Happy Anniversary!

We were married on a very cool, breezy Saturday in April. Mom lamented the fact that the forsythia bush was not blooming and we ended up having all our pictures taken indoors. Today is a cool, breezy Saturday and the forsythia bush has not flowered. It is our anniversary and my husband told me he had no flowers or cards, but another surprise instead. Early this morning we headed to the house of one of his business acquaintances and followed him to the location pictured above along the banks of a river. High in the top branches of the lone pine tree was...

another Bald Eagle nest! We were able to get closer to this nest than was possible at the nest I observed earlier this week. Once the leaves are out on the deciduous trees and the tall vegetation grows along the river bank it will be more difficult to get a good view of this nest.

We then drove to Hamilton and hiked the Princess Point Trail at Cootes Paradise. This large marshland drains into Lake Ontario and has several access points and I have never been there before. We walked one small section but will have to return to do more in the future. It was a pleasure to see Tree Swallows swooping around and caring for their nests.

After lunch at a nice restaurant we returned to our usual stop in Burlington at Lasalle Marina. It was cloudy and cold initially and we saw none of the usual tame chipmunks and familiar birds. It seemed ominously quiet as if the hard winter had caused all the wild life to leave. But the sun came out, Chickadees ate from our hands, the chipmunks appeared and birdsong was heard again.

The water birds were not abundant but there was a good variety present. I noticed some Grebes and expected that they would be the usual Pied-billed Grebes found in our rivers and streams at home.

Several pairs of Horned Grebes in their mating plumage swam near the shoreline. I have only seen these birds in the Finger Lakes region of New York state.

We found a few anniversary flowers. Red Maples which usually flower in March were abundant today and other early blooms poked up through autumn's dead grass and leaves.

I really couldn't think of a better way to celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary!

Some birds we saw: Bald Eagle, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Horned Grebe, DC Cormorant, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Bufflehead, Mallard, American Coot, Mute Swan, Trumpeter Swan, Belted Kingfisher, RW Blackbird, Common Grackle, Tree Swallow, White-throated sparrow, Song Sparrow, BC Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Northern Cardinal

Bald Eagle Nest

Eagle Street runs parallel to the Speed River before it turns and joins the Grand River. I wondered why this old street was named "Eagle Street" but assumed that eagles were found along the river at one time. Bald Eagles were on the verge of extirpation in Southern Ontario for decades as DDT weakened the shells of their eggs causing them to break. DDT was banned in the 1970s but it took many years to get the chemical out of the food chain. In the past few years we have seen more Bald Eagles over-wintering along the Grand River especially where the water is open. They generally return north by March but this year a pair decided to stay and build a nest just a few minutes from our home. Eagle nests are closely monitored by naturalists at Bird Studies Canada and their success rate is slowly improving. Time will tell if these new arrivals will raise any young birds this year.

The nest is in a small bush in the middle of a cornfield approximately 700 m from the river's edge. The pine tree was heavily damaged in last December's ice storm but the eagles found a strong crook to anchor the nest. I stood near a busy roadway to take this picture but the nest was not visible without binoculars. It is good that this field is private property as it would be a great temptation for some photographers to get too close to the nest and harass the birds for a picture.

I pulled into a park on the opposite side of the road and saw the female Bald Eagle sitting on the nest. Close to the river is an Osprey nest that has been occupied for several years. A female Osprey sat on her nest and the male was very vigilant. He flew low over the field then soared above the Bald Eagle nest several times. The female Bald Eagle was very vocal when the Osprey entered her territory. 

Osprey Nest and male Osprey flying over Bald Eagle nest

It will be interesting to see how these two different eagles will share adjacent territories that are within visual range. Some local photographers have captured pictures of intimidating sparring between the male birds on the corn field.

The male Bald Eagle returned with a stick for the nest. Both birds spent time building up the nest by moving branches around with their beaks. 

I sat on a rock and watched the action for about an hour. These cropped pictures were taken with a 50x optical zoom and it was challenging to hold the camera steady without a tripod in early morning light.

I was very fortunate to be clicking the shutter when the male Bald Eagle decided to fly away to find more sticks. Bald Eagles are magnificent in flight and are considerably larger than the Osprey although the Osprey were more aggressive here. 

These Bald Eagles have a local fan base and several friendly people stopped to watch them as the morning progressed. I know I will be checking by throughout the season to see how the birds are getting along.

One Year Later

It is a year today that Mom left this world in the dark hour before dawn. It is true that life goes on but each event is coloured by her absence. She lives on in each of her children, their children and in our hearts and memories. On Easter weekend we watched a DVD of Dad’s home movies from 1954-1960. Mom and Dad were so young when they boarded a plane to London England and then took a ship through the Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal and down the east coast of Africa to South Africa. Travel was a big part of their lives.

Blogger Larry also said goodbye to his mother last year. He posted an excerpt of a poem by Henry Van Dyke that is found widely on the internet, but was very meaningful to me. Mom crossed oceans four times by ship in her lifetime and then she headed for another shore in 2013. I miss her every day but know I will see her again. 

Mom starting ocean crossing #3 with my brother Nathan and myself

Gone From My Sight

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,

spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts

for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.

I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck

of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says, "There, she is gone."

Gone where?

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,

hull and spar as she was when she left my side.

And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me -- not in her.

And, just at the moment when someone says, "There, she is gone,"

there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices

ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"

And that is dying…

Henry Van Dyke

Season Opening

My blogging hiatus lasted almost half a year which is about the length of the winter that just ended. Early December brought a damaging ice storm and then we were visited with interminable snow, deep cold and no January thaw. I went birding once and got a flat tire half an hour from home on a very cold day. No winter hawks or owls swooped by as I waited for a tow truck. I even stopped feeding our yard birds when the squirrels destroyed my “squirrel-proof” feeders and Costco ran out of black sunflower seeds. 

The Mallard Duck and I were both prepared for muddy pathways

Winter finally ended in Narnia and spring arrived here in due course. Mother Nature has flicked the fast forward switch to make up for lost time. I walked outdoors for several hours today and felt more like myself than I have in a year. City crews started working last week to clear local trails of downed branches and trees from the December storm. 

Brown Thrasher, Skunk Cabbage, Spring Trail, Hermit Thrush

My bird count was most impressive! Birds are very vocal right now and there is no vegetation to hide them on the ground or trees. 

Bald Eagles, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Brown Thrasher, Hermit Thrush, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-winged Blackbirds, Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals, American Tree Sparrows (leaving), White-throated Sparrows (coming) Song Sparrows, Belted Kingfishers, Tree Swallows, American Robins plus our usual year round Black-capped Chickadees, American Crows, House Finches, Goldfinches, Nuthatches...about 30 species in all. 

The sweetest spring song belongs to the White-throated Sparrow. The Becka heard one earlier this week and I was surrounded by them on the trail today with the help of some hulled sunflower seeds.

Oh Sweet Canada Canada Canada....

Yes, spring is sweet and life is good!

White-throated Sparrow

Synchrony

With the switch to Standard Time last night along with November days which shorten quickly, the opportunities to enjoy sunshine outside of work hours are now limited. This autumn has been very wet and a day like today was a treat indeed. Perhaps this was my last opportunity for a bike ride and the switch to an indoor stationary bike for exercise is almost here.

My life over the past several months has been out of sync in many ways. One year ago today I was on a plane returning to Canada from Mexico. I made two more trips south earlier this year to be with my family. Just over a year ago my work schedule increased from four to five days a week with a weekend rotation every seven weeks. This week I work seven days in a row which is not as easy physically as it might have been twenty years ago. The balance between work, home, leisure, rest and social activities has been hard to find at times. Time has accelerated as days and weeks turn into months at break neck speed. 

Northern Shovelers perform a synchronized swim

I sauntered around the neighbourhood on my bicycle in the sunshine until my hands and feet felt like blocks of ice. The air is cold! There are patches of lingering fall colour but signs of winter are here. I saw my first flock of Juncos although I am sure they have been around for a while now. I enjoyed the balance and synchrony around me today and hope to incorporate more in my life again.

Great Blue Heron roosting high in the trees

This Market is NOT Destroyed!

A devastating fire early Labour Day morning levelled the main building of the St. Jacobs market just north of Waterloo, Ontario. Sixty vendors occupied the two storey wood building which was packed with local shoppers and tourists on market days. I have visited many markets and very few in North America compare with this one. Tuesday's sensational newspaper headline informed us the market was destroyed and the picture appeared to confirm the announcement.

We moved to Kitchener in December 1970. My mother was a very industrious homemaker and rode her bicycle to the Kitchener Stockyards market near the railway tracks at River Rd and Hwy 7 to buy produce. At that time Kitchener had a thriving downtown outdoor market but in the early 1970s the old city hall was demolished and the market was moved to the basement of a new mall and parking garage. The soul of the Kitchener Market withered and many vendors, including Old Order Mennonites stopped selling their goods at the new market. The Kitchener Stockyard merged with the Waterloo Stockyard near St. Jacobs and a new outdoor market started to grow north of the city. A few years later the main market building was constructed and the market expanded quickly becoming a major tourist attraction.

Hot apple fritters were worth the drive to the market

When our children were young I took them to the Stockyard Market most Thursdays. They loved to walk the catwalk above the livestock pens in the auction building (no longer possible) and we bought apple fritters or mini donuts for a treat. The lineup for apple fritters usually extended far out the doorway in the middle picture.

Inside the building after the fire and before the fire

The open concept two storey market building had food vendors downstairs and craft vendors upstairs. It was a challenge to move through the aisles on Saturday mornings as people crowded around counters waiting for their turn to be served.

Outside the building before and after the fire

Vendors selling food, clothing, and household goods had stalls under the porches of the market building. There is an extensive outdoor market and the auction building houses a flea market, general merchandise and another food court.

Today the market re-opened just three days after the fire and I arrived early before work. Some vendors were still unpacking but I quickly found the fresh apples and tomatoes I wanted.

The heat of the fire damaged a nearby Conestoga wagon and signs at the entrance to the auction building. The firemen did a good job of keeping the fire from spreading to other structures.

Today's market was a celebration of harvest, of life and perseverance. The community came out to support the three hundred remaining vendors. The sixty vendors affected by the fire suffered significant losses but people are rallying to help them through this crisis.

This market is not a building. It is made up of people who sell and buy and meet with friends. Burned posts stand in the background but life goes on in the foreground.

Don't believe the newspaper headline. It was written by someone who does not feel the heartbeat of this community. This market is NOT destroyed! 

Three Months

What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, 

for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us. 

Helen Keller

Monday April 22, 2013 

Monday July 22, 2013

Exactly three months ago I sat at the bedside of my mother as she slipped from this life just before dawn. Life goes on as usual in many ways but I still miss our nightly conversations on Skype and her rounds on Facebook. Social media was important as her physical world became smaller and smaller. I see her in the faces of my patients, in books I read and in movies I watch. A friend recommended the classic movie Tokyo Story and I viewed it on a hot evening last week. The  family’s story transcended time and culture and left me in tears at the end in shared loss. Grief does not leave us suddenly. 

I brought home a little devotional book Mom used every morning. She marked a couple of  special pages with bits of tissue in the painful months before she died. One was entitled, “Anticipating a Glorious Future” and the scripture was from Romans 8:18.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing 

with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 

There has been a slate of deaths amongst our friends since my mother’s passing, three of them very prematurely and tragically. It is impossible to feel the depth of another’s pain but the acknowledgement of loss by others is comforting. Friends gave us the Hibiscus plant pictured above that is now blooming heavily and beautifully. My co-workers gave me a gift certificate from a local nursery and I am planning a butterfly garden in Mom’s memory. As soon as it is a little cooler I will put in perennials that will bloom next year. 

Like a seed or root in the ground, death gives way to life and hope eternal. 

1 Corinthians 15

Caught With My Mouth Full

We spend a week at a cottage or cabin most summers. Planning and shopping ahead for all our meals takes time and effort as we never stay close to a grocery store. When our three children were young, food was the biggest consideration when packing. Lately I keep lists of what we take and what we bring home unused but the task still seems daunting. Although my husband is a good fisherman we never count on fish meals just in case he is skunked. The last couple of years we stopped at a discount grocery store in Espanola ON, just an hour from our destination, in order to buy fruit, vegetables and perishable items. That gives me a final chance to go over lists and menus while we are driving. No one wants to be hungry while on vacation.

Last week most of the birds I observed were very busy feeding their young families from dawn to dusk. The insects were plentiful this year due to the wet weather and mosquitoes were a nuisance which is unusual on the shores of the big lake. It was a good year to be a flycatcher or warbler,

or a Bobolink taking food to her nest in the tall meadow grass,

or a Robin looking for grubs in the wet ground,

or a Sandhill Crane foraging in the freshly mown hay field,

or a bumblebee with overfull pollen sacks visiting the many wildflowers along the roadside.

A pair of Eastern Phoebes lived under the little bridge over the creek where the boats were docked. I think this one was just waiting for a mosquito to fly in its mouth.

We all ate well this year but the birds and bees worked longer and harder at getting meals than I did!