Spring is here because of flowers and pollinators

Last night, I was planning where to go today and considered taking the bus to Stony Swamp, a natural area southwest of Ottawa where photos of interesting animals are frequently shared on Facebook, such as Black-backed Woodpecker during the winter, porcupines, frogs, etc.  But the thought of the trip taking almost two hours, while it is located 15.6 km west of where I live, is kind of ridiculous (Ottawa transit system is quite poor compare to the Metro Vancouver transit system).  Anyways, I decided to walk to the bus station (via Sawmill Creek Constructed Wetland) and visit the Arboretum in the end.

Little did I know I would see several interesting things today.

First was this pair of Ring-necked Ducks (Aythya collaris) - first of the year!

Bird-watching at Sawmill Creek Constructed Wetland

I was debating where to spend some time outside this long weekend, especially because the public transit schedule is different every single day.  Looking at eBird, I realized there was a bird-watching spot very close to where I live called Sawmill Creek Constructed Wetland, so I searched for instructions on how to get there this morning and walked there right after.

The main purposes of this man-made wetland are to collect run-off water and de-silt the water before it flows into Sawmill Creek.

Photographic update

Sorry for the lack of update lately, I have been working hard on my thesis so that I can complete my degree before the new school year (so that I don't have to pay any more tuition).  I am also working on another research project, preparing my PhD application, arranging travel arrangements, and so forth.  I will be flying back to BC this coming Wednesday for a few days, then I am off to Whitehorse to attend an Arctic/Alpine Pollination workshop (information here), and my summer travels will wrap up in New Orleans (via Vancouver and Toronto) where I will be presenting my research at the Botany conference.

I don't have free time to go anywhere to take photos, but I still bring my camera everywhere I go just in case.  Here are the photos I took this past two weeks.

July 1

Attending the Multicultural Canada Day Festival 2013 in Peterborough.  The low-point of the day was that a friend had her kayak stolen from top of her car while we were at the festival.  To have this kind of thing happening, especially during Canada Day, is just not acceptable.  The kayak (see posting here) was brought over from Europe, so it is likely the only one of its kind in Canada, if anyone has seen it (anywhere in Canada), please contact the Peterborough police (more info in the link above).

Wildlife in Peterborough - Redpoll, Osprey, and Mink

Our maple sap-collecting concluded yesterday after spending almost 12 hours boiling the sap we collected for the past weeks.  It was quite an experience, and I will never again under-appreciate how precious maple syrup is. 

In the morning, looking out the back porch, I saw little birds jumping around the branches, so I quickly grabbed my camera and snapped a few photos.

I think it is a Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea) because of the streaked rump and pattern of streaks on undertail coverts (from other photos not shown here), as oppose to Hoary Redpoll.  Cute birds.

Exploring the Lady Eaton Drumlin

Went out shopping in the morning to get a few more things that I still need for my new place, e.g. kettle, spatula, etc.

On the way to the store, I spotted this toad on the hot gravelly trail.  It's good to always bring my P&S camera with me.  You'll never know what you might encounter.

2012 Peterborough Folk Festival

I had been pretty busy the past few days.  I arrived on Tuesday, checked out and agreed on a new place on Wednesday, packed on Thursday, and moved into new place on Friday.  Phew.

I took a break today and biked from my new place to where the Peterborough Folk Festival is held this year.  This is last year's post.

The weather was beautiful and many people showed up to participate.

May days so far

May days so far have been pretty hectic (as expected).  I need to finalize what I will be doing this summer with my supervisors, pack everything, and figure out where I am going to be living next September.

2012-05-04

I handed in my post-dated cheques to the housing unit today at school.  After that, I walked along the river towards my building.  And as expected, when I don't bring my DSLR, I ended up seeing some pretty cool wildlife.

For example, this Osprey about 20 metres away from me looking at the river.

Then I heard this knocking sound.  Looking around, it was a Pileated Woodpecker.  I have seen this species a couple of times, but no good photos to show for it.  This one is pretty decent when resized.

One of the more fulfilling wildlife-watching days this year

It took me awhile to realize that today is a holiday and that the school semester had ended two days ago. It sure is easy to lose track of days when you focus on something 24/7.

Saw a male Goldfinch on my way to school.

Biked to school on Monday

On the way to school this morning, I saw a large bird carrying sticks to this platform. I think it is a Great Blue Heron, but I only had my small camera to take this picture. [Edit: I was mistaken. This is an Osprey nest.] I will look forward to see the development whenever I bike past this nest now.


Male Goldfinch singing.


The moon when I was biking home. Full moon in four more days.


The weather has been decent enough for the midges (Family Chironomidae) to come out now. This is a male with the plumose (feather-like) antennae.

(Almost) Back to School!

Hello from Peterborough! My mother and I arrived in Peterborough two days ago. The first night was crazy with thunderstorms and lighting and power outages in the city. The first two days were hectic with stuff-buying and getting to know Peterborough.

Today I finally had the chance to show my mother the school that I will be attending for the next two years.

A beautiful day.

Update post, inc. trip to Dyer's Bay

Hi all. I am back at the cafe using wireless internet. This might be the only post for the upcoming weeks/month as the birds are arriving next week, and after that everyone will be very busy and has less time for non-work related things.

While driving to the cafe this morning, my colleague and I saw an Eastern Meadowlark and 3 Wild Turkeys - both of which are lifers for me. I will share them next time.

Now, the usual views and creatures from the Fox Den (where we are currently housed). Once again, please click on the photos for more descriptions about each image.

Hello from Ontario!

Hello everyone! I am currently sitting in a cafe about 1 hr drive from where I work/live using internet.

So far, the place has just been amazing! I get to see a new lifer almost everyday and the people are just fantastic to work with! I look forward to spending the next 4-5 months working with them and living in this special place.

I will need to keep things short and simple as I am relying on my laptop battery, but you may click on each Flickr photo for more description.

This is where I am currently living, before we fix and clean our field house and the surrounding captive cages for the coming shrikes.

Lucky day - Osprey sighting!

It was a great day today. Beautiful weather and saw two first birds of the year. Hope it continues throughout the weekend.

Another day with (almost) cloudless blue sky.

I couldn't find the Great Horned Owl yesterday. But it was back to its usual spot again today! Hoot!

Wing stretching.

Giving me the annoyed cold stare. Okay, one more shot, then I'm leaving.

Back to sleeping.

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula). They can be identified by their "large" eyes, yellowish hues on wings and tails, and a single wing-bar.

I got lucky when I spotted this Black-capped Chickadee picking this caterpillar off the branch and was fortunate enough to snap a shot of it. The bird then pecked the caterpillar into almost a ball of mush before eating it.

Near the slough, a group of Yellowlegs (Tringa spp.) were observed. I think distinguishing two different species by their relative size is one of the difficult things to identify them. What if there is only one species present (in the field)? Then how do we know who's the Greater and who's the Lesser? Anyways, I think they are Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) because of the straighter and pointy-looking bills. First of the year!

Dare I say it? It feels almost like summertime the last couple of days.

I saw five pairs of Northern Shovelers feeding on the riverbanks (and one pair in the slough).

Turns out that the bird that I missed photographing yesterday was not a Peregrine Falcon by an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus). Today I got lucky and it was there again! A few crows gave (weak) chases, so it flew over the field a couple of times, including once hovering in the air and diving it the ditch catching fish. It came up empty. I didn't get a good photograph of it because I was too excited seeing this bird (clearly) for the first time ever! What a day!

An old friend greeted me as I headed back home just as I was thinking not having seen a heron this last couple of days. Same with the Snow Geese. I guess all of them are on Wrangel Island now.
.