Last nites Northern Lites

Most of it didn't last long, if I had been later I would have missed it.

The sleeping bear

Out ATVing yesterday up the mine road to  Obushkon Lake, weather cool but finally warmed up in the afternoon.  On the way back on a small trail back to town Gord spotted something and jumped off his ATV and pointed out it look like and animal sleeping.  After taking a picture and looking at it on the computer it looked like a sleeping bear to me.  What do you think?

The solar eclipse as seen from Gowganda

Up and ready with two cameras with lots of battery power and empty cards just waiting to film and photograph the eclipse.  As soon as the moon was up, way before the event I took a pic of the moon just heading into the clouds and that's all I saw the rest of the night, clouds.  Here is the moon 

just entering the clouds.

 On an other note here is a pic of sunrise a week and a half ago.

Some more pics from the canoe trip

Pouring rain set us looking for a campsite, nothing to be found, finally paddled up to Arthur Lake the spot where I figured would be a camp site was at the bridge and the road, the parking area was a lake.  Went on to Arthur Lake and found one that needed lots of clean up, still raining, put up the fly and hunkered in and finally had supper under the fly.  After dinner got the tents up and crawled into the bags.

Next day it started out grey but turned all right and paddled right up to Pigeon Lake where we found a great site on top of and island.  The first thing on the agenda get all the wet stuff out and hang it up.

We got there early so had a lot of time to get all the tents up and bags in for the night to come.

Here is the cook reading the directions on the bag of dehydrated food.  We all need a good meal and a dry spot to sit on to rest.

Lots of time to eat and rest and a good evening enjoying the camp fire after dinner. Set off the next day under good weather by the time we were down to the portage into Duncan lake it started to pour again.  Down Duncan and back to the vehicles and back to Gowganda to dry everything out again.  Great trip with Geoff and John (brothers) and as always Brian.

Short video of some of our canoe trip on West Montreal River

Starting at the Big Four Bridge west of Gowganda on Hwy. 560, going thru Sams Lk., Houston Lk., Arthur Lk., Pigeon Lk., to Duncan Lk., the put out.

Harvest time on the Little clay belt

East of Gowganda about 50km. is the fertile clay belt, this happened thousands of years ago when a great lake drained and left the fertile soil behind.  Gowganda is on the Precambrian Shield, shallow soils and lots of rock.
Right now the farmers are getting their grains, corn, canola, beans off the land.  Weather has been favourable and they have been at it steady for some time.  Here are a couple of pics of some of the fields they work in.

A tip from Mary Bullock tonite, Bald Eagle landed across the road

Mad rush to get camera had to come back for a new battery and still got a few shots.

click pic for larger view

Tonights moon

Here's one of the moon a day late of the supermoon.

click for bigger pic

More from Edith Lake

Here's a common plant around moss and damp sites Creeping Snowberries (Gaultheria hispidula).                

Warmer yesterday

Got all my wood covered up for the winter, finally.  This is wood that I will use two years from now.  Nice to have that all finished up.
The sun came out in the afternoon and it warmed up a bit too.  Took the ATV out to the Edith Lake Rd. for a look at the river to see how fast the current was going.  I thought it would be worse but it's not that bad.  Ending up going up the trail towards Obushkon but didn't get to far as there were lots of pics to take. A great Black Spruce area with lots of mosses, plants and mushrooms.
Here is some that were on the trail, these are very small but a great colour.

Haven't seen a lot of the sun lately

The summary for this week so far is cloudy skies, rain and drizzle and getting a little cooler.  Tomorrow the sun may shine and be a little warmer.  This is the last known record of the sundown for some time.  It's amazing how far south the sun has traveled already. 

Hummingbirds at the window

Trying some new views with the GoPro, this one up close and personal. The glass in the window makes it a little blury

Cool and wet

Cooler today with scattered showers better than the heat we had a couple of days ago.  Have finally checked all the video and pictures I took of the Perseid meteor shower a few evenings back.  I saw 7 meteors but the camera never caught any of it. By 2:00 am I rigged the GoPro overnite to cover another couple of hours, nothing on film.  I did take some pics of the Milky Way in the south west skies.

Back to Clark Lake

Have been trying to get back to Clark Lake to check out the Arethusa Orchid not going to happen this year.  I have decided and looked into many field guides that I have not got the right flower.  My pictures were taken leaning over the canoe, with the wind blowing me away from the side of the floating bog.  Sorry to say I should have taken more than the two I have.  Have cleaned up the best one with Photoshop to try and sharpen it a bit.  This is what came out of that editing.  From what I see now I believe it's a Rose Pogonia (Pogonia ophioglossoides).  I'm going to go to the expert on this ML who watches when I make mistakes.  I am glad to have her help me in cases like this.

Computer home finally

Finally home with the patient, had a hard drive transplant and several other critical areas fixed.  I guess it was getting to old.  Once home had to start and put in all my programs, the doctor installed some too.  Any way 2 days of care and working on it, it's close to getting back to work.
Just some pics of LeRoy Lake checking out the bog looking for cranberries.  While there 2 Sandhill Cranes walk past, I will check it out next spring there may be a nest.

Main computer in the hospital for a few days

Computer has flu, until he gets better more blogs will appear.  Hope it's not catchy.  Doctor will phone tomorrow with results, so he says. ML will get back to you later re plant.  Bill

Retracted the Arethusa, will have to go back and see more of the plant

I will try and go back this week or so to get some more info on the plant that was on the blog yesterday.  Need to study it a bit better yet.  There is a plant very similar to Arethusa that needs another look at.

Looking for the start of this years canoe trip

Our canoe trip this year might start near Cryderman Lake which is on 560 just east of Shining Tree.  I put in at Cryderman and went south down Chlorus Creek and portaged into Clark Lake which is a stream with bog and beaver dams.  I stopped for lunch and took some pics, this plant is called Pale Corydalis.  It's a biennial that grows granitic rock barrens.

Back from a month off

Been off the blog for a month for some R&R.  It's been the longest time since 2008.  Now will get some pics on the blog again and news.
It has been very dry and hot the rain seems to pass either North or South of us.  The blueberry crop has suffered from the heat and dryness.  Hopefully some of the later berries will make it.
The last couple of days have had scattered heavy showers and lightning, a fire started last week down the Beauty Lake Road, water bombers have put it out.  The heat was terrrible last week but is getting cooler.  Here is a couple of pics of the scattered showers we are getting.

Another pic from last night

From the highway looking north up Duncan Lake

click for larger pic

More Aurora Borealis last night and more tonite maybe

Here is a clip from the South end of Duncan Lake looking North

Hopefully there will be more tonight.

This is at the Wapus Landing last nite

Northern Lites June 8-9 2015

Not much of a show between the clouds and the intensity. Here are a couple from yesterday. 

click for larger pic

Going to be cold tonite

Going to 0°C  by tomorrow morning.  Have the petunias covered up just in case.  The sky has finally cleared after a couple of wet days.  This is tonites sundown with the new lens of course.

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Outlook Point

Out testing an new lens this evening a Canon 50mm 1.8 STM,  this lens has a motor to focus. It's much faster and sharper than my old Canon 50 mm.

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American Goldfinch

Lots of finches this year as I was using Niger seed  in one of the feeders.  This was taken a few days ago.  Not many on the feeder now so I have taken the last feeder down today.

Morning Catch

Tonite's supper fresh Whitefish

Great long weekend, looks different tonight

One of the best May long weekends as far as weather goes, not even any blackflies or mosqitoes.  Cold on Tuesday and ended with snow, it's supposed to get better tomorrow.

Finally the ice has gone

With some wind and rain it has finally opened up as far a you can see down the lake.  Not sure of the other bays though I suspect they are just about the same.  It's great to see the blue and hear the waves again.

Looking down the lake yesterday

With flurries off and on yesterday down the lake from the Outlook Pt. it looked like this.  This AM woke to about an inch of snow which quickly bought out the plow truck and sanded the road.

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Hydro crew clearing lines and preventative work

Here is a video of a couple of trees being taken down across the road from me.   One has already been taken down. Two big poplars were taken down in no time.  By the way that is a woman up in the bucket who knows how to take down a tree in no time.

Cleaning up around the feeders

All those small sunflower hulls are hard to pick up in the spring.  This year I raked the needles and twigs out and used the vacuum.  Works great, just looks funny.

Finally the snow is moving out, some warm days and some cool with lots of wind.  Not a lot of flooding and the lake is starting to go around the edges in some places.  Here's a new one of a Pileated Woodpecker.

Nice and warm today

Warming up a bit now, with a good breeze.  Water over some of the ice and snow starting to melt.  Here is a pic looking across the lake this evening.

 

The things you see out the window

Working at the computer and something caught my eye out the window.  A Pileated Woodpecker across the road in a dead tree.  One of the largest woodpeckers around these parts.  The camera was right beside me...........................

then he left............

By the way I saw my first Robin yesterday, maybe spring is coming. Not so by the snow streaming past the window right now  5:23:PM  DST.

Starry nights

The last few days when the moon hasn't come up early the dark clear skies have been good for checking out the stars.   Here is a shot of Orion, the three stars are his belt and the vertical nebula and stars are his sword, off to the left is the brightest star Sirius. The reddish star above his belt is Betelgeuse.  Those lights are Old Reekie.

Hoary Redpoll

If you look at enough Redpolls all winter you may find a variant called a Hoary Redpoll. These birds have white in their feathers suggesting Hoar Frost hence a Hoary Redpoll. 

The Arctic redpoll, known in North America as the hoary redpoll, is a bird species in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds in tundra birch forest. (Wikipedia) 

A short look at this mornings lunar eclipse

click on  the videos full frame to see a better view

Thought I had the clock set this morning but something went wrong.  I did capture a little piece of it sinking below the trees, because of the time we only got to see a partial look at the eclipse.

Creeks and Rivers

Creeks and Rivers are starting to show more water around rapids and narrow areas.  Still a lot of snow in the bush it's will take some time before it goes, unless it rains. A couple of shots of Montreal River at Edith Lake and the Wapus Creek at the bridge.

Finally a new bird at the feeder

After wading thru hundreds of Repolls, Chickadee's and Grosbeaks a new bird finally appeared on the front step.                                     A Morning Dove.

click for bigger pic

Truck accident at Wigwam Hill (east of Lost Lake)

This video is a little shakey, I should have stopped and shot.  Truck with load going east loses control coming around bend and finally rolls on it's side meanwhile an empty log truck coming towards hill has to take action and hit the ditch. 

Aurora Borealis

The last couple of nights we have had some great northern lites.  According to the weather network we may still have some tonight.  Getting camera ready the first night I was out I didn't have the right settings all pictures were deleted, last night I was ready and had some practice shooting too I'm sure glad to get another chance.  The camera collects more colours than your eye.

Feeding crows

An other video this time feeding crows, they seem to like the chicken skin and bones but not the baguette who would know.

Threat of lots of snow by tomorrow

Good thing I went out and cleaned some of it all ready.  To bad it took me so long.

Finally a break in the weather

Last couple of days have been quite nice with the sun out the temperature has gone above the freezing mark.  Still lots of Redpolls and Grosbeaks.  Waiting for the flood of more species to start coming in. Here is a male Redpoll eating up some sunflower seeds.