Wolfe Island Ferry Ride in December

It was bitterly cold this day, Dec. 31st, but the water and skies were an incredible blue! I don't mind the cold, the quick changes in weather are unsettling, however, for all of us, flora and fauna, including the land. I've done yard duty at -20 C. and one simply dresses for it.
We were very lucky on our trip. Well, as an amateur photographer (I've actually sold one photo!),

Luck = Preparation + Opportunity!

I prepared for our Snowy owl, charged batteries, grabbed the tripod, brought warm clothes, did research on owl-spotting (with help from the pros!), grabbed a grounds crew (mostly moral support!) and we hunted that birdie down.

• Wolfe Island videos: Canada Geese and the ferry ride
• Wolfe Island - what an interesting spot!
• Skywatching on Wolfe Island
• It's all very exciting, owl watching!
• We did it! An owl!

The ominous clouds gathered all day, off to the west. You can see them in the final photos. The first photos were of the trip over to the island, the final ones were from the trip back, showing the ice forming from boat wash and wind.

Gillian GPS thought we were walking on water! The blue skies changed from that, to amazing clouds, bringing in the big storm that hit us the next day. The final photo shows the car covered in ice! I imagine people were worried about the impending storm as we drove north from the ferry across rural roads!


These are from the return trip. We'd arrived on the 10:30 a.m. ferry and caught the 2:30 ferry back.

Wolfe Island videos: Canada Geese and the ferry ride

Wolfe Isl Ferry => Kingston from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
What a wind there was. Our car was covered in wash from the lake water. It froze before it hit the car and didn't melt. We kept the wipers going for the 20-minute trip.

I cannot explain how bitter the wind. It was -5 C., but the winds were whipping us and the birds.
Canada Geese on Lake Ontario from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
They are gathering on the lake: Canada Geese on Lake Ontario Dec. 31st, 2014

Wolfe Island - what an interesting spot!

Donna, an historian

Joe and I decided to go to Wolfe Island to spot some owls, and since they'd lived there for 4 years, we asked if they'd like to go!  The ferry ride was amazing. The skies were wonderful. Such blue, blue skies at first. We had lunch in the pub. I loved the signage. Of course, Donna and Norma knew a lot of the people there! Hubby had his first Shirley Temple!

Off we went to pick up our friends. They live in Kingston. Married 25 years, they are a precious Donna wrote a book about Rene Caisse, a famous Muskoka nurse who treated cancer patients successfully and fought the medical community.

couple, managing various health issues. They are busy, active in the historical society, Donna is a retired librarian and researcher. They knew my late mother, Donna worked with her, and sang in the Elderberries – a Muskoka choir, and were great friends.

A feature of Wolfe Island is the Wolfe Island Wind Project, a wind farm developed by Canadian Hydro Developers and now owned and operated by TransAlta. The 197.8 MW wind plant consists of 86 wind turbines, which have been in commercial operation since June 26, 2009.This is currently the second largest turbine project in Canada.

We visited them in Kingston

There are a lot of bad feelings from the Wind Farm, with farmers permitting this use of their land. I find them reassuring, that they are harnessing the winds for clean energy. There was a home being built, and they knew there were these machines. It was harder for our friends, since they endured the trucks and the damage to their roads, crowded ferries to and from Kingston -with trucks and workers. I rather like them, but I know I'm in the minority.

It is a small island, and the bakery and restaurants were mostly closed. They depend upon tourists for their income, and it was a cold, bitter ferry ride Dec. 31st. There are several beef farms, and a small town, Marysville. It is a popular place for people to bike, and many birds migrate across it, with wide open roads and startling views.

We visited the cemetery, and drove from one end of the island to another. The largest of the Thousand Islands,  Ontario -124 km², there are many birds. With a population of 1400, people must take the ferry to and from Kingston. Some people don't even have cars, hopping onto the ferry to go to work downtown.

Skywatching on Wolfe Island

The day after: Lake Effect Snow!

We took a wonderful trip to the island to owl watch. The skies were amazing. We've not had many days with blue skies in a couple of weeks.

The sky was a brilliant blue when we arrived from the ferry. The winds picked up in the afternoon, and a storm was on the way.

The winds were picking up as we finished our trip. They pick up moisture from the Great Lakes (Lake Effect Snow), which are not yet frozen over. Of course, what goes up, must come down.

Skywatch Meme

Friend Donna jokingly suggested that they knew where we could stay if we were stuck there! Or we could stay with them in Kingston!
Our car iced over in the water splashing (video is here). The four of us laughed so hard. It was a wonderful trip!

History of Wolfe Island

Written by Mrs. James Hawkins, 1967

Wolfe Island, located directly opposite the City of Kingston, forms a natural boundary between Canadian and United States shores, at the entrance to the St. Lawrence River. The island is some twenty miles in length and ranges from one to seven miles in breadth; a fertile Island of over 30,000 acres in area. It is the largest of the famed “Thousand Islands”. It divides the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario and has the Canal Channel on the south. It might well be called the gateway to the Seaway.