Feb. 3, 2008 - Mid-winter visitors from Canada's Arctic
At lunchtime on Monday, January 28th, my 11 year old loudly exclaimed and called me to go and look out one of the side windows. A mixed flock of Common Redpolls and Hoary Redpolls had travelled south from the Arctic to visit our backyard! They were feasting on the multitude of seeds hanging from our Paper Birch trees.
It was -30°C (-22°F), but being indigenous to the Far North, they weren't bothered by the cold. As you can see from the photo, Redpolls have well-feathered little bodies! For quite some time we stayed at the window, watching them fluttering from branch to branch.
The birds were quite pretty, in an understated way. Their heads were variegated brown with a tiny, bright-red cap. Their wing feathers were brown and white and their crisp tail feathers were a darker brown. The soft-looking feathers on their bodies were white with streaks of brown. Bead-like eyes were set just before a yellowish beak, with a black bib at their chins. The male birds had a pink area on their chests.
It took some time for us to determine which ones were rare Hoary Redpolls and which were Common Redpolls. There were far more of the latter, than the former. The Hoary Redpolls have white on the back above the tail; overall, they look as if their feathers have been dusted with frost. I guess that’s why they are called ‘Hoary’ as in ‘hoar frost'!
In the photo below, the bird on the left is a female Hoary Redpoll; the bird on the right is a female Common Redpoll. There were more females than male birds in this flock - I wonder why?
As I was afraid of frightening the eager birds away from their meal, I took photos through the window; the tree and birds were twenty feet away. I wish the resulting pictures were less blurry, but I’m happy to have had the opportunity to watch them and share our experience with you.
This is encouragement for all of us that, even in the coldest weather, it is possible to do nature study!
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Feb. 3, 2008 - Winter Storms and Security
When reading Psalm 147, I came across this winter-themed Scripture verse and thought it quite apt. Where would we be without the God-given ability to create warm clothing and housing? What would we do without God's loving provision for us during the winter storms?
He casts out His hail like morsels;
Who can stand before His cold?
The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear* Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.
~ Psalm 147:17, 11 (NKJV)
*NOTE: fear = awe-filled respect.
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Feb. 2, 2008 - Winter Temperatures
Despite the warnings of global warming, winter temperatures have been within seasonal norms for our area. With the temperatures being lower than recent years, all across Canada, it makes me wonder if the world is leaving a warmer period and entering a cooler one.
Throughout history there have been natural cycles of cooler and warmer weather – some more extreme than others. In fact, one could liken it to the heating and cooling cycles of a forced-air furnace or space heater.
Two famous examples of the earth going through cooling and warming periods pertain to Canada’s Arctic and the search for the Northwest Passage. Sir John Franklin and the entire crew of his two ships perished after they had to abandon their ships, icebound for two years, from 1845-1847.
Yet it was only 56 years later when Roald Amundsen was able to navigate through relatively ice-free waterways during 1903-1906. In 1940, RCMP Henry Larsen and his crew sailed the Northwest Passage from west to east (Vancouver, BC to Halifax, NS). They returned from east to west in 1944.
In those instances, the Canadian Arctic waterways had been frozen during the winter but thawed in the summer, permitting the Gjøa and St. Roch to pass when Franklin’s ships, the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, could not.
…These are some of the things a person has time to ponder, when it is so cold, for so long! 
Here is a photo of dd holding the outside thermometer on our back deck. The daytime temperatures have been –30°C (-22°F) or colder, with cooler temperatures at night. Even through the ski coat and snowmobile gloves, dd’s body heat warmed the ambient air temperature around the thermometer, raising the temperature to –29°C.
Keep warm!
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Jan. 28, 2008 - We're back!
After a long rest from blogging, we are back!
It wasn't a deliberate choice on my part to take a break, but unintentional. What happened? I forgot my password! LOL
We've had many interesting nature experiences and look forward to sharing them with you!
:-)
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Oct. 19, 2006 - Photo of a Black Bear
We watched this single Black Bear for many minutes. Before walking into the bush, he ate dandelion flowers with evident enjoyment. Bears will eat the flowers, leaves, stems and roots of dandelions and other edible flora. Sometimes tussocks of flowers will be clawed asunder in search of tasty tidbits such as roots and insects.
I took this photo this last May. We had pulled over at the side of the highway, on the opposite side of this happily foraging bruin. To be able to safely observe a bear was a great start to that day's outing!
Sadly, in autumn we see more dead and dying bears than we do living ones. Bears that have become habituated to human food sources are destroyed, as relocating has proven unsuccessful here. Frequently that means a mother is shot; then her cubs are found and they must be shot, too.
Also, this is the time of year when two-year old bears leave their mothers to live on their own. They need to find territory separate from their mother and siblings. In the process of doing so or while foraging for food, many are struck while crossing the highway.
...Poor things. 
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