor raccoon in. Three years later after Sheba had died of cancer I had an aggressive Black Labrador named Benji. Walking in the lower fields of Longmeadow a large buck raccoon had descended a tree and approached Benji. Wrong move. I had read where big male raccoons can take on a dog and win. Ferocious sounding he lunged at Benji. In ten minutes the raccoon was dead. Like a counter boxer Benjii would strike the big raccoon each time he lunged. Not pretty but effective. A male ‘coon’ can weigh up to twenty pounds or so. This was a large male. Benji didn’t like some of my daughters’ boyfriends. She didn’t even want them to get out of their cars! Hey, that’s an intelligent dog. Not even a pet raccoon could do that!
My fear of raccoons stems from the rabies that attacks them. A rabid raccoon will act disoriented so avoid them and report the incident to the S.P.C.A. Keep your garbage in raccoon-proof containers.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Eagle Owl

Eagle Owl Earl Plato

I have been to Hell and back literally. My grandmother, Petra Andersen, and her two sisters were born in the little Norwegian village of Hell near the ancient capital of Trondheim. It was here on a mid-May day 2004 that two of my daughters, Elizabeth and Diane, and I found the Eagle owl.
Four days in Trondheim, a beautifully clean city, gave us time to explore. In the Natural History Museum at the University of Trondheim in walking distance we found Bubo bubo, the Eagle owl. English is Norway’s second language and the university student at the desk was most helpful. “On this floor to your left is a display of native birds, and downstairs is a special room.” The museum’s brochure had the Eagle owl as its logo! I was in Bubo country! We found three Eagle owls mounted and they were of impressive size. We recognized other raptors found back home. Then down the stairs to a special room. There greeting us was the face of the giant owl. It was an entire room devoted to the Eagle owl of Norway! In a diorama was a spectacular sight. An enormous Eagle owl with an eagle-like wing spread was suspended from the ceiling. In its powerful talons was a full grown red fox. Realistically frightening. Unfortunately all the writeups were in Norwegian. Shots of nests and young were portrayed in the displays including the prey of this largest of owls - lambs, fox, and small animals and old tales of human babies being carried away.
On our way back south to Oslo and my relatives’ homes we saw two nests. One was close to the N6 highway and I snapped it. It was a large nest but I think too small. Then daughter Elizabeth spied off in the distance an extremely huge nest. A home of Bubo bubo the great Norwegian Eagle owl? I think so. Thank you Pelham library for you started it all. My quest has ended. Enjoy nature while you can.

Let Nature take its course

Feathers by Earl Plato

The souvenir pewter drinking mug on my duck decoys shelf holds a variety of bird feathers. They are large specimens such as the tail feather of a Cooper’s hawk. I have no small songbird feathers though I have found many over the years. Nature writer Ed Teale shares this little excerpt. “The feather first catches our eye. No more than three-quarters of an inch long it is tipped with scarlet. Like a tiny perfect jewel resting on the rich green velvet of a jewellery case, it lies on a cushion of moss beside the trail - the body feather dropped by a molting Scarlet tanager.” Get a another cup only smaller and collect some small but colourful songbird feathers? Why not?
***
Hey, I am an animal lover but I agree with Gerry Riesing of the Buffalo News when he says that he disagrees with the animal rights folks who insist we simply “let nature take its course.” Few of us would want a black bear in our back yards as occurred in Hamilton recently. More of us would be willing to see the problems created by deer, Canada geese, and purple loosestrife addressed by our town and region. Bears and wild cats in urban areas should be caught and humanely removed to their more natural habitats.
***
To the bird lover, eye catching colours of certain songbirds are so appealing. I’ve said many times that I miss the family farm setting for many reasons - one main one was the colourful songbirds. Here in town I miss the myriad of coloured plumages. Wait! Last month we had a male Rose-breasted grosbeak at our feeders. A flood of colour images came to my mind’s eye after that viewing. Deep in Marcy’s Woods Ernie Giles and I took photos of a male Scarlet Tanager. Look it up in your bird guide. What a vivid recall of those deep black and powerful red colours captured in that slide. Ever think of a nature photography hobby?

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Disposition of Birds

Disposition Bird-wise Earl Plato

Five years on the Sherkston family farm were well spent nature-wise.
On one mid-January day I remember watching the birds at our feeders day after day. I have written before about my perception of the disposition of certain of our feathered friends. This is another recollection that late nature writer Ed Teale inspired.
That morning a small flock of cedar waxwings alighted in the top branches of our evergreens. They are one of my favourite birds. I had seen a similar flock a month before in the Stevensville Conservation park feeding on the wild olive trees. These birds at the farm too gave the impression of being amicably inclined. They came as a group and they left as a group. Beautiful birds that they are, they seemed to enjoy each others company.
However, in contrast are those flocking birds, the bluejays and crows - cousins - that bicker and quarrel. They were prone to explode into cawing or screaming melees at any provocation.
I quote the late nature writer, Ed Teale, as he said, “ Some birds by temperament concentrate on their own business. Others like the little house wren concern themselves with everybody’s business. Some like the wood thrush and brown creeper are reclusive.” Yet others in Niagara like the catbird and robin build their nests close to human dwellings. What do the visitors at your feeder display as a usual disposition? Call me at 905-894-2417 or e-mail me at plato1@vaxxine.com and share your observations. ***
Most of you know him well. On the family farm he was a regular visitor at the suet ball. Now living in town I miss him. The Downy woodpecker
is sparrow-sized. He’s the smallest of our woodpeckers. He’s a black and white patterned bird. He has a red patch on the nape of his neck.
Listen for his ‘pik-pik-pik’ sound. Our Downy was approachable. I would consider him almost tameable. While the nuthatches and browncreepers would disperse the Downy stayed at the suet feeder as you came closer. He seemed to have no fear of big humans. It was in a small woods at Wellfleet Nature Center in central Cape Cod we experienced a Downy woodpecker fest. I stood amazed as a dozen of the downies flittered through the trees feeding on insects. Downy woodpeckers on migration? - Could be. it was late August. What a Downy fix ! To see a dozen of these neat little birds was a treat.
Bird watching has become the second most passive sport (after gardening) in North America. We understand that over 30,000 million are now bird watchers. Secure a bird guide and enjoy. Many of us have taken the next step - setting up a bird feeder. Local stores often have information about avian nutrition. It’s worth the effort. Just one caution - once you start a feeder be faithful in supplying seed and food including a watering place. Adopt a Downy if you can.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Beamers in 2009

Nature Earl Plato


I am hooked on white in nature - white crows, white robins, white squirrels and recently the famous white buck deer of Ridgeway. I have been fascinated with albinism all my life. I had seen an albino man as a youth. His white hair and pinkish pupils were an anomaly that I have never forgotten. I first wrote about an albino crow in a 1998 Review article entitled, The Infamous White Crow of Pelham. Since then I have had calls about other albino animals such as white deer in Niagara Falls, yes, albino raccoons and even a skunk. Albinism is here to stay. ***
Spring to me is seeing skunk cabbages peeking through the snow as each melts a circle around itself . Drive along Halloway Bay Road at its southern terminus. On either side of the old Bertie/Humberstone drainage ditch crossing are a multitude of these unique heat generating spring plants. As a child the late naturalist Bert Miller would take his knife and slice off a piece of a leaf. He would hold it up to your nose, “Take a sniff.” That pungent ‘skunk-like’ odour assailed your nostrils.
These unique plants grow and grow until their elephant ear-like leaves become the largest of our local spring plants.
***
Beamer’s Point this coming year? A friend called recently and asked about this great bird migrating point. “Never made it there last year,” was his comment. Beamer’s Point can make you a bird addict. Six times one year I drove to the Grimsby Lookout. What a year! A Bald eagle soared over head on my first visit. 500 or so Broad-winged hawks on my nexy visit! Don’t know your raptors? Don’t worry for there is an expert there daily, a member of the Hawk Watch team. Hamilton Nature Club members make up most of the faithful recording observers. I take my spotting scope and a fold up chair for you need to spend some time there if you really are serious. Dress warmly, eh.
A mid-March Beamer’s Point Report this year lists many raptor sightings. A total of 478 red-tailed hawks so far! Five Bald eagles and the inevitable soarer 33 Turkey vultures. Then I looked at the list more closely - a Golden eagle? Yes, one. I have seen this giant bird, one of my favourites, in captivity but never in the wild. Yes, I am heading west then south up Christie Avenue off the QEW this week. Beamer’s Point is worth the visit any time this spring.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Hawks

HAWKS EARL PLATO
Do you have friends up North? That’s the domain of our largest accipter, the Goshawk. This is a most powerful hawk that will even attack humans during breeding season. From Teale’s January 12th log we read, “The gray goshawk is back in the hickory tree. ... I spend a long time watching this large and handsome bird of prey. From its coal black crown and the striking white stripe above its eye, down to its blue-gray back and laterally streaked silver-gray underparts, to its long, nearly square tail, it is a bird streamlined for velocity. We see it rocking on a topmost branch turning its head and taking stock with its brilliant orange eyes of all the scene around him.”
Writer’s note: I have been to Hawk Mountain in central Pennsylvania and saw in their museum the photos of thousands of these Goshawks and other hawk species shot annually doing spring and fall migration times. These photos were taken back in Depression time in America. Back then it seemed the only good hawk was a dead one! Goshawks typically attacked poultry farms. The state offered a bounty of $5.00 for every Goshawk destroyed. Back in the Depression Thirties this was a significant sum.
“We see it drop from its high perch in the hickory tree. In a long accelerating dive it cuts through the air like a rapier. We feel the thrill of the plunge. We follow every movement of this bird - so swift so graceful - so beautiful in flight.” Unlike its cousins the Cooper and Sharpshinned hawks it preys mainly on larger birds. Grouse and quail, and yes robins and flickers, bluejays and mourning doves are some of its usual fare. It also snatches up squirrels and rabbits. No other hawk is so audacious but today it is protected as it should be. Comments? Call me at 905-894-2417 or E-mail - plato1@vaxxine.com
Writer’s Note: Got my hawk fix on the Q.E.W. just past the Sodom Road cutoff heading west. Four Redtails, a Sharp-shinned and flying overhead a Marsh hawk (Northern harrier).

Albino?

Albino? Earl Plato

What a strange looking plant structure I saw last Fall. Albertine Stranges sent me a great close up photo this January of the fungus that grew at the front of her Parkway home in Chippawa. Pie-shaped it can grow up to 40 cm. across! Catathelasma imperiale, it is known as the Commander. We read that this double ringed fungus according to the Peterson guide is edible. Not for this writer.
***
Have you heard of the albino buck deer of Rosehill and west in Fort Erie.? Well ther’s more than one out there. Steve Gamble of Lyon’s Creek reported recently to me that a buck and a doe near his property were almost all white. Albinism is the lack of melanin that creates colour in the animal’s system and that includes humans. Albinos have white hair or fur and pink eyes caused by the absence of pigment. Then I researched on the internet and read that some scientists say that all albinos are not pure white. Three calls from Niagata Falls in the northwest described deer that had brown rears or partially brown heads. Albinos? I would say so.
I hopefully am about to secure a photo of the majestic albino deer of Ridgeway.
Remember the white crow of Pelham a few years ago? We had albino mice and rabbits as children. Dogs, snakes, fish and monkeys can be albino too. Unfortunately albinism means the animal or human lacks protection against powerful sun rays. The result is often skin cancer and a shorthened life. An amomoly for sure and an unique opportunity to see an albino.

Norway

Norway Earl Plato

Think perpetual darkness. No spiritual connotations intended but think of the cold north lands in deep winter time. Think Norway and the Arctic Circle. Think specifically Tromso. That’s where my cousin’s son, Irvind Benjaminsen, is attending University. I am in continued contact with Irvind via E-mail. He spent a summer week with us and knows something about our Ontario climate. I bemoaned our extremely cold January. He replied that as far as he knew the warmest temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere occur in Northern Norway. You know why. The warm waters of the Gulf Stream from North America bathes the coastline of Norway. Irvind said, “ At Tromso we are warmer today (mid-January) than in Toronto. So? This article is about the several months of winter that daily are devoid of sunlight. Irvind is enjoying his stay as he studies to become a doctor. I asked him if he could check out the giant Eagle owl. “Earl, are you kidding? From November to March almost twenty-four hours of darkness. Wait until summer.” That’s right. Winter-summer - no four seasons as we have. Summer is only about three months long in the land of the Midnight Sun. Whenever the thermometer climbs above 10 C (50 degrees F.) trees can grow on the tundra. Trees? The frozen sub-soil prevents tree roots from penetrating very deep. What Irvind sees are only dwarf willows and stunted birches. Sort of a Nordic ‘bonsai’. The main vegetation is a patchwork of grasses, mosses, lichens and shrubs - reindeer country. Photos show me a land dotted with lakes and pools. Fishing time come summer? You bet! Arctic char and salmon abound. As in northern Canada flocks of geese, swans and ducks come to the Nordic tundra in Norway and Sweden to breed. Summer time supplies these migratory birds with plentiful food for the fast growing chicks. I asked Irvind about the ‘bully’ swan the Mute swan. No reply as yet. These swans from Europe have come to North America and drive out other swans and ducks when they establish a nesting site. They have a visible black knob at the base of their orange beak. Yes, they show up on the Niagara River at times. The tundra is home to a variety of birds that many birders will recognize. gulls, skuas, terns, petrels, guillemots, auks and the delightful puffins. Again I have to be cognizant that cousin Irvind came to the University of Tromso just when summer changed to winter. Hopefully this summer I will learn more about the Nordic tundra when he can see the land and sky in broad daylight!
Two of my daughters and myself travelled to Norway in 2004. We
drove rrom Oslo to ancient Trondheim in the north to my grandmother’s birthplace, the little village of Hell. Great setting in this Viking country. We were still hundreds of miles south of the Nordic tundra. No time to see my cousin in Tromso. But he came to see us back in Asker near Oslo. Love your roots, eh.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Longtails

Longtails Earl Plato

We saw them for ourselves on the sandy beach at Fort Erie’s Thunder Bay town park. Half buried in the sand their clearly identifiable head revealed the sad truth. These were Longtailed ducks that I knew by the appellation - ‘Old squaws’. Yes, I have favourite birds and the Old squaw is one. I have a beautifully carved model near my desk - long tail and all. What happened to this most northern Arctic bird on the shores of Lake Erie? The day before at the Bert Miller nature Club meeting we were told over thirty Longtails had succumbed. Why? Did the ducks eat something that was contaminated? Botulism is one answer. I travel each January and February to Niagara-on-the-Lake to see these attractive birds at the mouth of the Niagara River. I set up my scope and watch their mating antics and hear their loud unforgettable calls, What are Longtails doing in the Niagara area now in mid-November? ***
They’re coming! Slowly from Western Ontario the Emerald ash borer beetle is heading toward Niagara. 70% of Ontario’s deciduous trees are of the ash species. The Toronto Star article says, “ As many as 200,000 ash trees are dead or dying in the Windsor area from the beetle infestation.” Two years ago while in Western Ontario we saw the ash borer article in the Goderich paper. The locals were worried. What to do? Ken Marchant, tree specialist with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), said that they need to remove every infested tree and chip them so that no Emerald ash borer beetle larvae remains. Now two years later the government already has spent 10 million on making a barrier from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie. Marchant said, “ It’s here for good. We’re going to have to live with it.” I hope not.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Ice Time

Ice Time by Earl Plato

We stood on a grassy knoll overlooking the acre-sized pond. Wife Elaine, daughter Liz, son-in-law Neil and I looked out over the placid waters of Trail Wood pond in eastern-central Connecticut. That was two years ago. What a pleasure to walk the trails of the late nature writer Ed Teale’s pristine preserve. I quote from his beloved book, A Walk Through the Years. It is November 29th at Trail Wood. “ Cold has turned the key. Ice locks in the pond. Ever since our short Indian Summer ended, dawns have lighted a fine fringing of frozen water along the edges. This lace-work of crystals has widened according to the dramatic drop in temperatures.”
Writer’s note: Teale’s records show the mercury fell to over twenty degrees Fahrenheit below freezing on that day.
“ I walk down the slope to the pond. Ice, in a thin but unbroken sheet, extends from shore to shore. One of those sudden dramatic landmark events has come in the night. Slowly I advance along the path encircling the pond edges. … with the coming of the ice much of the life seems to go out of the pond.”
Writer’s note: Be an observer of our local Fort Erie ponds. When do they freeze over? Remember Teale’s Trail Wood pond was more than an acre in size. Record the freeze overs?

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Gosh! A Goshawk

Goshawk Earl Plato

The Northern Goshawk is back in Niagara. Not far from the Fort Erie Friendship Trail in Thunder Bay one was definitely sighted last week. Keith Bailey of Crescent Park reported the sighting. The Audubon guide states, “It has recently begun extending its range to the south.” That’s us! “It now breeds in small numbers in deciduous forests.
Déjà vu. Some years ago in the Fonthill area in a wooded area a seventy year old woman was struck on her neck by a huge hawk. She fell unconscious and suffered talon wounds on the neck. Later a twelve year old girl walking on a trail in the same forested area was similarly attacked by a hawk. She too suffered deep talon gouges in the back of her neck. What gives? Audubon again states, “…it (Northern goshawk) is fearless in defence of its nest and will boldly attack anyone who ventures too close!” This is December, 2008 no nesting here until spring time. Hopefully our goshawks will return more northerly where they came from.
Note: It is a heavy-bodied hawk larger than a crow; pale undersides. Up close it has conspicuous white eyebrows.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Goshawk nest

 
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Goshawk nest

 
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nORTHERN gOSHAWK

Goshawk Earl Plato

The Northern Goshawk is back in Niagara. Not far from the Fort Erie Friendship Trail in Thunder Bay one was definitely sighted last week. Keith Bailey of Crescent Park reported the sighting. The Audubon guide states, “It has recently begun extending its range to the south.” That’s us! “It now breeds in small numbers in deciduous forests.
Déjà vu. Some years ago in the Fonthill area in a wooded area a seventy year old woman was struck on her neck by a huge hawk. She fell unconscious and suffered talon wounds on the neck. Later a twelve year old girl walking on a trail in the same forested area was similarly attacked by a hawk. She too suffered deep talon gouges in the back of her neck. What gives? Audubon again states, “…it (Northern goshawk) is fearless in defence of its nest and will boldly attack anyone who ventures too close!” This is December, 2008 no nesting here until spring time. Hopefully our goshawks will return more northerly where they came from.
Note: It is a heavy-bodied hawk larger than a crow; pale undersides. Up close it has conspicuous white eyebrows.
 
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Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Hot Tub

Hot Tub Time Earl Plato

Hot tub anyone? Daughter Bev and husband Chris enjoy their sheltered outdoor hot tub year around and why not. Marion Aird of Valley Way, Niagara Falls has a hot tub but it’s for her visiting birds. A plugged-in heating element in her bird bath serves the purpose well. Other bird lovers provided this essential service during our deep freeze in sub- zero January. Kudos to you and the Airds. Marion was excited about some of her bird bath visitors. A Northern mocking bird was a regular visitor. Great!
However, one day while the Airds looked out at the bath a most unusual sight - a black and white cat was sitting in the heated bath! I suggest to Marion putting up a sign. NO CATS ALLOWED! Love your birds year around.
***
Terror at the feeders! Calls from Ridgeway and Niagara Falls recently in early 2004 regarding terror at their feeders. One songbird lover said, “It’s terrible. I have a large Yew next to the feeders and he comes and just sits there waiting.” Sharp-shinned hawks, acrobats of the accipiter family are the ones locally that cause most terror to our songbirds. These hawks are excellent fliers and can maneuver skillfully. Silent killers they can decimate the birds at your feeder and they do. What to do? I told the caller that Dave Mitchell of rural Fort Erie used a series of branches and piled them around his feeders. It worked and the hawk could not penetrate the close-knit maze to get at the songbirds. Not very esthetically looking perhaps but the cardinals and other birds received some needed protection.
***
Feverish activities at the great bird feeders at Beaver Meadow Bird Sanctuary south of Buffalo, N.Y. Pine siskins and Common redpolls galore. At other places I have seen both of these species - smaller than our sparrows - farther north in Muskoka. Three photos arrived today from Niagara Falls nature photographer, Janice Haines. All subjects were the Common red poll with one a closeup. Great shots, Janice. Description - brown- streaked with a bright red cap and a black chin the Common red poll was never seen at my Ridgeway and Sherkston farm bird feeders. Have you seen any this winter? Lucky you for as I recall from Ernie Giles of the lake of Bays that these little birds are quite tame and trusting. You can walk up to these little guys as they allow closeup human approach. Is that right Janice? With Sharp-shinned accipiter hawks around locally this might not be a good trait. Dave Mitchell reported recently twenty or so redpolls at his feeders. Niger seed is the attraction. Dave has provided protection. Way to go.

Anomaly!

Anomaly! Earl Plato

“White is white,” but according to Thom Gravelle, who lives on the Niagara Parkway near Townline Road, “Black is black.” Another anomaly this time reported through Thom’s e-mail with great photos included. Anomaly is a word I often use in reporting. To me it means something different, a deviation from the normal. What does a chipmunk look like? You can picture it with reddish brown back with white stripes and a dark band down its centre with an upright tail as it heads toward a feeder. Thom Gravelled gave me four photos of his resident chipmunk. It’s totally black! I quote his message. “This black chipmunk has been living under our deck with a pair of friendly skunks for the past year. He started to reappear two weeks ago and now visits our bird feeders several times a day. We used to have two regular chipmunks visit us but we have not seen then since this little fellow made an appearance.”
Thom adds that anybody they have spoken to has never heard of a “black” occurrence in the chipmunk species. He ends that most claim that it is a baby black squirrel but it hasn’t changed in more than a year. The excellent photos are prove enough for me.

Orchids Next Year

Orchids Next Year Earl Plato

Orchids! Yes, orchids are the attraction. No I’m not going to contact local great garden expert Theresa Forte. Yes, I know she would help.
However, our plan is to visit The west coast of Newfoundland this summer. Why? This is where the late Dave Marr of Fort Erie took his world class shots of area orchids. I watched Dave one morning when he took a half hour to photograph just one Marcy Woods trillium. Exposure, lighting, wind velocity and other factors had to be considered in taking the best shot possible. A perfectionist for sure.
Dave and Joy Marr made a life time hobby of nature photography, Their skills grew and many of us appreciated their efforts.
We have never been to Newfoundland but we have friends who grew up on the island and we know several Ontarians who have been there. All
have the same viewpoint - “Some of the friendliest people in the world.”
Come summer what shall we see? - hopefully whales, icebergs, Viking ruins, sea bird habitats and yes, orchids.
***
At the latest Bert Miller Nature Club Meeting we learned from Mike Cadman, Songbird Biologist, that Wild turkeys have greatly increased in number in Ontario. Elaine and I have seen 50 plus in old Humberstone Towmship off Second Concession and at least 20 plus in Fort Erie near the Jewson farm off Nigh Road. How large a flock have you seen in Niagara this winter? Call me at 905-894-2417 or E-mail - plato1@vaxxine.com and share your observation.
****
This Monday morning about 9:30 a.m. I made a quick drive to Point Abino Hills. Gate closed so I checked in for permission to go to end of Brown’s Road. At the Cudney feeders at the gate Joane reported seeing a Spotted towhee. Great! A big snow plow hill at the end of Brown’s Road but still room for me to park. Two sets of human tracks headed west along the Bert Miller Nature Trail. My hiking boots disappeared in the deep snow and again I needed my knee boots! Plato, think ahead. No return of human tracks - where did they go?
***
Anyone see wild cougar tracks in Niagara lately? Bob Chambers of the Bert Miller Nature Club reported tracks measuring four 3/8 inches wide and 4 1/8 inches long. That’s an imprint in mud. Wow! MNR reported at least five of these large cats living in the Niagara Peninsula! Those are big cats. Ridgeway and Stevensville areas have had sightings of such an animal in recent years. Remember the video clips? Bob’s reported sighting was near Townline Road and Ridgemount near the Niagara Falls city line. Call Bob at 905-382-2626 if you’ve discovered any large cat tracks,

Monday, November 24, 2008

Up the Steps

The Steps-MARCY Woods, fort Erie, Ontario Earl Plato

New steps at Marcy Woods! Over fifty or so leading
steeply up the ridge. A secure railing supports us. Thanks to the DiCienzo family efforts for the complete restoration. I have slipped falling both up and down these steep steps. We have helped repair parts at time. After Dr. Marcy‘s death good maintenance was lost.. No longer now. My photo below shows the new steps that are greatly improved.
Where are you climbing to? You are on the Upper Trail. Turn left and you are heading east. There are secure railings all along. The deep holes that you had to climb in and out are all filled now. You walk on a much more level walkway. Soon you come to a path leading south to the old Marcy cabin. The DiCienzos have restored and cleared this pathway of fallen trees. Again old steps have been replaced. Great! However, we walk back and are taking the Upper Trail that I have called the Bird Trail. This narrow pathway follows the Lower Trail below in a horseshoe fashion. It too ends at the cabin. It is not an easy walk. You are up hill and dale. You eventually reach a ridge. Once you surmount this forested sand hill you are at the highest point. Below is Marcy pond and to the south you can see and hear Lake Erie. Time for a rest. Here each year we see and hear the Red bellied woodpeckers. On occasion we may hear the loud tapping of he huge Pileated woodpeckers in the wetlands to the north.. In spring you may see a variety of migratory birds, It was here we saw a Wilson’s warbler. Birders take some time to enjoy the Bird Trail. Each spring white trilliums border the walkway as they do on the Lower Trail. One year deep in a vale below we saw a fox vixen and two young pups frolicking. Shiny red coats on them all.
The Upper Trail is not an easy walk. Yet in 2009 armed with my trusty walking staff I will walk up the steps and venture on to the Bird Trail of the Upper Trail at Marcy Woods.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Friday, November 21, 2008

Leaves

Leaves.08 Earl Plato

With the colouring of leaves in Fall comes the inevitable. They fall off. The sequence of the falling of the leaves is like the sequence of the blooming of our Spring wildflowers. It repeats itself each year. Look around the neighbourhood at the leaf bearing trees. The time of their leaf-fall is a characteristic of the individual tree. Across the way from us a Black maple hangs on to its leaves long after other maples have shed theirs. I walk through many nature settings this time of year. I strolled the Friendship Trail east of Prospect Point Road in early October. What I saw first was the downdrift on that calm day of elongated leaves with delicate tints of yellow, salmon and yes, purple. They were leaves of the white ash. Now in late October we see the descent of the crimson of the red maples, the gold of the hickories, the pale yellow of the beech. From now on the woodland scene is spreading out. Elaine pointed to a black walnut tree almost devoid of leaves, “There’s a squirrel nest we hadn’t seen before.” We will learn progressively something new as we see revealed what the dense foliage of summer has hidden. Take a walk and look around for something uncovered by the falling of leaves. Enjoy the great outdoors.
***
We were at the CN Tower just before the power failure at Skydome in Toronto in late August. We were mulling around Canadiana souvenir displays. There they were - great prints of moose in a Canadian wilderness setting. I already have twelve large and small moose paintings and shots on my one wall. One more? Elaine said, “Do you really need it?” Enough said. I have one more article this year about moose. I learned from the Algonquin Park publication, the Raven, some new things about my favourite big animal. Here’s one: Moose often come out to Ontario’s highways in spring. This past early June Elaine and I saw two of the huge beasts both on the highway or next to it. I am told that contrary to the widespread public myth, this is NOT because they are trying to escape biting insects particularly black and deer flies. What! The waiter back at our lodge had told us so. They come instead
to drink the slightly salty water left in the roadside ditches after winter sanding/salting operations. Of course flies will follow the moose and in our case humans onto highways just as readily as anywhere else.

The Purple Plaque

Earl Plato
Calls about chipmunks. One caller said, “Earl, we have a black chipmunk. It’s a chipmunk even though neighbours say it looks like a rat.” Anomalies in nature. Sure. Albino chipmunks why not black chipmunks? Black squirrels abound why not some black chipmunks?
Dianne from Niagara Falls e-mailed me with this comment, “My sister, who lives in Toronto in a house with a ravine lot at the back loves the chipmunks. She lures them up close to her house by offering them peanuts. One day while feeding them a cat lurking in the bushes sprang out, pounced on one of the chipmunks and dragged it into the ravine and there was nothing anyone could do.” Dianne’s viewpoint: “Whether well-intentioned in giving the chipmunls treats or a way of entertaining oneself, feeding wild animals can mean their demise in some form or other.” What do you think?
***
No, I didn’t walk the wetland area west of Gorham Road in Ridgeway this year. For a number of years I paced off and recorded the ever increasing expansion of Purple loosestrife. Again side ditches and complete fields in Greater Fort Erie are filled even more with these alien plants. Yes, many people have told me they admire their lavender-purplish blooms. Herbicides, manual extraction, flooding and recently beetles introduced from Europe have been or are being used to halt the invasion. Still the “purple plague” marches on. Try to pull a plant out and realize that its root structure is unbelievably strong. The plant multiplies quickly and worse of all it crowds out other local beneficial plants such as cattails. So? There is no nourishment from Purple loosestrife for indigenous animals to feed on once Purple loosestrife has been established. The plant has interrupted the food chain of several mammals. That’s a fact.

Moose Time

Moose Time Earl Plato

Think big in Norway. Every 20 kilometres or so on major highway N6 a large sign greets you. On it is the head of a bull moose. Like our Ontario deer crossing signs a warning says, “Beware moose crossing.” I have learned that Norway is filled with these giant animals. “Don’t drive at dawn or dusk unless you have to,” cousin Erik said. “If you do, be alert.” Meeting a moose in a low lying sports car can be fatal. He told us of such an incident where the driver, an old friend, was killed as the antlered head of the bull moose crashed through her windshield.
I have stood next to a mounted moose at the Centre in Algonquin Park. It iowered over me. I experienced the same thing in the Trondheim museum this past May. Big? How big is big? Weight 635 kg. - 1400 lb. and at least 7 1/2 feet tall. What a giant animal! To meet such a bull moose on the highway or in the woods would be a memorable experience. I have been in a canoe close to a moose when she emerged from the lake. That image is still etched in my memory. In my workroom I have the framed print of the head of a bull moose and another less expensive print of a pair of moose entering a lake. I took a photo of a huge original painting in the Trondheim museum of an old Bull moose attacked by a pack of wolves. Yhree more recebt actual photos adorn my wall. Yes, I am hooked on the moose, the largest cervid in the world.
From my moose hunting friends and relatives I have learned that moose can be unpredictable during rutting season and therefore dangerous. It is normally a retiring animal and avoids humans.We drove over 1,000 miles through the heartland of Norway during the day, Alas no moose.
Yes, my Norwegian cousins served us moose. It tasted like beef and was delicious. A week before we arrived a cow moose and her young meandered through our cousin’s backyard in Asker only fifteen minutes from downtown Oslo! A beautiful country but think big when you drive. Big, meaning moose.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Swan Time

Well I Swan Earl Plato

A few years back on a cold blustery day in mid-November we drove to Abino Bay. There they were! Nestled in the bay and protected from the full force of lake Erie’s powerful winds we started the count. As we drove out for a closer look the number of the giant swans grew. I said to nature partner, Bob Chambers, “There must be at least a 100 Whistling swans!” We continued on to the Bertie Boat Club and turned around. Bob in the passenger seat and with much better eyesight than I began the count.
The beautiful birds were grouped in pockets. Carefully Bob counted. 50, 60,70, 80, 90 and then over a 100. His count 118 farther out in the bay and then closer into shore, very close, Bob counted 23 more. In total 141 Trumpeter swans here in Fort Erie. How long will they stay? I imagine when the winds subside they will be on their way south. We will check them out tomorrow morning.
9:32 a.m.m Nov.17. Elaine and I head for Point Abino. Not one Whistling swan in sight! The winds have subsided some so it’s off again for our swans to warmer climes.
Each Fall large numbers of Whistling swans pause briefly on the Great Lakes before moving to their winter quarters along the Atlantic coast. They are closely related to the Trumpeter swan which has been reduced to near extinction. The Whistling or Tundra swan breeds in the Arctic tundra. Not many hunters there so it continues to thrive. The Trumpeter, however, breeds in our western provinces and is more accessible to hunters. Both these birds are magnificent species.
We plan to check Abino Bay on a regular basis. “Here today and gone tomorrow.” With a Timmy’s in hand it’s a good morning’s destination.
Bob Chambers and I could hear the mellow, rich bugling calls as they rested in the Abino Bay. Will others stop over? I hope so.
Drive out to the end of Point Abino Road and look for these great birds. You never know. My E-mail is changed. It’s earplato@enoreo.on.ca. Be in touch - nature wise.
***
Hockey weekend in Ontario. We headed out this Friday to see grandson, Jage Noble, play for the Niagara Falls Major PeeWee AAA in the Waterloo Tournament. That means Elaine and I will have some time to kill. Is it shopping for her and/or a nature ramble to Homer Watson Nature Park? This park is a fine example of Carolinian forest. There are fair-sized trees including one of my favourite species - an impressive “old growth” of Eastern hemlocks. High bluffs give an excellent view of the Grand River especially now this fall with most of the leaves down.
Shopping and a nature walk. Now I hope Niagara Falls wins the games.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Back Tracking

Keep tracking, eh! Earl Plato
This is a look back again. “Hurt my foot. X-rayed it. Not broken so out to Marcy Woods we go. Not alone Plato take a friend on this winter day. This is the kind of a winter that I remember as a youth. Snow and more snow.
I admire skiers. To down hill ski again is out of the question. “Bobby Orr” knees for me. Actually I liked cross-country skiing in earlier days. Had a call from an old friend. He called from Fort Plain, New York to apologize that he had missed us on our family camping trip out West. When? 30 years ago! I recalled my back field cross-country skiing to his place as a youth. His mother would make a mug of steaming hot chocolate and give me a plate of homemade cookies. I still can picture those times. Just one of the benefits of skiing.
Try cross-country skiing this winter. It’s not too hard on the knees and it’s a chance to enjoy the outdoors. I used to follow the tracks of rabbits until they disappeared into a bush or woods. It’s track time this winter. However, I would advise you not to follow the large paw tracks of a certain cat, especially in Fort Erie. Bobcat. Lynx or mountain lion?” Here in 2008 it’s been reported again in the Stevensville area.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Barn Owll

 
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Barn Owl

Barnowl.bell.11.08 Earl Plato

“Screech-hiss-s-hiss-grunts and screams!” Weird calls! Scary white faces peered down at me. In reaction my small hands loosen on the ladder rung and I fell backwards. The fall was less than ten feet but that was enough to knock the wind from me. I had landed on old hay and the stiff ends of the dried timothy jammed into my back. As I regained my breath I started to cry. No one heard me. My mother was cooking inside the house and my brothers were at school. I sat up. I stopped the crying and looked up at the top of the ladder. Three little owls were peering down at me. Just then a large bird came through an opening above the owls. It must have been the parent. It hopped to the edge of the upper hay mow and started hissing. I stood up and headed to the tall ladder that lead don to the barn floor. I told my mother of the experience. I showed the puncture wounds across my back. Time for stinging iodine to be applied. I was only a curious five year old. My father encouraged the barn owls to move on and they did. No more ghostly birds to frighten a little boy.
This article is about the barn owl that once was seen rather regularly in rural Fort Erie many years ago. This owl has a heart-shaped face. My photo doesn’t show the numerous small dark spots on the white under parts. It has dark eyes and relatively long legs. Not a large owl about crow size.
We should have encouraged these barn owls to stay for they feed almost entirely on rodents. We had resident rats in the barn at that time. Today neglected cemeteries, garbage dumps, run down farms and waste lots are still home to this owl. Old church bell towers once a favourite nesting site have been greatly diminished in 2008. See a barn owl locally?

Friday, October 17, 2008

A Look Back- Dear John

Old Friend , John and Marcy Woods by Earl Plato
“Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.”
John Lessle from Buffalo is an old friend. Like me he loves Marcy’s Woods. John knew the late Dr. George Marcy for many years. John came to my home Friday, July 25. He, like me, had read the Buffalo News account of Marcy Woods that same day. Like me he was saddened.
“Go to Marcy’s Woods?”, I asked him. John surprised me. “Earl, I’ve never been to Shagbark Trail in Ridgeway.” “Shagbark?” I said.
That’s where we went and walked the narrow trails of Shagbark hickory trail . All had grown in this summer. Where once there were wide trails now only narrow pathways exist. 85 year old John is a knowledgeable naturalist. He knows plants and their scientific names. Bee-Balm also called Oswego Tea greeted us at the beginning of the trail. “Monarda didyama.” “Pardon, John. Repeat that.” John crushed a leaf and a flower from the plant’s ragged scarlet pompon, “Smell this.” The pungent smell of mint was very strong. “Bee-Balm makes a good tea.” We saw many more Bee-Balm plants along the tangled way.
What surprised me in this new Fort Erie Town park was the profusity of False Solomom=Seal plants. Their easily identified leaves and their ruby red fruit were every where. I have been coming to Shagbark for years up unto 2000. A badly sprained achilles tendon kept me on the mend for almost two summers. Hey, three years have passed! Can things change that much in nature? You bet.
Shagbark Hickory Trail needs some help. What can be a beautiful town nature park needs some work just to maintain the trails. The Park is located off Burleigh Road just east of Ridgeway.
John Lessle is a ‘golden’ friend. That day before the saddening news of the Marcy’s Woods sale I drove John to the Woods. For over sixty years John had walked and photographed this unique area. “Do you want to walk in, John?” Almost as if he had known about the front page news that would follow the next day he said, “ No, Earl. Too many memories.” Memories of this special place is all we have.

Virginia Rail

 
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Virginia Rail

 
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The Rail

On the Trail -Dube16.10 Earl Plato

On the Trail I was alone as I approached Six Mile creek that crosses under our Friendship Trail. I am always listening for birds and I heard chickadees, a crow and then an unusual loud call. It was in the wooded wetlands just north of our Trail. Loud and resonating from the woods I stopped to listen and looked and looked. No bird glasses with me again! I detected no movements. Again the loud “ticket” call. I knew what it was. At Mud lake with Blayne Farnan, Port Colborne naturalist, we heard and saw a Virginia Rail. I headed home and checked my Peterson CD. There was the call of the Virginia Rail. No doubt about it. I call it the “Ticket” bird. Why? If you hear the far carrying call - “ticket-ticket-ticket-ticket” near the Trail you have the Virginia Rail in Fort Erie. This rail is common but an elusive marsh bird. Blayne Farnan used a calling tape to attract the Virginia Rail and then played his flashlight on it. The bird prefers to escape intruders by running through protective marsh vegetation. If you’re lucky to see one - it’s a small rail with a long reddish bill. Its under part are rusty-brown with gray cheeks. Think small 9-11 inches in length. See one this fall on or near the Trail. Ride or walk the Trail before winter comes, eh.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Hawk Time

Do you have friends up North? That’s the domain of our largest accipter, the Goshawk. This is a most powerful hawk that will even attack humans during breeding season. From Teale’s January 12th log we read, “The gray goshawk is back in the hickory tree. ... I spend a long time watching this large and handsome bird of prey. From its coal black crown and the striking white stripe above its eye, down to its blue-gray back and laterally streaked silver-gray underparts, to its long, nearly square tail, it is a bird streamlined for velocity. We see it rocking on a topmost branch turning its head and taking stock with its brilliant orange eyes of all the scene around him.”
Writer’s note: I have been to Hawk Mountain in central Pennsylvania and saw in their museum the photos of thousands of these Goshawks and other hawk species shot annually doing spring and fall migration times. These photos were taken back in Depression time in America. Back then it seemed the only good hawk was a dead one! Goshawks typically attacked poultry farms. The state offered a bounty of $5.00 for every Goshawk destroyed. Back in the Depression Thirties this was a significant sum.
“We see it drop from its high perch in the hickory tree. In a long accelerating dive it cuts through the air like a rapier. We feel the thrill of the plunge. We follow every movement of this bird - so swift so graceful - so beautiful in flight.” Unlike its cousins the Cooper and Sharpshinned hawks it preys mainly on larger birds. Grouse and quail, and yes robins and flickers, bluejays and mourning doves are some of its usual fare. It also snatches up squirrels and rabbits. No other hawk is so audacious but today it is protected as it should be. Comments? Call me at 905-894-2417 or E-mail - plato1@vaxxine.com
Writer’s Note: Got my hawk fix on the Q.E.W. just past the Sodom Road cutoff heading west. Four Redtails, a Sharp-shinned and flying overhead a Marsh hawk (Northern harrier).

Red tail hawk

 
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Red Tail Hawk

 
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Hawks

Bellhawks10.08 Earl Plato


The violent rainstorms of past did the hawk nest in on Michener Road. No remains of the Red-tails large nest. It was gone and so were our resident hawks. However, we saw a pair of them near Longmeadow farm on Michener Road this past month. Will they return in 2009?
Writer’s note: Red-tail hawks are our largest and most common Niagara hawk. It is in the genus, Buteo along with Red-shouldered, Broad-winged and my favourite, Swainson’s hawk. Like all hawks it has excellent eyesight. The Audubon bird book p.639 tells us, “... soars over the open country in search of its prey, but just as often perches in a tree at the edge of the meadow, watching for the slightest move in the grass below.” Right on. From Sodom road cutoff west on Q.E.W. toward Niagara Falls look to the trees on the north side. There should be hawks there on a regular basis. Where do you see the Red-tails?
***
I can see well again. What a difference an operation can do to improve one’s eyesight! I can see the tuft on the Tufted titmouse. Of course a good pair of bird binoculars help. Look for birds in the woods in our Friendship Trail at old Erie Beach. That’s a great walk for anyone. Again bicyclists warn walkers ahead of you that you’re coming. Close call for me last week 0n the Trail at Erie Beach. No warning as he whizzed by me!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Open up!

 
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Ostrich in Safari Land

Bellostrich8.08 Earl Plato

Keep your windows closed! If not, one of the workers in their zebra-pattered pick up trucks will tell you so. We remembered the ostriches from the last visit to African Lion Safari. One ostrich in particular this August day wanted to see what was inside our car. We tapped on the inside of our windows and she approached quickly. Was there food inside this car? She tapped her huge beak on our windows. We had a good look at this large female bird. Ostriches usually weigh from 93 to 10kg (200 to 285 lb.) This was a good sized female probably around 250 pounds. Females are greyish-brown and white. The head of and neck of both male and female ostriches is nearly bare. we could see a thin layer of down. She was that close to us. The strong legs of the ostrich has no feathers. The bird has just two toes on each foot.. The nail of the larger one resembles a hoof. The inner one lacks a nail. We are told that it aids in running. The wings are not used for flight but are still large with a wingspan of over six feet. The group of ostriches we saw had young ones present. It looked as the mother used her wings to shade her chicks. Makes sense, eh.
The beak we saw on our female ostrich was flat and broad with a rounded tip. It was that tip that repeatedly hit our windows with some force. Definitely an interesting bird

Monday, September 22, 2008

Rhino Time

 
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Rhino Time

Bellrhino.08 Earl Plato
We were on our second drive through the fenced African Lion Safari landscape on that bright sunny August afternoon. This time it was close-ups of the behemoth - the rhinoceros. This sunny day the rhino group rested. Only one huge beast separated himself from the small enclave. I learned that these White rhinos are gray coloured. How come “white”? Remember their native home is South Africa. Early Dutch settlers there called them “weit” rhinos. Why? It was in reference to its wide (weit) square muzzle adapted for grazing. Confusing, eh? Note these white rhinos have a pronounced hump on the neck and a long face. Two horns on all rhinos (white and black) and the bigger one sits at the front of he nose. It is that horn that is prized in Asia.. It is sought for uses in traditional medicine and ornamental carvings. Our safari rhinos are saved from that pursuit.
We were told the White rhino male is the larger of the two species - over two tons! Wow! Our big guy was over twenty years. Life span 35-40 years.
No charging at us. Their eyesight is poor which may explain why hese often ill-tempered animals will charge without apparent reason. Their sense of smell and hearing are very good. On both trips no sounds from them but we learned that they have an extended vocabulary of growls, grunts, squeaks, snorts and bellows. I can picture their charge - frightening. The white rhino lowers its head, snorts, breaks into a gallop reaching speeds of up to 30 miles an hour. Using its sharp horn it gores or strikes powerful blows with its both horns. The white rhino is very agile and can quickly turn in a small space. Would be hunters - leave him a alone.
Our White rhino was content to munch on the grass,

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Wolf Howl

Algonquin Wolf Howl by Earl Plato
I tried to set some goals for my nature writing each year.
One year my goal was to return to Algonquin Park for the August wolf howls. Wolf howls? Do you know what I mean? Thursday nights in August some of the park rangers arrange for a drive to a lake where packs of wolves will howl away the night. I called the park and a ranger said to get there early lke shortly after seven. We arrived at 6:15 p.m. First row ready to go. We had paid $6 for the privilege. There was ample room for 600 cars in the parking lots. Countless cars arrived. Darkness eventually came. Workers with flashlights began ushering the lot across the way. Hey, we were here first. Hundreds of cars headed out to the highway. I had been mislead! Not so. The first 300 drove past the site and turned around and came back, We simply headed down the road and ended at the site. We were the first car! Great! In a hout or so we heard the first howls that sounded so clearly. For over an hour we were serenaded by the Algonquin wolves. We were told that a group of rangers the previous week had ascertained where the pack would be for a Thursday. I wondered about rainy nights. Would there still be a wolf howl? Worth.the effort.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

When Nature Calls

Saturday, May 31, 2008
Gone South
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Gone South Earl Plato
To my traveling readers I often wonder what you see in nature when you head south or points west. Our neigbours, the Marchands, and others I know had headed again for Florida this past winter. I am always on the lookout for nature stories. This is my tenth year with the Review and I am still interested in writing about the great outdoors. Readers know that I am not a learned scientist but just a person who likes most aspects of nature. Following is an interesting nature scenario.
John Plyley of Stevensville had provided me with a series of unusual bird photos from his winter residence in Florida. I finally visited John at Ridgewood Manor the end of May where he is the seniors’ administrator. Armed with John’s photos we sat down to discuss the photos. Of course there was the anhinga, the “snake” bird. It had caught a large catfish. Normally these birds with the long serpentine-like neck throw the catch into the air and swallow it head first. Not this time. John snapped the poor anhinga trying to swallow the large fish on the grass in his front yard.
So what happened? The next photos show a large hawk take over. “Big buddy” moved in and the anhinga with his webbed feet were no match for this hawk. Armed with talons and a fierce beak he started eating the catfish. Thank you Mr. anhinga.
When John first gave me the photos when he returned from Florida I tried to decide what hawk species it was. I had one time thought that the bird was a Mississippi Kite. C’mon Plato! They are essentially insect eaters and on the fly too as they gobble down cicadas and other flying insects. My Audubon research book says that they occasionally eat lizards. This prey was a huge catfish. Rule out the kite.
I had forgotten my magnifying glass. That would have helped.
“It looks like a Red-tailed hawk.” I said. “Can’t be, they eat voles and mice in our area. Red-shouldered? Not in this area of Florida. With my Peterson Book I looked up the ranges of hawks. Guess what? Red-tails are in Florida all year around!
John said, “Earl, I’ll have the photo blown up.” He did and dropped the photo off. The term “morph” means different colours of the same species. Here was a light coloured Red-tail with a flecked breast. Then I went back to my huge Audubon Reference book. Listen to this. On page 484 in the Hawk section we read this about Red-tails. : “Feeding habits...Carp and catfishes caught at the edge of water.”
Now the list of what they catch and eat is a long list. Pardon me. If you have a friendly “buddy” like an anhinga you don’t have to catch you just have to eat.
Thanks John Plyley for the interesting photos.
***
I first visited Marcy’s Woods with the late naturalist, Bert Miller, as a ten year old. Years passed and back in the ‘80’s I again made regular visits to this Carolinian gem. I guess that I have made hundreds of trips to the woods. Today I take a Grade Three Class from Ridgeway Public. My brother, Ed, asked me about my last acle and the falling limb scenario. C’mon Plato did you actually have a branch fall down near you just off the trail? As I walk the Lower Trail I see places where trees and branches have fallen probably by the force from fierce winds. One Blue Beech, a large specimen, has been uprooted. Some large trees that have fallen over the trail have had to be cut and pulled off the path. Broken branches hang in various places on the sand ridges. Potential danger. Yes.
Come with me for a walk and I’ll show you some of these natural incidents. In fact I’ll show you the branch that just missed me!
Posted by Earl N Plato at 11:50 AM 0 comments
Friday, May 30, 2008
old times
nature article Earl Plato
Yes, I admit that I am an old story teller. This past Saturday I helped to lead some members of the Niagara Frontier Botanical Society from New York State courtesy of our Bert Miller Nature Club in a walk through Marcy’s Woods. I had asked club director, Dr. Rick Stockton, to help me. Thanks Rick. The weather was perfect and only a few mosquitoes. I am an amateur naturalist so why am I leading? It was a privilege for I always learn something new. These people were very knowledgeable and if you know anything about botanists they are a delight to hear as they try to determine a special species. It was a slow deliberate walk with them and they had asked me to at least show the way along the Upper Trail first and then back along the Lower Trail. At one stop I took the time to tell one of my stories. Those who know me have heard it over the years.
My first car was a blue elderly Dodge sedan and one weekend Tom Behring and I headed out in it to Letchworth State Park. We were both old Boy Scouts and reasonably prepared for a good weekend. Tom was a good swimmer and with goggles and fins did portions of the Genesee River. I prepared something to eat. From an old Coleman Cooler I extracted some good Canadian bacon and in one of my mother’s old cast iron frying pan I fried some bacon. No, I didn’t soak some of the bacon juice with my bread as some of my relatives do. Tom arrived from his swim and appreciated my efforts. Later he made the comment, “Earl, there’s some scouring rush.” I took the greasy frying pan to the growth of scouring rushes and pulled some of these rushes. On the end of each stem was a mound of fine flour-like sandy dust. I recall scrubbing the pan and in a short time I had cleaned the pan and rinsed it in the shallow water of the fast flowing river Our late scoutmaster Ed Hayton had shown us the effective scouring power of Horsetails (Scouring Rush). Every time I lead a group in Marcy’s I tell that same story if I remember. It is a pleasant memory.
Books on the life of Ontario’s pioneers including “Roughing It In The Bush” by Susanah Moodie. refer to the “scouring rushes” were used to clean dirty dishes and particularly intransigent cooking pots.
These plants are members of the unique genus Equisetum hyemale. Its tough greenish stems possesses almost invisible rows of projecting silicon crystal - thus the name scouring rush. If you come with me I’ll demonstrate the cutting power of these crystals by rubbing a stem of this species gently against the flat of your fingernail and I may even tell you my old story.
Our botanists from Buffalo discussed how these plants reproduce. Too technical for me. A characteristic peculiar to these horsetails is their jointed “bamboo-like” stems. I usually, with a little effort, pull a section apart. We used to use a piece of stiff wire to open a section and you then would have a straw that lasted for quite sometime.
Later on in the season a fringe grows out from each stem section. Is this where the name “Horsetails” comes from? Marcy’s Woods has the greatest stand of these unique plants that I know of in the area. Bert Miller took me there as a lad over fifty years ago. Heaven forbid that developers move in and destroy Fort Erie’s natural heritage there. The gracious late Dr. George Marcy intended it for a Nature Reserve forever. Besides I want to keep telling my old story.
Posted by Earl N Plato at 4:30 PM 0 comments
Chukar?
nature article Earl Plato
What a beautiful bird. Ross and Gary Bearss called. They had found this bird. What was it? Earl would know. Not. I made some wild guesses but none seemed to fit. Gary brought the bird in a cage to me. It was quiet and seemed undisturbed. Gary took it in his hand so I could snap it. No problem.
I went to all my bird books and my Peterson computer Multimedia Guide. No luck but found out later it was there. Let me describe it.
Pigeon-size, it was a soft gray-brown colour. What I saw was a clean-cut black necklace. I said, “ Plover family?”. Ross pointed out, “But it has a red beak and red legs!” Its side were boldly barred with black rows. Wow! Gary spread out its rufous coloured tail. Its throat was lightly coloured. Truly a beautiful bird. It remained calm.
The Bearss left and I spent more time researching. No luck. Ross called later. It was a Chukar quail. It was an Asian species. Like our Chinese pheasant it was introduced as a game bird. But where? The Peterson Guide map show its range is in the American West and our British Columbia. How did the Chukar get here? Alberta Clipper? One thing I found out. It eats Russian olives and Ross Bearss has these trees at his Ridge home.
Posted by Earl N Plato at 3:06 PM 0 comments
Nature Calls
Feed the Birds Earl Plato

I heard the rumbles. Feed English sparrows and starlings while our song birds go hungry! My brother, Ed , said a fellow church member of his remarked, “Tell that writer brother of yours that when the bluebirds return I’ll ship up all the sparrows and starlings he wants!” Plato, not much support for my feeding all the birds regardless of size, colour or denomination.
Defence. Remember where I was in the 1980’s. On the farm with lots of feed for all. Remember that if I didn’t feed the sparrows and starlings, where would they end up? - at your feeders in Ridgeway maybe even in Fort Erie!
***
Gone from South Kaobel Road is the old oak tree that once harboured Red-tails and countless Turkey vultures. It stood there for years all alone and now it’s gone. Question. Was it once the custom on farms in the area to plant a sapling in the year in which a family baby was born? Was it usually some large-growing tree, long-lived species that would stand out in the landscape such as an elm, oak or sugar maple?
Farmers out there do you recognize this tree planting custom? Call me at 894-2417 if you have a story to share.
***
Earth lesson? None better than scientist, Bob McDonald of C.B.C.’s Quirks and Quarks. 100 members and friends of the Bert Miller Nature Club were enthralled on December 18 at the Stevensville Conservation Club.
You think that Bob is great on radio you have to experience him in the flesh. He’s a ‘grabber.’ That is he gets your attention right from the start. How much fresh water on earth? Using two of our teenagers, Jessica Winger and Rob Eberly, and a full glass of fresh water, he dramatically showed how much fresh water is actually available. Jessica survived his continual order, “Take a drink, Jessica. Wait a second!”
Bob reminded us that we who live on the periphery of the Great lakes, live near the largest bodies of fresh water in the world. What are we doing to protect and preserve this vital source? Bob is extremely funny but he can be dead serious.
Bob McDonald is a space scientist and with the use of excellent slides he took us around the world, the moon, to Mars, Saturn and unique moons such as Europa. He discussed the effect of gravity and the fact that we really don’t know enough about the phenomenon.
He described a night in Tanzania and the disclosure of the heavens in that part of he world. He mesmerized you with this vivid experience that he had. Are we alone in the universe? The need to have the right criteria for life on this circular ball of stone, earth, is critical. He pointed out that so far the planets and moons are devoid of life.
Bob encourages young people especially “To get outside and experience reality. Think about this world!”
Winter time - clear nights. Dress warmly and step out and look up. Get acquainted with the starry heavens. Why not?
Posted by Earl N Plato at 1:59 PM 0 comments
Thursday, May 29, 2008
The Wood duck
Sad but True Earl Plato
\A beautiful, crested multicoloured small duck that
reappeared in Marcy Wood pond this spring. Ten years ago a pair nested at the pond area for three consecutive springs. This year just the strikingly male
Wood duck. At Stevensville Conservation Club wood duck boxes were placed near the creek. Hope was to attract a pair. Wood ducks have a habit of nesting in tree cavities. Marcy Woods has a lot of them. This enables tem to breed in areas lacking ground cover. The young leave the nest soon after hatching. I have been told that the parents eject the young unceremoniously. “Time to fly, kids!” Sadly t he Stevensville pond area six wood duckling swam after mother. I monitored the mother and young ones for a few weeks. You know the story. A large snapping turtle took all the little ones. I observed a snapper take one. Audubon Guide says, “Snapping turtles take a heavy toll of them.” I know.
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In Marcy Wood Pond 2008 a Wood duck


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Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Skunk Cabbage


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Monday, May 26, 2008
Martin Time
Nature Calls Earl Plato

It was over fifty years ago that the late Fort Erie naturalist Bert Miller wrote only two words down in his daily log book- Skunk Cabbage. He recorded the location of it on Halloway bay Road and the early spring date. Rob Eberly, president of the Bert Miller Nature Club, has seen that we have saved Bert’s great volume of records. Bert taught me as a youth to keep nature logs and I have over the years. Two words that I recorded in one of my little books were- martins return. the date - April 17th, 1987. Almost to the day our twenty or so Purple martins would return each year to our two large martin houses at the family farm. Amazing. Were they the same migrating colonies each year? I don’t know. Some research tells me that the males arrive first followed within a day or two by the females. Why? It makes sense that the male martins check the sites out first. Purple plumaged? Not really. Look closely, The male is not purple but uniformly blue-black throughout. They appear black from a distance. They have a moderately forked tail. Females are gray to white below. Their upperparts are mixed blue and gray. No purple there either. The late Art Box in Fort Erie sold many a martin house in his day. Art’s structures were such that you could lower them to the ground. You clean out the many nesting sites and prepare it for the martins’ arrival. But, as often happened, English sparrows would take advantage of the empty nesting sections. Art would demonstrate with his martin houses. Lower the house again and clean out the sparrow nests. That usually was enough to discourage any further pirating of the martin house until their mid-April arrival. I love Purple martins. They make a twittering sound as they ready their nests. They catch insects on the fly. This was mosquito country and the avaricious martins did a good job of controlling them at the farm. Interested in bringing martins to your property? Read up the literature on the Internet. Buy a good martin house and hope that the scouts will check yours out. I was told that a pond or body of water must be nearby, Not so. We had no water right there on the farm and we had Purple martins each year. Check out the literature at the library too. Best of all ask someone who has been successful in attracting this delightful member of the swallow family.
Posted by Earl N Plato at 7:04 PM 0 comments
Sunday, May 25, 2008
The Great Gray Problem A Few Years Ago
The Great Gray Nature Is Calling You Earl Plato

From Marcie Jacklin, one of the great ‘birders’ in our Bert Miller Nature Club I quote, “ Migration has taken a turn for the better after that wonderful last weekend.” I have said that I had seen at least 100 Turkey vultures at Beamer’s Point above Grimsby. Marcie reported via her e-mail the following: “ ... viewed hundreds of vultures soaring in from the southeast. They were everywhere, a count of 1400 for the day.” 1400! I am heading for Beamer’s Point again with daughter Diane this week. She’ll make sure that I count correctly. 100 shouldn’t be hard to beat, eh?
***
Readers of my articles may remember my Great Gray owl writeup. The Owl Foundation in Vineland, Ontario has been overwhelmed by the number of Great Gray Owls it has admitted this past year. They have received over 40 Great Grays far over the usual number. Some require immediate surgery and some are so badly injured that they are humanely put down. Others just need a safe place to recover. They will be assessed for their potential early or ultimate release. What a beautiful raptor it is. The Owl Foundation relies almost exclusively on private donations.
Kay McKeever, founder and president , would appreciate financial help with this unprecedented influx of Great Grays. Tax deductible contributions. Write to: The Owl Foundation. RR1 Vineland Station Ontario LOR 2EO View Website: www.theowlfoundation.ca
***
The Friendship Trail in Fort Erie is open again. Reports from frequent walkers such as Keith Bailey of Crescent park report seeing many birds and a Bald eagle. This could be the same eagle reported in the same area the past month. All three sightings were in the same general area.
Have the eagles finally landed? Tim Seburn of the Bert Miller Nature Club reported a pair of Bald eagles building a nest on the northeast corner of Navy Island. Elaine and I went to the Chippawa area and set up the bird scope. There appears to be a nest on the east side (facing New York State) of this uninhabited Canadian Island. We hope so. Have you seen any ‘Balds’ lately? Birds that is.
Posted by Earl N Plato at 5:30 PM 0 comments
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Point Abino Ontario
Nature is calling Earl Plato

It’s another great weather day on Monday in May at Point Abino. As a Federation of Ontario naturalist I enter through the gates and head for Brown Road. What a change in a week wild plant-wise.
Again I am solo. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy companionship but I am in a private setting. I pull off the end of the road and this time I take my bird glasses and my new walking stick. It’s after nine o’clock as I ramble westwards down the Bert Miller Nature Trail. As I go I remove small and large branches until I reach a large fallen ash. I sit down and listen. “Purdy, Purdy, Purdy.” Bird heaven. Ahead Dutchman’s breeches , wild leeks, trout lily. and bloodroot - all in blossom this day.
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Trout Lily Point Abino


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Lake George NY and snakes
Nature Calls Earl Plato

Is Lake George, New York State, the Queen of American Lakes ? I believe it is. The 32 mile long lake is fed by mammoth underground springs. It includes 108 miles of shoreline and about 300 islands. Now an island here could be a few square yards of rock peaking out on the surface. Or one we passed by on our steamship, Mohican, that was over a mile long. It was a state owned island with plenty of places to dock and camp for $17 a day. We were at Lake George for two days in late September. The last time we were headed there was September 11th, 2001! You know what happened then. We headed home pronto but with the desire to see this gem of a lake once again. This time in late September it was perfect weather. The deciduous trees were at about 40% of their full Fall foliage colour. Yes, there were some brilliant reds appearing in the maples. Alas, the amusement park with our old Crystal Beach Comet coaster ride was closed for the season. However, Lake George area is truly a “gem” in many ways.
***
As we passed slowly by the mile long state park island on Lake George the captain told us that campers there should wear high boots. Why? Timber rattlers exist there! Garter snakes galore and Red bellies too? I think so. I have walked and climbed the hills and mountains in the Adirondack region over the years, I have seen both Timber rattlesnakes and the Redbelly snakes. However, the last time I saw a Redbelly locally was on an upward path in our own Shorthills Provincial Park. Ernie Giles stopped Debbie and I. “Look there’s a Redbelly.” Only about a foot long it is a beautiful little snake. Ernie turned the snake over and there was a brick-red belly separated from the sides by small black spots. I had thought that it was just another Garter snake as its back was a dark brown. Not so. Ernie pointed to three yellow spots on its neck like a necklace. It had a white throat. Most attractive. Turn your garter snake over, eh. You may have a non-venomous Red belly! Ernie, the consummate naturalist, said, “Smell this, Earl.” It was a mild musky odour that Red bellies exude when threatened. Be curious in nature.
Posted by Earl N Plato at 7:00 PM 0 comments
They're Back!
Big Bird by Earl Plato

Think big. In that great little pocket of Carolinian Canada, Marcy Woods, pileated woodpeckers were seen and heard.
When? This second week in May, 2008. Have you ever heard the “Cuk-cuk-cuk-cuk” of this our largest woodpecker or its loud tapping sounds? “Rat-a-tat-tat-tat.”
I have taped their calls and drillings in Marcy Woods in past years. They love the Yellow birch as shown by the big cavities that they have chiselled out. See photo below. Yellow birch trees flourish here. Unlike our white paper birch the yellows live several decades more. Walk the Lower Trail and off to your north you will see these good sized trees with their buttery coloured curled back strips of bark.
Posted by Earl N Plato at 5:56 AM 0 comments
Pileated woodpecker Wendy Booth


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Thursday, May 22, 2008
Marcy Pond


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Marcy Oh Marcy Woods
Nature Calls Earl Plato
We were away heading west to Lake Huron. No one told me about the Review article. C’mon Plato, that’s your excuse? Truly, I missed the piece about Marcy Woods. I assume friends thought I knew. In the article Mr. Dino DiCienzo Sr. is standing before the Marcy cabin. I recently received a copy of that September piece from a reader of my nature column. Review reporter, Corey Larocque, has a good write-up for many reasons. I now have hope. John Lessle, nature photographer from Buffalo, called the other day.
John is a wiry 86 year old. He asked, “Earl, how about chances of walking Marcy Woods this spring?” I told him that the new owners have ‘no trespassing signs’ at the Marcy farm. This is understandable.
However, good news from the new owners, the DiCienzos, for us nature lovers. Their mandate is that if visitors respect the Woods as nature lovers they are welcome there for hiking. No farm entry anymore but access through the regular entrance at the Kennels will be possible. That’s all I ask for John and me and other nature lovers. Thanks for the opportunity to visit an old friend, Marcy Woods, with an old American friend. The “Marcy Legacy” lives on. Thank you Mr. DiCienzo.
Posted by Earl N Plato at 5:25 PM 0 comments
I'm no beaver!


Posted by Earl N Plato at 4:57 PM 0 comments
I Don't Give a Dam.
NATURE CALLS Earl Plato
This recent call from a Niagara Falls reader confirmed again that there are beavers on the loose in Niagara. “On the Welland River near the S.P.C.A. there are beavers felling trees.” Over the past several years we have had beavers sighted in rural east Port Colborne and at Point Abino in Fort Erie. Our national emblem is trying to reestablish itself again. This was great beaver country once and after the decimation of the Attiwandarons (Neutral) indians in the 1600’s our Niagara peninsula remained a great beaver hunting ground for the Seneca Iroquois, Thanks to Tim Tiner in his Wild Woods Guide for the following background on the beaver, builder of dams and fortunes. “Mad as a hatter!” What does that have to do with our beaver, Castor canadensis? Read on. Europeans came regularly to Canada for the cod but it was the beaver that beckoned them into our interior. With the European beaver becoming virtually extinct visiting vessels tapped into a luxury market in beaver pelts. Local natives were only too happy to trade for metal tools and implements. Europeans in the upper classes craved broad hats made of beaver pelts, BUT! Mercury was used to separate the fur from the longer guard hairs and to break it down to felt. Sadly the poisonous mercury caused mental deterioration among the ungloved hatmakers. The expression “mad as a hatter,” became associated with the beaver pelt industry. A sad price to pay for fashion. eh?
***
Eagles and more eagles. The American Bald eagle is attempting to return to Niagara. Rick Stockton, vice - president of the Bert Miller Nature Club, saw a pair out in Lake Erie off Thunder Bay recently. He also cited the fact that a pair were working on a nest on Strawberry Island. One was carrying a large branch to an old cormorant nest! I know where those old double crested cormorants nested. Let’s hope that they settle down on this tiny island just north of Fort Erie. This past Saturday I set up my bird scope on the river bank across from the island. Bob Summerville, local birder, pulled up behind us and we both looked for the birds and any signs of nest activities. No luck this day. If we are fortunate it will be the first eagles’ nest on this top end of the Niagara River since 1940. What a wonderful sight to behold. Keep birding.
Posted by Earl N Plato at 4:54 PM 0 comments
A small wee bird BUT
Bell- Hummingbird.08 Earl Plato

“Faster than a speeding bullet.” We are on our way to rural Wainfleet this late April day, 2008 to see our daughter, Son-in-law, and two grandsons AND the Ruby-throated hummingbirds.
The Stokes ask the question - “What is it about hummingbirds that we humans find so fascinating?” Each year at the O’Brien’s we watch these delightful little guys flit about the feeders. I believe that their tiny size is the main reason. The Ruby-throated weighs only a tenth of an ounce and measures 3 and ¾ inches ( 9 cm). As they hover near the feeder you see their sparkling jewel-like plumage.
Grandson Lucas netted one trapped in the garage. It was flying into the walls trying to escape. “So small, grandpa. It played dead but when I opened the net it flew away.” I enjoy watching the antics of these miniscule songbirds.
Watch the hummingbirds that come to your yard. Wife, Elaine, is buying a hummingbird feeder for our back deck. There is still much to be learned about their behaviour. What are the patterns about their relations between male and female, adults of he same sex, and adults and young? Hummingbirds are very aggressive around their food sources. Wild times at the O’Brien feeders, I know. You will see much chasing and displaying, sometimes even directed at humans! The Ruby-throated hummingbird nest is the size of a thimble. Amazing world we live in, eh.
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A small wee bird BUT
Bell- Hummingbird.08 Earl Plato

“Faster than a speeding bullet.” We are on our way to rural Wainfleet this late April day, 2008 to see our daughter, Son-in-law, and two grandsons AND the Ruby-throated hummingbirds.
The Stokes ask the question - “What is it about hummingbirds that we humans find so fascinating?” Each year at the O’Brien’s we watch these delightful little guys flit about the feeders. I believe that their tiny size is the main reason. The Ruby-throated weighs only a tenth of an ounce and measures 3 and ¾ inches ( 9 cm). As they hover near the feeder you see their sparkling jewel-like plumage.
Grandson Lucas netted one trapped in the garage. It was flying into the walls trying to escape. “So small, grandpa. It played dead but when I opened the net it flew away.” I enjoy watching the antics of these miniscule songbirds.
Watch the hummingbirds that come to your yard. Wife, Elaine, is buying a hummingbird feeder for our back deck. There is still much to be learned about their behaviour. What are the patterns about their relations between male and female, adults of he same sex, and adults and young? Hummingbirds are very aggressive around their food sources. Wild times at the O’Brien feeders, I know. You will see much chasing and displaying, sometimes even directed at humans! The Ruby-throated hummingbird nest is the size of a thimble. Amazing world we live in, eh.
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Sharpshinned Hawk


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Go For It!
Bell 11.08 Earl Plato\

A Retiree Goes to Hawk Mountain

When retirement comes you should have a plan for enjoying each day the Lord has given you. I know enjoyment comes in many forms. Some retired people I know find joys some days visiting the sick in their homes or hospitals. That’s great. Some play a round of golf with their friends. Many retirees I know just like to take a good walk. Be active. Be useful while you can.
I was on a hawk watch. I planned to visit famous Hawk Mountain in north eastern Pennsylvania. This raptor sanctuary is both remote but accessible. We drove a divided highway most of the way. We drove in rain and arrived in rain. My computer oriented weather forecast had let me down. Torrential downpour. The weather was lousy, with waves of torrential rain pelting Hawk Mountain. Take it easy. There’s always tomorrow. We headed to Reading for the night. It was about twenty miles south. We came back to the sanctuary next day as the sun burst through. We had come all this way to see hawks. We went to the outdoor theatre where two park rangers gave us a hawk and owl lessons. They had two permanently damaged birds. The first was a nine year old red-tiled hawk The second was a Great horned owl. All of us asked many questions of the two knowledgeable rangers. It was a worthwhile experience. Then the rains came again, Head for the center, eh. The center had various dioramas and well presented. Both Ed and I bought Hawk mountain caps, We paid our $3.00 for the climb. The monies were used to run the sanctuary/\Note: Years ago Hawk Mountain was a place where target shooters would come in the fall to kill thousands and thousands of migrating hawks. It was a wanton slaughter! Not now. The land is posted and well-guarded by the park rangers We didn’t minding paying the fee. Yes three of us had good climbing boots. I had my Shenandoah walking staff , however, this time because of the slippery rocks it as more of a detriment. Most of the people we met on the arduous climb were hawk watcher enthusiasts. We read the trail markers. I decided to take the short trail to the North Lookout. Mistake! It was a bad move. Huge twenty foot high boulders confronted us. The next half hour was spent climbing this tortuous path. Finally we reached the other side. Here the trail was much easier. We rested. It was misty and visibility poor. There were about ten of us gathered there on the top of Hawk Mountain. Poor day we saw and heard a pair of sharp-shinned hawks. That was it. The rains returned and we headed for the woods and the downward path. A great place but with terrible weather for we three Canadians.
Lesson learned. Call or e-mail ahead to determine good weather times. Elaine and I are planning a return in the Fall of 08.
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Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tough Guys Mute Swans in Fort Erie?
Bell21.08
Bad Guys in Fort Erie? By Earl Plato
The photo below shows two beautiful swans. Right?
Looks can be deceiving. Look closely at the swans. See the prominent black knob at the base of the orange bill. You have mute swans. These guys were introduced from Europe. When? I don’t know. These guys are tough when it comes to nesting. Beware of Cygnus color when they are breeding. A pair will defend the nest and young against all comers. Case in point. A pair of breeding mallard try to establish a nesting site by mutes. No way. The inoffensive mallards are driven harshly away. Humans too look out. They can use their powerful wings and strong bills to inflict some damage. I have been struck by the wings of domestic geese. It hurts. Mute swans have a much powerful hitting force. Mute swans are extremely handsome birds I admit, however, their less than friendly social skills are not admired. Marcy Jacklin, bird expert from Brock University tells us that Fot Erie has been lucky. Trumpeter and Tundra swans are welcome on our waters. We have been blessed with large numbers these past years. Thankfully only a few mute swans. Look again at the photo, eh.
Posted by Earl N Plato at 4:58 AM 0 comments
Mute Swans photo by Donna Duplax


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Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Ginkgo
Bell17.08 Gingko by Earl Plato
It’s good to have friends contact you by e-mail or by snail mail. Cynthia Skinner is one of those friends who supplies me with newspaper nature articles. Cynthia works the winter in Arkansas as a nurse. Soon she will return to her Sherkston, Ontario home. I will meet her at the next Bert Miller Nature Club meeting and thank her. One of her articles clipped from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette caught my eye. It was about that primitive Ginkgo tree. I had viewed this unique tree at Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia, PA. It was a huge tree well over 100 years old. On returning home I was told about the Gingko tree east of the parking lot at the historic MacFarlane House on the Niagara Parkway. I know the tree and its unusual leaf, This is the tree of the dinosaur age. (Ginkgo biloba) has few close elatives. We are told that they are deciduous that grow to 100 feet or more. Gingko trees in China are reported to be several centuries old! I have a pressed ginkgo leaf. It is a triangular, fan-shaped leaf with prominent veins running the length of the leaf. You know I like the colour yellow in nature. Visit he MacFarlane house this fall. Want a striking fall colour effect? The gingko leaves turn to a beautiful golden yellow.
Note: The fleshy yellow fruit produced on female ginkgo trees are stinky. Naturalist friend Ernie said they are reminiscent of fresh “dog poop.” However, each fruit produces a big (supposedly) edible seed.
Gingko trees - look for them in Niagara.
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Sunday, May 18, 2008
Good Sense, eh!
Senses Earl Plato

My smelling sense is okay. For me it’s eyesight. I need to be with some one who has good eyesight. They sight the bird and then I have a little time to focus on it. We have the Hooded warbler on the Upper Trail at Marcy Woods. My hearing is good and I have taped the call of the Hooded warbler. It’s a loud song that’s whistled - “weeta-wee-tee-o” Listen for a metallic “Chink, chink” too as it forages. I am trying to see it this weekend. Do you have good eyesight? It has a black hood and bib and a bright yellow face. I hope to see one but I may need help.
***
Rediscovered in 2006! Thanks to the University of Guelph Field Naturalists at Marcy Woods this past Saturday. We had just met owner Dino Di Cienzo who greeted us on the Lower Trail. As we walked along I told Kevin Butt, the Guelph botanist, about the Wild Ginger plant. When I was ten or so my father and I went with naturalist Bert Miller to Niagara Glen. Bert had a plan for the Woods. He removed a number of these plants. That same day we went to Abino Woods ( it was known then as Marcy Woods) and transplanted them around a large maple tree on the Lower Trail east of the cabin. There they grew for years. Lift up the heart-shaped leaves of this low lying plant and find a curious purple-brown flower. Since I have returned to Marcy Woods I couldn’t find the Wild Ginger. Thanks to Peter Foebel, a past President of the Bert Miller Nature Club, who told me recently, “Earl, they’re still there near the stump.” We stood at the huge overturned maple stump when Kevin of Guelph Field naturalists called to me. “Here they are at the back of the stump!” One of the lady naturalists found some others of them while walking up to the cabin. It’s too early for the flowers yet but a great rediscovery for plant lovers of the Woods. Be excited about nature offerings.
Writer’s note: The root has a strong ginger-like odour. Don’t dig up this rare plant or an plant on this private protected property! In the old days the late Fort Erie naturalist Bert Miller told us that when the root was cooked with brown sugar it was used by the early settlers as a confectionary. By itself it could be used as a substitute for ginger. Ginger bread cookies comes to mind. How are your taste buds?
Note: Rob Eberly, Ridgeway naturalist, has a fine growth of Wild Ginger growing at his place, Very Impressive.
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Friday, May 16, 2008
Marcy Beach winter time


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Marcy Beach


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Marcy Beach 2008
The scene above is that of the shoreline of the Marcy Woods property. The photo is deceiving. Why? The absence of trees. Dr. George Marcy and friends planted more than 10,000 trees over the years. While other beach landowners paid thousands to build rock barriers the good doctor did it naturally. Visit the property today in 2008 and see a wide, beautiful beach. East and west from the property you see narrow beaches in front of the huge stone man made walls. Thank you Dr. Marcy.
Posted by Earl N Plato at 1:33 PM 0 comments
Thursday, May 15, 2008
The 'Rock"
Newfoundland 2006 Earl Plato
Fraser Churchill born and aised in Newfondland was glad that my wife, Elaine, made it to the “Rock.” “When are you going back? He asked recently this may. Here’s an article I wrote for he Niagara Falls Rev1ew last year.
We were told that there were no snakes or skunks in Newfoundland. During our ten days in Newfoundland we saw no road kill. Yes, they have raccoons and squirrels. We saw twelve moose mainly on the west side of the province. Most of these giant animals were in the wetlands. We saw a few near the only highway in the area. There were signs to warn us of moose crossing areas. Our big Denure tour bus meeting a bull moose circa 2,000 lb. would be quite a collision. At Twillingate in the north at the local lighthouse point we saw several Humpback whales as they jetted their sprays into the air. These are huge mammals as I found out later. At Grand Falls we visited the giant salmon ladder. The Atlantic salmon are raised there and when large enough climb the man-made ladder to reach the upper reaches of the Exploits River where they spawn. You can see these fish up close through a glassed in area. Salmon and cod were on the menu all over the island. Excellent eating. On to St. John’s where I went on a whale watching hunt on a catamaran. All ready cancelled the day before because of stormy weather we braved the elements the next day. After all we had come this far to see whales up close. I normally can take care of boat motion, however, I took a Gravol and it worked. Several people were seasick as the boat plunged into the rolling waves. Then a mother Humpback and her young came into sight. A marvellous view as they dove and emerged. The mother whale blowing her jet of water. Four dolphins passed by us as we headed for Puffin island. Hundreds of Kittiwakes and thousands of Puffins were seen and smelled. The ammonia from their droppings assailed our nostrils as we neared the cliffs. Countless nesting holes on the cliff side held these colourful Puffins called “Sea parrots.” A rare sighting of a Northern Phalarope was shown to me by one of the boatmen. As I viewed it with my binoculars he said, “That’s a female phalarope. They’re the colourful one. Brighter than the male. He’s the one who incubates the eggs,” as he chuckled. Was he kidding me? Not so. Check it out. The “Rock” is a great place to visit. However, we saw only one lonely iceberg. Plenty of flora and fauna though.
Posted by Earl N Plato at 4:36 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Mr. "Eagle" man Bob Chambers
Bell18.08 Earl Plato

He’s gone. Mr. ‘Eagle’ is gone. Bob Chambers passed away
suddenly in May, 2008. Gone is a man who knew the presence of the Bald eagle locally as well as anyone I knew. Whether it be eagles on Navy Island or an eerie on the Grand River near Dunnville Bob would investigate their presence. Even after being confined to a wheelchair he used the internet to keep informed. Many of us in the Bert Miller Nature Club will miss him. He was an amazing man. Bob would dedicate himself completely to a project. Bob was intimately involved in the Peregrine falcon Watch at Niagara Falls a few years ago. He spent countless hours there. A very good photographer he gave me some great shots of the parents and young of the resident falcons.
Lesson learned. If you or I suffer some debilitating illness take stock from Bob. With good wife Emma he was able to carry on a productive life. You were always greeted with a warm welcome from him. The big man was ever learning about nature. He designed the Bert Miller Club badge with the Palliated woodpecker drawn by him. This beautiful bird was sighted back in Marcy Woods this spring. I wanted to call Bob with the news. Sadly too late. His pastor at his funeral gave a wonderful overview of his life. One great man, Bob Chambers, and we will miss him.
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Monday, May 12, 2008
American Toad Amour


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Toads and More Toads
Toads and More Toads Bell20.08 by Earl Plato

Amphibian Voice spring newsletter has a little article I would like to share. It is by Donna Speers. It evokes memories of our local vernal ponds next to the C.N.R. tracks just off Garrison Road. I reproduce just part of the story.
Mr. and Mrs. Toad swam around our pond and decided it would be a suitable place to live. They produced a never-ending string of eggs that draped over the stones, amonst the potted bulrushes and around the entire pond. Then Mrs. Toad, having done her part, hopped up the cedar ramp and into the garden with Mr. Toad still clinging tightly. He was about half her size. Mr. Toad returned to the pond alone and with the other male songsters began to sing. Their chorus rang throughout the neighbourhood and they sang us to sleep each night. They were comical to watch. If one of the males plopped into the water another would jump on its back to mate thinking it was a new female entering the pond. The male on the bottom would emit a release call. The two males quickly separated and headed in opposite directions. They would also jostle for the best spot on the log. There they would belt out one song after another to no avail as the one and only female had already left the yard.
Within days of the males leaving the pond was black with wiggling tadpoles. Over the next two weeks the tadpoles began to transform. It seemed that in no time they had developed their back legs shortly followed by their front legs. Soon there were tiny toads measuring about half an inch in lenght hopping everywhere, To me they were a miracle. I tried to imagine what it would be like to be that small with nothing to guide you but your instincts. Remember possible dangers were lurking at every hop.
Thanks Donna for conjuring up some vivid memories.
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Saturday, May 10, 2008
Sparrow hawk - Kestrel falcon


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The Kestrel Falcon
Bell19.08 by Earl Plato

J inherited an old Peterson Field Guide. The Sparrow hawk was given the name American kestrel by Roger Tory Peterson. So this little article is about one of my favourite falcons, the kestrel. Gerry Rising, nature writer for the Buffalo News, shared the following this past Sunday. “The kestrel is indeed a tiny hawk. It is even smaller than a robin’s ten inches.” On the way to Welland from Ridgeway I see the kestrels perched on telephone lines on South Kaobel road. Rising says that the way they perch that you can mistake them for mourning doves. See one up close and you can’t miss their beauty. Both males and females are very attractive. They both have bright rufous backs and tails. Both have boldly patterned heads. There are vertical gray lines on each side of the eyes. Kestrels hover 30 to 40 feet high over an open field looking for its prey in the grass. As a falcon it is designed for fast flight. Unlike accipiters such as the Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks their wings are sharply pointed. All falcons dash about in a great hurry. Accipiters usually flap and glide. Remember the kestrel’s former name? As a carnivore its diet in spring and summer are grasshoppers, dragonflies, lizards, mice and voles. In late fall and winter they will feed on small mammals and yes, mostly sparrows. A pair of kestrels communicate with high pitched screams of “killy-killy-killy”. I am told that it is similar to killdeer calls. Look for this great little bird this year. Think small, eh.
Posted by Earl N Plato at 3:05 PM 0 comments
The Eagle Man
Bell18.08 Earl Plato

He’s gone. Mr. ‘Eagle’ is gone. Bob Chambers passed away
Suddenly at his home in May, 2008. Gone is a man who knew the presence of the Bald eagle locally as well as anyone I know. Whether it be eagles on Navy Island or an eerie on the Grand River near Dunnville Bob would investigate their presence. Even after being confined to a wheelchair he used the internet to keep informed. Many of us in the Bert Miller Nature Club will miss him. He was an amazing man. Bob would dedicate himself completely to a project. Bob was intimately involved in the Peregrine falcon Watch at Niagara Falls a few years ago. He spent countless hours there. A very good photographer he gave me some great shots of the parents and young of the resident falcons.
Lesson learned. If you or I suffer some debilitating illness take stock from Bob. With good wife Emma he was able to carry on a productive life. You were always greeted with a warm welcome from him. The big man was ever learning about nature. He designed the Bert Miller Club badge with the Palliated woodpecker drawn by him. This beautiful bird was sighted back in Marcy Woods this spring. I wanted to call Bob with the news. Sadly too late. His pastor at his funeral gave a wonderful overview of his life. One great man, Bob Chambers, and we will miss him.
Posted by Earl N Plato at 11:09 AM 0 comments
Thursday, May 8, 2008
The Dells
Lost Canyon - Wisconsin Dells Earl Plato
The two percherons were a great team as we emerged from Lost Canyon at the Dells in Wisconsin. Our driver was David a veteran of eight years who was very knowledgeable. He knew the history of this unique place. He said that each layer of strata took up to a thousand years to form. Countless layers towered on either side as we wended our way through narrow passageways. Eastern hemlock appeared to be the main coniferous trees. We saw various large ferns such as the Common and Sensitive and a few towering Ostrich ferns. I asked David, “ Any Maidenhairs?” He smiled and said, “Just around the corner.” There they were. This was fern heaven for those who like ferns as there were many more to see. Cool and pleasant in the canyons on the July summer day of 2007.
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Gold Thread
What a joy to be back in Marcy Woods this spring of 2008. Some years ago daughter ,
Allison Kells rediscovered the little plant , Goldthread. Great naturalist, Ernie Giles, had shown it to me near the beginning of the Marcy Woods trails. Gently he parted the lower area of the plant revealing a golden threaded stem. 24 carat? Guess what? Allison rediscovered again the Goldthread this spring in the same area we
had first seen it. It’s a member of he Buttercup family. Ernie shared the following back then: - the natives and early colonists chewed the golden stem/root to relieve mouth sores hence the name Canker-root. Look it up. Enjoy nature this spring.
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Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Gone Forever


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Witch's Broom Again, eh
Witch’s Broom Earl Plato

My wife and I saw the movie ‘Harry Potter.’ Did you see enough broomsticks to last your life? This article is about a natural anomaly. It is called the ‘Witch’s Broom’ and it lives in the Ridgeway and vicinity. Former area naturalist and scientist Ernie Giles, first introduced me to the ‘Witch’s Broom.’ Guess where? At the entrance of the Lower Trail at Marcy Woods there is a tall hemlock on your left. Look up high and you will see a large sphere shaped growth. It’s not a natural growth but an anomaly. Ernie the scientist said something like this. “ A Witch’s Broom is a crowded mass of abnormal branching.” What we had there up in the hemlock were dwarfed little hemlocks. Ernie said that the Japanese cultivate miniature trees through a botanical art called Bonsai. What we had here was an unnatural occurrence.
I have walked this same route in Marcy Woods countless times. I always look up at the Witch’s Broom. Those who have accompanied me know I usually never fail to mention the anomaly. Nature is interesting.
What brings about these thick, lush rapidly growing formations on hemlocks, pines and other evergreens? A Buffalo botanist once told us at the site that there are different theories as to the source of Witch’s Broom. He felt that a virus disturbs the hormonal balance in an elongating bud. The virus stunts the buds growth and generates many lateral (side) branches. The Marcy hemlock holds this dense clump of growth. My photos of the Marcy site didn’t show the “broom” too well.
***
Bad news. In late April, 2008 the Eastern Hemlock containing the Marcy Woods Witch’s broom was cut down by the local Canadian
Niagara Power Company. New poles needed our tree was in the way.
Sad. The tree was over 100 years. We counted the annular rings of the stump.
***
Rob Eberly, local naturalist, took me to the Thunder bay site of a Witch’s Broom. Rob travels the area through his work and is on the lookout for these anomalies. Go to the Internet for further knowledge. I typed in ‘Witch’s Broom Virus.’ In a scientific dissertation we read that infectious forms of Witch’s Broom is caused by a virus. Enough said. Look up WAU Abstract no.219
Posted by Earl N Plato at 8:24 PM 0 comments
Monday, May 5, 2008
Yank! Yank!
Nature Sketch by Earl Plato

Red-breasted nuthatch
White versus red! On the Sherkston farm we were visited regularly by the White-breasted Nuthatches. They are delightful birds to watch as they travel up and head down the pine trunks. They land on the suet ball and have a feed. Chickadees are usually around too. Not a bad combination to have at your feeder. Open your door and you hear the “Hank! Hank! Hank! of the nuthatches and the “Chick-adee-dee of the chickadees. However, this little piece is about another nuthatch, the Red-breasted.
I can truthfully say that my sketch was posed for time after time the bird came to the suet feeder. The owner had taken a dead branch of a maple and fastened it to the house. He used it as a perching place. There was the bird just on the other side of the patio glass. I drew and I was able to complete the sketch in a short time.
Where was I? I was at Emmaus House on the southwest shores of the Lake of Bays nestled in a pine forest. The House is an Anglican sanctuary for the tired and ill. It’s a beautiful concept that the church supports and we enjoyed our restful week there as guests of a friend.
We slid the patio door back one afternoon and heard and now an almost familiar call. “Yank! Yank! Yank!” The Red-breasted seemed to be scolding us. ( Is that an American “Yank?” ) I say its call is a little higher pitched than his southern neighbour. This spring of 2008 keep watching out for our songbirds. It’s a great hobby.
Posted by Earl N Plato at 6:51 AM 0 comments
Out of action for a while
Did I see the Grand Canyon with three of my daughters
And a son-in-law back in April? No! I ended in a Las Vegas
hospital that first night with double pneumonia. No canyon
But my good Canadian insurance coverage had me flown home
By private jet. Nurses at Sunrise Medical Center were great.
Feeling fine now. Trilliums at marcy Woods are blossoming.
Great sight. Earl Plato May 4, 2008
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Sunday, May 4, 2008
It Otter Be
nature article Earl Plato

This reprint is one a few winters ago that embarassed me. A good lesson in nature is “Don’t assume you know it all.”
“There are two people in nature I hold in the highest regard. One is the late Bert Miller and the other is Ernie Giles formerly of Fort Erie but now from the Lake of Bays. Ernie called the other day. Could they stop in for a while. “You and Marlene come for lunch.” They did. I could show them Stepanie’s photos of the otter. I did. Otter? They both said, “That’s not an otter, Earl.” They proceeded to show me why. It’s a wild MINK! “ But Stephanie, who lives on the Niagara Boulevard, said that it was so playful like an otter. She was able to approach it Can you get that close to a wild mink? Yes, was the answer. I remembered that I had an Audubon Mammal book. We looked up River otter and mink. There was the proof. The mink is much smaller. The shape of the head was conclusive as we looked at the photos. Marlene and Ernie just looked at me as if to say, “Earl, give it up.”
As Ernie and Marlene left after a good lunch and fellowship the electricians arrived. Just as the two men were to leave I said to the one, “What do you think this is? “ Looks like mink. I’m from Port Severn my mother lives in Honey Harbour. She has wild mink there. They play around just like otters. The otters are much larger than this guy.”
Any one see a River otter on the Niagara, give me a call.eh.. ***
Posted by Earl N Plato at 6:06 PM 0 comments
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A small wee bird BUT
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About Me
Earl N Plato
I am a long time writer of nature and local history for area newspapers. This is my attempt to share some of my love of Fort Erie and the Niagara Peninsula and its history.
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