Getting off the Trail in Sussex

What a fantastic day.  It is approaching mid November and the temperature today reached 16C according to the thermometer on my truck.  My wife and I took advantage of my rare day off and took the kids for a long walk along the nature trail from Sussex to Sussex Corner.  We met a friend and her two boys in Sussex and walked to Sullivan Park in Sussex Corner.  The warm temperatures meant that we could walk in t-shirts and enjoy the warm sun on our faces.

On every turn of the Trout Creek there were mallards swimming playfully and the kids loved watching them take flight.  Blue jays flitted low to the ground and their bright blue feathers stood out now with no leaves in the trees to keep them hidden.  The aging poplars, that are so abundant along the trail, provided a great lunch for a hairy woodpecker that my wife spotted while I was showing the kids the blue jays.  The whole day we were serenaded by chickadees but it took me a while to listen.

The trail was relatively dry and the older boys jumped at the opportunity to explore off the trail when I offered it up.  The flood plain was even dry and the well spaced ash, poplar, and birch allowed the boys to jump and climb what ever they could.  It was cool watching them explore.  The naturalist in me noticed how many poplar there were and how old they were.  I also noticed that there was very little undergrowth to replace the aging hardwoods.  There were lots of deer tracks around but I saw none but the number could explain the low understory cover.

It was a great day and it paid to get off the main trail.  We walked more than anticipated and it was a battle to put the kids to bed tonight.  When we have to battle like that it usually means they are really tired and it takes all of ten minutes for them to fall asleep.  That means that tonight I can do some writing.  I hope you enjoy what I wrote.

Birds are Resilient So Are We

I wrote this submission to the Kings County Record before the full reality of Hurricane Sandy was realized.  The NE coast of the US took a beating and now only a couple of weeks later they are picking up the pieces.  People are helping out from across North America.  The people impacted the most are showing a true resilience and I am impressed with how they keep pushing forward and how business sectors are quickly reopening.  Birds were heavily impacted by Sandy too I'm sure and their kind have been around a great deal longer than ours.  I enjoy observing birds and the challenge of trying to watch them from close up, unfortunately I'm not that good at it.  I hope you enjoy the read.

Hurricane Sandy is slowly fading out and trick or treaters are likely home and in bed.  I have had an up and down week but by far one of the highlights was a project that I carried out through my work with the Kennebecasis Watershed Restoration Committee.  We recently started going out to interest groups with the information and materials to build bird and duck boxes. 

Watching kids get excited about being able to use a drill or screw driver is cool.   Seeing the difference from one child to another is eye opening to how people's personalities and growth vary greatly.  Watching the pride they have when they complete the bird box and how they make a concerted effort to sign their name to their project is also rewarding as you know from the glow on their faces that they will likely remember the activity for sometime.

Bird houses are relatively an easy building project which makes it ideal for young kids but adults can enjoy such a project as well.  Most adults would take the time to place the box and watch the subtle excitement as birds move in and out.  No doubt an adult would place his box before the March breeding season to increase the likely hood it will get utilized.  They'll take the time to put it up on a nice pole to deter predators and place the pole along a tree line looking out over a pasture near their home.  Close to home is important, otherwise how would you watch it?

March is cold here in New Brunswick and many birds are known to use bird boxes.  Properly placed ventilation holes keep the birds from suffocating in the box.  They also reduce the risk of mould and bacteria buildup.  Make sure the entry hole isn't that big and contrary to you might think, a perch at the entry is not a good idea.  Why?  Predators could sit on the perch and reach in and have a snack while smiling back at you.  That would be unfortunate and hard to explain to the kids who were watching from two doors down. 

The unmistakable cry of the blue jay and the cheery chirp of the chickadee brighten any day, even a cold day in March.  When you look at a bird up close they almost look like a cartoon and how can't you smile when reading a cartoon strip.  Their tiny feet and knobby legs hold their light bodies onto a limb while the wind is blowing hard.  Their feathers keep them warm while a late April snowfall chills us enough to keep the heat on in the house another week or more.

Such resilient animals deserve our respect and our hospitality.  They keep insects in check, pollinate our food crops, give their life for food, and entertain us.  I think if we had to travel hundreds of miles we'd like to stay in a hotel instead of on the streets so a bird box is a great gesture to such an important part of our existence.

I want to acknowledge our veterans as well.  With Remembrance Day around the corner it is important that we all take the time to reach out to our Troops and thank them.

This is for the Birds

This hawk watched me as I investigated a stream a while back.

This time of year is great for getting out and exploring wilderness areas close to where you live.  Even if you don't live close to what you might consider a wilderness area, if you can appreciate the smaller wild things, this time of year is great to observe them.  From the geese heading south, the frogs burrowing their holes, the way a leaf falls to the ground as it separates from the branch on the maple tree, or the way that same leaf moves down a moss covered stream.  The colors, the air temperature, the lack of bugs, so many things make the fall a great time of year to explore the woods.

One thing you should be aware of before you explore in the fall, is the local hunting seasons.  Be cautious and be sure to wear your hunters orange.  Even with this risk though I encourage you to get out there and walk into a field, up a stream, along a dirt road, or across a hardwood ridge this fall.  The numerous small rewards will tally up to a large bounty in the end.

The art of observing the smaller things can be difficult sometimes and I recently had this driven home to me.  I have been developing a project at work where we will engage outdoor enthusiasts to collect field data.  More specifically we are using avid bird watchers to count bird species and numbers along some stretches of local streams.  Trying to set up the research sites meant I had to establish them and perform a preliminary assessment to make sure it was suitable for the purpose of the study.  Doing this meant that I had to try and observe some of the bird species.  Much easier said than done I found out.

With two other staff members I walked slowly along an area we had identified as a potential site.  We moved quietly and spotted many birds at a distance but I couldn't get close enough to snap a good photo or make a positive identification.  I am not even a part time bird watcher.  The only time I watch birds specifically is when I'm at the McDonald's parking lot and there are gulls flocking nearby.  This experience was a bit humbling as I got a bit frustrated that I couldn't identify one.  It became a challenge and I found myself really enjoying the experience and instantly realized the appeal of this low impact activity.

I was able to identify some of the more common birds.  The murder of crows kept heckling me as I missed one photo opportunity after another on one of the many black capped chickadees we seen.  I heard the blue jay and the downy woodpecker before I seen them and I have to admit the youngest in the group spotted them first.  A number of robins played peek-a-boo as well and refused to sit still long enough to have their picture taken.  As I write this I remember the frustration I felt trying to photograph adult salmon not long ago and can't help but make some comparison.  

Throughout the various sites we visited we observed a number of birds and each site offered something different and that was a huge reward in itself.  If you think bird watching is for the birds, I challenge you to try and get a great picture of a downy woodpecker.