Bird Box

Thanksgiving Fun

2007-10-06T22:14:00.000-04:00

Here's a Thanksgiving treat for you! Gooble gooble!!!

This picture was shot in my parents backyard (about 2hrs north from here). While there is no real leason/resource in this post I will say that if you look hard enough you can find wild turkeys just outside of Brampton. Though the picture is a bit fuzzy, there are 23 turkey in it!

Here's wishing you a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Ps - for those of you who live to the south of me, a very early Happy Thanksgiving

Yis

Bear

Stop and Listen

2007-10-05T10:13:00.000-04:00

Hi,

Sorry for the delay in posting lately. Life sometimes takes over and we get overwhelmed by the day to day stuff. But Scouting that has taught me how to deal with these challenges. It's also taught me to pay better attention. I've lived in the Brampton area my whole life, but I can't remember seeing a third of the things I find now, when I was a child.

With all the distractions out there, TV, video games, etc.... it seems that kids these days don't get outside much any more. I was recently sent an article on "Outdoors Deficiency" and how our children are suffering from it. While I may not entirerly agree that this is the case, the outside world is something that we take for granted. It's a shame what people miss when they don't stop and take a minute to look around.

So how does this fit in with Scouting in urban places then? You can plan a stop and listen. I know that this sounds kinda silly, but by planning a few of these you can start to teach the youth to see what others might be missing. If you do something enough and it becomes a habit.

First you need to find a quiter place, say a greenbelt or wooded area an plan a hike/walk in it. About halfway through have the youth stop and be quite (this could be a challenge). Keep them this way for a minute or two. Then ask them what they hear. Next have them look around where they are and see if there is anything they notice. This is a Stop and Listen.

It takes very little prep time for one of these, though it might not be a bad idea to walk the location first. It will give you a sense of the area and a good idea of were to stop. There is also many field guides on birds, bugs, trees, plants...... that might be of use if your youth find something you may not know. Remeber you don't need to know everything to be a leader, but you do need to be willing to find out things. It's not only the kids that learn sometimes. Good luck!

Yis

Bear

Jewelweed

2007-09-13T13:56:00.000-04:00

Its another sign of the changing season. The Jewelweed is in full bloom. Not many people know of this plant. Not by this name anyway. What you see here is Touch-me-nots. I have to admit that this is one of my favourite plants. Come late August, you will find me in waist deep grass checking this interesting plant out. Why do I like it? Easy answer there, exploding seed pods! This member of the Impatient family has seed pods that pop when you touch them. Each pop spreads its seeds over an area of about a meter. This plant is a Scouters dream, its easy to find and it does something. This is a big factor when you are trying to teach the youth something. It works with all ages too! You get the same reaction from Beavers as you do with Scouts. A lesson on these plants should include a warning about damaging surrounding vegetation as things can tend to get out of hand a bit once the "secret" is reveled. But the learning need not stop there, Jewelweed has been linked to finding where poison ivy is. While the the plant thrives in locations where poison ivy can't, you can find them together. Always good to have a look around before you let the kids loose. Another old Scouter trick, break off a stalk and rub it on a bee sting, poison ivy, or insect bite. It's supposed to stop the itching. While science can not confirm that this really works, I know leaders that swear by it. If you look in forested areas or near water you should be able to find this plant. When I checked this morning the seeds were ready to pop, so good luck and good hunting!

Yis

Bear

Yellow and Black Garden Spider

2007-09-07T14:57:00.000-04:00

I've lived at this house for 4 years now, but some days it still surprises me! I came across this little lady on my front deck. It's called the Yellow (and Black) Garden Spider. Easy to see given the colours. This female was about the size of a toonie. Average body size ranges from 3/4" to 1 1/4" but by the time you get the legs in there, they can reach the size of 3" in diameter. The spider is a member of the Orb Weaver family, and are often found at this time of year. You can find them around the eves of the house, but they are more common in the tall grass. It is common to southern Ontario, but this is the first one I've seen. One field book I checked stated that this spider is a common image used for Halloween, and that Charlotte from the book Charlotte's Web was a Yellow Garden Spider. When I checked back a few days later she was gone, most likely looking for a better place to lay her eggs. One neat thing about the babies is that in the spring when they leave the egg sack, they use a long strand of silk as a parachute of sorts to ride the wind away from where they were born.

Yis

Bear

September

2007-09-04T10:19:00.000-04:00

Well the the long weekend is over, and even thought summer is still with us for a few weeks yet most are settling back down to the routines that we are familiar with. Schools back in and with that comes the new Scouting year. Most leaders I know, look forward to the first meeting of the new year! Like the seasons we watch these children grow as they move from Beavers to Cubs to Scouts...... My youngest is now in Troop and it seems like yesterday that he was putting on his vest for Beavers. Likewise my oldest is working on his first part of Woodbadge. Most people still don't want to think of changing colours of the leaves or shorter days quite yet. Still, I think personally anyways, that this is the best time of year. There is so much promise of adventures to come, things to learn, and places to see. Here's hoping you have a great year!

Yis

Bear

Lunar Eclipse

2007-08-28T11:03:00.001-04:00

Did you get up early this morning? The moon is something most take for granted, we know it's up there, so why look at it? This morning was a pretty good reason. The Scouts in the family rolled out of bed at 5:00am this morning to have a look. By the time we started looking the moon was about a quarter covered. We stayed with it until it was totally eclipsed. It was a wonderfully clear morning, and Orion was visible towards the south. It was nice to see him, though he looked as though he was still napping, laying there on his side up in the sky.

The lunar eclipse is the result of the moon passing through the earths shadow. By the time it had gone fully red, it was getting quite light. Still it was worth getting up to see, or looking up if you were up anyway. For those who missed it, the next one is on the night of Feb. 20 -21, 2008. I'm sure Orion will be up and awake for that one.

New Feature

2007-08-27T21:28:00.000-04:00

Check out the new feature in the sidebar. Anytime we post a information sheet, you can now download it.

Bear

Build a bird box part 2

2007-08-27T14:37:00.000-04:00

So, why build a bird box anyway? Apart from the obvious learning potential for the youth, there is a much better reason. There is a serious shortage of nesting places in urban locations. Around 24 different types of Canadian birds use cavities such as holes in decaying trees and stumps to nest. With the development of subdivisions and industry, many of these potential homes are being knocked down. Luckily most birds will adapt to man made nesting locations. By undertaking a building project you will be helping to preserve many natural species.

In the last part we looked at a simple design which will work well for several birds. But one size does not fit all! As you will see in the chart above, different birds require different sizes of box, and entry holes. There are several other factors to take into consideration. They are the planned location of the box, the height off the ground, what time of the year it will be used(and how often per season). With a little planning you should be able to have success with your bird box. There are many books and websites that can help you out with these questions.

Included in the chart are several birds found in the Brampton area. Before building I suggest that you do some research on which bird you will be targeting. It might be best to visit potential sites to see if you can identify the birds living in that location. From there you can pick a design. Please note that the chart was created from a number of different sources, so I have averaged the suggested sizes for simplicity. All lumber is 1" thick, and should be rough surfaced to allow the birds to hold on to it. Email me for a PDF of both the chart and the instrution page.

Here are some special notes for placement:

American Kestrel - pastures, fields, meadows, or orchards with mowed or grazed vegetation; place boxes on lone trees in fields, on trees along edges of woodlots, and on farm buildings.

Eastern Screech Owl - forests, parks, woodland clearings, forest edges, wooded stream edges, under a tree limb. entrance hole should face north. Add 2"-3" of wood shavings.

Tree Swallow - open fields near water, expansive open areas, marshes, meadows, wooded swamps; on a post in open areas near tree or fence, 30-100 feet apart. entrance hole should face east.

Black-capped Chickadee - forests, woodlots, and yards with mature hardwood trees, forest edges, meadows, area should receive 40-60% sunlight, spaced one box per 10 acres, hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box.

White-breasted Nuthatch - deciduous woodlands, mature forests, woodlots, near open areas, forest edges, orchards, often near water; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box.

Bluebird - open field or lawn; orchards; open, rural country with scattered trees and low or sparse ground cover; entrance hole should face open field, preferring east, north, south, and then west facing directions.

Woodpeckers - add 2" wood shavings.

Please note that even though I've included the Pileated Woodpecker they are questionable for using a nesting box. Heart Lake Conservation Area does have several pairs and I have seen to the north and west of the park. Keep that in mind if you decide to place a box for them.

Finally, once its up you will need to check on it regularly (to see if all that work payed off) and clean it out in the fall for the next spring. With a little research and perseverance this kind of project will be a great success!

Yis

Bear

Build a bird box part 1

2007-08-24T22:29:00.000-04:00

With the new scouting year almost upon us, try adding this activity to your plans this year. Here is the instruction sheet that has been used by the TRCA for many of the bird boxes around the Brampton area (including the ones on the side bar of this page). It is very simple to manufacture; as you can see it requires just one plank of 1" x 6" x 6" wood to make. Any of the sections can make a fair number of these in short order. At the White Tail Fun Day 2005, the Beavers in attendance made about 160 of these. There are a few tips that will make the work go easier. First, remember that one side should be hinged at the top (just use a nail on each side to do this). I've made quite a few of these and it was only recently that it was pointed out to me that there had to be a way to clean them out after it was finished being used for the season. While its great to make a box, the learning doesn't stop there. Going out and choosing a place to put it up, and then watching it over the season really adds to the lesson being passed on! Second, if possible use screws. Using a drill is far faster than a hammer, and makes corrections easy. If this isn't possible nails work fine, but you might wish to pre-drill holes to make assembly simpler for the younger youth. As always its best to make a few yourself so that you'll be prepared when your Colony, Pack, Troop, or Company starts grabbing tools.

Stay tuned, for part 2. We'll cover different box sizes (dependant on the bird) and where to place them.

Yis

Bear

Northern Ribbon Snake

2007-08-20T11:11:00.000-04:00

I found this guy under a log near my pond. While I'll admit that I'm fairly new the identifying snakes I'm pretty confident that it is a Northern Ribbon Snake. It is common to Southern Ontario, and is a member of the Garter snake family. It is found near wetlands, ponds, and streams. They swim well and their diet includes frogs, tadpoles, salamanders, and small fish. This explains where I found it, the log was near my pond (which happens to be full of things to eat!). Remember they are wild and best observed in their natural surroundings. Should you choose to pick them up their are a few things to keep in mind. Most garter snakes, are gentle and can be handled carefully. Give the snake lots of support, and don't squeeze it or rub against the direction of the scales. Also be careful to not let it fall. You should allow it to glide through your fingers. These snakes do not constrict their prey so they will not wrap or grip onto you. While not poisonous some garter snakes may bite or musk (make a really bad smell) when frightened. A garter’s musk glands are in its rear end and when it musks it may also defecate. It’s smelly and unpleasant, but not serious. I have had this happen, and while it is pretty disgusting it does wash off. Remember you are much larger than the snake so limit the time handled. And always release the snake back where you found it.

Hidden places

2007-08-18T16:02:00.000-04:00

There are many hidden places in the city. Above is a wooded area of Conservation Drive Park, located in Brampton, ON. From the picture you wouldn't know that you are less than a km from busy highway #10 (Hurontario St.). This park runs from Conservation Dr. up to Mayfield Rd. It's a great location to get the younger sections out in nature. On our short visit to take this picture, my son and I discovered a fox borrow. It's also a great site for seeing songbirds. Goldfinches were located in the area surrounding where the path entered the woods. The bird boxes for which this blog is named are located at the north end of the park (just south of Mayfield) in the general area of the wet land constructed by the TRCA. The wet land is visited by a Heron on a regular basis. You can find the wet land just west of the pathway. The best place to park is in the parking lot off of Conservation Dr. (located on Conservation Dr. between Hurontario St. and Kennedy Rd.). This also the meeting point for a TRCA planting event in November (see upcoming events below). With the new Scouting season soon to start, you should consider a day hike to this park or the tree planting as part of your planning.

Yours in Scouting

Bear