Weekend Adventures

Samuel looks above the Doon Mills Ruins

"Rain, rain go away..."
Last year we chanted "Rain, rain come again..."

My eleven year old cousin Samuel wanted to go birding on Saturday. The probability of rain was 80% but the morning dawned sunny and bright. He was ready to go quickly and we drove to the trail he wanted to explore. Within fifteen minutes, dark clouds moved across the sky and a light rain fell. We sprayed ourselves with insect repellent and headed towards the river under a canopy of dense leaves. I have walked this trail dozens of times but the undergrowth is like that found in a rain forest this year.

Giant ragweed towered twice my height above the ground.
Trees downed by recent storms lined the sides of the path.
Himalayan Balsam, and invasive weed stood tall and was in full bloom.
I pulled several out by their shallow roots.

Arrowhead

Samuel found some Broadleaf Arrowhead blooming at the river's edge. I have never seen this wild plant which is also known as duck potato or wapato. Its tubers are edible and were eaten by indigenous people. Sam identified it readily when he saw it.

The birds kept our minds off the buzzing mosquitoes...Wrens, Cardinals, Blue Jays, immature Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Herons, Swallows, Woodpeckers, Orioles, Goldfinches, Chickadees and more chirped, called, sang and flew above our heads.

Young Great Blue Heron

The ragweed was making Samuel sneeze so we left and headed to the swamp where we could see from the car if the rain continued. The swamp never disappoints and we were able to walk along the edge during a break in the weather. A juvenile Great Blue Heron flew in front of us and landed on a high stump.

It rained most of the afternoon and evening. Whenever I see the sun shine these days, I rush out to enjoy the light. I managed to walk a trail on Friday evening as the sun was going down and dusk came.

House Wren in evening light

House Wrens are very visible lately and I sat on a fallen tree to watch the antics of a pair of them in the nearby brush. My feet rested on the ground and I watched the grass part as a young skunk approached me. It came right up to me and sniffed my comfortable Keen sandals (thanks Beth). My camera was in my hands but I sat there without flinching a muscle.

What does it take to startle a skunk?

I didn't want to experiment with the click of a camera. The skunk moved away confidently and went under the tree I was sitting on. Perhaps there were others beneath me. I left carefully wishing I hadn't been afraid to take a picture.

Saturday evening heavy rain accompanied thunder and lightning. But at sunset a full rainbow filled the sky above our house. It was impossible to fit the entire arc in the viewfinder of the camera but the colour and clarity made it the most spectacular rainbow I have ever seen. It was only a week ago that we chased the last rainbow. We are getting used to rainy weekends! I still prefer this summer to the hot, dry variety.


(See Samuel's account of our outing on his blog here)