Saturday 31 May 2014

May weather data – tornado season begins

Tick season is here, too!

166 mm this month
~happy gardens!

There have been some terrible storms.

many fronts: 5/22
no drought this year! 5/22
heavy rains and storm warnings near Georgian Bay!
heavy rains5/22
All we had was 16mm - May 9

There are some wise videos explaining what to do in the event of a tornado.

Vancouver's Museum of Anthropology

We visited the Museum of Anthropology, with the wonderful totem poles and other artifacts. The setting, alone, is worth seeing!

Friday 30 May 2014

Deer, Loons and Lady Slippers

My planters have flowers!
Stay away, Bambi!
He has some sort of tumour...
Must be ticks on his face.
Too soon for deer flies

We have a male who trods across the back yard every few days, or at least when I'm out there! They know they are safe here. The poor guy has a growth on his hind quarters. We don't normally see the males. Ours is more a winter yard for the females. The odd time Tigger and his twin brother come by, but usually there is only the one female who hangs out on the property over the summer. I've scared her, standing munching in the frog pond. Scared me, too! They are not tame, by any means.

The ticks are beginning to cause trouble.
I researched it and there are about 850 tick species. Deer tick or black-legged tick; dog or wood tick, but the bottom line is to spot them and remove them. (Easy on the white cats!)

Daisy is the definite winner. Despite Revolution, which doesn't prevent them from latching on anyway. We are vigilant and check them every time we see them indoors. We have a new cat door and they can come and go during the day time. Once, Buster brought in his late field mouse friend, but otherwise it is working well!

They've been much more active.
Daisy - the winner



In other news...our kind neighbours permit me to dock my canoe on a piece of their property. They sculpted out a nice spot. Hubby helped me take it over on the wagon. 
lovely pair
Off I went for a brief canoe ride - heading into the wind. The wind was harsh, and I managed to get up to 4.4 km/hour to get myself around a bend! My arms will be sore. There were a pair of loons in the bay, trying to avoid the cool winds. It was a riot trying to steer the canoe and take their photo. 

The Lady slippers had their brief moment in the sun! We have 5 Lady slipper plants, I was so excited! I'd spotted their leaves last summer, and was determined, despite the black flies and mosquitoes, to grab a photo. Dorah came with me.

Phoebe babies have hatched!

They began May 1st, by May 7th it looks like a cosy nest! It's hard work! The first egg was laid May 12th. They began to hatch May 29th. Two I managed to capture on the video.


All About Birds compares bird eggs
Phoebe laid 5 eggs 


Snake scope videos: A bit wobbly. I'm trying to improve my skills, it is tricky work! It is easier once they are poking their little heads up!

Incubation Period: 15–16 days  and the Nestling Period: 16–20 days


Phoebe May 29 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
We have two babies hatched!

Phoebe eggs from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
Here she is, brave little trooper and fabulous bug eater! She has laid 5 eggs again this year. Firstly, the fabulous home: the shed, then Phoebe with nesting materials in its mouth. Finally, a shot with my Snake Scope! She is so close to the rafters, it's hard to video. Not to mention the 3 million mosquitoes in the shed!

Thursday 29 May 2014

Vancouver trip: Fort Langley

On our way to the wedding, we checked into hotel #2, or tried to, having met Kay at the airport, we drove through to Langley. What to do, while we waited for our 1:30 check-in... We had to wait a bit longer, since I'd asked that our room to be near the kids. We drove out to Fort Langley. It's a well organised spot, with many activities for the kids. Our kids went on the day after the wedding and had a blast! By then, we were home.


This chicken was fascinating. She looks like someone I've seen on TV. What do you think?!