Walkies Part 2

Crumbly Acres Adventures

Here was my post on Walkies Part 1, Cinn and I went down to the frog pond last week after the thaw. Up the hill we went, back up to the backyard for part 2.  Cinnamon wasn't done his walk. 

I wanted to look for the Barred Owl. No sign of her. 

Can you see Cinnamon? They like the fallen logs. They are dry and provide a transportation route across the wetlan.

It was funny. He went across on the lower log. Did his exploration, and then tried to come back on the upper tree. He had to turn around and ended up going back to the other side, and coming around the wetland. 

What is fun is that one year, I was walking Daisy and she roared up this fallen tree. At the time the cedar had live branches. She scared a Barred Owl off this tree. I didn't even see the owl, hidden in the foliage. 

The wetland melts from the outside in. We noticed something in the water during this warm spell. The water was moving along. 

 

Down at another part of the wetland in the back 40, I noticed fishies. I think they are alewives. An invasive species. They were fun to watch, though. This is really icy water.

 

This is the spot where I saw a bear looking for the owlets!

"So, says Bob, go out at dusk and listen for the Barred owl chicks. I heard one chick screaming for food. I heard something else in the forest. Quietly, I prayed it was a deer. I watched, with baited breath. When Junior Bear began to smell me, and look for me (in the trees, you'll note), then cross the wetland, I backed up and startled him. "

I did find the owls another day! This was 2016.

 

Our trek done, we headed back up the hill, past the beautiful moss and lichen on the rocks. 

In the backyard, under the deck, Fisher tracks!

They are elusive, avoid humans, very interesting critters.

Non-mental note: gotta read the mini-manual since I took 921 videos of this scene on the new camera. I think a weed triggered it. I laughed... It's been three days, and I keep forgetting to take new batteries and the (slim) manual with me. 

In the meantime, we had both rain and snow. We are covered with snow, again. It is a lovely, warm blanket. Central Ontario is suffering from Lake Effect Snow, cold winds picking moisture up off the warmish Great Lakes. Some have had 40 - 80 cm. It looks like about 3 or 4 here. 

The deer are out there nibbling at my dead phox and filling their bellies. I see bunny tracks in the snow, as well! I'll have to see if I have a video!

Birds of Wolfe Island

 Things have been weighing heavily on my heart. We decided to go and see some snowy owls.
We left the house about 8:30 to get the 10:30 ferry to the island.

A hawk, was our first find.



Of course, there were hundreds of geese and ducks. As we ate lunch, they took off en masse. Then, when were leaving on the ferry, they did a fly by. Stretching their wings, perhaps. I didn't have the energy to get out of the car and film them.


There were a few swans.


This is my favourite photo, the water looks so soft. The mallards came in close for me.


I am having a difficult time zooming in and focusing. The pair of eagles soared in circle over our heads.



This raptor I could see over a field, and it kindly came over us. I'm going with Northern Harrier, on a quick search, How to Identify Hawks , but I'm sure I'll be corrected if that's wrong. It's a distinct pattern.


The shore was a bit chilly. A single gull...


After lunch, a man cleaning up in front of his home near the pub asked if we were birding. I said yes. "Did you see any snowies?"
"No, none." I was ready to go home.
He suggested we try a particular road. He's lived here 60 years, and he knows everyone who lives there. He knew we were from away! Off we went.
In a forest, along the side of the road, some really lousy photos, but you will have to trust me. There were 5 long-eared owls. It was impossible for me to focus quickly enough, but you get the idea. I think I might have to get some long-distance glasses. I've needed them since gr. 4, but the progressive lenses are awful for this kind of thing.

It's been confirmed, on Ontario Owls (FB), that they are Long-eared Owls!


A little further down, a 6th owl.


Those were our finds. We tried, and couldn't get on the 2:30 ferry. It was full. We toured around some more, bought a newspaper, I took some photos of the icy pier, we got onto the 3:30 ferry. Not only am I disappointed, but defeated.
More successful birders can be found here:

Saturday's Critters #260

.

All about owls!

Horned owl
on nest in April, 2012

I did a Book Review: Owls of the U.S. and Canada –previously. There is so much to learn! It wasn't a good resource book, though.

I have a few owl photos of my own, simply a matter of chance and happenstance, for the most part, other than the Snowy owls. (There are some known spots)

I haven't managed to find any owls in 2016, but the year is young. I'm not getting any younger, though! I have avoided the ones, in south Ottawa, where everyone goes. It's just not right, tramping on the fields!
We had a Great horned owl build a nest across the highway in a previous year. I spotted a Barred owl by the frogpond, when on a walk with Daisy, and we had a Saw-whet owl on our front porch (the Sharp-shinned hawk killed it), and a Barred owl was killed by a car. I brought it home, to take photos. [A poor wee feathered body by the side of the road]

Barred owl

Serendipity... looking for Mike Muskrat
I found a barred owl!

Saw-whet

I spotted this information on the Facebook owl group. I asked Jeff if I might use his photo, as I have a hard time remembering the sex of Snowy owls. It is easy to figure it out, if you can remember it! I said I would give a donation to The Owl Foundation, where he volunteers in exchange for using his photo. He kindly said I need not make a donation, but I believe in being fair.

Now, hubby and I have driven miles and miles this year looking for Snowy owls, but in vain. Hopefully, we will see one. There are a couple of places where you are assured to spot them, but that would be easy! The horrible unethical photographers are baiting the owls [like this story], which results in them becoming inured to humans, as well as posing other problems, and that is bad.

Jeff Jones‎, who volunteers at The Owl Foundation...

Snowy owls

The difference in size between a male and female snowy owl is quite large. In this photo we have both a male and female hatch year snowy owl. Notice how much smaller the male (left) is than the female (right) Also notice the bars in the plumage. Both male and female snowy owls are born with bars, with the males bars slowly diminishing with each molt until he is all white, or very close to it. The males chest is much more white as well as his cap, which is a good indication to the probable sex of the owl if you are viewing it in the field. You can also notice how dense the female's bars are in comparison to the males. 

 The female was actually put in this long flight training cage to help the males recovery speed up. With her in there as well we are hoping he will want to try flying to build up some muscle quicker to show off so to speak. With luck I should be driving the male up to Sault St. Marie for release in a couple weeks.

Terrible time in Southeastern Ontario for the Snowy owls

It's been a terrible time in southern Ontario for the Snowy owls. They have been sighted in huge 

Great horned owl in fall

numbers. There is much speculation on why, overpopulation, lack of lemmings in their northern habitat, and the like.

Either way, they are hungry, and are being followed by avid photographers, and getting maimed and killed.

Many are being hit by cars, while being attracted to mice going after food garbage at the side of the road. We get a lot of that in our ditches, despite my effort in picking up the trash.

In the last 2 weeks the Owl Foundation has received the 5 injured snowy owls, one has died. The other 4 are being monitored as they recover from their injuries.
It is such a shame. The foundation takes in 100 per year.


Snowy Owls move in to Ottawa area (Ottawa Citizen article)

Beautiful barred owl, smucked by a car last January

The Snowy Owl irruption arrived in the Ottawa area on Dec. 15, with 25 individuals counted east and west of the city. This is one of our largest southward movements in the past decade.
Food is connected to the movement of these birds. Snowys are irrupting because they had an unusually high amount of breeding success due to food abundance. There aren't enough hunting territories to support the youngsters, who have been pushed south.

Horned owl on nest in April, 2012

A party, a walk to view the owl's nest, wetland walk

Buster and I began the day with walkies in the meadow.

We were waiting for the kids to arrive!

Isabelle turns 2 next weekend. We had an early party in the country.

First, though, we took a walk to see the owl nest. Yup. The most photographed owls in Lanark County! We met a professional photographer, with a HUGE camera lens. She and hubby were watching the crows attack the owls. Momma draws the crows away from the chicks.

We had a chat with the ponies first.
The foal was born in February.

Owl chicks

I love the buds on the trees. Such a bright green!

Buster was keen to check the flicker out.

 

I showed Jofee the flicker's body.

Isabelle turns two next weekend. We had an early celebration at our place! Her cake was finger-lickin' good. She wouldn't let us take it away! "No. My cake!"

 After the party, time for a walk to the wetland island. Bridge building is a gr. 4 curriculum unit, last I looked! I did a video of our gr. 4 bridge work, when I taught a gr. 4/5 class!

She's making a bridge, just like Gramma!

 

Caitlin steadies the girls!

Four girls!
Jofee was lying on the grass