Feb. 16, 2008 - Indigenous, edible gardening
Something I think about during winter is gardening. It may seem strange to ponder on such a topic, but when all one sees is a blanket of white for seven months, spring and gardening often comes to mind!
The visits of various types of birds to our yard has been a topic of recent discussion for my family. We have a birdfeeder with wild bird mix in it. One year we had a suet feeder but we didn't see any birds eating at it. (We probably scared them away when we opened the back door!)
Most birds visit our yard because of our trees, shrubs and garden plants. The vegetation provides year-round protective cover, spring nesting sites and winter food. It is important to retain trees and choose to plant indigenous, edible garden plants.
Every year we plant at least one more shrub and new garden plant to benefit birds and insects. For fertilizer I use aged 'manure tea' made from duck litter. I don't spray weeds and I don't use insect spray. I depend on beneficial insects to munch up the 'bad bugs'.
We see a surprising amount of fauna visiting our suburban yard. The birds are drawn here because of the availability of food, foliage and water. I'm happy because not only do nature study opportunities come to our door, but I know that the birds can safely snack on what grows in our yard.
A few years ago my husband snapped this photograph of a female Ruffed Grouse eating the edible berries on a smaller tree in one corner of our front yard. We watched this bird for one half an hour. This gave us time to look up and learn more about Ruffed Grouse, including whether it was male or female and it's colouration (grey phase).
...Without learning of the importance of indigenous, edible gardening, we wouldn't have had this wonderful experience!
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Feb. 13, 2008 - White Stag in western Scotland
An unusual adult male Red Deer has been spotted in the Scottish Highlands: instead of the usual greyish-brown (winter) or red (summer) colouration, he is white. This is caused, not by albinism, but by a rare inherited condition called leucism. In leucism the creature has less pigment in the skin and hair, but natural coloured eyes. Very few Red Deer with leucism have been seen in the last fifty years; it is more often seen in the smaller Fallow Deer.
There is a short video of the grazing White Stag at the Scotsman News website.
If you and your children are interested in learning more about Britain's largest land mammal, these sites have information and images:
(PDF) All About... Red Deer
Trees for Life -- Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)
Great Britain Forestry Commission -- Red Deer
Sadly, another wild white stag was killed by poachers in October 2007. His body was abandoned, with only his head and antlers taken for a trophy. Hopefully, this white stag will be left to mature and live out his natural life amongst his herd. It will be a couple more years before he is old enough to breed and pass on his genetically-inherited rare colouration.
Deer are prominent in world-wide mythology, especially Celtic. As well, deer are referred to in Christian tradition, usually pertaining to lives of specific saints. In the past, the white stag had become a symbol of Christ. There is Scottish folklore specifically surrounding the appearance of a white stag.
Those familiar with The Chronicles of Narnia know that Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy return to Professor Kirke's home while seeking to find the White Stag...
"And one year it fell out that Tumnus ... came down river and brought them news that the White Stag had once more appeared in his parts - the White Stag who would give you wishes if you caught him."
Source: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (Chapter Seventeen), Copyright 1950.
It would be an amazing experience to travel to Scotland and see these magnificent creatures. I'd love to take photos of them! 
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Feb. 10, 2008 - This is my Fathers world
This is my Father’s world
This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere.
This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done:
Jesus Who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and Heav’n be one.
This is my Father’s world, dreaming, I see His face.
I ope my eyes, and in glad surprise cry, “The Lord is in this place.”
This is my Father’s world, from the shining courts above,
The Beloved One, His Only Son,
Came—a pledge of deathless love.
This is my Father’s world, should my heart be ever sad?
The lord is King—let the heavens ring. God reigns—let the earth be glad.
This is my Father’s world. Now closer to Heaven bound,
For dear to God is the earth Christ trod.
No place but is holy ground.
This is my Father’s world. I walk a desert lone.
In a bush ablaze to my wondering gaze God makes His glory known.
This is my Father’s world, a wanderer I may roam
Whate’er my lot, it matters not,
My heart is still at home.
Words: Maltbie D. Babcock, 1901, alt.
Music: Terra Beata, traditional English melody, arranged by Franklin L. Sheppard in his Alleluia, 1915.
Listen to the MIDI online.
Download the musical score.
Source: Cyber Hymnal website. Public Domain.
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Feb. 8, 2008 - Hoary and Common Redpolls online
Would you like to see more photographs about Redpolls and listen to their intriguing, chirping songs? Listed below are websites that my family and I found useful in learning more about these lovely little birds. There are excellent photographs, maps of their summer and winter locations, food sources, and more...
Cornell Lab of Ornithology's "All About Birds" -- HOARY REDPOLL
eNature -- HOARY REDPOLL
Cornell Lab of Ornithology's "All About Birds" -- COMMON REDPOLL
eNature -- COMMON REDPOLL
If you have cats, you may want to listen to the bird calls when they aren't around. When we listened to the sound samples, our cats became very excited. The entire time, the poor kitties looked out the window and behind the computer to try to find the birds!
Here is our Maine Coon Cat cautiously sniffing the computer speakers on top of the monitor:
"I hear the bird... Where is it?!?"
I wonder if the cats were trying to find our budgerigar, who passed away last year? The youngest cat still looks for him in the washroom, where his cage was safely kept at night. Our budgie was an incredible mimic of various sounds and had a substantial human vocabulary as well.
POSTSCRIPT: By the way, for those who are concerned about our cats decimating the local population of fauna... Our cats are inside-only pets; they have to be, for their own safety. They only go out while in a harness, during adult-supervised outdoor time. There are too many large predators (raptors, coyotes, wolves, cougars), as well as pet dogs roaming in packs and other modern hazards such as automobiles and antifreeze. Many families lose their companion animals to an untimely death - we don't want to be one of them.
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Feb. 5, 2008 - Redpoll, a pretty visitor from the Far North
Suddenly, as if a signal had been given, all spread their wings at the same instant and flew up in a birch-tree not far away. All seemed to take wing at precisely the same instant. Up in the birch-tree they sat for a minute or so and then, just as if another signal had been given, all began to pick out the tiny seeds from the birch tassels. No one bird seemed to be first. It was quite like a drill, or as if each had thought of the same thing at the same instant. Peter chuckled over it all the way home. And somehow he felt better for having made the acquaintance of the Redpolls. It was the feeling that everybody so fortunate as to meet them on a gold (cold) winter's day is sure to have.
From: The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton W. Burgess (Chapter XLIV - More Folks In Red: The Pine Grosbeak and the Redpoll); in Public Domain.
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