Narrows Lock Birding – Part 3

I decided to chop this trip into three posts. It didn't last all that long, but serendipity being what it is...  As I was watching the common mergansers in their aerial acrobatics, I noticed a weasel run across the road from one side of the lake to the other. That got my attention. I walked over.

I found a long-tailed weasel, Mustela frenata. It ran across the road as I was standing there. It went back across the road from whence it came. 

As I watched it leave, I turned back to the water, and found there was another one! I had my zoom lens on the tripod, and it was tricky, but rewarding. It wasn't as fast as other critters, and was quite curious and/or tolerant of me.

It ran up and down the rocky shoreline.

I watched it capture a frog in the water. It wasn't too worried about me. You can hear the miserably cold wind on the video. I was standing there holding my camera and tripod, and filming with the videocamera. The sun was so bright I could barely see in the viewfinder. I didn't do too badly, after all. 

weasel from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

It decided that was it, and galloped across the highway.

This was the best I could do, as it ran all along the shoreline, behind the blockhouse, around the lock itself, catching the attention of the geese, who were a bit worried.

This one went back to the other shoreline, and skirting the shoreline I followed it from behind the blockhouse to where I was standing on the concrete locks. The geese were a bit worried. I tracked it along the shoreline, dragging my tripod, my zoom lens with me. I looked back but couldn't see it.

Following it, the geese were paying attention. I lost sight of it. 

Again, serendipity, I leaned over looking for it, and noticed some very large fish in the water. Big fish in Big Rideau from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We toodled off home, done for the day. It was a lovely couple of hours, away from news in the sun, and we found lots of critters. I like the thin ice warning. 

There is some snow left, although we had 🌧 20mm of rain overnight, and if we go back it likely has further diminished.

Back in Lanark County...

Vultures have been here for a week or so, migrating back for spring. I spotted several.

As we arrived home, I snagged a photo of our three crows.

It was a great drive in the sunshine. Quite healing. 

• Narrows Lock Birding – Part 1
• Narrows Lock Birding – Part 2

What is with our earth?

Flooding in the east in Canada, specifically New Brunswick, now out west. Turkey has had massive floods, as well. Poor Hawaii, with the lava flows.


New Brunswick had a quick melt of snow, which overwhelmed the rivers, along with much rain.

Devastating flood levels in and around the Greater Saint John area in New Brunswick haven't waned. Water levels are forecast to rise further and some homes are partly submerged.

Nearly 2,000 residents live within recommended evacuation zones:https://t.co/0jG7g8RWIR pic.twitter.com/NfwOIlUiNW

— CBC News (@CBCNews) May 6, 2018

In British Columbia, in the interior, they had fires last year, and this means they are at risk for flooding.

They were burned once and don’t want to be burned again.

Nazko business owners hard hit during B.C.’s record-breaking wildfire season in 2017 have been dealt another blow from Mother Nature, as flooding in the area continues to wreak havoc.

The story: https://t.co/NWzj4W5EJ7

— Neetu Garcha (@NeetuGarcha) May 7, 2018

There was a windstorm on Friday here in Ontario.

Hydro One has every available crew helping to restore power to customers as we enter our fourth day of restoration work. Since the start of the wind storm, Hydro One in partnership with neighbouring utilities has restored power to over 560,000 customers.  

All we had was shingle damage from the windstorm: my initial repair job: A massive windstorm. Back on the roof, I realised I needed to caulk some of the shingles. Some were broken in half, and, while I put the puzzle back together, they weren't sticking together anymore. I sent hubby off where he bought some caulking. My friend, who works in Home Hardware, told him that they ran out of caulk on the weekend, and had to order more in.

It's a nice view from the roof. I had to wait until I could get hubby's attention, as I'd remembered the caulking gun, the caulk, gloves, but forgot a nail to pierce and open the tube.


Then the vultures came around. It was a bit creepy. I imagine they could smell the remains of the grouse 100m away! All that is left of it is a few tail feathers, and its ruff, which is in the garage to show my grandkids.


I killed some time until I heard him in the garage and yelled. He had strict orders not to watch me go up and down the ladder. He makes me nervous. That's the worst part for me. He threw me up a nail.


Roofing from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

They ran out of caulking at the store in Perth on the weekend. I see why. The odd shingles are missing here and there. We have rain today. That will be a fine test.

Vultures, circling overhead!

Here were a few hanging out in Bala, April, 2008. Little did we know that in our new place, they'd be circling.



The photos below were taken after our visit to the sugar shack, a nice sunny walk in spring weather.
With Oliver, our cat being outside, we were just a bit worried. Then, we thought of the poor hobbled deer we'd seen in out backyard. It is nature, her laws reign supreme.