Winter Visitors at the Feeder
Downy Woodpecker
This year we put up more bird feeders than ever before, creating something of a bird oasis on our small urban property. The number and variety of birds that stop by is always a surprise. So far, 18 species have visited our feeders this winter.
There is constant action at the feeders. Each morning, coffee in hand, I enjoy watching the birds’ antics from my kitchen window. A flock of Bushtits, tiny twittering grey birds, swarms the suet, and a soft “pik” announces the arrival of a Downy Woodpecker. A handsome Spotted Towhee scratches at some old leaves under the Rhodo while a small flock of finches, the males with crimson red heads, moves in. Every so often, an army of Starlings descends, covering our lawn like locusts. There is hardly a dull moment, even in the dead of winter. Continue reading »
Tracking Basics
Tracking wild animals is a skill that takes years of experience, but anyone can follow a set of footprints and learn to become a keen observer of nature.
Gull and Shorebird Tracks
A familiar tracking experience is to follow human footprints in beach sand. The prints give us information about the person’s gait, stride, and whether they were walking or running. The length and width of the print hints at the individual’s size. We can also determine the person’s direction, and whether he/she returned the same way.
Though prints can be observed in sand and mud, winter often gives us an excellent opportunity to study animal tracks in the snow. Trackers use a varied vocabulary to describe how animals move, such as ambling, bounding, galloping, loping, trotting, and hopping. The straddle (width) of the trail, and the stride (distance in length from the centre of one print to the next) are also assessed. “Register” is any mark left by an animal, including a foot, claw, or other body part. Continue reading »
Nature’s Christmas Ornaments
Nootka Rose Hips
Small trees laden with crabapples, and thickets full of bright red rose hips and white snowberries are very decorative at this time of year. Several native plants have attractive fruits that persist, like little Christmas baubles, through the winter months. Driving north from Courtenay on a sunny December day, I noticed how pretty and abundant these native fruits are along the highway’s edge.
Rose hips, usually from the Nootka rose (Rosa nutkana) are especially plentiful. The round “hips” range in colour from orange-red to bluish-red and have a fleshy outer rind, which houses the white, hairy seeds. Continue reading »
Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe
Decorating our homes with greenery is a great way to celebrate the Christmas season and winter solstice. Wreaths of fir and cedar boughs adorn front doors, and sprigs of holly, ivy and mistletoe create a festive atmosphere. It is interesting to learn more about these traditional plants, which represent the holidays.
English Holly
English holly (Ilex aquifolium) has shiny green, prickly leaves and clusters of bright red berries. Native to Europe, it was introduced to North America as a garden ornamental.
Holly grows as a shrub or small tree, and reaches a maximum height of 17 metres. Plants are either male or female, and the female produces the scarlet berries. Holly bark is smooth and grey, and the even-grained wood is white and hard. Continue reading »
‘Tis the Season for Christmas Bird Counts
Birders Bundle up for the Christmas Bird Count
For birders, the Christmas season isn’t about staying warm by the fire. Every year, thousands of birders across Canada get up at dawn to brave the elements for a full day of birding on a freezing winter day. This tradition is known as the Christmas Bird Count.
The requirements are simple: warm, water proof clothing, binoculars, a spotting scope, bird book, field check-list, lunch, a thermos of tea and good supply of cookies. At the end of the day, the birders gather for a potluck dinner, to tally up the numbers and species of birds seen, and share stories about the day’s adventures.
Christmas bird counts have been going on for more than a century. American ornithologist Frank Chapman of the Audubon Society organized the first bird census on Christmas day, 1900. At this time, conservation was a new concept, and scientists were just beginning to be concerned about declining bird populations. Chapman changed history when he proposed that rather than shooting birds, they be watched and counted. Continue reading »