Sure signs of spring; some good, some bad

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

Robins, cardinals, and red-winged blackbirds are all singing at the tops of their lungs. The high-pitched screech of the killdeer is another sign that spring has sprung.
The killdeer, Charadrius vociferous, a member of the plover family, is named for its piercing call. I recently heard the familiar “killdee!” and noted a female killdeer sprinting away from her nest. In an effort to divert my attention, she went into the usual broken wing act, crying in a pitiful voice. Treading carefully, I finally located the nest; a shallow scrape in the gravel, beautifully camouflaged and endowed with four brown speckled eggs. When I glanced away toward the frantic mother, it was very hard to relocate the nest when I looked back, although I had not moved an inch. I took a quick photo and promptly left the mother in peace.
The killdeer offspring are among the cutest of baby birds. Fluffy replicas of their parents, they come out of the egg running and with eyes open. These ‘precocial’ babies are much closer to independence than most newborn birds. They are incubated longer and so are further developed at birth. Camouflage aids in their survival rate after hatching. One of the first lessons is to teach the chicks to ‘freeze’ on signal from the parents. The fact that the offspring are so cute is often an attraction for curious onlookers, especially children. Parents need to make their own offspring aware of the importance of leaving things in nature as they found them. A curious human intruder can seriously disturb a family of killdeers or other birds, sometimes causing the death of the baby birds.
The killdeer is very helpful to farmers because of the large numbers of insect pests they consume. Unfortunately, they are quite vulnerable to pesticide poisoning. The use of these chemicals has a very negative impact on the entire food chain. I don’t need to see a “pesticide use” sign to know when the stuff has been sprayed. The odour lingers for a couple of days. Any birds which eat insects or worms are affected, along with countless other species. We must dispense with the use of cosmetic pesticides. It is the least we can to do help repair some of the damage toward nature we have caused. As Tom Hayman (the bird man of the London Free Press) says regarding pesticides, “You can’t pick dew worms off a golf course any more…and now you know why.”

Ontario backroads are not a garbage dump!
One cannot help but notice the amount of litter strewn along our roadsides during spring. Not only is it unsightly, but it can cause serious harm to unsuspecting wildlife if they think it is food. Since the recession of the snow, I have been dismayed to see all types of garbage while on my ‘balanced lifestyle’ walks with Fergus the yellow Labrador: glass and plastic bottles, plastic six-pack rings, bleach bottles, liquid detergent bottles, beer bottles, cigarette packages, pop cans, and even a soiled infant diaper. Yecchh! The plastics are unlikely to break down in the next 1000 years. What a dreadful legacy to leave behind for our future generations!
The most frequently occurring litter on our road is Tim Horton coffee cups… you know the ones with the big yellow arrow? Just because you rolled up the rim and got ‘zilch’ doesn’t mean you should roll down the window and pitch it to the shoulder! I have to believe that the bulk of this litter is coming from car windows, not from the people enjoying nature while out for a stroll down the road. That means that it is likely the people in the sixteen and older category are the perpetrators. Perhaps children need to teach their parents to show more respect for the environment!
Jenipher Appleton: nature at grandbendstrip.com

The crimson majesty of the Northern cardinal

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

Bird songs tell of spring
We find ourselves in that lovely transition between late winter and early spring, when the sun feels strong yet the nights remain frigid. Stepping outside in the morning yields a diversity of bird songs, whose performers are more actively communicating in response to the imminent spring.
A most noticeable song comes from one of our non-migratory birds – the Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). The sound has changed from ‘what cheer, what cheer,’ to a more compelling ‘birdy birdy.’
Regular visitors to the feeder all year long, the cardinals seem extra hungry in the month of March. The male’s brilliant red plumage with his accentuated crest makes a striking contrast to the verdant boughs of a lofty spruce. He sports a black mask and beard with a triangular reddish bill.
An official appointed by the Pope to his council is also called a cardinal. He adorns his robe with a bright red cummerbund. It is likely that the bird is named for the esteemed official, rather than the reverse. Otherwise very similar to the male, the female has olive beige upper parts and buff brown under parts. Both genders are 19-23 cm long.
On a recent late afternoon walk with Fergus, our yellow lab puppy, I spied a male cardinal high in the branches of a sugar maple. He would call ‘birdy birdy’ or ‘teacher teacher.’ This melodic tirade was followed up with a spring variation; a low trill or purring. I soon detected a well-camouflaged female on a lower branch, coyly facing away from the wooing male. Shortly, another male landed on a higher branch from a tree about 50m away. The two males proceeded to make several calls and flitted about the branches, vying for the affection of the female, who remained patiently on her branch. Suddenly one of the males aborted his effort, leaving the couple to pursue their mating ritual. Fergus sat attentively observing the cycle of nature unfolding before us.

Food, territorial males and good parents
Food choices for cardinals include insects, seeds, grains, fruits and snails. They drink sap from holes drilled by sapsuckers and enjoy cracked corn and sunflower seeds at feeders.
The male cardinal is willing to fight other birds to defend his territory and has been known to attack his own reflection in windows, car mirrors or other shiny surfaces. This behaviour has caused the deaths of many territorial males. More than once I have scooped up the sad remains of a brilliant male cardinal beneath the drive shed window.
Northern cardinals are monogamous and the male feeds the female while she is incubating the eggs. The fledglings are fed by both sexes. The male will continue to feed and tend the original brood while the female begins the incubation of a second clutch. The cardinal is often host to the hatchlings of the cowbird who has the nasty habit of laying its eggs in the nests of other birds (the height of laziness). All members of the cowbird family are classed as ‘brood parasites’ and the female lays between 10 and 36 eggs per year. That’s a lot of giving up for adoption. The cardinal proceeds to diligently raise its own young along with those of the cowbird. Any predictions as to which offspring wins the fledgling beauty contest?

Grand Bend Strip comes to the classroom!

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

Balanced literacy for Ontario students

The latest and most unremitting thrust from the Ontario Ministry of Education is indeed the ‘balanced literacy’ movement. In a nutshell, balanced literacy in the elementary grades must provide opportunities for daily reading including: independent, guided, and shared reading, along with read-alouds. I won’t even begin to go into the definitions of the foregoing or how they are implemented. Suffice it to say that I have been training and practising balanced literacy over the past several years in my classroom at East Williams, and that as a result, my learning curve has continued to expand and develop along with the children. The reason for balanced literacy as an educational directive is to improve overall literacy skills in our Ontario students and to deepen their levels of reading comprehension. Sound dry? On the contrary, it is really quite exciting.
I’ll get to the point. Shared reading essentially means that everyone is looking at the same piece of text at the same time. It could be a big book, overhead projection, or any other piece of text that has been reproduced for all to see. Recently I have been using my own pieces of writing from the Grand Bend Strip for some of my shared reading experiences with the students. An integral part of the balanced literacy thrust is that teachers should model writing. I feel that the content of my articles, containing information about nature and ecology, is an appropriate model for the ten- and eleven-year-olds in my Grade 5/6 class.

Recent article “Owls – a guide to local hooters”

When my students read the article about owls, many made connections to owls they had encountered in our area. The students showed enough interest in our local species that they were inspired to do further research in our next computer lab. Not only did they find more information about owls, but also they wanted to draw pictures from the images they found on the Internet. The following are some quotes written by students about our local owls:

“I am an Eastern Screech owl. I eat insects, arachnids, small mammals and amphibians. One of my physical characteristics is my small ear tufts.” (By Kylee Arthur)
“I am a saw-whet owl. I eat small rodents, large insects, birds, and bats. I am only 20 cm long. I am named for my call which sounds like a saw being sharpened or whetted.” (By Carly Whitmore)
“I am a Great Horned owl. I eat house cats, skunks, porcupines and other animals bigger than myself. Some of my physical characteristics are my large ear tufts, and my massive length up to 64 cm, my 150 cm wingspan, huge, yellow riveting eyes, and my familiar ‘whoo-whoo!’” (By Jake Gregory)

The drawings included here, by Mackenzie Siddall and Evan Scott, demonstrate the greatest attention to detail and a wonderful sense of appreciation for these animals in their natural habitat.

Media literacy using the Grand Bend Strip

During independent reading, students are allowed to read other articles from the Grand Bend Strip. They show enthusiasm for the human interest stories and articles, but are especially taken with Casey Lessard’s fabulous photographs, candidly capturing community members of all ages taking part in a huge variety of activities. The photos are always informatively captioned, and my students are able to learn from this excellent example of media literacy.
The content of this family newspaper encourages knowledge of current events common to our community and stimulates conversation amongst students about such current events, basic science, and nature. It helps to develop a passion for exploration into different media, communication, and life-long learning. In short, the Grand Bend Strip provides a vehicle for students to be aware of the ‘balance’ between living and learning.

It’s so easy to be kind

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

A kind gesture, word or deed can truly make a difference in someone’s day. It takes very little effort to be kind, and in turn, you may be rewarded by how it makes you feel. Positive thoughts and actions are part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Gesture of goodwill
It is so rare to observe an overt gesture of goodwill that, when it does occur, it really stands out. This is how it was for a pair of my colleagues as they traveled the Nairn Road on their way to work each morning last month. Each day as the women (Julie and Jaclyn) passed a section of road, they would see an older gentleman out for his morning walk. Every vehicle, passing in either direction, received a big, friendly wave along with the peace sign from him. Most drivers, like themselves, would return the wave. It got to the point that they would anticipate the encounter each morning with enthusiasm. Other members of my staff who travel the same route commented several times about the gentleman as well, all with a positive view.

Returning the favour
One morning, running a bit late, the women missed the wave, but were just in time to see the waver entering his house. Now they knew where he lived! Julie decided that something must be done to return the kindness of this gentleman. She bought a small gift (a snowman mug filled with chocolates and biscuits). The package included a note saying “Thanks for brightening our day each morning – Julie and Jaclyn, East Williams School.” On the way home that evening they stopped and left the parcel on his doorstep.
Their reward followed swiftly the next morning when they saw their waver coming down the road wearing a sandwich-board-style sign proclaiming:
“Thank you! Merry Christmas!”
Julie and Jaclyn smiled, waved, and had a tear or two. They were ecstatic when they arrived at the school that morning; however, the story is not over yet.
Shortly after 9 a.m., an older couple arrived in the school and asked for Julie or Jaclyn. It was the waver, whose name turned out to be Richard, and his charming wife, Catherine. They wanted to meet the people who had returned a simple, kind gesture, and to say thank you in person for the Christmas gift. Everyone felt very good and a true sense of Christmas peace was hanging about the halls.

It doesn’t take much to change someone’s day for the better. Smile at someone; hold a door for someone; make a joke with people when there’s trouble at the cashier; but most of all, offer a friendly wave! The peace sign doesn’t hurt either. It might even improve your well-being.

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Richard’s Story
As told to Casey Lessard

I usually walk 30 minutes steady every morning. I exercise to try to keep all of my parts functioning. It gives me a break, too. I get a big kick out of it.
I had a triple-bypass, so I’m one of those types. Usually we (Richard and his wife Catherine) go down south, but two years ago I came down with Bell’s palsy, and that hung us up. We were going to go this year and we decided, who needs all that hassle of trying to stay out of the way of the transport trucks?
I usually have a sign (encouraging people to honk). At least half of them will honk. I don’t stop and talk with any of them, and neither do they.
The next day (after the teachers dropped off their gift), another woman comes with a gift. In her note, she calls me her buddy, and says “I can’t wait for spring to see my buddy again.” She signed it with her name, “in the blue Taurus that goes by every morning.”
There’s enough downtrends in the world today, so if someone can get a laugh out of the joker walking down the highway every morning, the more power to them.

All I want for Christmas is corn (to burn)

Corn promoted as clean (and cheap) heating alternative

Story and photos by Casey Lessard

In an area where corn grows abundantly, it’s easy to view those fields as sources of food energy and not as a source of heating energy. Patrick Michielsen of Sylvan Kitchens sees otherwise.
“I think burning corn’s a really good alternative to burning wood and fossil fuels; it’s environmentally friendly, and corn is cost-efficient and likely will continue to be.”
Michielsen decided to integrate corn stoves into his current business, but only after installing one for himself.
“The price of oil was going up, and with my house being older and lacking good insulation in some areas, I wanted to supplement the heat. I discovered the corn stove would be an easy fix because you don’t need a chimney – you can direct vent it out the wall.
“I had experience burning wood in the past, and I found it was way too much work and too dangerous because of chimney fires, etc. If you are going to cut the wood yourself, it’s dangerous, while corn is much easier and a lot less work to handle the corn, go get it, store it, and load it into the stove.”
Sylvan Kitchens recently started carrying the St. Croix brand of stoves, which start at $2400. Michielsen heats his home with the Greenfield stove and has the lower-priced Auburn on display in his office. The Lancaster, which has a smaller hopper (35 lbs. compared to the Greenfield’s 50 lbs. and the Auburn’s 90 lbs.) is the lowest-priced and is available by request. St. Croix also makes a corn furnace that can hold 200 lbs. of corn. All of the stoves produce about 40,000 BTU, or enough to heat between 800 and 1,800 sq. ft.
“They’re quiet, clean to operate in the house, they have a lot of safety features that wood stoves won’t have,” Michielsen says. “They have a vacuum control switch where if the door opens, the stove will shut down. They have heat sensors where it will shut down if it’s too hot, and if the fire goes out, it will stop putting corn through the auger. With the direct venting, you don’t get creosote buildup, so you don’t have to worry about chimney fires. Yet, it gives you the look, the flame and the heat you would get from a woodstove.”
The stoves are easy to use, requiring only one fill per day and the ash produced needs to be emptied about once a week. The ash can be composted, too.
“As soon as the water hits it, it seems to disintegrate and disappear,” Michielsen notes.
Besides the convenience, there’s the issue of economy. Michielsen was burning oil as his main fuel source until last year. The price of oil continues to rise, but the price of corn has remained steady.
“Last winter, I saved about $1200 in oil,” he notes. “The average person will likely burn a bushel a day, so in an average winter of 100 days, the cost would be about $400.”
And if you can’t find corn, the stoves can also burn wood pellets, which are available at stores including TSC. Wood pellets are about the same price as corn.
For more information, visit Sylvan Kitchens at 565 Elginfield Road in the hamlet of Sylvan. The shop has everything needed to get the stove running, including venting and chimney products, and hearth pads to place under the stove.

Wild Turkey for Christmas!

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

Most of us envision our Christmas dinner with the usual domestic turkey, browned to perfection, steaming on the platter. Other options may be roast duck, goose, chicken, or even a ham. However, my friend Dwight Hughes from around the country corner prefers his turkey to be ‘wild.’ According to Dwight, there are plenty of these critters roaming our local countryside. Just two days ago, I followed a lone set of wild turkey tracks in the snow at the back of our property. Dwight knows that the wild turkey has eyesight akin to that of a hawk. Therefore, hunting them successfully can be challenging. The hunter needs to be extremely well camouflaged and have the patience to remain unmoving for hours on end. He also needs to have the strength and endurance to hold his arms outstretched around the shotgun for an extended period of time. If the hunter is lucky, patience will pay off. Remember, the turkey is alert, cautious, has the keenest of eyesight, and in its natural environment, has the edge.
Dwight’s mother Leona recounted the first wild turkey her son ever brought home. Like the pioneers of our area, she and her husband Don scalded that bird and hung it over a beam in the shed. The scalding allowed them to pluck the feathers cleanly from the skin. Then Leona had the pleasure of cleaning the innards, which she stated, “wasn’t too bad.” Unlike the pioneers, they froze the bird and saved it for Christmas. Their son-in-law Steve stuffed and roasted it to perfection. All accounts suggest they couldn’t tell the difference from a domestic turkey. I can smell it now!
How special that Christmas must have been for the Hughes family. Most of us have neither the time nor the patience to create such a traditional experience. And so, off to the grocery store we go.

Gifts for the birder on your list
Your local hardware store stocks a good variety of gift ideas to enhance the backyard viewing for the birder on your Christmas list. There are tube-style finch feeders (for finer finch feeds), tube-style feeders for sunflower seed, and countless other wood or plastic feeders resembling birdhouses. There are also many designs of birdhouses for everything from the smallest of wrens to bluebirds and swallows. Hummingbird feeders are available, some pricier than others but with true aesthetic appeal. There are oriole feeders too, along with the nectar to go with both types of feeders.

For the birds!
Suggestions for treating your feathered friends are also found in the local hardware. They stock all types of seeds, suet, and seed-encrusted suet balls and bells. Wire mesh feeders are handy to neatly hang a block of suet. Birds need the fat from the suet to help keep them warm. Peanuts in the shell are always a good treat for the blue jays. You can also make your own Christmas gift for the birds by taking a pinecone, loading it up with peanut butter and rolling it in some mixed birdseed.

A very Merry Christmas to all! Don’t forget to include the birds on your Christmas shopping list.

Evening grosbeaks make a rare visit to Ailsa Craig

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

Mid 1960s: a typical February morning in Bracebridge, Muskoka at my house. Minus thirty degrees Fahrenheit. My pajama-clad father with winter coat over-top, armed with a bucket of striped sunflower seed, boots crunching over the backyard snow. His goal was to satisfy the voracious appetites of at least a hundred evening grosbeaks waiting in the naked maple tree for their daily feeding. The ancient maple would be festooned with the stunning yellow plumage of the evening grosbeaks. And there they would wait for him to fill the feeders, and to pour copious seeds onto the dining room windowsill. Soon after the solitary bird man had returned to his kitchen, multitudes of grosbeaks would descend upon the seed, affording us a very close-up view of these dazzling finches.
Several sported metal ID bands around their skinny ankles. Bird research was very much alive and well during the mid-‘60s. Without warning, a neighbourhood cat might slink into the yard and the sunny throng would be gone in a trifle, the cacophony would cease and the old maple would be bare once more. Gone are the days that we see the evening grosbeaks in such enormous numbers.
The evening grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) is a plump, sturdy finch. It has a thick cone-shaped bill ideal for cracking seeds. Its plumage is unmistakable, with the brilliant yellow body and conspicuous gold band across the forehead. The snow- white wing patch is also distinctive. They were first noted in the early 19th century in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies and were named evening grosbeaks because the settlers thought they came out of the woods only to sing after sundown. This, of course, is not true. I prefer to associate the name with the beauty of a golden sunset. Their range has spread as far east as Newfoundland and Labrador and as far south as Alabama and Georgia. Such wanderings of the grosbeaks have been traced through the ID banding of the birds, beginning in the 1960’s.

Feeding
Evening grosbeaks primarily eat seeds from the cones of spruce, balsam fir and other conifers, but also enjoy seeds and fruits from various deciduous trees. The favourite choice at feeders is any type of sunflower seed. They are truly voracious, known to wolf down 95-100 seeds in a minute! Grosbeaks will feed on the ground and love tray-style feeders. What a welcome addition these magnificent birds are to your back yard, even if they are a little hard on the pocketbook.

Current sightings
In all of the 28 years that we have lived on our country property north of Ailsa Craig, we have had the pleasure of the grosbeaks only twice; and certainly not in the hordes that abounded in the ‘60s. A small grouping of perhaps six to eight birds is all that we have seen. Earlier this month, I was walking down our road with Fergus the Labrador puppy when my cell phone rang. It was my husband bearing the exciting news that there was a small flock of evening grosbeaks on the tray feeder in our back yard (it doesn’t take too much to entertain us). I set off at a jog in hopes of seeing the birds. Alas! When I arrived at home, the elusive grosbeaks had already left. Ever the skeptic, I asked husband and son, “Are you sure it wasn’t just some really big fat goldfinches?” Somewhat slighted, they assured me that they had definitely seen evening grosbeaks. They proved it by bringing out the digital camera. Indeed, on the screen were a few of the magnificent birds. I was sorry to have missed them but am hoping they drop by again soon. Now that our spruces are so mature, the chances are better that they might.

On the prowl for owls? Here’s a guide to local hooters

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

The term ‘wise owl’ dates back centuries. Owls are often used as symbols for higher education, even being depicted sporting a mortar board. Is the owl really wise, or is this simply how it appears to humans? The owl is the only bird whose eyes are placed adjacent to each other in its face (just like people). All other birds have an eye placed on either side of their heads. The front-facing facial disk feature undoubtedly helps the owl to see better at night. The fact that owls soar on silent wings affords another advantage in the stalking of prey.
In southern Ontario five owl species are most common. The following facts may help you to identify these species either through physical features or by each owl’s distinct call. The source of information is my favourite PhD in Ornithology, Fred J. Alsop III.

Great Horned Owl
With a length of up to 64 cm and a wingspan up to 150 cm, this powerful owl will attack a house cat, skunk or porcupine and other animals sometimes larger than itself. It has large ear tufts and colouring ranges from dark brown to buff. The huge yellow eyes are riveting and his call is a deep Whoo! Whoo-whoo-whoo! Whoo! Whoo! (You awake? Me too!)

Saw-Whet Owl
This tiny owl (just 20 cm long) is named for its call, which sounds like a saw being sharpened, or whetted. Without ear tufts, its distinctive features are: dark bill, white eyebrows, and pale buff to brownish facial disks. The saw-whet hunts at night for small rodents, large insects, birds, and bats.

Barred Owl
The barred owl has very dark eyes, a length of up to 61 cm, no ear tufts and horizontal barring on the upper breast. It is called the “hoot” owl of southern swamps. Its song is eight or more drawn out notes. “Who cooks for you! Who cooks for you aaawwl?” It is often heard in daytime and responds readily to imitations (something our family has experienced often in Algonquin Park). The barred owl feeds on small mammals, frogs, salamanders, lizards, crabs, and crayfish.

Eastern Screech Owl
A small ear-tufted owl, the screech is perhaps the best known owl in eastern North America. It is 20-25 cm long and has a wingspan up to 60 cm. It has a bright rusty brown to gray body and bright yellow eyes (similar to the great horned). Its song is a tremolo whistle descending in pitch. Favourite foods are insects, arachnids, mammals, and amphibians.

Long-Eared Owl
This is the most slender and nocturnal of the owls. It has a length of 30-40 cm and a wingspan of up to 100 cm. The long-eared owl has rusty facial disks and yellow eyes. The back is a mottled brown and the breast has heavy vertical streaks. The ear tufts are long, blackish and close-set. The song is a low “moooooo” or “booooo” at 10-second intervals. Pellets reveal a diet of mice, moles, voles and smaller birds.

If you find yourself actively seeking out any of these owls, you can call yourself an owler.

Nuthatches can turn their world upside-down

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

Imagine having the ability to maneuver head-first down the trunk of a tree; or better yet, to walk ably on the underside of a limb like a housefly on the ceiling. Such is the talent of the nuthatch. Upon close inspection of these little birds – they are relatively tame – their toes are quite elongated and sharp. This feature likely contributes to the skill of self-inversion; and like a good gymnast, they seem to have total control of their bodies while upside down.
Two species, the red- and white-breasted nuthatches, are common in our area. The red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) is about 11 cm long and weighs in around 11 g. The back is blue-gray, the under parts rusty, and both male and female sport a black streak from the beak, through the eye to the back of the head. This little fellow is known to eat from human hands, much like the chickadee or gray jay, and its song is reminiscent of a tin horn with its short “ank, ank” sound. Their preferred foods include conifer seeds, sunflowers seeds, and suet. Nuthatches usually nest in a coniferous tree. The male and female smear pine pitch around the nest entrance to ward off predators - a very sticky yet effective process. From this nest only one brood of eggs is hatched per year.
The white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) is 13-15 cm and weighs 20 g. According to Fred J. Alsop III’s “Birds of Canada,” this species can catch a falling nut in midair. This is executed with considerably more expertise than some people (usually men), who strangely toss peanuts into the air and retrieve them on descent with their mouths (no names mentioned). The white-breasted nuthatch’s song is a sweet sounding “wee-wee,” and its favourite foods are nuts, seeds, spiders and insects. Unlike the red-breasted, the white-breasted nuthatch is non-migratory.
We have a great tube-style feeder called the “squirrel buster.” It is carefully engineered so the weight of the squirrel causes the barrel of the feeder to descend and close off the openings in the tube. Most birds are too light to cause this reaction. Recently inspired by the presence of an inverted nuthatch on the squirrel buster feeder, I sat down to outline this article. I glanced up and noted the presence of a Cooper’s Hawk perched on a large spruce limb. This accipiter (or bird hawk) pays frequent visits to back yard feeders for a quick lunch. Down and feathers were flying as he furiously attacked the prey in his talons (likely a finch or sparrow). At the same moment, the red-breasted nuthatch had settled itself on the suet feeder, oblivious to the presence of the formidable predator barely twenty feet away. Fortunately for the nuthatch, the hawk was consumed with devouring his own repast. Meanwhile, inside the house, I was thoroughly entertained by the balance of nature at work in my own back yard. Both nuthatch species are frequent visitors at our home near Ailsa Craig. Keep those feeders full of sunflower seeds and suet and you can be sure to attract them to your yard.

Geese faithful mates until the end

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

The luminous yellow plumage of the American Goldfinch has begun to wane to a dusky gold. Rose-breasted grosbeaks have long since taken off to their southern climes, and no longer are we pestered by the voracious, greedy grackles at the feeders. These developments are sure signs that autumn is upon us.
During my most recent late afternoon walks with Fergus the Labrador puppy, the musical honking of the Canada geese can be heard as they land in the fields to bed down for the night. The sight of the V-shaped flock is another sign of the impending season.
The Common Canada goose (Branta Canadensis) can measure up to 45” in length. Its counterpart, the Lesser Canada, is much smaller, around 25” and has a considerably higher-pitched voice. The distinctive markings of these geese are their long black necks and panda-white cheek patches, contrasted by the light chest and grayish body.
I have often heard the misnomer ‘Canadian Goose’. Like beavers, moose, and maple syrup, the geese are Canadian, but the correct name is Canada goose. They breed in the Arctic and northern regions of Canada and winter from southern Ontario through to the southern United States.
A generation ago, it was more likely that most of the geese would migrate south. Now, with our seemingly milder winters and sumptuous grain fields, thousands are spending their winters in southern Ontario.
Wawa, Ontario, a town on the northern shore of Lake Superior is noted for its gigantic statue of a Canada goose. The story behind this statue’s existence is chronicled in a song by Stompin’ Tom Connors entitled ‘Little Wawa.’ The Canada goose is one of the few animal species known to mate for life. In Stompin’ Tom’s ballad, Little Wawa is a goose whose gander, or mate, falls victim to an Indian arrow during hunting season. Devastated, this faithful little goose leaves her flock to stay beside the body of her mate, pining away until she subsequently starves to death. That shows more dedication than most human couples. This sad tale is supposedly true and the statue at Wawa is in tribute to the faithful goose who refused to leave her mate. In our home a wooden carving of a Canada goose also bears the name ‘Little Wawa.’ Very few other animal species mate for life; Canis lupus, or the gray wolf, is among those animals that choose a single mate in their lifetime.
The Canada goose can be an overbearing presence in places like public parks. A stroll beside the Avon River in beautiful Stratford is testament to this, where goose droppings litter the riverbank so thickly, it is sometimes difficult to avoid stepping in them. Nevertheless, the unquestionable majesty of a vast V-shaped flock, etched against a clear autumn sky, continues to be symbolic of the spirit of our Great White North…eh?

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