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.