We honour those who served...

Photos from 2010 in Perth, Ontario.

Small communities and large, all hold a ceremony
Bala, Wahta, Ontario, 2008/9

House Sparrows: an invasive species

Yes, they were brought to the Brooklyn, New York, USA, in 1851. They are native to Europe and Asia.

They write of pest species birds, but I find the House Sparrows are precious little critters. They are absent from heavily wooded areas, grasslands, and deserts, preferring to live in the vicinity of humans, most often I see them when we eat outside in city restaurants. They are ubiquitous in our local municipal parks. For an excellent information piece by uCornell, click here.

They compete with house finches, and there are many 'pest' species that compete at feeders: grackles, starlings, pigeons, as well as the house sparrow. The more aggressive birds take it out on the less aggressive. I have noticed the chickadees being harassed by the blue jays, for example.

The crows are getting more aggressive at our feeder, as well.

Eating out is a whole new challenge when patrons feed them. Giving bread to birds is like giving them sugar.

Sparrow species:

• White-crowned Sparrow
• Harris's Sparrow
• Dickcissel
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow
• Black-throated Sparrow

chipping sparrow

redpoll

Camera Critters: #240

They are English SPARROWS (not related to North American sparrows but rather to African weavers) and were introduced 1850-52 from Europe to Brooklyn, NY, to control INSECT PESTS.

This little one was looking for food, too!

crow

grackle

seagull

Skywatch Friday

Episode: Season 6:18

Many have been watching the skies.
There have been terrible storms on the coasts. We have benefitted by beautiful clouds. We are having subzero nighttime low temperatures. The snow has fallen, and melted. The goldfish pond frozen over. Winter, bring it on!

Playtime - honestly!

Buster Daisy on the caterpillar from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.
He has adapted well to his wee siblings. He taught them how to treat him, keeping them well back until he knew what to expect from them.

Now they are playing. This cat is the one who grabbed a bat in midair, flying down the hallway! This was August, when we had very hot nights and they came down the chimney!

He is surprisingly gentle and often helps the kittens groom.

The view from my chair

I remember frugally taking one carefully crafted photo, taking them to the store to have the 35mm photos processed, only to find duds. I remember a terrific photography project, supported by Kodak, bless their hearts. Kodak went bankrupt, falling into that digital divide.

Kodak sent me in my classroom a binder of information about taking great photographs; the power of thirds, lighting, the history of photography, with vocabulary, and guidelines. They also sent us 30 10-photo disposable cameras, with a gift certificate for the processing of the photos onto a disc. This meant that kids who couldn't afford to have photos printed, at least could participate in the project by having their photos included on their webpages, which I taught them how to do.
I taught the kids to carefully plan their project, choose ten photos that would tell us who they are, and what they are about. It led me to create my Life Review projects with the seniors I know.

These photos reflect my mornings, sitting in my easy chair, watching the cats, playing on my laptop. Big boy, Buster, is enjoying his siblings, since it is pretty cold outside, and he hasn't yet accepted the cooler temperatures!


I have a flower I bought from the previous owners of our house. I nearly killed it, putting it out too early one spring. Can't remember the name of it. I put Impatience around its base while it recovered in the summer.
My mother would be so surprised that I have kept these Impatience alive for two years, now!

I love rural Canada!

Our local feed and seed store had an open house and sale.
Dodds & Erwin is a very old store. Delightful people, they carry the 40kg bags of seed to the car.
I love seeing the different pieces of equipment that farmers need for their large critters. We had a grand time, with a BBQ and locally bought sausages!


We had lots of different kinds of see for the various critters! There is something satisfying about hauling about a 40 kg. bag of feed. I store them in large garbage cans.
I love the smell of it all. I love going out in the brisk weather and filling the feeders.

  

Somebody helped themselves!

lots of friends sharing

chickadee

deer feed

November is here, snow tires are on!

Yes, it is November. I woke to find the sun, finally! But also, a skiff of ice on the goldfish pond!

Frosty has his November outfit.
Truthfully, I am very attached to him, and rather than bring him in in summer, he's had a few outfits, as well as gender changes.

For November, he has a mustache, vest, poppy and a kilt. A bit tricky, as he hasn't a waist or shoulders!

I was at a workshop in Almonte, Ontario, and there were flurries. By the time I made it to Perth, the sun was setting over the barns. Farmers feed cities!