Winter and Wildlife and ... Linocuts

A bit of everything this week ... ending with Houdini the Hedgehog

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December is here, three weeks left to the winter solstice (the REAL seasonal celebration - that Christmas stuff is fun, but a bit Johnny-come-lately). Needless to say, there’s barely any green in the world and no flowers. On the other hand, there are some mammals still around, there are birding opportunities with northern species we only ever see in winter, and some nice lichens on exposed tree branches. Just wrap up warmly. Make sure your bird feeders are filled and enjoy nature in winter. When the Northern Hemisphere is wrapped in winter’s dark shadow, nature puts on a spectacular show for anyone willing to brave the cold. The stillness of the frozen air heightens each of the senses, making the little details of a glimmering blanket of snow or a cardinal’s song even more inspiring. Though the days are the shortest, they are still filled with natural wonder.

In the depths of winter, it can be difficult to go outside to see what’s about, but it is important to get outside and to take kids, if you have any, with you regardless of the weather. Numerous studies have shown that the benefits are enormous mentally and physically, and there is so much to see. A winter hike can be as simple as roaming your back garden, which can be a fine adventure after fresh snowfall. Hikes in the early evening are magical for all ages, especially on a clear night when the moon and stars are visible. Moon shadows are fascinating.

You can hunt for tracks after a fresh snowfall to see who has visited during the night. Feed the birds and observe the activity. Once you begin feeding birds, continue through winter, as the birds will look for your feeder as a source of food. Make sure you keep your feeder clean and free of wet seed.

Many people assume that the vast majority of birds have gone south by the time winter arrives, but that is not entirely so. In fact, a surprising number of our birds, such as Woodpeckers, Crows, Chickadees, Cardinals, Goldfinches and others, are year round residents. At the same time, there are northern birds that think coming to Montreal in winter is like going to Florida would be for us. Almost all gardens will see Dark-eyed Juncos in winter as regular visitors for example , and then there are Redpolls, Pine Siskins and Snow Buntings. During December, each year, and for the last century or so, birders all over North America go out and count birds as part of the Christmas Bird Count. Counts in the winter city of Montreal regularly turn up 70-80, sometimes more, different species of birds in the depths of winter.

One of my favourite year round resident birds that is easier to see in winter than summer is the Carolina Wren. If you go south of the US border you will find these birds easily, they are common. But it was no more than some 15 years ago that, possibly aided by climate change, they gradually made their way northwards and a few arrived in the West Island and decided to stay. What’s more, they have been nesting here and raising young ever since. The cold of winter isn’t their problem. They can cope with that, but they are ground feeders and when the ground is under a foot or two of snow and ice they have a bit of a problem. Fortunately, they can make a decent living if there are regularly stocked feeders in gardens, and that seems to be what they have been doing. There is a small but growing population along the southern shore of the West Island – they like it here. Truly, these are delightful immigrants, and we are so lucky to have them with us – cheery singers too, which makes locating them easier than peering onto every bush or sheltered corner. In the past two or three winters, we have enjoyed a pair coming almost daily to our feeders throughout the winter. Friends at the other end of town have them near their garden too, so do keep a look-out. You get an extra star for finding a Carolina Wren.

White-throated Sparrows, male Northern Cardinal and Dark-eyed Junco

Some plants make small shows of their own in the winter … for example, the distinctive seed pods of milkweed … the plant we are all encouraged to grow to support Monarch butterflies. The pods are grey-brown and dried out, and make quite an architectural feature standing tall above the snow. When they split open you can enjoy the fluffy fibres surrounding the seeds. These pods make a nice photographic subject too.

Do you clear a path in the snow across your garden to the bird feeders? As you do so, look at the lower edges of the snow on either side for small holes. Even though the air temperature might be -20C or colder, the temperatures underneath the snow in what is called the ‘subnivean layer’ are only a degree or two below freezing, and it is down there that a lot of small, furry creatures such as mice and voles wait for the return of spring while sheltered from the storms above. They create tunnels as they dig their way in search of something to eat, and every so often our paths will cross theirs.

And then the snows will finally melt, the sun will rise higher in the sky and once again it will be spring and the cycle repeats.

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I usually put links to articles I have found and which readers might enjoy, at the end of my newsletters but this week I am highlighting a link by placing it near the top. This is an article about an artist who creates linocuts, mostly of birds. They are stunningly good and complex and better than anything else I am putting before you this week. I never knew this was possible with a linocut which are usually rather, shall I say, primitive art. Do yourself a favour, follow this link and enjoy the work of Sherrie York. I am featuring just one of her images to give you a taster.

The Patience Required

Chasing Daylight by Sherrie York (Linocut)

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Northern Pintail

We get a good number of waterfowl on the waters around the island in the period before it ices over (sone years it has done that already) and it’s always worthwhile checking any words you see in case there is something special. The Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) is not particularly frequent here but it’s another of those species that appeal to me with its geometric, clean-cut markings - it has been described as ‘elegant’, which it certainly is. Pintails are found all around the globe in high northern latitudes during the breeding season and migrate south for the winter. Breeding is in wet grassland, lakesides or tundra while, in winter, it will be found a wider range of open habitats, such as sheltered estuaries, brackish marshes and coastal lagoons. A good find for me, anyway.

Common Greenshield Lichen

With the leaves and flowers gone for a few months the bare branches have the chance to introduce us to lichens - fascinating things. For example, this quite common species (Flavoparmelia caperata) - at least, I think that’s what it is - is found mostly growing on bark, and less frequently on rocks. Lichens are a "hybrid colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among filaments of multiple fungi species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex, in a mutualistic relationship”.

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Sorry, nothing much to report other than the almost ever-present activity of small birds taking seeds from the standing plants that we will not cut until spring and leavening their foraging with the seeds and suet we put out for them. Plenty of squirrels too, some chipmunks, this year regular visits by at least one rabbit.

The other day I was reading the newspaper when a movement outside the window caught my eye. We have a rather old and not very stout wooden arch outside, up which Clematis grows in summer. In late morning it catches the sun and often squirrels will sit on top and bask in what warmth there is. Next to it is an Amelanchier canadensis tree. The squirrel was facing towards me with its eyes half closed, not moving but for all that it suddenly froze as a Cooper’s Hawk landed three feet behind it in the tree. There was a pause before the hawk launched itself towards the squirrel with talons extended - at which point the squirrel neatly rolled sideways and hung upside down under the arch. It all happened very fast but the hawk missed it’s lunch, flew back into the tree with much flapping, straightened its feathers (“nothing see here, move along everyone”) and then flew away to hunt elsewhere. The squirrel hauled itself back onto the top of the arch, settled down once more and continued to catch those important rays. A squirrel’s life must be very stressful if things like that happen too often.

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When is a plant “native” and when is it not, and either way, when is it “invasive” or simply a weed? Some words/labels that are gaily splashed around in articles and conversation are not always used accurately. Some explanation of the precise terminology is handily related in this link from WWF-Canada:

https://wwf.ca/stories/botanical-terminology-invasive-ornamental-plants/

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This has been a good week for unearthing a number of thoughtful articles about the natural world. I hope you will enjoy some of this slightly lengthier than normal selection:

Government Pressures on Inconvenient Science

Now that Trump, with his love of fossil fuels and climate denialism. is coming to power again the world of science in the US needs to watch its back. How many of you remember the Gulf Oil Spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico back in 2010?

… a state-of-the-art wildlife rehabilitation center, was told outright by a USFWS employee that her rehab and education permits would be revoked if she went anywhere near the Gulf, so I know that the threat was real. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and other research and educational organizations would have risked virtually all their ongoing work, and even their existence, if they didn’t abide by the 5-year moratorium suddenly imposed to delay the publication of ANY studies, videos, photos, or observations of oiled wildlife in the Gulf without approval. Too much was at stake to resist publicly, but the Lab and others continued to collect data that would eventually be publicized.

That scary quotation came from this article linked to below - and the moratorium was imposed by Obama (!) who I thought was supposed to be a good guy:

Getting away with murder, Part 5

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The Power of the Wild

Quote: This is the power of the wild. … It nourishes the children within us. It reminds us of the ecstasy of being alive.

the wild has no clean lines

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Rewilding

At its heart, rewilding is about repairing the damage that humans have done to the planet. It’s an ecological restoration approach that aims to bring back natural processes and reintroduce species that have been lost, often as a result of human activity.

On Finding Photographs

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To end this week with a bit of fun and a really cute animal portrait, read about …

Houdini the Hedgehog

Houdini the hedgehog