I admit that the topic well has been a little dry this last while. I've had other things on my mind. I tend to have topics arrive when I'm busy with something else. I make a list. Lately my mind has been taken up with other things and I don't come up with topics.
Well, there are a couple of things on my mind... Trump and terrorism. I don't put the two topics together. However, I'm not sure what to say about either of these topics so it's hard to write about them.
I'll start with Trump. I do not agree with his agenda. I find his personality most unlikeable. Trump is completely unreliable. Now I'd like to comment on these issues and more but I can't. Why? There is no reliable information. Fake news! False news. Now it's not only Trump who plays fast and loose with the truth. The other guys bend things out of proportion. Who ya gonna believe? I like to be able to discuss and have more than reasonable assurance that the information I have is accurate.
So we sit here listening to all the various side shows and meanwhile nothing of substance takes place.
How can one address an issue when accurate information is not available?
Terrorism has rocked our world too many times in the recent past. It's okay for me to sit smugly in a very safe location. There seems to be many ways to react to terrorism. Like the British..keep a stiff upper lip. We'll beat the terrorists. What makes a terrorist? Is anybody responsible for causing people to be terrorists? We have all kinds of people wringing their hands and talking about terrorism. What can they do? It seems like all that is done is talk.
So there are topics that are important. Discussion must take place if improvements are to be made. For the Trump presidency to accomplish anything , people have to begin talking to each other. Playing politics 100% of the time gets nothing done. It doesn't even get you elected all the time. Terrorists build up tremendous hate so that they will kill innocent people. Once the terror is committed the law takes control. Before there is terror some good dialog may help. Keeping separate and yelling at each other does no good.
I wish I knew what to say that would do any good. I'm sure there are many others who wish something could be said to bring about positive change.
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Monday, June 5, 2017
THE CHICKADEES LOST THE WAR
I've had a small nest box in my backyard for years. I think this may be the third or fourth rendition of the box. It's a small box suited to small birds. The entrance is high up in the box and is a small diameter to let in only little birds.
Over the years I've had many residents that have raised families. It's fascinating to first watch for nest competition , nest building, egg incubation, young birds and then leaving the nest. I've had Red breasted nuthatches, Tree swallows, Black-capped chickadees, Boreal chickadees and House sparrows. Several nests were abandoned.
Now bout a week ago I noticed a small gray bird quickly enter and leave the box. It was so fast I couldn't identify the bird. I have no idea how long the birds were at the nest before I saw them. After a few days I could see that they were Boreal chickadees. Great! I get a bird family this summer.
Well, not so fast Red. Today house sparrows showed up. Actually quite a few House sparrows were at the nest. Then I noted House sparrows carrying nest material to the box. So the Boreal chickadees had to abandon their new nest.
It's sad to see bird's nests be destroyed . but I realize it is the order of the day in the wild. However, I will harass those dirty rotten House sparrows so that they will wish they'd never met me.
A great photo of a boreal chickadee by Angela Maclean
Over the years I've had many residents that have raised families. It's fascinating to first watch for nest competition , nest building, egg incubation, young birds and then leaving the nest. I've had Red breasted nuthatches, Tree swallows, Black-capped chickadees, Boreal chickadees and House sparrows. Several nests were abandoned.
Now bout a week ago I noticed a small gray bird quickly enter and leave the box. It was so fast I couldn't identify the bird. I have no idea how long the birds were at the nest before I saw them. After a few days I could see that they were Boreal chickadees. Great! I get a bird family this summer.
Well, not so fast Red. Today house sparrows showed up. Actually quite a few House sparrows were at the nest. Then I noted House sparrows carrying nest material to the box. So the Boreal chickadees had to abandon their new nest.
It's sad to see bird's nests be destroyed . but I realize it is the order of the day in the wild. However, I will harass those dirty rotten House sparrows so that they will wish they'd never met me.
A great photo of a boreal chickadee by Angela Maclean
Thursday, June 1, 2017
BUSY BEAVERS
Last summer I enjoyed a large beaver pond. I usually road my bike by this pond and visited with many others who had the same idea I had. There were always many things going on at the pond. There were quite a few duck species and Canada geese. The Red-wing blackbirds thought this was a good place for them. There were sparrows, swallows, woodpeckers, warblers and chickadees. The Great blue heron was a special treat.
The beavers had worked hard on their dam and cut down many trees to store for winter food.
The first time I went back this spring to check on the pond, I was most disappointed. the pond was no more and the stream ran in it's original banks.
Well, the beavers didn't move very far. they found another place about 500m further down with luscious young poplar trees which were right beside the bank.
They have also been working to control the water in the stream. They have built at least three small dams that I can see. They are going to get into trouble with one of their dams as it's under a footbridge.
The beavers had worked hard on their dam and cut down many trees to store for winter food.
The first time I went back this spring to check on the pond, I was most disappointed. the pond was no more and the stream ran in it's original banks.
Well, the beavers didn't move very far. they found another place about 500m further down with luscious young poplar trees which were right beside the bank.
They have also been working to control the water in the stream. They have built at least three small dams that I can see. They are going to get into trouble with one of their dams as it's under a footbridge.
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
WIND STORM
A week ago we had a wind storm and some rain with it. The wind blew all day but the highest winds were from 4:00PM to 6:00 PM. We had gusts up to 100kph which for this location is a very strong wind.
Needless to say there was damage. There was little damage to structures but trees suffered a lot of damage. Some trees blew down in the residential areas. The dumb trees chose power lines to fall on. As a result, there were some power outages.
Out in the bush the story was different. Quite a few trees went down. Trees with some defects in the trunk broke off above the ground. Some trees were completely uprooted. It's amazing how large the root balls can be. The spruce seemed to suffer more damage but many poplars blew down as well.
This is the worst wind storm I've seen since I moved here in 1969. There was a windstorm in 1978 that took the tops off many spruce trees.
The city has worked hard to clean things up. First, they made sure that the roads were cleared. Then they cleaned off paved paths and then shale and gravel paths. Later on they will come back and haul away the debris.
Needless to say there was damage. There was little damage to structures but trees suffered a lot of damage. Some trees blew down in the residential areas. The dumb trees chose power lines to fall on. As a result, there were some power outages.
Out in the bush the story was different. Quite a few trees went down. Trees with some defects in the trunk broke off above the ground. Some trees were completely uprooted. It's amazing how large the root balls can be. The spruce seemed to suffer more damage but many poplars blew down as well.
This is the worst wind storm I've seen since I moved here in 1969. There was a windstorm in 1978 that took the tops off many spruce trees.
The city has worked hard to clean things up. First, they made sure that the roads were cleared. Then they cleaned off paved paths and then shale and gravel paths. Later on they will come back and haul away the debris.
Sunday, May 28, 2017
SPRING BIRD COUNT.
Spring bird count takes place sometime during the bird breeding season. Of course, the idea is to count everything we see and hear. I've participated in this event for many years.
I find spring bird count rather frustrating. Half the breeding birds are on a nest so you won't see them. Many of the breeding birds forage in the new leaves so it's difficult to see them in the leaf canopy. Warblers sing their little hearts out but you can rarely see them amongst the leaves. I was within 3 meters of a yellow warbler yesterday but I didn't see it. If it's windy or hot you see fewer birds . If you go in the afternoon many birds are on their afternoon nap.
So with all this whining I'm working up to tell you that I had a lousy bird count yesterday. Yes , it was very windy. It was also very bright. So I ended up with 15 species but my numbers were small.
I count in ravine area which has many different habitats.There's old growth forest...spruce and poplar. There's riparian area along the stream banks. There are areas of brush. There's even a little grass in some areas.
So I took some photos of the area but I didn't get any bird photos.
I find spring bird count rather frustrating. Half the breeding birds are on a nest so you won't see them. Many of the breeding birds forage in the new leaves so it's difficult to see them in the leaf canopy. Warblers sing their little hearts out but you can rarely see them amongst the leaves. I was within 3 meters of a yellow warbler yesterday but I didn't see it. If it's windy or hot you see fewer birds . If you go in the afternoon many birds are on their afternoon nap.
So with all this whining I'm working up to tell you that I had a lousy bird count yesterday. Yes , it was very windy. It was also very bright. So I ended up with 15 species but my numbers were small.
I count in ravine area which has many different habitats.There's old growth forest...spruce and poplar. There's riparian area along the stream banks. There are areas of brush. There's even a little grass in some areas.
So I took some photos of the area but I didn't get any bird photos.
Friday, May 26, 2017
AGES AND STAGES
From time to time I've been known to stop and contemplate where I've been and where I'm going. When I think of life, time is the major factor. You can look back on your story or you can think about what the future may hold.
When I was in my late teens and early twenties I was very self entered. I came first. I found it difficult to consider others and the stage of life they were in. As young guys we would look at the elderly and sometimes snicker. I wish those people could come back now and have a look at us.
In short young males think they are invincible and I had a lot of the invincible stuff.
But lately what's been making me think about things is most people passing away are younger than I am! I've just been starting to notice this happening. In today's obituaries, nine of the eleven were younger than I am. So I read into this that I am quite elderly. It also tells me that I have been very fortunate in life to survive and enjoy a good quality of life.
In between these two times I have had other watershed events that caused me to pause and think. My Mother died when she was 59. I can't deny that I thought she was fairly old. Now I look back and realize how young she was. For the longest time I wondered if I would ever be older than Mom...that is 59.
When I left home I had a two year old brother. Today that brother is 62. Wow! I left home 60 years ago at the tender age of 17.
Now I try and maintain some younger friends. One of them waved as he went around the corner tonight. It's important to have friends at all ages but that's a challenge. My birdwatching group has some people in their 50's. I have two very good neighbors who were former students.
I must admit that most of my friends are elderly. I have friends whose spouses have dementia. Both of them need support.
I also have to think ahead in a very realistic way. I have to prepare for some options. What are the living arrangement options? How can I get rid of all my treasures? What's still on my bucket list?
So 77 is great. I am still able to enjoy physical activity whether work or play. I can still contribute to the community and find satisfaction.
As always we take life one day at a time.
When I was in my late teens and early twenties I was very self entered. I came first. I found it difficult to consider others and the stage of life they were in. As young guys we would look at the elderly and sometimes snicker. I wish those people could come back now and have a look at us.
In short young males think they are invincible and I had a lot of the invincible stuff.
But lately what's been making me think about things is most people passing away are younger than I am! I've just been starting to notice this happening. In today's obituaries, nine of the eleven were younger than I am. So I read into this that I am quite elderly. It also tells me that I have been very fortunate in life to survive and enjoy a good quality of life.
In between these two times I have had other watershed events that caused me to pause and think. My Mother died when she was 59. I can't deny that I thought she was fairly old. Now I look back and realize how young she was. For the longest time I wondered if I would ever be older than Mom...that is 59.
When I left home I had a two year old brother. Today that brother is 62. Wow! I left home 60 years ago at the tender age of 17.
Now I try and maintain some younger friends. One of them waved as he went around the corner tonight. It's important to have friends at all ages but that's a challenge. My birdwatching group has some people in their 50's. I have two very good neighbors who were former students.
I must admit that most of my friends are elderly. I have friends whose spouses have dementia. Both of them need support.
I also have to think ahead in a very realistic way. I have to prepare for some options. What are the living arrangement options? How can I get rid of all my treasures? What's still on my bucket list?
So 77 is great. I am still able to enjoy physical activity whether work or play. I can still contribute to the community and find satisfaction.
As always we take life one day at a time.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Species 150 Completed
As you may know I am a birder. You also may know that I lead a birdwatching group every Saturday morning. Then I can remind you that it's Canada's 150th birthday this year. The birthday is July 1.
Now when some random chaotic thinker like me puts these things together I can come up with some odd ball ideas. So a few months ago I told you that I had a project for people to find 150 bird species in this region for the celebration of Canada's birthday. The area was defined by the Central Alberta Bird Trail map https://birdingtrailsalberta.com/. If you're interested google and you will find a down loadable map. You will also find reported species that have been observed in the area.
Well, happy surprise. Our 150th bird was reported May 20.
When I started the project I had no idea how long it would take. To finish in 5 months was a pleasant surprise. There are many very keen birders in the area and they got in the swing of things and reported everything they saw. I had to check to see that the species hadn't already been reported and then record date, location and reporter. I met some new birders on line and I'm sure they will show up in some of our groups.
Now we will continue counting species until the end of 2017.
All photos gleefully stolen from the Red Deer Naturalist's face book page.
Now when some random chaotic thinker like me puts these things together I can come up with some odd ball ideas. So a few months ago I told you that I had a project for people to find 150 bird species in this region for the celebration of Canada's birthday. The area was defined by the Central Alberta Bird Trail map https://birdingtrailsalberta.com/. If you're interested google and you will find a down loadable map. You will also find reported species that have been observed in the area.
Well, happy surprise. Our 150th bird was reported May 20.
When I started the project I had no idea how long it would take. To finish in 5 months was a pleasant surprise. There are many very keen birders in the area and they got in the swing of things and reported everything they saw. I had to check to see that the species hadn't already been reported and then record date, location and reporter. I met some new birders on line and I'm sure they will show up in some of our groups.
Now we will continue counting species until the end of 2017.
All photos gleefully stolen from the Red Deer Naturalist's face book page.
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