SUNNYBROOK BEAVER POND

Beaver photos by Judy Boyd

      Eager beaver ? I don't think so . Work like a beaver ? I can buy that .

      Since 1970 I have watched the Sunnybrook beaver pond. The dam across the creek has been active about 50% of the time . Beavers would operate the dam for three or four yours and then move to another area ...sometimes only 200 or 300 meters up or down stream .

      The Sunnybrook pond ,as usual , is in a very well chosen location . A seasonal drainage comes in from the left but it is deep and fairly wide so the beavers get two streams and banks with one dam. Water backs up in the main stream for about 400 meters and in the drainage channel about 200 meters. This gives the beavers a rather large area from which to gather food .

     The beavers work at the dam from mid summer to mid fall . Old dead tree trunks are put in the dam along with smaller brushy sized pieces . Much mud is also deposited in the dam . What we don't see are the many boulders which are in the dam . The boulders are noticed when the dam is abandoned and washed out . We start to wonder were did they find all the boulders as well as marvel at the strength they have to more the rocks .

      There is also evidence of tremendous effort in taking down very large aspens . Once the trees are felled they are cut up and moved to an under water storage area where the bark can be stripped and consumed over the winter.

      In this pond they never build a lodge but prefer to burrow into the bank to make a residence . As you can see the banks are well treed with spruce . The roots make a roof which doesn't cave in .

      So the beavers work hard to make a dam , lodge and plentiful supply of food . They tend to calmly go about their business with little excitement or fanfare . So they log many hours of work in building maintaining and repairing the dam , Many more hours are spent building up a year's supply of food . So I admire the beaver for not only his work ethic but his great ingenuity .

JUSTICE, MERCY AND TRUTH IN ALBERTA

     For quite some time justice has been a constant topic in Alberta . There is a frustration with justice from several angles. In the two large cities gang violence has been a big concern . In other areas the public feels that they are not served adequately as far as safety and security are concerned . I certainly understand people's concerns .


     Where the wheels fall off the bus for me is how our politicians deal with the situation . I really object to politicians and the public harping about judges and the granting of bail to accused . The justice minister says that, "Regulations need to be altered and judges need to tighten up." It's not he judges who are at fault . Judges need the full support of politicians and the public . The reason judges grant so many people bail is that there is no place to put people . The politicians for the last 20 years have not been building infrastructure . Remand space and prison space has not been built while our population has gone from one million to three million . Remand prisoners are double and triple bunked . Judges have reservations about putting people in these conditions.


     The truth must be told by politicians about the lack if infrastructure when it comes to prison space . Judges are forced to show mercy when it comes to holding prisoners in unsafe conditions .


    Bad guys know when judges and the justice system are not supported and like this situation because their likely hood of being caught and dealt with is much less . If we want the bad guys to be dealt with so that there is less crime they have to be caught and kept instead of being allowed freedom while they easily delay the resolution of their case because the courts are clogged and can not keep up with the responsibilities . The bad guys do not want to be busted . Now they are not busted even if they are caught.


     Politicians have to quit political speak and speak about concrete solutions in solving the problem . Political speak is only to the public for the purpose of being reelected . Political speak does nothing to deal with the bad guys . The justice department is not directing the agenda so that crime is curtailed .

MUSING ON MICHAEL JACKSON

     Michael Jackson was larger than life so when news of his death came yesterday it was a shock .


     I do not consider myself a fan of Michael Jackson in any way , but I found that when Jackson's music was played today it was familiar and I found that I remembered listening to it and liking it . I did listen to commercial radio so I did hear Michael Jackson . I did listen to and like the Jackson Five . Michael Jackson was only five . My kids were 11 and 13 when Thriller was released. They had Michael Jackson records in the house. Only a few years ago I sold a Michael Jackson LP on a garage sale . I was a junior high school teacher until 1997 . I always made it a point to be aware of the music kids liked and listened to . So I did listen to Jackson even though I was not in any way a fan . I was more familiar with his music than I thought . I liked his music more than I realized


     The last part of Michael Jackson's life was odd, weird and bizarre . I feel for him as I believe that it is very important for children to live as normal a life as possible .Children need to experience and learn about life. This life experience must continue to the end of puberty .Michael Jackson began performing at five and lost his childhood . He missed contact with peers . Normal behaviour was not learned . Some people live through the lack of normal experiences and thrive while others are devastated . Some learn later on in life the behaviour they missed while others never discover normal behaviour . Michael Jackson missed these experiences and many of the adults in his life did not provide what he missed .


    We will remember Jackson's music and put his abnormal behaviour in perspective .

RUDE AWAKENING

     Sometimes rude awakenings happen at the most surprising times .


     I was delivering papers at 6 AM and was about a step and a half from the next mailbox when a jack rabbit jumped up . The rabbit had his butt up against the house foundation right under the mail box . He took a couple of little hops and then stopped and looked at me with an evil eye as if to say "You just woke me up ! " I was also wakened to some extent as delivering papers can be fairly subconscious . I was not expecting to find a rabbit under a mailbox.


     I told him I was sorry for disturbing him but it didn't seem to make him feel any better . It had rained so he was on a dry spot which had been sheltered under the eaves . So the spot was dry and comfortable .


     There are several rabbits which have a territory on my paper route and I see them most days . They keep their cover until you are almost up to them .So when they do move you are very close and it can startle you if you are daydreaming .


       They are beautiful creatures and very pleasant to have in the neighborhood .

I LOVE RHUBARB

     Today I picked my first crop of rhubarb for the year. Growth came on rapidly the last week as we had warm weather and some moisture. So I sat out in the sunshine and trimmed the leaves off , washed off the stalks and brought them into the house.


      What's so good about rhubarb ? Well, stewed rhubarb is great say nothing of rhubarb pie , cobbler and rhubarb jam. The limit of my culinary skills ends at stewed rhubarb. I freeze most of my rhubarb in 6 cup packages. This amount fits nicely with many recipes.


      Fresh rhubarb at this time of year always reminds me of what my brother and I did when we were about 3 or 4 years old. We were less than a year apart so we had many adventures. When rhubarb matured we would each find the biggest piece available. Then we would start wailing on each other with the big leafy end. We would be like the cartoon drawing showing two people fighting and there's just pairs of arms and legs sticking out of the dust. Sooner or later the leaf part would tear off and there would be a 1 inch thick stock left. Somebody would get bonked on the head or across the mouth with the solid stem and that hurt and ended the fight with some little fellow in tears.


      From there we went on to some other mischief or into the house for refreshments. Sooner or later we would pass the rhubarb patch again and have another bout. I was the larger and kind of pudgy. Merce was slim and quick . Our record of rhubarb fights was probably about even. Rhubarb season was short so we had to make the best of it .


      Today I only picked rhubarb and didn't have the pleasure of a fight !

The Road Home

    I admit that I am somewhat partial to radio. Not just any radio but select non commercial stations and then only certain programs .


     One program I find particularly satisfying is The Road Home on CKUA. The station is supported by the public and has a very different program mix and format .


     The Road Home is heard on Mon. to Thur. evenings at 9:30 PM. What's so great about this program ? It's very quiet and relaxing . Bob Chelmick bobchelmick@ckua.com the host reads some poetry , plays music which we don't hear every day and tells about his life in a cabin in the woods . So he begins a program with a current report on birds or other critters around his cabin and will often comment at great length on some project or happening that has recently occurred . The music is of a very wide range . Many times he plays new artists who we've never heard before and also plays big names such as Bob Dylan . His music usually fits in with the theme of the program .


     CKUA is heard through out Alberta on AM and FM .It's also available on and internet feed . Let me know if you find this station and what you think of it .Check out their website at http://www.ckua.ca/

Early Morning Bird Walk May 31

    Well, last walk, best birding and least birders.


    This week we went to Heritage Ranch and concentrated on a strip beside the river which is buck brush stunted shrubbery and aspen . So, we saw boreal species and water species. To get to the area we had to walk through a kilometer of spruce forest .


    The skies were partly overcast and half way through a high wind picked up. We started at 7 AM and finished by 8;30AM.


    Altogether we spotted or heard 25 species . We saw Tennessee warblers, yellow rumped warblers and yellow warblers . They are hard to spot but easy to listen to. On the river there were Canada geese , mallards , mergansers, red winged black birds,and bank swallows. Tree Swallows were in full flight in the treed area . Chipping sparrows , clay colored sparrows and white throated sparrows were in abundance . Of course , crows , ravens and magpies put in their appearance . We also spotted golden crowned kinglets and pine siskins.Ring billed and Franklin gulls floated by. A couple of brown cow birds left their cover of brush.


     This area is very productive habitat and is well worth the effort to get to it . In winter many little nests are found attached to little pieces of brush .


      So the season for Saturday morning bird walks is over . We made many interesting sightings . of course birders find every sighting interesting . We all learned much from each other about birds and how to identify birds.Possibly more sessions could be run as the breeding season is now well underway . Next year? Of course , it will be bigger and better . How about coming out and joining us ?http://www.RDRN.fanweb.ca/