Happy Halloween 2018

On vacation and hoping for something to blog about after it's done. Until then though, wishing everyone a happy and safe Halloween. I thought I would share a little bit of the fun I have around here with the cats. Some of the photos I may have shared in the past, but there's a few from this week too. Pets are like our kids, forever being that. The bonds can be quite strong between a person and their animal, and the memories with them can last a lifetime.

Meadow was a blast to share any festive times with. She loved our quality time and put up with my silliness.

Purr and play. I really embraced these times as she got older.

Merry when she was a kitten. This photo won her first place in our vet's Halloween photo contest.

Another Halloween as she got a little older. Funny thing is this year she's quite intimidated by that mask. I've been "working" with her on getting to know that it's not real. Calico cats sure have, um, explosive personalities.

When Merry and Molly were kittens, we said that Merry was going to be the little devil.

How wrong we were. But that's another story, isn't it Molly? Don't let that "Iza pumpkin!" cuteness fool you.

The look of humiliation. Or "are we done yet?"

I can get away with a lot more of this with Merry than I can Molly. She seems to enjoy the time with her daddy.

Oh, it's Franken-Merry!

Merry says "enough with this foolishness!"

I hope you all have a great Halloween with your pets too!

The last Month or so...

Just a quick bit of this, that, whatever as there's nothing really stand out to blog about.

As the weather cools, we're seeing some different birds around our favorite areas.

Like this Northern Harrier. All I can say is "Look out below!" as that's his poop falling from the sky below him.

There was 2, but possibly 3 of them flying around this particular afternoon. It was fun to watch them frolic in the sky above us.

Purple Finches have shown up in Toronto. Angie and I saw a couple dozen last Sunday. Ron Pittaway shared his annual Finch forecast and it looks like his predictions are correct once again. I wonder what other Finches we will see at home, or nearby, in the coming months?

Still lots of Sparrow species passing through. We saw so many White-crowned Sparrows just last Sunday.

White-throated Sparrows in no small numbers as well.

Tons of Golden-crowned Kinglets. I love their call in the fall.

Not quite as many Ruby-crowns but they were around too.

On Thanksgiving weekend, 11 Owls were released to various parts of Southern Ontario thanks to The Owl Foundation. Angie and I were fortunate enough to be able to release 2 Eastern Screech Owls in Toronto. Thankfully another volunteer driver was able to get the birds up to us because otherwise we would have had to pass on this opportunity because of so many other plans with family and friends. Even with this help, it was still just over a two hour drive around the city taking these Owls back to their territories.

One of the Owls after release. Both were wished a happy wild life as they flew off into the darkness.

Prior to this, we released one Screech Owl about 4 years ago. So it was great to be able to do so again.

My birthday was a month ago and we did a private raptor encounter at Mountsberg. A nice visit with friends of both the human kind and a few feathered.

Hanging with Shadow the Barn Owl. He says click here if you would like to learn how to have your own private raptor encounter.

Yard mammal activity has dwindled lately. So weird to not see 8 or more Raccoons (two families) wandering around at the same time.

I've not seen Bear in about a month. We had a nice evening together the last time I saw him, which was on a Whisky Wednesday.

I hope everyone is okay. Not all our neighbours like our wildlife friends. We just hope no one will go out of their way to hurt them.

Topper still comes around.

We have another Skunk wandering around who looks very much like him, but is a first year. We call him "Baby Topper". He's not nearly as tolerant as Topper though. Angie sees him most evenings just before it gets dark. I have to wait until the weekend for those last light encounters but he's still wandering around some nights after I get home.

Well, I guess that's it for this blog. No real story telling but some tell me they prefer these mostly photographic sightings kinda blogs. To each their own. I'm sure a story will present itself soon enough, just watch what I wish for, because not every story to be told is a nice one.

If you have time and feel like a couple more reads, here you go...

I did a nest blog last week which if you did not check it out, please do, as I think it's worth a read. See here.

And if you still have time for more, our latest blog for Bird Canada came out last week too. See here.

The Adventures of being a Volunteer Driver

September 27, 2018 marks the end of my fourth year as a volunteer driver with TWC. Or is it better to say the beginning of my 5th year? What a ride it has been, so many animals (mostly birds) being driven to and from the centre. I still keep track of everything that I do, and list all the species I've helped.

Merry overlooking my notes.

I thought about listing all the species but I won't. I think I have something far more interesting for this blog, something many of you probably wouldn't think about. This is about my encounters with the general public when doing these drives.

Before we get into it here, I feel I should post some sort of disclosure. This is about me, my encounters with people. While it is because of my volunteer work with TWC, it has nothing to do with the centre or anyone else. I am in no way making fun of anyone here. People are quirky. People can be weird. What I might see as weird, someone else may not. I hope the minds of the readers are open enough to see that this is just true retelling of some of my "adventures".

So get comfy now and take a literal walk in my shoes as a volunteer driver.

Most times I will put on one of my TWC t-shirts when I go out. I am proud to be a volunteer, helping wildlife, and carry myself professionally even in some trying situations. I figure it's also good when I'm coming to someone's home for the animal, that they see the shirt and know why I am there, not having to question who this long haired guy is walking up their driveway.

There have been some comical moments with people. Once I picked up an unwell Squirrel at house in south Etobicoke. There was an elderly Italian lady home and her use of the English language was not the best. She did manage to give me one full sentence that I understood, and had a laugh about... "You have'a nice'a hair for a boy!"

Another time I was picking up a Pigeon in North York. I call the guy who I was to meet. The one line I remember from that phone call is "you'll have to wait a few minutes while I empty my bowels". Alrighty then! Thanks for the heads up. I will be sure not to shake your hand.

Most people do not converse with me much aside from the animal's situation. Most are happy to see the creature going to the centre to get the help it needs. I'm also sure these people are happy to have the animal now gone, so they can carry on with their day. But there are the few who do ask me the questions. Some think I am staff. They wonder how much I get paid for this job. Their eyes pop out when I tell them I am a volunteer driver. I do this in my spare time, usually before I start work. I don't get paid for this. The fuel is on me too.

Only once where I've had this conversation with people did one guy say and do something more than go "oh wow!" It was when I picked up an Eastern Screech Owl in the Bathurst and Dupont area (the Owl was hit by a car by the looks of things). The man opened up his wallet and pulled out a $10 bill. He said he wanted me to have this, even though it wasn't much. He was thankful to know there are people who volunteered like this, helping animals, plus helping people who could not get to the centre. He asked me to go get myself some lunch before going to work that afternoon. Hell, he even asked me to promise him that I would do that and NOT give it to the centre. I did make that promise to him as I took the bill, but I ended up breaking it when I got back to TWC. I'm by no means a wealthy person and ten bucks would certainly be a welcoming thing, going to my weekly coffee fund; but I put it in TWC's donation box. I know the money goes towards all the animals, but I told myself it's for this Owl.

There are infuriating moments with the general public. I've had a few unpleasant encounters with off leash dog walkers when I have been trying to release birds. I've asked people to please leash their dogs or take them to another area so I can set the birds free; like maybe take them to the designated off leash areas. Some oblige. Some get down right rude about it and I've been told to fuck off a couple times over the years. I once actually packed up the birds and moved us all to another nearby park because the one we were at was crazy with unruly dogs and their owners. I'm sure the further movement before freedom is stressful for the birds but far better than flying out free into the face of a dog or two. Not all release birds fly high or far initially upon release.

I once had a Red-tailed Hawk I was releasing back to her territory near Fort York. She HAD to go here, this was her home. One lady wouldn't leave the area with her off leash dog, even after my polite asking her to do so, explaining the situation. I gave her a couple options... to either leash the dog, stand back and watch the show OR move along to another area. She said it was her park and she had business to tend to, which is more like "doggy business" waiting for her's to have a shit. Ugh! It was a lengthy wait for her to finally leave the area. I know my patience was wearing thin.

Another time I picked up a Pigeon from an Etobicoke home. This Pigeon was REALLY REALLY SICK. I can never remember the name of the virus that they can contract but it's bad. I've seen it once with a bird here at home. Early stages, the bird would appear to be intoxicated. The one here walked and would suddenly fall forward on it's face, like it just tripped on a stone. To my understanding, there is no cure. The bird wasn't here for very long that day, and I saw it the next for a brief spell too. Then it disappeared.

Well, back to this Pigeon I was picking up. It was way beyond that stage. The bird couldn't walk, so forget about flying. It could not even raise it's head from the ground. I remember looking at it and thinking it's neck looked like it was broken. My heart sank.

It was after the conversation I had with these people that I saw red and it took every fibre of my being to not say anything. Remember, we want people to want to like and want to help wildlife. What happened here is these people had held on to this bird for over one week. Not in the house, but in their backyard. It couldn't fly. They had a box outside which the bird spent much of it's time in. I guess these people thought they were doing a good thing by keeping it here, ensuring it had food, water and shelter. The one woman told me it was looking a lot better. I knew she was lying. It's obvious this bird was getting sicker by the day and they felt it was time to do something about it since they couldn't help him. The big bag full of towels, gloves, pedialytes and a cheque to the centre proved their guilt... to me anyway. I managed to stay polite and positive. I did ask of them to please not hold onto an animal this long if they ever encounter this again. We are not veterinarians. I never followed up on this case but I know I left the centre without a doubt that Pigeon finally received a merciful end to his life. A head shaking story but I try to remind myself that someone gave a shit about a Pigeon.

I hope some of you are still reading along here despite the length and lack of photos. I have one more tale to tell, sure there are more, but this one I want to end the blog with.

November 2017 I picked up an injured Ring-billed Gull. I arrived at the address, park the truck and step out. There's a woman waiting for me up the driveway. I'm walking towards her. I say "hello" and even though I am certain she knows why I am there, I announce it anyway... especially since she is frozen and looks like she just saw a ghost.

Suddenly she blurts out "holy shit!" Now I am frozen in my tracks. I ask her if everything is alright. She says "you look just like my ex-husband!" I'm thinking to myself "uh oh!"

The conversation quickly turns to everything about the Gull, which is in her shed, at the back of her yard. She leads me through the gate and as I walk through her yard, I find myself surrounded by numerous horrific mannequins, some bloodied, some missing body parts. I remind myself that Halloween was just over a week ago. Phew!

I get the Gull and start to make my way back to the truck. And here it came... the story about her ex. The jist of it is he was a musician and left her a few years back to be just that, a musician, and to not be tied down. As she told me all about everything from when he left, to their contact through the years after, and her feelings, she started to cry. She told me more and even said "I don't know why I am telling you these things."

For a guy like me, who is rather private, border line introverted, I am feeling uncomfortable now. I'm no Dr. Phil. What the hell do I say? I keep moving along, making my way to the truck with the large cardboard box we had the Gull in. I listened to her as we walked. My brain is going a thousand miles an hour, trying to think of something comforting to say to this sad soul. I told her life is too short to waste on a person who does not want to be with you. I know I threw in about my own life, being happily married and can't fathom that happening to Angie and I. In my head, it was a defense move, a shield. This person was sad and probably lonely. I've had people who have tried to latch on to me because I was kind. Have you ever been nice to a person, a stranger, and suddenly it seems like they think there was an automatic opening for them to come into your life? They say us Virgos are over-thinkers, as are introverts, which may be true, but sometimes it can be a good thing.

I am at the truck now. I get the Gull inside. She was still talking and again said "I don't know why I am telling you everything".

How do I end this? Just cut her off, thank her for helping the bird and be on my way? I am not good with being rude to someone who does not deserve it. Give her a hug (because she really looked like she needed one from someone, anyone, right now)? NO, remember the shielding! For whatever reason I asked her what she would do if she saw her ex standing on her driveway. Her reply was "I would hug him and never let go". I suggested she try to make that happen then. In the back of my mind, I had visions of a missing person case coming up, some long haired musician type. Finally something came to my mind about what to say... "well, thank you for helping this Gull, but I need to get him to the centre as being in this box, listening to our voices is really stressful". She thanked me for coming to get him and as I backed out of her driveway, I could see her running to the house, the tears starting once again, and she was covering her face. In the end, this Gull got a second chance at a wild life. I do hope that lady found some peace, and maybe a little happiness.

Re-telling of this last tale just reminded me of another Dr. Phil scenario where I picked up a Kinglet from a woman who lived a couple blocks from our home. It was an after work meeting with her, meaning about 11 pm. She gave me this big cardboard box and I just assumed the tiny bird was inside. I wasn't going to open it out there in the dark, and risk it hopping out. I get home to find that the box was empty. I called her back to inform her of my discovery. Well, the next 45 minutes I was on the phone with her about her life and how she fucks everything up, no matter what good she does, it all comes back negatively. Time she could have spent looking for this bird. I declined returning to her condo the next evening after she found it almost 24 hours later, even for the sake of the bird. Someone else drove down to get it, and sadly the bird died in their car on the way back to the centre. For the sake of that person, it was probably a good thing the bird did not die in her home.

So, what'cha think? Did this blog open your eyes to how much more can go on with being a volunteer driver? The stories and encounters aren't constant, but I just never know what might happen with my next drive.

Maybe you remember a blog I did about an intoxicated couple who had an injured Red-tailed Hawk in their sun room? Oh the memories!

Weekend Walks

Angie and I have gotten into the habit of going for Sunday morning walks, even with some very warm mornings we've endured this Summer. We go early. We have no expectations. And they've been great. The key really is to have no expectations, just enjoy whatever comes along, oh, and go early before it really gets hot out.

Here is a bit of what we've seen lately.

One of two juvenile Turkey Vultures roosting in a tree near the path. The black face threw us just for a moment, as the adults have red faces. Neither of us had ever seen a juvi until this morning.

Wild Turkey in a tree that same morning. Sure some regions in Southern Ontario these birds are quite common, but locally to us in the west end of Toronto, not so much.

There's always a bit of mystery, like trying to ID some of the Flycatchers we see. This is one of them we still need to figure out. Any suggestions?

There's been a lot of American Goldfinches buzzing around as August is their time for nesting. I've been told it is because that is when their food source is at it's peak. Interesting. The cries of the young Goldfinches are unmistakable.

The sightings we enjoy aren't just birds.

This American Toad posed nicely along the path one morning. Caption worthy I'd say!

A DeKay's Brownsnake that Angie spotted when we separated for a bit. I've not seen this species in over 5 years!

A wee little butterfly called a Pearl Crescent.

A Black Swallowtail butterfly.

Over the Labour day weekend we saw dozens upon dozens of Monarchs in a field. They were non-stop. It was nothing short of a magical experience. This is an older photo of mine that I am using as for whatever reason, I did not take any shots of the monarchs last outing.

And lastly, a Black & Yellow Garden spider that once again, Eagle-eye Angie spotted for me last weekend. Another species I've not seen in years! It was funny because days before I had seen some posts of this species that people were coming across in their regions, and my mom sent me a photo of one she saw at my aunt's. I was a little envious. Then, just like that, we have one on our next walk.

These walks are a highlight for us both every weekend.

Epic Sunday At Home

As the title states, we had an epic Sunday at home.

For starts, a Red Squirrel showed up in our backyard and spent the afternoon with us. A feisty little creature who was hilarious to watch. He attacked the Pigeons and Eastern Grey Squirrels, trying to get peanuts and sunflower chips; and he was quite successful.

Sure this may not be very exciting to some of you, but it's only the second time we have ever seen a Red Squirrel in our backyard. They are pretty common in the woods near us but not right in our neighbourhood.

I have not seen him since but will keep a look out for him in the coming days anyway.

Then, the bunny showed up again and spent the day with us. He's obviously around a lot but some days we just don't see him. It'll be a few days of sightings, then nothing, then suddenly he's back again. Some times the days away can go 4 or 5. We can't help but wonder where he is, if he's alright. He definitely adds to our whole backyard experience, prompting my hashtag #whygotothewoods

I still haven't cut the lawn since he first appeared about a month ago!

Some years ago I was told to plant black & blue Salvia plants because the Hummingbirds really like them. Every year I've looked out for them at the local garden centres and never had any luck. This past Spring I was in a garden centre I don't normally go to towards Mississauga, and I was thrilled to find this plant. I bought four for the season, just to try them out, and the last few weeks we've been spotting the Hummingbirds buzzing in and out of the plants. We have at least 4 Hummingbirds coming to visit the last few weeks. They too are a wonderful addition to the backyard experience through the Summer months.

We have a deep backyard and this spot is further down, partially hidden by the hollies. I need to spend more time on the lawn watching here, while the birds are still with us. Sunday I got lucky, happened to be in the right spot at the right time to see this one hitting up the flowers for some nourishment.

Then as if Sunday could not get any better...

The day turned into night. Angie went to bed. I was out back watching a couple Skunks, then came inside to listen to some music before I turned in. I check my Facebook and see a message in my inbox. It's from a neighbour up the street. She said that they were currently listening to a Great Horned Owl calling. I get my shoes on, grab my head lamp and dash outside. I don't hear anything. I go out front and start walking up the street. I can hear it off in the distance. I follow the sound and get to the edge of some private property, walking along the fence line, and listen. The calls are louder now. To my delight, there are two Owls calling back and forth! I stand there in the darkness for the next 5 minutes or so, just listening. I rarely hear any Owls calling anywhere so this was great! I have to wonder if one of the Owls is my old "friend" Grace? I saw Grace randomly from Spring to Fall in the same tree near us for 5 years. This tree stands on the edge of a large wooded area. I suspect in the colder months she went deeper in. Then one Spring not too long ago, she did not return. I'm allowed to think she's still out there and one of these two could be her, right?

Another weekend is approaching. I have no expectations on what wild wonders it may bring. I will tune in and embrace whatever comes. I know some of you will too.

Random Sightings Lately

I figure I am due for a post of mostly photographs, random stuff I've encountered the last few weeks either at home or on a walk with or without Angie. Even as I start this, I'm not sure what I'm going to share. Busy days, humid days, my mind is usually consumed in the now and not the past. So this will be fun for me too!

A cool find one Sunday walk a few weeks back thanks to Eagle-eye Angie was this Snowberry Clearwing Moth. We'd never seen one before and initially thought it was a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth that we see so many others post photos of. Thanks to our bud Joanne, she took a moment and gave us the proper ID on this creature.

A week later we did luck out and see a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth at our friend Barbara's place.

While we don't really keep life lists of insects, we know both of these were lifers for us. We do have it in our heads to start lists of Butterflies, Dragonflies and other things.

The main reason we were visiting our friend Barb was to pick up a Cecropia Caterpillar, which we hope to raise to it's moth stage. He's named Heimlich, like the caterpillar from A Bug's Life. Angie did a great blog about our new house guest, see here.

I'm finally seeing an Opossum again. Not every night, but at least once a week.

Our new Squirrel friend, Ripper, is a riot. He certainly knows how to make the whole Pigeon flock angry all at once.

Bear disappeared for over 2 weeks and then suddenly returned.

This was the first time I have ever seen him in a tree. Silly that I wondered if the old boy could climb or not but until this time I always saw him on the ground, and often laying down to eat.

A couple nights later, there he was again. He likes the spot down back, just over the fence behind a couple neighbour's sheds. One of them has a habit of not securing their trash bin and he takes full advantage of that.

The new Raccoon family, mom with three young, is fun to see. Of course there's always one kid who is bolder than the rest.

My whisky Wednesdays have been a little more entertaining, if I can cover up and brave the mosquitoes plus the humidity.

I see him a lot. There was a week I was concerned about him being on his own, and not seeing his family. It seems he's quite the wanderer and eventually the rest of the family do catch up, as I discovered when staying up and outside for longer periods.

I've spotted a 2nd family recently. This one is a mother with three young as well. These kids are smaller. Young Raccoons, what's not to love?

No shortage of Skunks this year. A couple very large ones roam around, there's been two wee little ones I've seen side by side, and one of the Toppers still comes around.

One of the kids peeking out from under the lattas. All the night critters know the secret passages under the shed and deck.

We have at least 4 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds visiting our feeders nowadays. It's hard to believe that in another month or so and they will be gone again until next year.

A Cooper's Hawk has been hunting our backyard. This is nothing new but a few weeks earlier than when we normally start to see this Hawk species pass through on migration and then we end up with one or two that stick around for the winter.

Now away from the backyard, here are some lovelies spending the Summer in Toronto.

There's a family of American Kestrels near us. Such a treat to see the prettiest Falcon we have in Toronto! They are a declining species so this encounter touched my heart.

Belted Kingfishers are fun to watch as they hunt the lake and rivers.

Black-crowned Night Heron. We saw a pair this particular morning.

A mammal sighting we don't get in our backyard... White-tailed Deer. This is the first one I've seen all Summer. A peaceful early morning encounter for us.

I've not seen many spiders this Summer, which is disappointing. Other than a couple very small jumping spiders, I have found one Cross Orbweaver. It was something to watch this one work on it's web one night.

Lastly, we spotted this cool looking caterpillar. We think it's a Virginian Tiger Moth.

We let him be, to do his thing. Some researching since, here is the moth this little beast could turn into. Wow! If the ID is incorrect on this one, please let me know.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time, here are some wise words from one of our backyard Squirrels. Cheers!