From the Earth to the Sky

 This year it has seemed like winter came early. We have had our share of snow and freezing rain and extreme wind chills!  Today it was -7 with a windchill of -14 with NW winds of 22/31 when my new friend Ronny and I set out for Lambton Shores.  I run into Ronny the Rooster occasionally in the field and I mentioned at one time that I was interested in the Pine Grosbeaks that have been sighted, but that I hadn't been able to get a photo of.  He had never seen one before and he was keen on accompanying me.   I have seen the PIGR twice this year, the conditions were not right and I was not fast enough for a photo.  It is an irruption year for winter finches, Pine Grosbeaks, Red Crossbills, White Winged Crossbills, Pine Siskin, Evening Grosbeak, Bohemian Waxwings and earlier the Red Breasted Nuthatches moved south quite a bit. An irruption is when the cones and seeds in the north are not good and they follow the food south where our cone crop has been exce...

 June 27 to July 4, 2008, I ventured out with ON (Ontario Nature) with one of their Volunteer for Nature trips on a week long trip to Pelee Island and surrounds.  I found these photos in a folder on my phone and thought maybe some of  you out there might enjoy them.  My blog is primarily for my own peace of mind, but I do enjoy knowing that some people appreciate the nature that I have represented here.  It has been fun! Bob showing us a Blue Ash Green Darner Anyways, this was the first time that I have driven so far, and I had a passenger, Mia Miscellaneous! and we actually drove onto the ferry to the Island.  Lots of firsts for me.  The trip was hosted by ON but Bob Bowles joined us and about 10 others for the Pelee Island part.  After staying a few days at Pelee Island, we made a visit to Point Pelee NP and we stayed overnight at a lovely b and b in Leamington.  We also went to Ojibway Prairie in Windsor.  Thank goodness for details i...

 There is a wonderful group of native plant lovers called the North American Native Plant Society that I hang out with.  Every year we go on botany forays, attend workshops and host tables at eco-festivals across Ontario.  Our annual plant sale in May is great! I have been talking about the Alvar so much that they wanted to come and see for themselves.  We got together with naturalist Bob Bowles in Spring of 2006 for an excursion.  As a native plant lover and gardener, we are compelled to bring home seed from plant forays, this can be very detrimental to an endangered habitat.  Please refrain from doing this, unless there is a massive quantity, and then take only a few, the standard is not more than 10%.  This is also true of the 'pavement' on the Alvar.  I have been in groups where people are compelled to bring home a piece of the alvar as a souvenir, this is not doing you or the habitat any good.  What use is one piece of limestone pavement...

 As a 'mature' lister, I don't always have my historic birds on ebird.  When I look at my ebird checklists, and my 'lifers' I see that there is one list that sets the bar for all other lists.  It is the June 14, 2008 checklist  ebird from the Carden Alvar.  This place is one of my all time favourite places to go and explore nature.  I originally come from that area, born in Orillia, moved to Keswick when I was 5, then Newmarket when I got married and in 2009 I migrated south to Lambton County (Alvinston, Petrolia and now Wyoming)  I found this scrapbook that I had put together for the Carden Alvar Nature Festival.  I thought it would be fun to reproduce it here.  The photos are 35 mm prints that I have scanned/photographed for digital purposes.  I will go back there again, I hear there is a Carden Alvar PP now and Bob Bowles has his own Nature Centre that I would love to visit.  Maybe in the spring with OFO? Mainly on the Plain Dri...

 The other day I was on a birding hike, and as with all good birding hikes, there is a chance to walk together and talk together ( when we're not listening for birds that is).  I overheard one conversation about listing the birds that we see, and many of us use ebird, and what would happen if the big www crash would happen.  I must admit I do rely on ebird quite a bit, it is a quick and easy way for one to track where you bird and what species and numbers of species you see.  There is also a place that you can leave comments such as the weather or if you are with an organized group, etc.  It will also track your exact location if you set the app to GPS tracking, which I do, unless otherwise instructed not to (like with the Walpole Island trip).   I got to thinking about what my parents did.  They were both avid backyard birders and my Dad would write down if he saw new birds on his travels. (he was a fisherman and went to Alaska at one time, would...