Memories of E.T.Seton - Naturalist

Wild Animals I have Known - Ernest Thompson Seton

Ernest Thompson Seton- Not SO!
Our centre of attention tonight - a great nature writer was actually named Ernest Seton Thompson. What gives?

BORN - August 14, 1860 at South Shields near Durham England
His father was very strict. There were 14 children
Ernest like the other siblings had to stand at attention. “He was like a Roman Emperor
I was punished many times.”
His mother made the difference; she was joyful, giving and so gentle and caring.
Ernest love his mother very much
NEW LAND In 1866 they emigrated to Canada.
It was a long boat trip. “All T remember were RATS!” now 6 years old.
His father had bought 100 acres of land in backwoods Ontario near Lindsay. He soon loved nature and said he wanted to be a naturalist even back then.
TEACHER - The log cabin school was a mile away through the woods. Ernest loved his teacher.
Miss Agnes O’Leary, who was but 16 years old.
She read from many books -one especially Polar Sea by the explorer Franklin affected him. Tears rolled down his face while others in the class thrilled to the idea of a hunt. Ernest remembered only the death of the noble, old mother bear.
For almost five years he had woods nothing but woods - he ands one of his brothers built a log cabin. He loved nature more and more.
TORONTO - His father an accountant had a new job in Toronto - so at the age of ten he found a new setting - the Don Valley. he loved the location - Lake Ontario - gulls - ravines and many songbirds - school this time, however, was different.
SQUINTY - They made fun of him at nis new school. It was big school but none of his brothers were in his class. “When I was four in England I was riding “horsey”on a high sofa. I fell on my head. I saw two two mothers and two clocks and two of everything!” My eyes became badly crossed and I had to squint. I was called “Squinty.”
ARTIST - Despite my eyesight I still continued to love books a favourite was my father’s Pictorial Book of Nature. I started sketching - flowers, birds and animals. Then I heard about Ross’s Birds of Canada. I wanted a copy. I saved my money until I had a dollar . I walked into the big book store and purchased my prized book. I was inspired to draw more.
DON VALLEY - At he age of 13 I built my own cabin in the valley. It was my favourite place toget away. I did more art - mostly nature but also city buildings and people. All the time I wanted to be a naturalist. I talked with my mother about my anbitions. My father overheard and said, “NO! You will become an artist!”
ART SCHOOL - “I won a gold medal at the Ontario School of Art and won a scholarship to study art in England.” He went to England but his father gave him little help. He studied at the Royal Academy of Art but was very lonely and almost destitute. He learned more skills but after the scholarship was over he returned home as a 21 year old. He felt like a failure to his father who had kept a list of all the money and things he had given to Ernest. His father demanded to be paid back in full for his support. His mother welcomed him back and continued to believe in his dreams.
Now back in Ontario he had no job. To him all wildlife was interesting - especially birds. “I will become a naturalist.” With his mother’s blessing he headed west to Manitoba. It was a happy time for Ernest. “I explored across the vast prairie - learning more and more. My poor health was over and for the next two years I was blessed with increasing strength. I had my books, my birds and animals, and my dreams.”
JOB & SUCCESS - Oficially appointed naturalist
for the government of Manitoba. He drew more and more - sold sketches and drawings - did well. paid his father in full ion return visit to Toronto. He missed his mother very much but returned west to his job.
In defference to her he changed his surname to his mothers. Born Ernest Seton Thompson he now became ERNEST THOMPSON SETON.
FAME 7 FORTUNE - He was invited to New Mexico by the United States government to write four volumes - Life History of North American Animals. He was now writing short stories and novels about wildlife and was getting widespread
fame. We will share with you a few excerpts from his most famous book, Wild Animals I Have Known. Here in 2008 it is still being reprinted.

Yellow. Like it?

Yellow-Mother Nature’s Favorite Color by Earl Plato

This article is dedicated to the color yellow. On our way home
from the Fort Erie Friendship Festival we saw two groups of yellow flowering plants. The first group were on both sides of Dominion Road. I knew what they were - Birdsfoot Trefoil. You will find them on the roadsides of Greater Fort Erie from June to August. They are an attractive low-lying plants. The leaves are clover-like an the flowers are an alien species from Europe. I had asked former area naturalist, Ernie Giles, about their name Ernie said, “ Examine one and you will see the slender pod base arrangement suggests a bird foot.” “What about trefoil? I enquired. The word means ‘Three parts.” Ernie again, “Look at the leaves.” I replied, “there are five not three! However, there are three clover-like leaves hence three and two more at the base. Check Peterson’s Flower Guide book and you see what we mean. Look for them this year. The second yellow plants on the byways of the rural part of town was the Golden ragwort but that’s another story.

The "Butcher"!

I have not see many shrikes in my birding life but I know that they are endangered. The Internet bird hotline tells me that they ( Northern shrike) are very rare in Ontario. As a Bert Miller follower as a youth I learned to appreciate not only flora but fauna too. Bert was a great birder. I told him of the cache of grasshoppers, beetles and even a field mouse impaled on thorns on a bush near our nearby C.N.R, rail line. Bert said to me, “Look fot the masked butcher, Earl.” Back then we called this bird the “Butcher” shrike. I did and saw the robin-sized bird more than once as it returned to its food storage site. Years passed - no shrikes in Fort Erie until recently when the birder hotline said that they were returning to Niagara. Great! That is when in the Saturday Star, Bob’s Aaron’s article caught my wife, Elaine’s eye, and she saved me the interesting piece.

Marcy Woods

The Bridge Earl P;ato

“Like a bridge over troubled waters...” The Marcy Woods bridge is not over water but it crosses a deep ravine. Years ago Dr. Marcy had the bridge built for those friends and relatives who visited the Marcy log cabin. Many of us remember crossing the bridge in recent years as the structure declined. Finally a decision was made - remove the bridge.
In a solo amazing feat Ray Willwerth of the Bert Miller Nature Club with some help dismantled the weakened structure. Ray was able to secure some solid cedar lumber and his single handed effort began. Look at the photo. In a few weeks, I believe, a new bridge - strong and solid evolved. It was now a bridge to nature adventures. Kudos to bridge builder - Ray Willwerth.
Once you cross over the bridge you are at the Marcy Cabin built in 1927 by local builders under the direction of Dr. George Marcy’s father. In 1931 Elizabeth and George Marcy had their honeymoon in this historic cabin. What a beautiful setting.
Oh that the powers that be see fit to preserve this cabin and Marcy’s Woods for nature lovers. Many of us know that was the wish of Dr. George and Elizabeth Marcy. No more troubled waters, eh? Let it be so.

Marcy Cabin porch - a place to rest

 

An Unusual Mammal

It flies? No it glides Earl Plato
I don’t know if they believed me. I had just described my sighting many years ago of a Southern flying squirrel at the entrance to Marcy Woods. The Special Needs Class of St.Paul’s High School and some parents and helpers listened to my oft repeated spiel. We stopped at the site of our sighting. “One early morning Ray Willwerth and I saw a southern flying squirrel glide from the high top of that spruce tree over there. It sailed several feet and landed over there at the top of another spruce. I knew what I saw for I had seen flying squirrels before. The word is ‘glide’ not ‘fly.’ The Ministry of Natural Resources did a study of Marcy Woods and found at least three pairs of these unique squirrels there. They are mainly nocturnal creatures so it’s as an unusual sight.” What do you know about this Carolinian mammal?
Not much you say. You need to be in the woods at night and luckily your flashlight will reveal the large bright shining black eyes of this miniscule squirrel. It is a very small squirrel with a silky fur coat. The ones I saw were grayish-brown on top and white underneath. It has a fkattened gra-brown tail. Think small. Length from 7 3/4 inches (198 mm) to 10 1/8 inches (255 mm.). Shagbark Trail enthusiasts listen. They like shagbark hickory, beech and maple trees. Let’s import some of these attractive squirrels, eh.?

Carolinian Canada

Carolinian Fort Erie-a unique habitat. What does it mean - Carolinian?
It comes from name for the geographical location where Southern Ontario plunges southward latitude-wise. From Point Pelee in the west to Fort Erie in the east there is band of land bordering Lake Erie where the climate is generally warmer and the winters not so severe. Here plants and animals that normally thrive in North and South Carolina can live here. Hence the term Carolinian Canada

Killdeers

Alison Bell2 When Nature Calls by Earl Plato

Mr. “K“ that‘s whom I call Ken Benner of Sunset Drive, Fort Erie.
Why “K”? Since 1980 Ken has had a love affair with Killdeers.
In the area behind his house killdeers have nested each year until recently. On the driveway to his large storage barns Mr. K. would find various circles of stones and often there were four pale buff spotted eggs nestled on a bed of sparsely lined grass. On bare stone too? Yes. You know the scenario, eh. The adult killdeer feigns injury. Hobbling along with wings dragging as if badly wounded it leads the predator away from its nest. Time and time again Ken saw the killdeers’ reactions. An amazing sight to see every year. Not so in 2007 but maybe in 2008. Ken wants to hear that familiar call, “Kill-DEEE, Kill-DEE repeated over and over this year. This robin-sized plover loves open country. Ken Benner has plenty of open space. However, we learn that one of the top 10 decreasing bird species in Ontario in 2007 we our Killdeer? Sorry Mr. K. What are some reasons for the decline in killdeer numbers? E-mail me at: plato1@cogeco.ca if you wish to share reasons for the dramatic decline in numbers. Thanks.
***
The January 30th Ontario Bird Count Report show some not so surprising news about the increase in our bird populations. Name three species that have greatly increased in numbers. Yes, Canada goose, Wild turkey, and Turkey vulture. I agree. Another bird in increasing numbers is our American friend, the American Bald Eagle. I have seen them in greater numbers in Fort Erie in recent years. A beautiful eagle landed in a tree on our Niagara Parkway across from Grand Island. We stopped and had a good look. They have been seen at Erie Beach and the Lake Erie shore line. See one and you won’t soon forget this huge raptor.

Gene Muma

Gene Muma Earl Plato

I miss Gene Muma. To many of us from the Bert Miller Nature Club he was “Mr. Navy Island.” Many of us had travelled with him and his dog, Buddy, to the island. This March day Elaine and I parked opposite the island at the Ussher Creek parking lot. We used our binoculars and scanned the north end for Bald eagles. No luck this day. The MNR nest platform was discernible but no tell tale big branches were on it. Bob Chambers and other bird enthusiasts have seen as many as five of these giant birds fly around the island. Bob told us that a pair he saw were a likely couple. One was large and one was somewhat smaller. Female Bald eagles are always larger than their mate. A likely pair to nest? Let’s hope they’ll nest on Navy Island.
We both miss Gene. Elaine took out from our freezer the last four bags of elderberries for some of her great pies. Those berries came from Gene’s backyard bushes. Gene was always sharing something. We all have good memories of this remarkable man.
Writer’s Note: In a previous article some time ago I suggested naming the north end of Navy Island - Muma’s Point. Wrong!
It should have been - the SOUTH end! Remember Gene? Yes, every time you who knew Gene drive the scenic Niagara Parkway and approach Navy Island and its southern end it would be fitting to say, “ There’s Muma Point.”
***
Already planning trips for this spring and summer. Ontario bound again. We have gone from Lake Huron’s shores to eastern Ontario and then north to the Ottawa River and west to Algonquin Park. This year Bon Echo Park and Boncherre Caves are two places I have somehow missed. Hopefully we shall visit both places.
Every four or five years I return to Wye Marsh and walk the trails. In 1998 we saw the Trumpeter swans and their young posing for us. Probably we will return again this year to Wye. Why not? This past winter we saw upwards of 200 Trumpeters and Whistlers (Tundra( on the Niagara River and at Point Abino Bay. Beautiful, graceful birds their mellow, rich bugling calls resemble that of the Canada geese.
Here at Wye they’re silent. I think I know why. The times I have heard them they are flying overhead and coming in for a landing.
If you haven’t been to Wye marsh near Midland try and make it this year. For nature lovers the centre and trails are worth the trip.
***

Fooled

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 Stephanie’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.. ***

Martins

NN2305martins 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 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.

Ernest Thompson Seton

Ernest Thompson Seton in Canada from England - They made fun of him at nis new school in Toronto. It was such a big school that none of his brothers were in his class. “When I was four in England I was riding “horsey”on a high sofa. I fell on my head. I saw two two mothers and two clocks and two of everything!” My eyes became badly crossed and I had to squint. I was called “Squinty.” Despite his eyesight he still continued to love books. A favourite was his father’s Pictorial Book of Nature. He started sketching - flowers, birds and animals. Then he heard about Ross’s Birds of Canada. Ernest wanted a copy and saved his money until he had a dollar . He walked into the big book store and purchased his prized book. He was inspired to draw more. “At the age of 13 I built my own cabin in the Don Valley. It was my favourite place toget away. I did more art - mostly nature but also city buildings and people. All the time I wanted to be a naturalist. I talked with my mother about my anbitions. My father overheard and said, “NO! You will become an artist!” At Art school he won a gold medal at the Ontario School of Art and won a scholarship to study art in England. He went to England but his father gave him little help. He studied at the Royal Academy of Art but was very lonely and almost destitute. He learned more skills but after the scholarship was over he returned home as a 21 year old. He felt like a failure to his father who had kept a list of all the money and things he had given to Ernest. His father demanded to be paid back in full for his support. His mother welcomed him back and continued to believe in his dreams. Now back in Ontario he had no job. To him all wildlife was interesting - especially birds. “I will become a naturalist.” With his mother’s blessing he headed west to Manitoba. It was a happy time for Ernest. “I explored across the vast prairie - learning more and more. My poor health was over and for the next two years I was blessed with increasing strength. I had my books, my birds and animals, and my dreams.” Ernest was oficially appointed naturalist for the government of Manitoba. He drew more and more - sold sketches and drawings - did well. paid his father in full ion return visit to Toronto. He missed his mother very much but returned west to his job.
In defference to her he changed his surname to his mothers. Born Ernest Seton Thompson he now became ERNEST THOMPSON SETON. He was invited to New Mexico by the United States government to write four volumes - Life History of North American Animals. He was now writing short stories and novels about wildlife and was getting widespread fame. His most famous book, Wild Animals I Have Known, is still being reprinted in 2008.. Check it out, eh.

Northern Lights and Fort Erie's Bald Eagle

Natalie Earl Plato
Received word from cousin’s daughter, Natalie Plato, government scientist at Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Not quite what I expected. Natalie apologized that as my northern reporter she didn’t have time to send me a nature report. Instead she sent a recent copy of Canada’s Arctic Journal, Above & Beyond.
Many topics caught my eye but one in particular, “Nature’s Light Show.” From her home base in Yellowknife Natalie has spectacular views of the Northern Lights.
While in Algonquin Park in late summer in past years we have seen the shows of Aurora Borealis. Spectacular flashes and rays in the night sky from the North was a sight to see. The sounds of the Wolf Howl was great too. Cathy Olsen writing in Above & Beyond, shares some observations from Yellowknife. These descriptions of the Northern Lights below are not what we southerners think as Northern Lights.

“ Far North in the night sky a faint glow appears
on the horizon. Green and red flames of light
stretch across the sky. A glowing curtain of
light forms waving and swirling above you.
As the light fade away the dark night closes
over you once again.” Mish Denlinger
The incredible beauty of nature’s light show has captured the imagination of many cultures and folklore is rich with explanations for the Aurora Borealis. A 17th century scientist named the Northern lights - Aurora for the Roman goddess of the dawn and Borealis - for the Latin meaning of “North”. Olsen says, “Yellowknife’s location makes it the most popular area on earth for those who want to experience the thrill of the full Aurora Borealis.” That I didn’t know.
The “fuel” for the Northern lights comes from high-energy particles carried by the sun’s solar winds traveling to earth at a speed of about a million miles per hour. Olsen says, “ When they reach the earth, 40 hours after leaving the sun, the particles are deflected by our planet’s magnetic field toward the polar regions.”
I have written back to Natalie Plato, who had spent some weeks in Antarctica last year, and asked her about “Southern” Lights of the Aurora borealis. I hope she will reply.
Cathy Olsen ends her article with, “ It is estimated that fewer than five per cent of the people on earth have seen the magnificent colours of the Aurora Borealis.”
To see the real thing for us southeners it looks as if we have to head north of the Arctic Circle, eh.
***
A call from Joan Fonfara the other day. “Earl, we have a Bald eagle resting in a tree out front. Ferd and Joan Fonfara live on the Lake Erie waterfront off Prospect Point Road in Ridgeway. I grabbed my new spotting scope and headed for the Fonfaras and a chance to see an eagle.
They were waiting for me and we headed down the hill to their front yard. There perched about 20 feet up in a tree a coup;e of hundred feet to our west was the eagle. “ Everything went quiet when it arrived”, said Joan. “ The Canada geese and mallards were well aware of his presence.”
I set up my new scope. Not securely and the scope fell! Ferd picked it up from its landing in the snow but I reattached it properly. Focus on the brown coloured bird for it was a young eagle not yet mature to be dressed in adult white. Joan mentioned that it takes up to five years for Bald eagles to gain their full white plumage. Remember that the word “Bald” comes from the old English word “balde” that means “White.”
As a novice bird spotter I realized that I had not turned the magnification up in power. When I did the bird of course appeared much larger. We all agreed that there were flecks of white on some of the huge bird’s plumage. A few minutes later he took off and headed west. Where was he going? One thing we knew - the eagle had landed in Fort Erie!

Two Great Birds

NN1105cedarwaxwings Earl Plato

We saw some Cedar waxwings at Marcy Woods . Beautiful as the woods were now my thoughts turned to Algonquin Park. I can’t help it. I love the Park as many of you do. As we were walking in one of the side trails off the main highway waxwings passed through and some stopped for us to see. Do you know the story of Cedar waxwings? Jim Mountjoy of Algonquin Park shares this, “... the waxy feather tips of Cedar waxwings are the red badge of age, usually being well developed in birds that are two years of age or more. The matings of waxwings is not done randomly. Older, waxy winged birds mate with a similarly endowed birds, leaving the younger waxwings, inexperienced birds, to flounder along with each other as best they can. No doubt our older human males with their distinctive gray hair will be quick to see the justice here - “... the lesson is of course that the badge of age is also the badge of maturity and competence.” What about us guys who are going balder?
***
In the recent January, 2005 magazine Birder’s World there was a photo of a Golden eagle, one of my most favourite raptor. The article entitled Where to Watch Golden Eagles tells of more and more Goldens taking an eastern route south during migration. Yes, at Hawk Mountain in central Pennsylvania is a place I have visited both physically and on line. Golden eagles, those magnificent birds , are coming east. At Cummings Nature Park near Rochester, New York and at the Simcoe Fair I was up close to tethered Golden eagles. You can find out from the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary website when these great birds return. The best time slots are mid-October and all of November. You can print out a daily record of the raptors returning and plan a trip. Just a warning the ascent to the top is rugged. It’s there you can best view the myriads of migrating raptors. Want an eagle fix? Plan for it.

The Little Nasty Ones

Black Flies bell.08 by Earl Plato

Yes, we are heading back to the Algonquin Park area
f or a week. Actually we are at Doe lake north of Huntsville. My question - “Will there be black flies there? I hope not. I have many bad memories of black fly bites. We will bring our Deep Woods Off with a strong portion of Deet in it. Our trip will be at the end of July and hopefully the end of the black fly season. No longer a northern fisherman but just a curious naturalist I investigated the life history of the infamous black fly. We stayed a week on he west entrance to Algonquin Park. I had been to the .
Park Centre earlier that week and asked a Park ranger about the life cycle of black flies. “Go to Whiskey Run creek and see them emerging from the iteswater. The mature flies lay their eggs on the bottom of this fast flowing stream only a few miles from our cabins. I did alone and wended my way down the twisting trail to Whiskey Run waterway. The eggs had developed to the grown stage and popped out of the water. Black flies all around me. Tens and tens of them kept emerging. I as there at the right time! Amazing! What adhesive had these eggs must have to stay attached to the bottom of this swift flowing stream. The ranger had given me a booklet about the life cycle of this nasty little insect. I can’t find it this July day but you know what we’ll head into the great Centre and pick up another one. Yes, no bites on me. I was prepared this time. Curiosity satisfied for now.

 

One Bad Fly!

 

Ruby throat by Wendy Booth

 

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet

Bell- Hummingbird.08 Earl Plato

“Faster than a speeding bullet.” We are on our way to rural Wainfleet this late June day, 2008 to see our daughter, Son-in-law, and two grandsons AND the Ruby-throated hummingbirds. The Stokes, bird experts, 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.

***
On the Friendship Trail
Canada Day, July 1st. A great sunny day. I visit 6 mile creek bi-weekly. Why? I am a turtle fan. Eastern mud turtles ply their way under the trial bridge. Then later the snapping turtles. As usual I parked on the shoulder of Centralia Avenue and walked the short distance to the creek bridge. In that half hour 11 adult cyclists. One man and his baby in a stroller, two walkers, 6 skateboarders, and two boys on little bikes passed by me. 23 users in that short time. I went from one side of the bridge to the other looking for any signs of turtles. No luck. Plato, look out! Two speed cyclist, a male and female, whizzed by me. No warning bell or word! I watched them as they approached Centralia Avenue. Cars hurt. Cars can kill cyclists. No slowing down as they sped on. My Canada Day words. Cyclists on our trail let walkers know that you are coming and respect road crossing signs! Use our great trail wisely.

Nordic Time

NN1604 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 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.

 

 

Chip Time

 

Chpmunk Time

Chipmunk Time Earl Plato

Elaine’s Aunt Ivy Williams from Bristol, U.k. stayed at our Sherkston farm some years ago. She had heard about our chipmunks and wanted to hear their chipping. Though she stayed a week she hardly ever saw or heard our farm chipmunks. We saw only a quick appearing and disappearing form and the loud familiar chipping we heard not at all.
Why I asked myself. After she left the striped rodents were all around the barn and the garage once again, As a nature nut I wondered why.
Here’s my observations that naturalist writer Ed Teale seems to confirm. When visitors come and when new forms, new clothes, unrecognized strangers arrive the wild creatures around the farm draw back. We noticed that they became less evident, more wary and more secretive. On those several years around this old farm chipmunks, rabbits and birds came to know us, We are part of their environment.
My observation that these wild creatures appeared to consider us harmless. Yet they never came too close for they need to maintain a margin for their continued survival. Yes, I fed our birds regularly but never the rabbits or chipmunks less they become too used to us. They live in an unstable world that can suddenly turn hostile. They are on their own as the Creator intended them to be.
After Aunt Ivy left to go back to England I was able to sketch one of our chipmunks. He posed for me.

Betsey3 Earl Plato

Some years ago 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.
As of February, 2008 our 100 year old hemlock with the Witch’s Broom was cut down by the local power company. It was in he way of a new line! No one asked he owners! Sad.
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Branson Bound

BransonTrip Earl Plato

Extras on a bus trip holiday means to me finding some nature connections. On a Farr bus trip to Branson, Missouri our bus driver took us on a side trip to a State Fish Hatchery on the outskirts. Our driver had been there before and told me there was an interesting Nature Center on the location. It really was and I met the Ranger and spent over a good half hour learning about Missouri’s flora and fauna. I was given several booklets that were well presented. I still had time to see the fingerlings and full grown Brown trout. Looking for nature elements on a bus trip is usually one of my goals.
This Branson side trip was inspired by my questioning our bus driver about a dead snake. First off the bus I said, “That’s a young Diamond Back.” The driver agreed as he took a branch and threw the snake, three rattles and all to the left of the bus before we unloaded. “There’s a good nature center down there,” as he pointed to the large building below. “ They have a serpentarium in there.” “No need to tell the women and snake fearers,” he said. I still have those excellent full coloured booklets. It was a great side trip.
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I really am an Andersen not an Anderson. “En” endings on surnames are usually Danish and Norwegian. “On” endings are usually Swedish. My grandfather came to America in the 1880’s and was asked his name at the immigration office. His reply was, “Andersen.” The officer wrote “Anderson” on his entry certificate and thus “e” became “o.” Anderson my family name would be. This day in July we were in “en” country, Denmark. Here we were, brother Ed and two cousins, in a beautiful country. We had just left the home city of Odense where famed story teller Hans Christian Andersen had worked and lived. We were travelling by Petersen Tours on a well appointed bus. Nature called and we had to stop. Where? You guessed it. It was a nature stop and I was thrilled. We were at the highest point in Denmark. Don’t get excited, This is essentially very flat land. We unloaded at the fabled Forest of Rold. Think of Fonthill topography with its rolling hills only with an abundance of trees covering the area.
“We’ll give you an hour,” the driver called out.





‘As old as a tree in the Forest of Rold ...” thus said an old Danish proverb. To stress the age of something really old in Denmark, one compared it with a tree in the Forest of Rold. I left the others and headed for the forest over the wooden bridge. Any ogres underneath? Old trees? The photo shows no towering trees. I was disappointed but I also knew that Earl can get lost despite his oft repeated belief that he can’t. Birds all around. Sparrows, warblers and the long-tailed Magpie hopped around the open areas. A great break for me. Hey, there was also a small concentration of Purple loosestrife here. The information signs were in several different languages. I taped the following as I read it out. “The Forest of Rold has trees of great age. There are 250-350 year -old stunted beeches in the “Bewitched Wood”.
Could I cross the bridge and head for the old forest? Nature called and I must head back. No one around me at this particular spot on that warm day with a faint nist-like rain falling.
Back at the administrative building I picked up a brochure in English and read about this neat place. There were legends of notorious robbers, cheerful poachers and colourful woodsmen. Where were my compatriots? I stepped out of the Centre and there were Ed, Winnie and Margot. They told me what I had missed. Many famous persons had come to this centre. Queen Margrethe 2nd and Prince Frederick of Denmark. Past Presidents George Bush, Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon wallked these paths and spoke from the platform across the way. Walt Disney, Danny Kaye, and other noted personalities had visited this great setting. We had only an hour but those other lucky visitors who had many more hours probably made it to the wonderful forest setting in “Bewitched Wood.”
Thanks to our bus driver who answered nature’s call that July day for this “nature nut”. Don’t be afraid to ask your bus driver about “nature” stops. You never know what you might experience.

CormorantsBell.08 Earl Plato

Shades of South Koabel Road where Niagara Falls, Welland, and Port Colborne meet. Before the demise of the huge old tree there we would see as many fifty turkey vultures perched on its limbs. Why? After a torrential downpour the birds who lack waterproof feathers have to have them dry out. It’s quite a sight to see them open their five foot wingspread in the sun. The great tree finally died and the vultures departed to other locations. Now in July, 2008 there is another tree with many large birds perched on its limbs. Where? On our own Niagara River in Fort Erie.
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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.

cormorants

 

Cormorants - Niagara River 2008

Cormorants.08 by Earl Plato

Shades of South Kaobel Road Where Niagara Falls, Welland and Port Colborne meet. Before the demise of
the huge old oak tree there we used to see as many as fifty Turkey vultures perched on its limbs. The tree finally died and the vultures departed for other parts. Now in July, 2008 there is another tree and large birds perched on its branches. Where? On our own Niagara River in Fort Erie. A large dead tree at the water’s edge mid morning was home to Double - crested cormorants. Keith and I counted 38 0n the tree as two more approached to land. Canadian cormorants? I don’t think so. Their direction of flight was from the southeast. Definitely Buffalonian residents, eh! What do you know about these gregarious birds? They are large dark, water birds. Look at them, They have long necks and long bodies, The bills are usually hooked at the ends. They nest on the shores of our Great Lakes in spring and summer. They are here to stay. They are not my favourite water bird. They are voracious consumers of our fish both good and bad species. Like the Turkey vulture their feathers are not waterproof. So after a heavy rainfall they head to a large dead tree to perch and dry out. Guess what? Our Canadian dead tree was a temporary respite for those forty Double-crested cormorants. They headed back across the river to he U.S.A. Check them out. With a four foot wingspan they fly well and are great at getting their prey - fish. Don’t stand under their perching trees unless you want to be “whitewashed!”

Photo courtesy of Earl Plato -Niagara River

Just Off The Trail - Did you see the raptors at the Ridge Fest July 5th and 6Th. I was enamoured of the Great Horned owl resting on trainer ……… shoulder. Did you see those great talons on this bird? He’s the largest of North American owls. Magnificent bird with those yellow eyes.
On the Trail - no owls yet but not far away in Ridgway - just a block south - we have a pair of Screech owls and five young fledglings. Keep using our Friendship Trail, eh!