Edith Lake Winterberry

Around Edith Lake yesterday, the water levels are very low, last nights 7mm of rain will help it a bit.  Cooler today with the wind it is very comfortable.  Along the shores of Edith are shrubs with red berries that look like they have been stuck on the stems, these are Winterberry (Ilex verticillata). The red berry like drupes  remain on the shrub into the winter. It is a member of the Holly family but is deciduous.

Hot and humid

Wouldn't you know that the beginning of September would be hot and humid, we need a break from this.  On top of that my load of firewood was delivered last night too.  Time to sharpen up the chain saw and get at it.

Back again

Out and about in southern Ontario for a few days visiting and a 80th birthday party for an uncle.  Always great to get home, quiet, clean air, my own bed.  Looks like they have had a lot of rain it's spawned a batch of mushrooms everywhere.  I think this is a Fly Agaric, but I am not mushroom smart any takers on what it is.

Hidden Lake

Today I hiked into a small hidden lake left with a buffer of tall Jack Pines and Black Spruce surrounded by cut over.  Along the edges thick mosses with Leather Leaf, Labrador Tea, mushrooms, bog flowers and Pitcher Plants.  Here are a couple of pics

Hummingbird banding in Gowganda

Wednesday birdbanders from New Liskeard came to Gert and Pauls house to band hummingbirds.  The birders were trained to do this in the US and are just starting to band hummingbirds in the Temiskaming area.  Gert had phoned and reported many hummingbirds on her 5 or more feeders which bought the banders to town.

Trapped in a special trap that they bought in the US they banded 25 hummingbirds in about 3 hours, none of the banded birds were trapped again that day. Measurments were taken, age and sex was determined, weight and a band was placed on the leg. 

This is the start of a humming bird study in the Temiskaming area.  They will be back next year to see if any have come back.

Gowganda this evening

What more can I say.

Tansy

Out checking on the osprey yesterday, the two biggest have left the nest now and the smallest one is being tended to by the adults until it can fly off.  I don't think it will be to much longer until it takes flight.

While waiting for the osprey to appear I took some shots of a grasshopper eating this Tansy flower head.

 Adult landing on nest, young bird is tucked down in nest.

Flowers

While out looking at the Ospreys I took some pics of a couple of flowers that were nearby, Spotted Touch-Me-Not (Impatiens capensis) the first one, the second Deptford Pink (Dianthus armeria

Checking in on the Osprey

Good thing I went out today as the young birds are almost the size of the parent.  The one on the right is the adult or so I thought.  Looking at the other pics I can see another head poking up.  I am begining to think these are the 3 young.  There was an adult north of the nest in a dead tree calling to them.  I wish I could have seen the other adult too. 
Update ---Found a pic with 3 heads, I suspect these are all young birds.

Giant Waterbug

Every time you check your minnow trap in the ponds around here you can almost count on trapping a couple of Giant Waterbugs (Lethocerus americanus). Some of these can be up to two inches long and they are in the traps eating the minnnows. They will also give you a good bite too sometimes.  Check out more on this predator of the ponds.  They even fly around at times.

Early Morning

Here is a pic I took a few days ago.  When you take a lot of pics like I do it pays to go back and see what you may have missed a few days back.  This pic is just one I looked right past when I previewed them first.  Fortunately I delete very few pictures which means trying to keep track of what you have can be difficult.

Bunchberry

If it's one plant that always stands out it's Bunchberry, the red berries stand out like a beacon. 

New plant today

Down the Mann Ridge Rd this morning to take some pics.  Happened to stop in the shade and was looking about and found some Small Sundrops (Oenothera perennis).  They are related to the much taller Common Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) which is very common along the roadsides right now.

ATV trip to Halliday Lake

Up  to Halliday Lake by way of the north power line today.  Paul, Ed, Faye, Gary, Ron and Rick on the ride.  Great trip both ways and lots of laughs along the way.  Here is a pic when we stopped for a break on the way home. Click on pic to see whole picture.

Fruit of the land

Yesterday I found a few pockets of blueberries, mostly around wet, humid areas.  Most of the dry areas the leaves have fallen right off the plants.  The most plentiful are raspberries all along the roadsides everywhere, the bushes are full of them.  This time of year the bear scat tends to be on the blue side this year definitely raspberry coloured. Just thought you would like to know that tidbit.

Back to the Osprey nest

Has been some time since I checked in on the Ospreys, whenever I approached close  the adults would fly off.  I still wasn't sure what was going on in the nest.  This time I parked some distance away on a small hill.  One of the adults stayed at the nest and for the next hour and a half I took pictures. Looking them over after revealed three well fledged chicks.  The picture shows one testing it's wings, one low in the nest(the bump) and one standing by the adult. It's not going to be long before these birds will be on the move.  I will be back in another week for and update.

More fishing from last week

Out onto Gowganda Lake for a fish last week and picked up a few walleyes.   My son picked up the boys on Sunday and are home now.  Two weeks of fishing, swimming, canoeing, exploring and most of all eating.  Silence has returned to the house.

The dump owner

Here is one of the dump owners who will gladly take the garbage right out of your truck for you.

Heat not letting up

This AM the sun on the thermometer read 115° F.  I will be in the basement today for sure.  Here are a couple of pics from the last few days.  To be honest it's been hard to go out and take pictures.  One a HDR shot and the other with a happy fisherman.

Hot, Hot, Hot

This last week or so has been so hot I have been hiding in the basement.  Last year we had a couple of hot ones but this doesn't seem to end.  We are not alone with this heat I feel sorry for the rest of them down south with the heat and the terrible weather, tornadoes and flooding, roads buckling and power outages .
I hadn't been out with a camera since the last post several days ago but yesterday I was out checking the blueberries, sorry to say but it doesn't look to promising.  The leaves are falling off the plants it's so dry and what berries I did happen to find were tiny and all dried up. Lots of the creeks and streams are also dry.  The bears are going to miss all the berry crop this year.

Here is a pic of some Cotton  grass (Eriophorum) along the side of a pond at Miller Lake.