Crumbly Acres Crocus

The trailcam watching the dock has been fun. So far, a hawk, and some people and a cat doing Walkies.

Caitlin and Jean-Luc were doing a pond visit on the weekend!

Spring flowers! 

I cleaned the goldfish tank. I had a helper. He had a drink of water when he leapt up onto the tank top.

The birds are slowly migrating back here to Ontario. I've seen so many birds returning: Phoebe is quite noticeable. Lots are calling for mating season. 

I saw 6 hens and a Tom turkey in full mating mode. They strut and are so funny. This is an archive from 13 years ago! I was downstairs and spotted them.

 

Looking out of the bathroom window, I spotted two hermit thrush. This is an archive photo, since by the time I would have fetched the camera, they were gone.

Hermit Thrush

Summer Solstice!

It's exciting. The news is full of Summer Solstice events. It is National Indigenous People's Day in Canada. There are pow wows on, and ceremonies in Ottawa, but we expect rain here. I don't think we're up to a drive to Ottawa, either. 

We've been playing Wordle, my daughter and grandies. Sometimes I get stuck and throw it out to JB! We've a family Messages link and post our results, cheering one another on. We do Canuckle, as well, but it ends on Canada Day. All of us love Math, and we've added Nerdle to the mix. 

Monday morning, garbage out at 6. Cinnamon and I did Walkies after that. It was cold, 10 C., and still there were bugs – but not many. Of course, the hermit thrush I spotted was happy with the bug situation. Again, archive photo from another Cat Walkies. I realized I hadn't reinserted the SD Card back into the camera! I kicked myself and then laughed.

They seem to be in abundance, the bugs, I wonder why. The trees are producing a lot of pollen, after the stress of the Spongy Moth infestation last year, but I've not idea why the bugs are bad. It's late for blackflies, but I'm still getting some awful bites. They are teeny, and you don't feel them land. I smucked one on my arm with great glee as I refilled the water fountain. They are teeny little bugs with a merciless bite that hives up on me later and is terribly itchy. 

Poor JB walked into the room and stated, "Houston, we have a problem!" Uh oh, one thinks. Now what? He thought there was cat poop in the office. It was just throw up, and the lower half of a deermouse. Whew! He's reading his book on cat behaviour, called Purr, and it has been interesting. 

The Yucca plant is throwing up a stalk. It is getting tall. The other stalk on another plant had its top lopped off with the eavestrough installation. Some blooms were saved. 

The orchid cactus likes the front porch. It gets afternoon sunshine.

My planter at the side of the house. Out front, white petunia. I don't know why I bought white. I like the purples! There is a Sweet Potato vine in the middle, plus the highlight, the pink plant. I cannot remember what it is! Peeking out from the far side is the Lantana.

Now, if I were as skilled as AC, I'd be able to use Photoshop to merge these two photos of my Lantana in the planter. In the first photo the fight side is in focus, the second has the left in focus. Still, eye candy!

Out back, our lone doe wandered by again. I was sitting reading, and I noticed her from the back deck.

doe daytime June 14 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Who goes there?

On a trek down to the trailcams, I spotted two Swainson's Thrush. I only managed to capture video of the one. They aren't singing the way they did in spring.

They will soon migrate. The bug eaters leave us as the bugs disappear. They eat berries and bugs, both of which are fast disappearing.


One landed on the water fountain, once-upon-a-time.

We've got hermit thrushes, as well.

We've still got robins. They may or may not migrate. One year we had a baker's dozen overwinter. It depends upon the severity of the winter.

About 20 seconds in, she hears something and momma stand up to see. It was so funny. You can see the eyes in the background. This is why they survive with coyotes in the forest. Their major threat is truly cars. They move across the highway in our large habitat.

Saturday's Critters # 305

Recent videos: milkweed, Hermit thrush

Milkweed

I recently participated in the Milkweed Watch citizen science site, by reporting milkweed sightings. We've had so many little trips, I'd seen a lot. I don't think I need convince anyone why we need to watch for them. Happily, we have thousands of plants here, and many more in fields and ditches nearby. I think they must be more scarce in other parts of our province, and Canada and in the US, but we had a ton of Monarchs this year! The migration map is interesting.

Hermit Thrush

These are so difficult to photograph! I guess that's why they call them Hermit Thrush! We have a healthy population in our forest, these are from 2013, and 2012, respectively.

You can see why they are difficult to pin down, they just bop all over the place! This is down the hill, across the meadow and into the forest, just before the wetland. They are adorable, and will soon leave. For now, the insects are plentiful. They look for bugs in the leaves.
Perfect camouflage, too!
Mostly, you can hear a ticked off red squirrel in the forest. It chose not to sing.
"The Hermit Thrush’s beautiful, haunting song begins with a sustained whistle and ends with softer, echo-like tones, described as oh, holy holy, ah, purity purity eeh, sweetly sweetly. "
Hermit thrush from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Men fined $53,000 for damaging snake habitat

Can you imagine?

A hermit thrush who lives on the edge of the wetland.
I spotted it last spring.

Mankind's true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it. 
-Milan Kundera, novelist, playwright, and poet (b.1929) 

I often read the Ontario MNR News Releases. It isn't amusing and it is shocking. People with no respect for a wetland, or the critters that inhabit it.

• $30,000 Fine For Importing Live Asian Carp (Dec 20, 2012) (pdf)
• Multi-Agency Investigation Leads to $70,000 Fine and Jail Time for Selling Snakehead (Nov 14, 2012) (pdf)   [Photo 1]  [Photo 2]  [Photo 3]
• Fines and Forfeitures For Transport and Possession of Illegally Killed Muskox (Sep 4, 2012) (pdf)
• Hamilton Company Fined For Illegal Development In Niagara Escarpment Wetland (Aug 23, 2012) (pdf)
• Fine And Court Order Issued For Dredging Shore Lands (Aug 15, 2012) (pdf)
• Sudbury Man Ordered To Pay Suppression Costs For Careless Burning (Jul 6, 2012) (pdf)
• $50,000 Fine For Importing Live Asian Carp (Jun 22, 2012) (pdf)
• $3,900 In Fines For Illegal Moose Hunting (May 15, 2012) (pdf)

pond puppy

There are many who violate not only common sense laws of the land, but the specific details. Thing is, the latest report is of these people sentenced in Parry Sound, but they live in south west Ontario. That is a distance of more than 460km (285 m)!

This latest report is of a pair who apply for a work permit in 2010 in spring, to build a trail across Crown Land. They are denied the permit. The reason is that this land contains an endangered species, including the eastern fox snake. They are endangered because they are similar to rattle snakes, and people feel obliged to kill those. The thing is, there aren't just snakes, but many critters the snakes keep in check.

baby watersnake

They go ahead anyway, and on July 8th rent a backhoe and begin. The MNR issues a stop work order July 9th, which they violated. Back they were, July 12th they were reported and caught having done work all weekend. The fines are substantial. How dare they? An enormous lack of understanding of habitat, the importance of ecosystems, and the cycle and the balance of life.

 Paul VanErp, of Bothwell, Ontario, and Kyle VanDeven, of

rattlesnake

Kerwood, Ontario, were convicted and fined a total of $53,000 for offenses under the Endangered Species Act and the Public Lands Act.


From CottageCountry.ca
Justice of the Peace Diane Lafleur heard the case in the Ontario Court of Justice in Parry Sound on October 22, 2012.

The fines for VanErp:

• $20,000 for damaging endangered species habitat
• $8,000 for constructing a trail on Crown land without a permit



red snake

• $5,000 for violating a stop work order. 

The fine for VanDeven:

• $12,000 for damaging endangered species habitat
• $4,000 for constructing a trail on Crown land
• $4,000 for violating a stop work order. 

dock spider

Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf and take an insect view of its plain. 
-Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and author (1817-1862)

garter snake

To report a natural resources violation call 1-877-TIPS-MNR (847-7667) toll-free any time or contacting your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).