Trees are amazing.

These Black spruce trees are tenacious!

Black Spruce reaching for the sky.

This black spruce got a twist somehow maybe 50 years ago.
Some may say this is a Culturally Modified Tree, but this is in the middle of nowhere.
I am thinking snow made this one.



 :)

I"m into Nature: Discover Timmins’ Natural Beauty

Timmins Public Library

is Hosting

I'm into Nature: 

Discover Timmins’ Natural Beauty

 Saturday, April 26, 2014 at 2pm. Guest speakers from Millson Forestry Service, MRCA, and the MNR will be presenting information on the tree population, local walking trails and how to safely prevent human and wildlife conflicts. For more information please call 705-360-2623 ext. 8519. This is a free program and appropriate for ages 9+.

Timmins Public Library Events read more

Timmins Chamber of Commerce Events Calendar see it now

City of Timmins Events take a look

My time will be spent talking about the Timmins Honour Roll of Trees (what's that), Boreal Forest Trees, Seeds, Seedlings and Solid wood.

oxygenrowsontrees

Hike Day 2013 Pictures, Links, Geocaching.

A little hot chocolate
A walk with friends in the fall!

The Garmin GPSmap76cs tells me :

Total Distance = 4.09 km
Time moving = 1.00 hours
Time stopped = 41 minutes
Average moving speed = 2.4 km

We found geocache :
GC24E4V read more
GC1K4XZ read more
GC3J2VX (water damage) read more
GC3E7V4 read more
GCNYZ9 read more

Geocache 101 read more

Timmins Times. Pictures and story read more

CTV News report can be seen when you click here

Mattagami Region Conservation Authority is on Facebook, follow for information

All the pictures I took can be seen when you click here

Note Ron's comment below that Hersey Lake is now an ebird hotspot.

Fall Hike 2013

Timmins Fall Hiking Day
Sunday October 06

I will post pictures and after the event tomorrow. Come back again.

MRCA has the information. read more

Timmins Times read more

Back Yard is a Bird Feeder

I do not have a bird feeder 

in my backyard.

I guess the entire yard is a 

bird feeder.

Pigeons have been coming and eating the seed I have been spreading to grow some grass in the backyard.
The whole yard is their feeder.

I guess this morning while a pigeons was having it's breakfast, a little hawk also came for breakfast.

You can also see the video, just less than 2 minutes long, on youtube. I have the date wrong in the video. It actuall was June 19 not 17 - somehow I lost 2 days today???

AT 6:52am this morning, I heard a ruckus (yes ruckus) at he back of the house. Sounded like something hit the house and a couple of birds fighting over a worm. I got out and looked out the window, not seeing anything of interest, even with my glasses on.

AT 7:00am I headed downstairs and noticed this hawk sitting just outside the window. It was out of view range from the upstairs bedroom window. I ducked back so as not to scare it off and grab the little camera. I get a couple of pictures and some video.

AT 7:15 I am venturing outside with the digital video camera. The flip out viewfinder can be configured at the side of the camera. I was able to just stick my hand out around the corner to film the breakfast meal.

I hope the little buddy has developed a taste for well fed pigeons and comes for breakfast every morning. All that was left was some small feather, the two feet up to the knees and bottom beak.

OH What is it?

I am thinking a Sharp-shinned Hawk 

All About Birds - Sharp-shinned Hawk read more

Great Earth Day 2013 Event at Timmins Honda

Earth Day 2013
Timmins Honda
CTV Jill Colton

Muddy Mark and Jill Colton

White spruce tree seedlings were handed out at Timmins Honda to celebrate Earth Day.

The continuous stream of people makes the event a lot of fun.

I get to talk to people about trees, I always like to talk about trees.

Jill has a huge following. So many people came by to "hi" to her.  

Bald Eagle Back!, maybe never left?

Picture of Bald Eagle

Stories of the one that never left.

This is about where I saw the bird. see the map While I traveled down the road I could see on the side of the highway a bigger bird then you would usually see. I slowed right down and parked beside the tree the bird was in. It did not fly away.

The last 2 years Bald eagle has been present at the Deloro Landfill. I am hearing that it was present all this year also. When I was there last winter I scanned the tree line, many crows sat in the trees watching, at the end by itself was a much larger bird. On closer observation it is a Bald Eagle.

We added the Bald Eagle to the Christmas Bird Count in 2011, when we saw a pair at Sandy Falls.

Timmins Naturalists read more

Earth Hour 2013 - What a difference a year makes

What a difference a year makes

2012 a warm and fast spring.
2013 a normal year of snow.

 This year on Earth Hour we planned an outside fire, with hot dogs and pop.

The trail to the shed had to be kept open this winter. Our blanket around the fire was almost a meter deep.

No lights on in the background. Even the neighbours are participating!

Last year for Earth Hour the back yard was empty of snow.

This picture is taken the week after Earth Hour, but the yard looked the same.

Last year all the power was off in the house, but we decide to have our fire in the wood stove.

It is a good idea. The kids never really think about energy use. Glad to have the kids participate!





Earth Hour org

Earth Hour 2014

Saturday March 29th!

 Hope you will join all of us!

Earth Hour Timmins Ontario Canada.

2013 Successful Winter Hiking Day

Nice Weather

Nice People

Nice Fire

Nice Trails

Another successful hike.

MRCA page read more and they have more pictures on their FB page facebook

Timmins Times read more see more pictures

2012 winter hiking day story, links and pictures. click here


.

The Lost Art of Snow as Insulation

Warm yourself - Warm your basement!

Beer Fridge is a BONUS!!!

When I lived in Whitehorse, YT everyone did it. Free winter insulation! Just like firewood, insulating with snow warms twice. First, when you work at piling the snow, second by keeping more heat in the basement.

Here in Timmins, ON I talked to a gal who told me her Dad always piled snow on the side of the house. When did we lose that art?

Some say it puts more pressure on your drainage tiles, but actually it reduces the pressure. Since the wall stays warmer the snow is melted along the edge of the house. The snow along the wall under snow will melt after the snow further away from the house has melted ensuring no water along the wall will be part of the quick spring melt.





Laplander's Natural Lore Blog read more

Mother Earth News read more

New World Encyclopedic - Igloo read more

The insulation properties of snow read more

Basement window once covered in snow will melt into a little fridge. At -40C outside, the temperature in the little igloo will be about -4.  The window will never feel the -40. The side of the house at the sill will never feel the -40.

Since the snow is piled the highest on the north side of the house the snow will stay longer then the other sides. The water will melt very slow and the drainage tiles will not become over full, I hope!

all the pictures at my house are here




NO beer was consumed during the writing of this blog. NO beer was consumed during the taking of the pictures or researching this natural event. In fact I do not like beer.


.

Timmins 2013 Winter Hike Day

Sunday February 24th, 2013

Hersey Lake Timmins

Winter Hike Day 

read more on the MRCA page

Pictures and more read now

Archie's Rock Tour

The Wintergreen Fund for Conservation is organizing a hike to Archie’s Rock this Sunday,
October 21.

We will be meeting in front of the Conservation Authority office at the Gillies Lake Conservation Area at 11 AM.  We will car/truck pool to the site the best we can.  If you prefer, you can meet us at the White Birch Restaurant at the Star Lake Road at 11:45.

Archie’s Rock is located just south of Star Lake west on Highway 101.  The Rock is an unique landscape feature left behind by glaciers 10,000 years ago.

The day will feature a short guided tour to the rock.

Black Ash Compound Leaf this Fall

Thinking about the 
Black Ash Compound Leaf.

Just sitting on a log watching the tree leaves falling around me.
I watch a compound leaf of a black ash falling from the top of the crown.
The large leaf with the smaller leaves turns slowly as it spins to the forest floor.

I had never really thought about it, but I always figured each little leaflet would fall, not the entire compound leaf. While I walked I pondered the idea, and yes it makes sense the entire compound leaf would fall. The leaf would disconnect at the branch, just like simple leaves.

Right and Wrong


see where this photo was taken


It would seem that early in the fall the entire compound leaf does fall, but later into the season the small leaflets that make up the compound leaf.  The picture above is the stem of the compound leaf still on the branch. It fact it was a little hard to pull the stem off.

We do not have many trees here in the north with compound leaves. I will have to pay more attention the next time I am walking in the forest in the fall.

What have you seen?  I saw a horsechestnut, what is that? while in Niagara I saw a big one, but it was still a month before the leaves would start to fall.

Ontario trees and shrubs with compound leaves. read more

Litter on the litter layer

Litter

Everywhere and anywhere!

This just freaks me out!!  Maybe this is just a balloon that got away form a 5 year old, ok these things happen.

Last year I remember a story on the news about a catholic school doing a balloon release for hope or something like that. What?? What is that teaching?  Hey lets all take a chunk of rubber and throw it to the winds so we can have litter spread far and wide. Ya, that is what we should teach, you can litter anywhere and everywhere as long as there is a message of hope tied to the litter.

Just did a quick search and there are schools that even promote a balloon release on youtube. Nice. They should also make a video of every kid in the school throwing a chip bag out the window of the school bus.

Some balloon releases do use environmentally friendly bio-degradable balloons, That, I'm guessing, is not the norm. These foil balloons, I would think, last a very long time.

This is where I found it. map

Amanita muscaria - just looks cool to me.

Wish I was a little person

Looking up 

It would look as big as a tree.

.

Amanita muscaria

Amanita muscaria

This, as far as I can figure, is the Fly agaric ( Amanita muscaria) mushroom.

There was a number of them on the old road I came out of the bush on to. In the sun the colour was super!

There are some interesting links about he mushroom, sounds like it could be very powerful?

Andy's Northern Ontario Wildflowers

Morning Earth - The Biosphere Community

Ancientforest.org - The Blueberry Lake Ecology Trails

This moose the dog wanted to chase. It was far enough away that he had no hope of catching up to it.

It was different when the moose is so close you can hear it breathe. The whole shortened story.

Walking out of the bush the other day, I have my head down, watching my footwork in the tangle of vegetation on the forest floor. A low grunt startles me. I look up into the eyes of a moose I have stumbled a little too close to. Talking to the moose I back up until I am behind a very big cedar. "Dog where the hell are you?"

Roll'n arrives from the side and does not see the moose right away. Roll'n is now standing beside me and sees the moose. A little too close for him too, he will not chase it 'cause it is not running away yet.

The moose sees both of us and decides to back off rather then continue his grunting advance. Once behind the tree I remember I have a camera, but it was too late the moose had turned and was leaving.

That is the closed I have ever stood eye to eye with a moose, usually the dog clears my path.

2012 Arbour Day Success

Tree Seedlings 

Bird Posters

Canada Day Signs

This is the Mattagami Park location. We had a great time meeting people and talking about trees.

The best time to plant a trees is 100 years ago, the second best time is today!

Oxygen Grows On Tress.

Butterflies in Timmins

See a butterfly

Be a butterfly

Report a butterfly

Monarch Butterfly   Status: Special Concern Provincially and Nationally


MonarchWatch.org

The migrating monarch butterflies arrived about 3 weeks early this year on the north shore of Lake Ontario, and I now have reports from many northern locations, including southern MB and SK. I have one report from northern Quebec, as far north as Timmins, and am wondering if you could spread the word that we would appreciate any northern sightings of migrating monarch butterflies, or their eggs or caterpillars. Is there milkweed in the Timmins area? What species of milkweed?

Also, reports of other butterfly species would be appreciated by: eButterfly.ca and the Google Group Ontario Butterflies.

The Internet based science program for students called Journey North would also appreciate your monarch sightings and those of other target species.

Thank you

Life Member
Ontario Nature
Friends of Presqu'ile Park

Timmins Fire Situation

Where to find the facts

I made a map of
Fire #9 May 24, 2012 2200hr in google maps.

It is rough but you can generally see what the fire effected.

City of Timmins updates twice a day.

OMNR information can be found here.

Timmins Temperature Records

7 days in a row :)

7 days of HOT weather :)

7 days of summer!

Then back to norms :(

I have not heard of any bears out looking around, but the birds are very early this year.

Normally Robin does not appear until April ~14th. This year the first Robin appears March 18th.  This is the first year that we have confirmed sightings of Bald eagle all winter. We had a pair during the Christmas Bird Count, and a single one spent the season at the dump. Another one was spotted along the Mattagami River all winter.

It was so warm on March 18th that the young ones washed the truck.

The Timmins Naturalists has a page called Observations Naturally that record sightings and observations. You see we had 7 days of record setting temperatures. The biggest record breaker was 27.9C breaks the 1979 11.2C record. We broke a record by over 16.5C.

Timmins Winter Hiking Day

more information @ MRCA

more information @ City of Timmins

more information @ Northern Ontario Travel

Summer 2011 Hiking Day Blog entry here