Happy Halloween!

Wishing you all a very happy and safe Halloween. We've got some computer desktop issues right now so not doing much with photos at the moment. And without my pics, I'm just not blogging. Working with a laptop right now and have to load my Canon program in and get used to this new toy.

But after Halloween is done, here's an idea for those leftover pumpkins. We find this highly entertaining.

Fill them with the things your backyard friends love and watch the show!

Hope to have some great pics from this year's pumpkins in the coming days.

See you all again soon!

Oh, and if you are on Twitter, just signed up and plan to do my own bird and wildlife reports in my travels. Of course discretion will be used on locations of certain species such as Owls and babies through the Spring.

My name on Twitter is... robantheanimals (no room for the D)

Moonie Update

We just passed our two month anniversary since Moonie joined our flock. I blogged about him back in August as some of you may recall.

Clipping his wings during the transition phase of being in this house really helped. Also just letting him do his thing for a number of weeks was essential.

And it was funny how a number of people told me Moonie was a girl. I had no clue. Even the guy who clipped his wings said he is a she. All I knew was that Moonie was really young.

Well, two days after his one month anniversary into our home, I noticed a little bit of blue on his nose area (I forget the actual term); and I was quite excited, immediately posting on my Facebook page "is happy to announce it's a boy!"

Why the excitement over a boy than a girl? Well, this house has 9 beating hearts within and I am out numbered with noise making females. So, having another male around evens it up a bit. Ha ha! Seriously though, male Budgies are very different than the females. They are calmer and easier to "tame".

I should have known from the beginning that Moonie was a boy. His personality and temperment were/are completely the opposite of Misfit's. But I let things be as they were, under the impression he was a she according to the more experienced; and I took his calmness as something due to his very young age.  But upon noticing the blue on his nostrils, I began "working" with him, one on one.  And we progressed quickly...


Here is our first bit of bird on hand training.  He wasn't minding the interaction at all.

A few days later and he was enjoying the higher views from atop my head.

He's quite content hanging on my shoulder in the morning after some breakfast.

And he seems to have no problem whatsoever napping wherever he feels like.  Here he sleeps on top of his cage while I am cleaning out the bottom.

I am hoping for further progress over time with him. He's quite comfortable with me providing his cage is not in view. When he sees it, he wants to return to it. He's not stressed at all when he's out and about; but sure loves his home I suppose. The other morning I stretched out on the couch and he sat on my chest for quite some time, just chilling out with me. I thought that was pretty cool.

I've introduced him to banana with success. I place small bits in his food dish almost every morning and it gets eaten before noon. There is a whole list of fruits and vegetables to try with him, and I will little by little over time.

A bond with him is my reward, as it's something very specialBBudgie, and eternal.

I Walked A Kilometre With Them

Feeling a need to key away here and not exactly sure on what until skimming over previous posts, I have noticed I missed out on sharing one of the coolest experiences for this year. And that was walking a kilometer with 6 White-tailed Deer!

This happened back on April 4th when walking a stretch of the Humber River. I happened to spot a couple White-tailed Deer just down a hill from me. I took a couple shots from the distance I was at; and then thought why not just walk down there and see what happens? If they get spooked, they will move along quick, and I won't pursue. But maybe they will be okay with my presence... "hey, it could happen" is what I convinced myself with.

As I began to slowly walk down the hill, the two Deer stopped and looked at me which made me stop. But neither bolted for the nearest quick exit, which would be in any direction away from me. So once again I moved in closer... slowly and quietly. I never got close enough to touch them but I sure didn't need to use any zoom with my camera. Not long after getting to the bottom of the hill and taking a number of steps with them did I then notice more Deer... 6 to be exact! I was floored! And they were all pretty cool with my presence, just doing their thing, sniffing and eating, walking along at a very slow pace. They'd pass me on either side, cross in front of me and continued their daily activities. Here are a few photos from that 45 minute moment with them...

Pretty sure this is one of the adult females.

The most curious of the herd was this fellow. At one point he was almost at my finger tips being very curious of me. I reached out my hand and he moved nearer to me. Unfortunately for him, mommy (I am assuming) noticed his approach to me which made her stand on her hind legs and bring a front hoof down across this guy's neck. I am certain she was telling him to back off from approching me. If I didn't see it, I wouldn't have believed it for myself. He did back away and move towards the rest of the Deer.

I walked behind this pair for a short bit as the others slowed to enjoyed the feast about the ground.

Out in the middle of some deep woods and I find this piece of furniture.  I ask if there is a smidgen of land not touched or eff'ed up by man on this planet?

It was at this log that I made my decision to be our cut-off point.  As much as I didn't want to leave them, I would have to eventually.  And as the last one crossed over, I silently thanked them for the moment, before I turned back the way I came..  I probably could have spent all afternoon with them if I really wanted to.

There is so much to see out there, even in woodlands so close to my home, here in Toronto. All one needs to do is keep their eyes and ears opens and their mouth shut. Show respect to the creatures as you walk through their home and you will be blessed with a memory to take home with you.

Thanks on this Day!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Sorry for my absence but life is pretty busy once again. Between some home projects, home/life stress, but also with some really great things of late too that I will share in due time (my list ever increases).

And today, as they say, is a day for thanks. Who/what do you give thanks to?

Of course there are the obvious being our family and friends, those we choose to share our lives with, the ones who give us strength, the ones who bring a smile to our face and this be it a person or an animal.

I am also thankful for the country we live in, I find the beauty within it each month, as every season has something unique to offer us. Autumn is in full "bloom" right now and those who stop and look around to appreciate the beauty surrounding us would definitely be thankful for such sightings as this...

All I could say was "wow!" as I took notice of this tree along Royal York Road in Etobicoke. I like to think Autumn is Mother Nature's last blow out of the year before the winter sets in. Take in the colors before the slate is wiped clean as the trees become bare and the ground is covered in a blanket of snow.

I am thankful for the many organizations who do everything they can to help our "wild" friends. Be it the Toronto Wildlife Centre, the Muskoka Wildlife Centre, the Owl Foundation, Mountsberg Conservation Area and the Canadian Peregrine Foundation (CPF), to name a few.

I am especially thankful to the CPF, allowing Angie and I to volunteer with them wherever we can offer time. Which isn't easy when working shift work. We have tried with some other organizations, but they have expectations of commitment beyond what we can give them. It's not that we do not want to help but giving up every Saturday is not possible, and some want even more than that.

But CPF appreciate any time we can spare. And we don't mind doing the not so glorious chores like cleaning Hawk and Owl enclosures. It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it. And our return for such things is being close to these majestic creatures. To see Peregrine Falcons, an American Kestrel, a Bald Eagle, a Harris Hawk and a few species of Owl all in one visit is awesome. And with time, trust and learning we move up to such things like a couple events they do in the year where they bring awareness to the people about what CPF does, educating on the birds of prey in our area, the importance of these creatures in the wild, and displaying some of their captive bred, human imprinted, educational birds. It is indescribable the feeling of sitting there with a bird of prey on your hand.

Here I am at the Toronto Sportsman Show with Kyla, an American Kestrel, talking to the curious about her species. Something I thought I would never do as I am not much for being the centre of attention. But Kyla helped me through the day.

Here I am with Alexandra the Great-horned Owl at the Woodbridge Fall Fair this past Sunday. A big beautiful bird she is, and only weighing in at 4.5 lbs; but after a couple hours she may as well have been 45 lbs on my hand/wrist. Ouch!

It is always a good time when working with CPF. They are wonderful people and a few of the greatest story tellers I have ever met are in their flock. Work seldom feels like work with this bunch.

So yes, big thanks go to CPF for taking us in this year and may we have many years together.