Let’s clean up our act!

The impact of litter on wildlife

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

Forty years ago I chanced upon a grim scene. It was while exploring with a school friend on a wooded peninsula at the eastern end of Three Mile Lake in Muskoka. Above us something large was swinging from the limb of a poplar tree. A cursory investigation revealed the unfortunate, upside-down carcass of a great horned owl. He was at least two feet high and his huge yellow eyes were still open.
Disturbed by our discovery, we elected to solicit the counsel of my father, the landowner. He managed to climb a few lower limbs, high enough to untangle some silk cord fishing line from a branch and lowered the beautiful bird to the ground. Clearly saddened by the sight, Dad theorized that some local fishermen, who frequented the nearby rocky point, had likely been careless in their cleanup. Perhaps the unsuspecting owl had landed to sample some fish remains and inadvertently stepped on a length of cut fishing line. The line then tangled around one of his talons. Then the owl may have landed in the poplar, where the line managed to become wrapped around the branch. When he took off from his perch, the great horned owl didn’t get any further than the length of line and likely starved to death. A sad end to the life of what is possibly our most powerful owl. Dad carefully and silently buried that great horned owl. My friend and I conducted a simple funeral.
Many people do not give a second thought to the impact that various kinds of litter can have on wildlife. A piece of chewing gum can choke a curious bird. The plastic rings that hold a six-pack of cans are frequently seen lying by the roadside. These rings have been well documented as being the culprits in getting tangled around the beaks and necks of waterfowl, making it impossible for them to eat. By the way, my family always picks up the plastic rings and takes them home to be cut into small pieces and disposed of properly.
I shudder when I see people allowing helium balloons, strings attached, to go sailing into the vast unknown. These can become lodged in trees with their strings dangling down, possibly causing the entanglement of any wildlife which inhabits the tree.
An unfortunate blue heron was recently the victim of someone’s carelessness as it became entangled in some fishing line and a lure along the Thames River in London. It was ensnared by its beak, and the line was then attached to one of its wings. Fortunately, it was rescued and delivered to the animal shelter in Mount Brydges. The offending lure has been removed and the bird is recovering from starvation and shock, as well as its injuries. Hopefully this majestic bird will make a full recovery before it is returned to a questionable environment. The amount of litter along the Thames is completely unnecessary.
We need to be accountable for our actions. Litter is litter. Let’s clean up our act and encourage others to do the same.

Jenipher Appleton is an educator with a special interest in wildlife and birds.

Our Algonquin experience

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

Camping isn’t for everyone, but my family has embraced it since our children were very small. Now that they are adults, our sons (and significant others) still share the enthusiasm. The annual sojourn to Algonquin Provincial Park is now an essential part of our well-being as a family. Tapping into one’s deep-rooted need to survive can be quite therapeutic. Packing quality meals (along with some decadent treats), clothing, and camping gear to be comfortable for a week outdoors can be challenging, which makes it all the more rewarding. The fact that there will be no TV, radio, or landline telephone is also a welcome change. The sound of the wind in the pines, chirping birds, chattering squirrels, and water lapping at the shore, provides an ambience second-to-none.

And we’re off
It’s day one, 5 a.m. The van, the Jeep, two kayaks (one cherry red, the other royal blue), a cedar strip canoe, four bicycles mounted on the bike rack; coolers, backpacks, tents, etc., are all neatly packed into the vehicles. A quick last check of the house, and we set out on our seven-day trip to Algonquin.

Things to do
Besides the camping experience itself, there is much to do in this beautiful landscape, just northeast of Huntsville, Ontario. Hiking trails, day trips on the water by canoe or kayak, spectacular stargazing, picnics, cycling on the highway 60 corridor, the Visitors’ Center, the Pioneer Logging Exhibit, are some of many possible outings. Mountain biking is available on the Mizzy Lake trail. Each time we hike on a guided walking trail and read the accompanying guidebooks at the post markers, we either reinforce prior knowledge, or learn something new altogether. Something that I had forgotten as we walked the Spruce Bog Boardwalk this year, was that if one stepped off the walkway onto the floating mat of peat moss, one could fall through and be preserved until eternity, in the depths of the highly acidic, oxygen-deprived depths of the bog.
Animal life abounds in the Park. During this trip we were able to see the elusive flying squirrel while enjoying our campsite after dark. This nocturnal creature can sail easily amongst the tall pines by spreading the webbing between its front and hind legs. While driving along highway 60, which runs through the Park all the way to Ottawa, and you notice a group of vehicles pulled over on the shoulder, chances are you are about to encounter the Algonquin moose. We have seen bulls, cows and calves many times through the years, grazing in the marshy areas for water lily roots. Roadside salt build-up from the previous winter is also a treat for the moose.

Park inspires visitors
Algonquin Park is the old stomping grounds of the legendary artist Tom Thomson, who mysteriously drowned on Canoe Lake in 1912. His many paintings are left behind to represent the haunting beauty of the Algonquin wilderness. Our personal favourite is “The Canoe.” Another famous one which many will recognize is “Jack Pine.”
The forests of Algonquin have rejuvenated us. Each year, as the trip draws to a close, each family member makes plans for the coming year. The outdoor getaway provides us with a fresh outlook, an appreciation for what we have, and a more positive perspective for what is soon to come. Our rating is FIVE STARS!

Jenipher Appleton: nature at grandbendstrip.com

A tough year for the bean crop

Zurich Bean Festival
Friday August 24 starting at 7 p.m.
Cruise night, midway and fireworks
Saturday August 25 – 7 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Pancake and sausage breakfast, midway, car show, beans and pork chop dinner, entertainment all day and dance starting at 9 p.m.

Cash crop farmer Randy Regier, now nearing 50, has been growing edible beans in the Zurich area for all of his life. Regier operates 9,000 to 10,000 acres of land, rotating wheat, corn, soybeans and white beans.

As told to Casey Lessard

It’s a family tradition right back to my grandfather. We’ve always been in the edible bean business. It’s always been a big part of our operations and that goes way back to the beginning.
As a young fellow, it was an exciting time to get up at 3 or 4 in the morning and sit on a tractor and help my father with this crop. There’s a lot of enjoyment and pride in this crop and with that we always need a reward.
Forty years ago, there were people who in a good year in a good market would sometimes grow 100 acres of edible beans and it would purchase that farm that year. Today, that could never happen.
There’s been a huge change in the land values versus the return on a per acre basis. Today’s land value is probably 50 times higher than it was 40 years ago, and the value of the edible bean is probably still at the same price. They were getting $25-$30 to the hundredweight, and today that value is still the same. The production cost is probably three to four times higher. That reflects the industry as a whole. You make it up through volume.
My grandfather grew probably 30 acres of edible beans. My father at the end of his time in the business was probably in the 1,000 to 2,000 acres a year. Between myself and my brothers, we are probably in the neighbourhood of 6,000 acres of beans.
When we harvest them, we do a rod pulling process, where a rotating rod slides under the ground. It just pulls the plant out or nips it off. Another machine splits the ripe pod – it has to be ripe and it has to be dry, so it’s in the mid-day harvesting – it separates the pod and the bean that’s inside away from each other. It’s collected through screenings and it goes into an elevator that takes it into a bin that collects only the bean itself. They thrash very easily once they’re dry.
This pulling process has to be done through the evening hours when they’re in a tough stage from the dews so that the pod is hard to crack. Then you need the heat of the day to crack the pods open.
Edible beans don’t like a lot of heat. If you go into the southern counties, where the heat units are a lot higher, that was a hindrance to this crop. In early spring or in the fall, the lake was a bit of a safeguard from frost. It keeps temperatures more moderated. I think that’s why it was started in this area and grew to a point where processing plants were established, and the industry has grown from there.
It’s a labour intensive crop. We’re always dealing with weed control. We have insects. Five, six or seven years ago, we never thought of leafhoppers. Now, leafhoppers are quite an issue in the edible bean industry. It’s not a major issue to control but it comes at another expense.
There’s always the concern of a frost in the spring that would mean a replant. And there’s always the possibility of an early frost that would hinder the plant from maturing and having a good quality bean.
This year, the drought has been very devastating on all the crops in this part of the country. The edible beans are no exception. The drought has slowed down growth because of the lack of moisture. If we have a lack of plant, we have a lack of availability of spots to flower and set pods. With the drought we can have poor pollination taking place. There is a point when the plant triggers a shutoff and aborts. With the drought they’re in a stress form and are aborting small pods to ensure survival of the plant.
I expect this year that yields will be probably 30 per cent off what we would normally have.
If you have zero bushels, it doesn’t matter what the price is. This year, this crop will probably not be a profitable crop. The market values are respectable but yields will be down. You take the good with the bad, and this year, with the drought, it will be a severe year economically.
The agricultural business has become not nearly as lucrative as it was in years gone by. For a lot of reasons, our expenses have continued to rise. Yields overall - with technology of different varieties - have increased some, but have not kept up with the pace of the expenses to operate these operations.
When we have a situation like this, it’s going to be more difficult to recover.
The effort that farmers put into putting a good quality product in front of the consumer is probably lost. There’s a lot of risk, a lot of hard work put into the quality the consumer wants and sometimes, because of Mother Nature, that quality is very hard to obtain. That comes at the expense of the producer. The consumer probably lacks education of really what the food chain is about in this day and age. Thirty to 50 years ago it was much more appreciated.
Farmers are stubborn, and I think we will carry on and try to produce this crop for many years to come.

The Bean Festival
A lot of people put a lot of work into making the Zurich Bean Festival a good event. I think it would be nice if the bean festival did what the London Rib Fest does, having a contest for different recipes. We have to change with the times and show people who come to the event all the new ways of displaying this product, and I think a competition would make it fun. There are a lot of different recipes that can be used to cook and serve beans and it would be good for the consumer to see there are many ways of enjoying beans. It would make the festival more of a bean event.
It’s amazing how many people over the years have come here for this festival. I’ve been far and wide, and you say you’re from Canada. “Okay…” You say Ontario. “Okay…” You say Zurich. “Okay…” But you mention the bean festival and it’s “OH!” It’s put Zurich on the map and we shouldn’t lose sight of that.

Help reduce the mosquito population

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

How would you like to dramatically decrease the mosquito and insect population flying about your yard? You could erect a bat house (not popular with those who believe the critters’ll end up in your hair), or…you could try to attract the insect-voracious purple martin to your home.
The purple martin is the largest North American swallow. The family is HIRUNDINIDAE and the species is Progne subis. They lay 3-8 plain white eggs to a clutch, each about 2.4 cm long. The handsome male is uniformly blue/black above and below with a forked tail; the female is similar but light-bellied. Martins resemble the barn swallow but are a few centimeters longer, and stockier in appearance.

Canada’s First Peoples knew benefits
The early Native Canadians realized the martins’ appetite for insects. Around their villages they would place hollow gourds as invitations for the birds to nest. It apparently worked well, both for the martins and for the natives, who had fewer insects to pester them.
Last summer a fellow gardener had supplied me with a packet of mystery seeds. All I knew is that they were some hybrid of squash. They turned out to be swan gourds (named for the long swan-like neck attached to a pear-shaped body). I allowed one to dry over the winter and hollowed out the contents in early spring. So far there have been no martin residents in my natural birdhouse. Maybe next year.

Choosy about lodgings
Hundreds of pairs of martins have been known to nest together. A preferred style of housing is the bird apartment house, or condo. It is recommended to install the condo 40-60 feet from any taller trees. This will deter predators like hawks, owls, snakes and raccoons from attacking the martins or their young. Painting the house white will help to reflect the sun’s heat. Landing shelves should be very narrow to discourage other birds. It seems that purple martins love to be near humans so don’t install your condo further than 60 feet from your home. Any water feature is welcomed as the martins like to swoop down to dip their bills for a cool drink.

Starlings and sparrows are a problem
As if natural predators aren’t enough trouble for the purple martin, there are two non-native enemies which were introduced from England in the late 1800s. One is the European starling and the other is the house sparrow. If either species arrives in spring at the condo ahead of the martins, they will take over the structure. If a martin pair finds a vacant apartment, the starling is likely to enter while the martin is out and destroy the eggs or nestlings. Similarly, the house sparrow is likely to enter and poke holes in all the eggs; the objective being to reduce the purple martin population. Unfortunately, they have been successful.
To discourage the invaders, condo holes can be plugged with styrofoam coffee cups attached to strings until the purple martins’ spring arrival has been observed. Then they can be popped out and the condo can be home to its rightful owners.

For more information about purple martins and how to attract them, see www.purplemartin.org

It’s not too late to attract the rose-breasted grosbeak

The monogamous birds like to rub bills during courtship

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

The rose-breasted grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus is one of the most stunning birds you will see in southwestern Ontario. They seem to be even more plentiful in our back yard than they were last year at this time.

Grosbeak Families
Growing up with a naturalist father, I was expected to learn something about wildlife every day. I had frequently been informed (by my father) that the evening grosbeak was a member of the finch family. Consequently, I had always believed that the same was the case for all species of grosbeaks. It seemed like a logical assumption. Wrong again. The evening and rose-breasted grosbeaks are not in the same family at all. The similarity between the two is simply the size of their beaks, which are ‘gros,’ the French word for big.
The evening grosbeak (a beautiful yellow, black and white bird) is a member of the family FRINGILLIDAE, along with other finches like the pine grosbeak, goldfinch, redpoll, purple finch, house finch, crossbills and siskins. The rose-breasted grosbeak, on the other hand, is a member of the family CARDINALIDAE, along with the blue grosbeak, buntings, and cardinals.

Features and Habits
The male rose-breasted grosbeak has a black head, back, and wings with a white breast and an obvious rosy red triangular patch under the throat. The female has brownish upper parts with dark streaking, whitish to buff under parts, and a white eyebrow. Both genders have a large chunky beak, ideal for cracking seeds. They love black oil sunflower seeds. In our back yard, they favour the open tray feeder and the tube-style feeder. They will also eat insects, caterpillars, tree flowers, fruits and berries. We are currently observing ten or more rose-breasted grosbeaks on our feeders at any given time throughout the day. The young males are in their immature phase, with rusty streaked under-parts and the classic red triangular patch not yet developed.
May and early June is their nesting time when they are very busy tending young and eating enough to keep up their energy. They are monogamous and fairly solitary. Male and female rub bills to display affection during courtship. They raise one to two broods per year. If you hear a cheery song, similar to that of the robin only mellower, it is likely the rose-breasted grosbeak. It is not too late to start a feeder to attract them.

Labrador Retriever adds quality to life

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

My husband and I are ‘dog people’ and part of our balanced lifestyle is to own a dog. Since we have lived on our country property in Ailsa Craig, we have always had a Labrador Retriever. Molson, a shiny, sleek, black lab, was one of these beloved pets. Even when he was ten years old, people would say he looked like a puppy. His character matched his appearance.
In 1999 we temporarily moved from our property to a rented farmhouse. This was so our home could be torn down and transformed into the timber frame structure it is today. We rented the farmhouse for just over sixteen months and during that time, Molson had more than a few adventures. This article recounts one of them.
The 1870 farmhouse was equipped with a parlour, which we used as our living room. It was connected to a hallway that led to the ample wooden porch. One autumn Saturday morning I sat contentedly with coffee and newspaper, while our son Andrew lay on the rug with a crossword puzzle. The peaceful start to the day was not to last.
It was a refreshingly cool morning and the wooden door to the porch was open, leaving the aluminum storm door to close the entryway. Out of nowhere a loud volley of crashes and thumps came thundering across the broad wooden porch. Molson, ever the watchdog, responded as one might expect; he leapt to the storm door to see what was approaching. As he lunged at the glass, his black head and forepaws shattered the glass and went through. On the recoil he staggered back onto the hall rug, bleeding and yelping. Meanwhile, multiple screams could be heard from the porch and disappearing back to the driveway. Andrew took over the first aid of the ‘puppy’ and I went to investigate the rude intrusion. It turned out that a group of Beavers (not the rodent four-legged type, but the Boy Scouts of Canada type) were out on their annual apple drive. Their leaders, who had remained inside their van, allowed these primary-age children to go thundering excitedly across the front porch of a stranger’s house. One never knows what species of watchdog might be waiting either on the porch or within the house. Not everybody has a friendly Labrador.
I informed the little group that Molson was harmless, but as a result of his protective nature was now bleeding on the hall rug. I suggested that in future they approach strange houses in a calmer manner. After a weak apology from one of the leaders, I took an apple, gave them a $2 coin and bade them farewell. Andrew and I took Molson immediately to the vet where he received stitches inside his nose as well as inside the pads of his forepaws. $250 did the trick.
Molson lived another healthy six years after that event and continued to bring joy and love into our family every day; he passed away last December. Now we have a brand new Yellow Labrador puppy named Fergus to add to our balanced lifestyle. He has a tough act to follow.

Jenipher can be reached at: nature at grandbendstrip dot com

Turkey vulture: master of the road-kill

Nature’s sanitary engineer may remind you of someone you know

Living in Balance
by Jenipher Appleton

What has a naked, red-skinned head, a hooked beak, and is possibly one of the ugliest things you have ever seen? No, it is not someone’s mother-in-law. It is the turkey vulture; the under-appreciated, road-kill-loving turkey vulture.
Ailsa Craig local and naturalist Hank Halliday introduced me to this species back in 1979. I had never seen one while growing up in Muskoka, although the birds are plentiful in that region today. If you see a bird that resembles a soaring eagle, with elongated fingerlike wingtips, it is most likely a turkey vulture. The species name Cathartes aura is Latin for ‘cleansing breeze.’ Go figure.
The name ‘turkey vulture’ originates from the bare-skinned red head, which resembles a wild turkey. The purpose of this ruddy nakedness is to keep the remains of decaying animals from sticking to the vulture’s head as it thrusts into its meal. Yum! Another attractive characteristic is a semicircle of whitish to greenish warts below and in front of the eyes. During hot summer weather the bird will defecate on its own feet to help keep itself cool. When harassed, a turkey vulture will throw up on whoever is bothering it. Charming!
In addition to road-kill, the turkey vulture will eat dead livestock or the dead young of herons. A flock gathers quickly after an animal dies, soaring a hundred meters up, using their keen sense of smell and sharp eyes to specifically locate the prey. Once landed, they make hissing, grunting and growling sounds as they compete for the meal. Just like home.
With a six-foot wingspan, the vulture soars efficiently on thermal air currents, holding the wings in a shallow V and rocking from side to side. It should not be mistaken for the majestic eagle, as the latter soars on horizontally outstretched wings without the rocking motion. From beneath, the wing-feathers of the turkey vulture are two-toned black and gray. Tall dead trees are a favourite perch, conjuring up scenes from old Merrie Melodies cartoons. One day in early spring, I noted a turkey vulture perched atop a stump at the north end of Hyde Park Rd. His wings were spread wide, catching the ultra violet rays of the sun. The Anhinga, a water bird seen in Florida, does the same thing to dry its wings.
It is difficult to drive any distance at all without seeing a dead raccoon, rabbit or skunk. Vultures perform a very important function by helping with the ecological clean up. Although very unattractive, it should be easy to admire the adaptability, grace and importance of this most unappreciated bird.

To contact nature writer Jenipher Appleton, send mail to nature at grandbendstrip dot com.

Bald eagles making a comeback in the region?

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

The bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus boasts a wingspan of 183-244 cm. That translates into about seven feet! It weighs approximately 4.1 kg (10 lbs). The snow-white head and neck are distinctive. However, unlike the mature eagle, the juvenile sports a brown head and grayish eyes and could be mistaken for the golden eagle.
The bald eagle is truly at the top of its food chain. Its only threat is man, who is often responsible for loss of habitat and illegal hunting. The eyes of the adult eagle are bright yellow. When hunting, the bald eagle can focus in on prey from an unbelievable distance. This high definition sight is due to a high concentration of receptors in the retina of the eagle’s eye. Which reminds me of when my mother used to say, “I’ve got my eagle eye on you.”
She could spot anything I was doing a mile away.

Rare in eastern Canada

The bald eagle is common in Alaska and northwestern British Columbia, where up to 3000 may gather at a time to hunt salmon. They sometimes steal from ospreys (a raptor for another story). They also eat carrion and injured waterfowl, squirrels, rabbits and muskrats. Although they are not so common in eastern Canada, Steve Kozak, a citizen of Ailsa Craig who lives on the Ausable River ravine, reports a couple of recent sightings of these great birds. Steve, who watches the wildlife around him with interest, managed a good look at the birds on two separate occasions over a three-month period last year. In each case, the eagle was riding the currents over the river, searching out some unsuspecting fish.
The eagle constructs its gargantuan nest of large sticks and vegetation in the fork of a tall tree or on a ledge, sometimes 60 feet above the ground. Two bluish-white or dull white eggs are laid, 7-8 cm in length. The young, fed by both parents, stay in the nest an amazing 70-98 days. However, they have a great deal of growing to do before they become fledglings and must learn precise life skills from their parents before they can leave home forever.

Sighting can be awe-inspiring

It is not surprising that with all of these attributes that the bald eagle is often a symbol of majesty and strength. On a recent walk with my grade six students in Nairn, we were ambling through the East Williams cemetery when I happened to glance upward to spy an adult bald eagle riding the thermals of a clear blue sky. It was a breathtaking experience to be able to say, “Look! It’s a bald eagle!” I was so enraptured by the sight that I continued to walk as I was pointing aloft, and managed to slam my knee directly into a large grave marker. My apologies to the occupant. My students were suitably amused by their enthusiastic, yet absent-minded teacher.
The following week I was favoured with yet another bald eagle sighting. In early June, while out for a healthy brisk walk just north of Ailsa Craig, I caught sight of another adult male perched at the top of a tall dead tree. I stopped in my tracks and was able to observe him for about two minutes from a distance of about fifty feet. It was a most memorable and humbling experience.
These sightings may be indicators that the eastern population of bald eagles is on the increase. Keep your eyes peeled. You never know what you might see.

Alternatives to the Perfectly Manicured Lawn

Living in Balance
By Jenipher Appleton

Meadows can be beautiful

A meadow is a natural expanse of grassland supporting wildflowers, grasses, shrubbery and fodder (not to be confused with a pasture which is planted by humans). Our property, just north of Ailsa Craig, is a long, narrow, three-acre tract of land. The back acre is essentially a meadow. Three seasons of the year it is teeming with life. Countless species of birds, insects and small mammals inhabit the landscape because it offers them food and habitat.
In winter, the insects may be at rest in their cocoon stage on a weed stalk, or lie beneath the soil waiting to emerge in spring. Birds continue to find sustenance from the seed pods of wildflowers (weeds to some), including goldenrod, chicory, buttercups of various types, daisies, and Queen Anne’s lace. Tree branches heaped into a brush pile are stripped as the deer forage for any available energy source. Coyotes and foxes find small meals like cottontails and field mice. Various hawk species patrol the meadow in hopes of a similar meal.
Between our back acre and the adjacent farmer’s field stands an amazing hedgerow. This network of rusting wire fencing, mountain ash, dogwood, raspberry canes, grapevine and a potpourri of other shrubbery, provides effective cover for birds and mammals. Remember Peter Rabbit’s briar patch? He would never have survived without it. I have seen massive flocks of cedar waxwings perched in the hedgerow during migratory stopovers. Various thrushes and sparrows, warblers and finches find cover there as well.
Last year during an autumn walk on the back acre with Molson the Labrador, I witnessed hundreds of tree sparrows foraging throughout the meadow. They were extracting seeds from the wildflowers with the utmost dexterity. Had the area regularly succumbed to the ravages of the lawn tractor, this rich habitat would not have been available to them. All too often, we see large expanses of manicured lawn that could have been left as a natural meadow. With a little encouragement by planting some native wildflowers (black-eyed Susan, purple coneflower, bee balm, etc.), nature will do the rest. Better habitat for wildlife and less greenhouse gas erupting from your lawnmower.

The cottage-style garden

Try viewing your front or back lawn more like a cottage-style garden with wildflowers and groundcovers, rather than the stark monoculture of the suburban lawn. Our front yard was once the typical expanse of grass that took the better part of a half hour to mow. Seven years ago we transformed it from lawn to mulched berms, countless perennials, and groundcovers. Periwinkle, English Ivy, Snow-on-the-Mountain and wild violets (which appeared on their own) cover about 60% of the area. The more they spread, the less we have to top up the mulching material. A single grassy walkway takes less than five minutes to mow. The flowers and groundcovers support many species of birds and butterflies.

Defending the lowly dandelion

In the back yard, when dandelions are showing their sunny faces, we do not react with chemicals. Instead we cut them off with the mower. Sometimes the small, tender dandelion leaves end up in a tossed salad. Tolerating a couple of weeks of the flowers going to seed seems merely an inconvenience, when the alternative is chemicals entering the fragile ecosystem. The chemical-free approach still results in a green lawn. The best piece of advice I was ever given is that sometimes we need to adjust our thinking. If more of us applied this concept to how we treat the environment, plants, animals, birds, and humans would undoubtedly be healthier for it.

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Elinor Clarke writes:
I live on 50 acres (a big building lot!) half way between Grand Bend and Parkhill and we thoroughly enjoy our walk around the farm every morning. We have a good selection of birds including lots of hummingbirds, orioles and even a pair of veeries.
We have an unusual happening; we have what I think I have identified as a juvenile cow bird who has spent more than the last two weeks and almost all day, jumping at our windows. We have tried putting a board at the first favourite window and it just stood on the top of the board and continued jumping. Then we tried pulling all the blinds down but as we have windows with no blinds it just moved there. It seems to want to come in.
One day I was in the bedroom and when I moved to the bathroom it followed me to that window. Have you ever heard of such a thing?

Jenipher Appleton:
Thank you for your message. What I understand about bird species that insist on pecking at the windows is that they are very likely seeing reflections they view as rivals. It usually happens in the spring when they are nesting and establishing territories. It is generally short-lived, although some birds are stubborn about it. I have seen cardinals and robins behaving this way; a cardinal persisted at a car side-view mirror for several days in our driveway. Glad to hear that you have the veery pair. We do not, but I often hear them on walks near the woods.

Nature columnist Jenipher Appleton can be reached by mailing us at web at grandbendstrip dot com, Attn: Jenipher

From field to fork

Grand Bend Farmers’ Market launches dining partnership with local restaurants

This summer, when you eat at local restaurants you can choose to eat local produce as part of your meal. Each week one restaurant will feature a dish or dishes from the Simply in Season cookbook. The recipe used will feature a fruit or vegetable in season that week in our area, and your serving will contain produce grown locally.
For a list of participating restaurants, visit the farmers’ market Wednesday mornings or contact Doug Smaill at Huckleberries on Main Street in Grand Bend.
Each week’s participating restaurant and featured recipe will also be advertised in the pages of the Grand Bend Strip.

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