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What was happening at the FWG in March 2008
30 March — photo and notes from Christine Hanrahan The Ottawa Wildlife Festival has wrapped up for another year. Many thanks to the volunteers who staffed the display at Billings Bridge: Al and Erma Beaulieu, Connie Clark, Elena Dinu, Carla Hilado, Isabelle Nicol, Barbara Riley, Henry Steger.
Of the information sheets and brochures, the most popular were the Wildflowers of the FWG, Gardening for Butterflies, and All About Feeding Birds, with Birds of the FWG brochure coming in 4th. Some of the questions I had were:
The wooden block was a block of wood drilled with various sized holes to attract those solitary bees that typically nest in dead and decaying trees, stumps, and logs. It was made by Bruce Burns. There was interest in both that and a twig bundle made for the same purpose. Anyway, it was fun. It always is, in my opinion, to participate in this event, to chat with people, to visit the other booths, to make connections to people in other organizations, and so on. |
30 March — photo and notes from Sandy Garland Participants at the first of a series of three geology workshops at the FWG learned to distinguish between quartz and two types of feldspar — the most common minerals found in the earth's crust. Next week... Petrology for beginners.
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29 March — photos and notes from Christine Hanrahan During a walk this morning around the farm, I came across a flock of about several hundred bohemian waxwings, along with at least one cedar waxwing in the group. They were devouring crabapples at a good rate, and in between times, singing away. It was quite a wonderful sight. More so, because these guys are heading out of our area now and in a little while we probably won't see any. It has certainly been a great winter for this species around here, with some flocks numbering up to (or perhaps more than) 500 birds!
Here are a few shots including one (below) showing two bohemians and one cedar. One of the photos also shows the distinctive wing pattern of the bohemian waxwing.
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Warning The road into the FWG is in very bad condition. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada are aware of the problem and have tried to improve things by breaking up the thick layer of ice that was making the road impassable, but many potholes remain. Between the parking lot and the FWG building, the road is icy. Near the building, ice and snow are melting to create a sea of water. It's probably best to park at the Arboretum near building 72 or across Prince of Wales Drive at the Agricultural Museum parking lot. Repairs will be made as soon as weather permits.
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27 March — photos and notes from Christine Hanrahan Today was a lovely soft, mild day. The snow is melting, birds are singing, and signs of spring are (slowly) emerging. In places you can even see some bare earth, a rare sight! Two new arrivals at the garden today were song sparrow and common grackle. They joined the recently arrived red-winged blackbirds, daily increasing in number. For 4 or 5 days now, crows have been breaking off and carrying twigs back to trees, including to a big spruce in the garden. Yesterday, I noticed Rock pigeons flying with twigs. From the lone Canada Goose I saw last week, there are now many small flocks calling and flying over the garden. Speaking of waterfowl, mallard numbers have decreased significantly over the last week. Yesterday, a pair was doing a head-bobbing courtship which at times, was so vigorous, it seemed their heads could fly right off! Robins are pecking away at sumacs, and some birds in a big flock of bohemian waxwings were having a munch on very shrivelled up crabapples. About 20 cedar waxwings were also flying around the garden, eventually landing in the the black locusts in the ravine.
Yesterday, two cooper's hawks were hanging out between the garden and the Arboretum, harassed half-heartedly, by a lone crow. Willows are budding out, as are the red elderberry shrubs and the Manitoba maples.
Birds noted over the last two days: |
A male mourning dove was strutting his stuff, cooing loudly and
puffing-up his throat and breast feathers in an attempt to woo the
female who seemed supremely uninterested.
24 March — photos and notes from Rob Mckenzie Kitchen
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19 March — photos and notes from Christine Hanrahan Despite the rain, birding was pretty good at FWG today. Having walked elsewhere before coming to FWG, I mostly stood in the BYG or watched the ravine. Birds were coming and going frequently. At one point a small flock of cedar waxwings landed in the sumac near the centre, and began searching for seeds, but most of that fruit has been eaten. They then flew up into the black locust trees, but quickly took off. About 30 minutes later, a larger flock of cedar waxwings flew in, and parallel to them, was a big flock of about 100 bohemian waxwings. It was nice to see the two species, each in their separate flock, flying side by side. Easy to compare the difference in plumage and size. Often at this time of year, you'll see mixed flocks of the two species. In one of the photos (below left), you can see the red "wax-like" tips on the secondary feathers that give these birds (both cedar and bohemian) their name of "waxwing."
Juncos were jumping up, grabbing the ornamental grasses and stripping the remaining seeds. They spent more time doing this than feeding at the feeder. A lone Canada goose flew overhead, honking sadly (well, it sounded sad to me!). Meanwhile, fox paid a fast visit to the garden. Birds noted within the BYG/ravine, or flying by: If you are thinking of visiting the FWG in the next little while, be warned that the road into the garden is in seriously bad shape. Better to park in the Arboretum and walk over. |
18 March — photos and notes from Christine Hanrahan Despite the snow and the still-cool weather, signs of spring are beginning to emerge.
Today - at last - I heard and saw a red-winged blackbird at FWG. I'd heard one at Dow's Lake 30 minutes earlier, and by the time I got back to FWG, there was one calling away from the ravine. What a great sound! Of course, there isn't much food for a lot of these critters. Buckthorn fruit is being increasingly consumed by squirrels and birds (crows, waxwings, robins, etc.), and squirrels are eating quantities of Manitoba maple buds, as well as nibbling bark from a variety of trees. This black squirrel is resting after some hard work gnawing on bark!
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Yesterday I saw a groundhog at FWG. It was looking a bit bewildered as
it stuck its head above the piles of snow and surveyed yet more snow. I
couldn't help thinking how far it had to dig up through the soil from
its burrow and then up through 3 or more feet of snow. This is by no
means the first observation of a groundhog. I know that others have seen
this species elsewhere in the region, but it is the first I've seen this
year at FWG.
By the red barn at FWG I saw a woolly bear caterpillar (photo at right) crawling very,
very slowly across the snow. And on the farm, a little chipmunk was
hanging out by one of the buildings.
Other birds from the last few days: common raven being harassed by a
group of crows, small cooper's hawk (adult, probably male judging from
the size), a female pileated woodpecker, small flock of cedar waxwings,
and the usual crew of chickadees, cardinals, house finches, etc. From a
few ring-billed gulls a week ago, there are now increasing numbers seen
daily. So, things are happening in the natural world and it is a great
time to be out looking for more spring signs.13 March — photos and notes from Christine Hanrahan
The last few days have seen more birds moving through the garden. Today, a big flock of about 150 bohemian waxwings descended on the Ash Woods, very vocal and very flighty (above and below left). Also in the Ash Woods, two brown creepers, one heard, one seen. As usual, a frustrating time trying to photograph these birds. Hampered by the snow, I am having even worse luck than usual :-) At one point, however, I thought my luck had turned. A creeper landed about 1 metre away on the base of a pine, in good lighting. I focused the camera, pressed the shutter and.... the batteries died! Oh well, there is always another day. I was getting pretty cold anyway. After standing around, gloveless for a long time my fingers were almost ceasing to function.
The other day a robin was seen near the centre (above right), probably one of the small group that has been around the general area all winter. A pileated woodpecker was calling from the Ash Woods, and today, a beautiful cooper's hawk was sitting high up in an ash tree, also calling loudly.
Yesterday, I saw my first ring-billed gull of the year flying over the FWG. There have been occasional reports of these gulls in the area, so perhaps they know something we don't — that spring really is coming :-) A few days ago, I took a quick trip through the tropical greenhouse on Maple Lane (owned by AAFC and open to the public) and for a few minutes made believe I was in the tropics. It was so hot and humid that my camera kept fogging up, so most of the photos look as if they're part of one of those dream sequences you sometimes see in movies, where everything begins to shimmer and fade!
Other birds over the last few days include female downy woodpecker, at least four each of male and female cardinals, 20 cedar waxwings, two white-breasted nuthatches, five dark-eyed juncos, up to about 110 mallards and the usual 2 or 3 black ducks, upward of a dozen chickadees, seven or eight house finches, and of course crows. A small flock of starlings come and go, and they too are clearly feeling spring in the air because they are becoming increasingly vocal, imitating killdeer, red-tailed hawks and so on. If you hear a killdeer in the next few days, it is without doubt a starling leading you on. The mallards were even more frisky than in previous visits. They were very active both vocally and physically, feeding, chasing, preening, males pursuing females....
The trails at FWG range from narrow to very narrow, and many of the smaller side trails have vanished. If two people meet one has to give way, and often the one who does sinks thigh deep in snow. If you do go walking around the garden, do take care. On some of the very narrow paths, especially those not as well used and, therefore, more full of bumps and pits, it is easy to slide off, particularly if you are distracted. The other day, late afternoon, I was looking at all the crows flocking into the trees around the Old Field and trying to get a photo. Not looking where I was going, I slipped off the path into snow up to my thigh, and then I fell over, backwards and began sinking. Trying to reach over and lever myself up, my arm sank up to my shoulder in lovely soft snow. After some moments imitating an upturned turtle I was able to right myself and get up. Fortunately, nobody was watching (at least I hope not, or they'd have laughed themselves silly). Anyway, spring must be coming, one day. Please note: If the weather ever does warm up, the trails themselves will soften up. The hard packed paths that we are walking on are 2 to 3 feet above the ground. As the snow melts, more people will fall through, so please be cautious on warm days. |
10 March — photos and notes from Christine Hanrahan The Interpretive Centre at FWG has almost vanished behind the snow mountains after the weekend storm. I must say that AAFC has done a great job clearing the road and the parking area at FWG, even though the cleared snow now forms an almost insurmountable barrier into the BYG.
I was amazed at how 56 cm of fresh snow, on top of the snow we already had, has really altered the landscape. The two signs by the pond have all but vanished. The split-rail fences by the Ash Woods and the Butterfly Meadow are barely visible, and even the trail from the parking lot into the FWG has changed. Once by the pond (only about 40 mallards this morning), however, the usual route more or less resumed, but venturing even slightly out of the tracks left by others meant a plunge into thigh-deep snow in places.
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I walked over from the Arboretum parking lot, and just as I arrived at
the FWG parking lot, two sharp-shinned hawks flew overhead in the
direction of the ravine. In the Ash Woods, I saw a flock of about 20
cedar waxwings (photo below), the first time I've seen this species in several months.
The feeder at the woodlot was not particularly active, but there were a
few birds: several each of dark-eyed junco, cardinal, chickadee, house
finch, and one white-breasted nuthatch. There wasn't much else around,
at least not when I was there at noon. But the two sharpies and the
waxwings were a nice treat. A grey squirrel (black phase) was noshing
away on a Manitoba maple, and I saw quite a few others eating buds of
the same species.
7 March — photos and notes from Christine Hanrahan Well, I spent a LOT of time this morning at FWG standing around in the Ash Woods. Both the brown creeper and red-breasted nuthatch were very much in evidence, hanging out together, and climbing, respectively, up and down the spruce and pine trees. I was determined to get photos of both, while at the same time making sure I didn't disturb them. Not that they seemed anything but oblivious to me. For a short while the creeper was quite low down, but moving so fast that it was impossible to keep the camera focused. The red-breasted nuthatch was slower moving, but up so high I got a "crick" in my neck from prolonged peering into the canopy. In the end I came away with one shot of the nuthatch (below left, very poor) and one rather clear shot of the creeper, except that only part of the bird was visible.
There was also a white-breasted nuthatch in the woods (above right), and I saw it, or another one, a little bit later, calling and climbing along the roof of the Interpretive Centre. In this photo, the only one I managed to get, the nuthatch appears to be saying "Hello, down there."
It was a beautiful day out and I couldn't help thinking: the calm before the storm? Cardinals seemed to be calling or singing from every thicket, and chickadees were in hyper-phase (not a technical term!!), flying and feeding and scrambling all over the place, peeling off bits of bark from the Scotch pines, hanging upside down in the spruce boughs, perching like creepers on tree trunks, pulling out insect eggs and larvae from the tiniest of crevices, and all the while keeping up a constant chirping and twittering and calling. Of course, birds don't sing or call for our benefit, their vocabulary, surprisingly complex, has many purposes, but more on that another day. Finally, as I was leaving the BYG, I caught sight of a small metal container painted with a butterfly and flowers, sitting in a window, and couldn't resist a photo of something vaguely spring-like.
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A male downy woodpecker was more cooperative. In this shot, you can see
the distinctive spots or bars, on its tail.
6 March — photos and notes from Christine Hanrahan After Wednesday's snowfall, it is even more difficult, if that is possible, to walk around, unless one is on skis or snowshoes. The snow gets piled higher and higher and the navigable areas around the building and the parking lot are getting smaller and smaller. And as for the road into FWG, last week it was flooded with enough water to paddle a canoe on and, today, the ruts were so deep that a small car could get lost! If it turns very cold those ruts could become permanent, unless the snow plow is able to smooth them out. And what is this I hear about another 30 to 50 cm of snow over the weekend?
Birds were quite scattered around the garden today, rather than concentrated at the feeders. However, the feeders did have some activity, just not as much as when the weather is colder. In the Ash Woods I saw a red-breasted nuthatch. They are not particularly common, or even to be expected, at FWG at the best of times. I think this was only the second sighting of this species this winter. These little nuthatches, much smaller than the white-breasted ones, prefer coniferous forests.
A few days ago, I heard and saw, yet again, a raven over the garden. They are regular visitors around the area now, and of course, as the raven flies, they breed not that far away. There was an abundance of animal tracks around the garden today. Lots of fox tracks of course, but also vole, red and grey squirrels, and one set of tracks that looked suspiciously like weasel. Unfortunately, the photo I took didn't turn out. |
Other birds
around the FWG today:6 March — photos and notes from Sandy Garland Everyone is talking about all the snow, and that's what we're seeing most of at the FWG these days as well. There ARE birds and mammals around, but if you're like me, you're spending so much time trying not to fall down, you're probably missing everything but the ducks.
The snow can be pretty interesting sometimes. We often photograph tracks as a record of some animal or to compare later with sketches in a reference book. Today, the ravine was criss-crossed with tracks (below), mostly foxes, I think.
And above the pond some sort of drama occurred between the time the animal entered from the right and left the same way (below).
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Finally, I discovered a brand new species today. It doesn't seem to fit on any of our current inventory lists; I think we'll need to start a new one — snow creatures.