Handling the Foul and the Loathsome

HANDLING THE FOUL AND THE LOATHSOME  August/September, 2011 issue  The bizarre object we were now staring at in the water was a cluster of Bryozoan, and it floated, half submerged, held in place by a sunken branch to which it appeared tethered. It was…

Identifying by Ear Getting Better

IDENTIFYING BY EAR NOT ALWAYS EASY, BUT GETTING BETTER  May/June, 2011 issue   After almost 40 years of listening to the recorded songs of over 300 species of birds known to occur in this area, I am pleased that I can now identify by…

Frogs, Toads and Other Things

FROGS, TOADS AND OTHER THINGS  March/April, 2011 issue   Those who watched the classic film “Deliverance” from the early 1970s will not soon forget the disturbing scenes from this epic about four canoeists paddling down the wild Cahulawassee River in Georgia. The movie, however,…

Life After Death In the Forest

LIFE AFTER DEATH IN THE FOREST  December, 2010/January, 2011 issue   The screech owl peeked out at us when I tapped the hollow tree, then sank back down into the darkness of the cavity. At this time of the year, the bird was likely…

Waring’s Creek – Past and Future

O U R   N A T U R A L   H E R I T A G E  WARING’S CREEK – PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE Thursday, June 03, 2010 Picton Gazette readers will recall a special 15-week series that ran in place of the…

When Trees Become Bare In Summer

WHEN TREES BECOME BARE IN SUMMER  July/August, 2010 issue   Moneymore Road resident Lawrence Boyle had been looking forward to this day for some months. After a scheduled meeting of the Quinte Chapter of the Eastern Ontario Woodlot Association at a hall in Marlbank,…

Strange Things In the Sky

STRANGE THINGS IN THE SKY  May/June, 2010 issue “I don’t know who else to ask about this, and I really enjoy reading your columns. I live just outside Tamworth, on a hill with great views in all directions. Today at 5:30 I saw the…

The Art of Splitting Hares

 THE ART OF SPLITTING HARES   February/March, 2010 issue There are cottontail rabbits at my bird feeding station again this winter, and they aren’t  here to drop off Easter eggs either on April 4th. They appeared in the darkness of early morning only moments after…

Where Trains Once Rumbled

 WHERE TRAINS ONCE RUMBLED   December 2009/January 2010 issue  Last year I picked up an episode of The Cisco Kid and a package of Blackjack gum at Ormsby. The source was a curio shop, located in this small community west of Highway 62 near the…

Late Splurge No Effect on Wildlife

 LATE SPLURGE HAS NO EFFECT ON WILDLIFE   October/November, 2009 issue Once late fall and winter roll around, I start spending more time indoors. Not that I don’t enjoy the cooler months – I actually embrace them. Attribute it to far too many hot July…