Month: February 2014

Another Snowy owl

Another Snowy owl

We were in the Goderich area yesterday. It was a glorious day. Driving a back road we startled this owl off the roadside onto a hydro pole. Faye got out and took a number of photos. It is still so surprising that a bird which must be unaccustomed to humans and cars tolerated our presence for 10 or 15 minutes. Faye cropped and zoomed the original image and this is the result. Yes, it’s looking directly at the camera.

Full credit to Faye for having the eye, the patience to capture the original image as well as coming up with this great image.

Some birders never see this magnificent animal and I’ve seen two in two weeks. How remarkable, how fortunate I am.

Queen Annes Lace

Queen Annes Lace

Attractive in flower, attractive in winter in a field of snow.

Basking

Faye took this wonderful photo of Achilles the other day. He does not need a sunny, sandy beach, or even a sunny day, to enjoy being outside. It’s a lesson I try to listen to and adapt to.

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Prognosticator

Prognosticator

Gerry Gargoyle did not see his shadow. Whether he did or not, it’s certain that we will have several more weeks of winter.

Hairy woodpecker

Hairy woodpecker

This fellow (or lady, the sexes are alike in appearance) visited the suet feeder. It’s been a regular, perhaps daily, visitor during the past few weeks and has been included in many of my Project FeederWatch tallies.

Snowshoe II

Here are a few more photos from our Moore Habitat Management Area (MHMA) snowshoe outing.

MHMA has a variety of habitats including an experimental tallgrass prairie, upland forest, riparian river, and floodplain forest. The main reason I chose this place is that it was sheltered from the stiff southwest wind creating wind chills of around -20C. We spent all of our time exploring the floodplain forest.

It was easy to see why this is floodplain forest. During the January thaw, the water level was apparently several feet deep here, as Faye demonstrates.

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The work of parasites made cool patterns in the trunk of this dead tree.

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Neat framing.

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Faye as we head back to the car.

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I look forward to a return visit.

January fades . . .

January fades . . .

. . . into February, and winter continues. The five day forecast suggests MOTS – More Of The Same. Snow and cold (though not extreme cold similar to the two spells in January).

It’s a beautiful time of year, a trying time of year. At times I do think ‘Each day brings us one day closer to spring’ yet I choose to focus on the first two words in that thought. ‘Each day’ is its own entity, one to be appreciated to lived, and if it cannot be enjoyed, then at least accepted. I choose to not become sad, anxious, depressed, despondent about this long winter going on and on.

Snuggled in

Snuggled in

There are three dog beds on the living room floor – a large LL Bean canvas bed, a smaller foamy that Faye sometimes uses when she can’t sleep, and this oval bolster bed. Achilles hasn’t often used it so when we saw him curled up in it that made it worth a photo.