Magic Hour

Friday July 30, 2010

It gets hotter in our apartment as the sun goes down.  I'm not sure about the science of it - something to do with the proximity of the lake, I'm sure - but all I know is that just as a nice, cool summer evening is beginning outside, we're starting to sweat.  Evening walks seem like the natural thing to do, but after dinner I often find myself stuck behind the computer trying to finish some bit of writing.  Thankfully on Tuesday night I was already having trouble focusing, so as things got warm and Steve announced he was going to the park, I was quick to tag along.

A Black-crowned Night Heron watches for an evening meal.

I always knew that dawn and dusk were supposed to be great times for birding and general wildlife watching, but I still wasn't ready for the switch that was flipped as the sun went down.  On Tuesday night we saw a Night Heron, a beaver, a mink, plenty of bats and our first Nighthawk, all in the span of about fifteen minutes.  Last night we left earlier to get in some more sightings before the bugs got to be too much, and the results were even better.  There were repeat performances by the beaver, the mink and the bats, plus we realized there were at least three Nighthawks swooping around.  Three turtles joined the show, as did a few large fish, several screeching terns and a male Kingfisher.  But the biggest excitement were the herons.  Both Black-crowned Night Herons and Great Blue Herons aren't uncommon in our park, but the fun was seeing them come out of the woodwork.

Our spot of choice on Thursday faced a small, wooded island in the middle of a pond.  I kept hearing calls from the trees which I was sure was a heron, but neither one of us could spot the ruckus-maker with our binoculars.  As the sun dipped lower a night heron finally flew out of the trees and out across the park, and I was happy the hidden bird was revealed. 

But then they kept coming. 

Every few minutes, by ones and twos, herons emerged from the trees.  While we stood there, no less than eight swept out over the water, all but one taking off to parts unknown.  Eight roosting herons, and we hadn't been able to spot a single one!

Now the challenge is on, of course.  While some nights I'll still need to be at the computer, I have a feeling that for the rest of the summer Steve won't have much trouble convincing me that the work can wait, if only for one magic hour.

Patriotic Shenanigans vs. Playwriting Contests

Saturday June 12, 2010

After enjoying taking part in the Toronto Fringe Festival's 24-Hour Playwriting Contest for the first time last year, I was planning to take another run at it in 2010.  But now details of the 2010 installment have been announced and it turns out most of the writing is scheduled to take place on Canada Day.  Last year the evening of Canada Day was when we learned what four items had to be included in the play, with most of the writing taking place on July 2nd.

I know it should be a small difference, but with all the fun, free things to do in Toronto on Canada Day (which I'm well aware of due to About.com) I just can't seem to get excited about spending that particular day sitting inside at the computer.  Of couse I may still change my mind before the sixty spots in the contest have been filled, but right now I'm definitely leaning towards a bit of off-the-page advenutre on July 1st.

The strangest part is, I may very well do nothing special for Canada Day, but I like to know the option is there.  I ever-so-briefly worried this means I'm not serious enough writing, but then I thought about the script I wrote last year for the contest... and in this case, "serious" does not apply.

Surprisingly Small Birds and Soft Snakes

Saturday May 29, 2010

     Today the big park near our house was having its first ever "Spring Bird Festival", so Steve and I went to see what we could see (which turned out to be quite a bit).

     The first booth we came to had volunteers from the University of Guelph's Wildlife Education & Environmental Programs (WEEP), who had brought along four birds of prey who are unreleasable to the wild.  Steve was surprised that Einstein the Great Horned Owl was so big, but the volunteers said he is on the large side for his species.

"Here's a theory of relativity: I'm relatively huge!"

     What I couldn't believe was that the kestrel they had was so small. Okay, so her missing tail feathers may have made her seem a little smaller than usual, but still... In birding guidebooks and such, the American Kestrel is often described as being similar in size to an American Robin.  Now I don't know how often birds face off Sharks v. Jets-style,  but if kestrels and robins were ever to throw down, I'm no longer convinced I'd put my money on the bird of prey.

  "What did that robin just say about me?"

     After the WEEP display there were a lot of booths from local organizations, where Steve and I respectfully browsed and chatted and such, but I'd already been to most of the groups' websites.  What we were really looking for was the snake display promised in the event flyer.  Still, we found the table a little too early, as all there was to see were empty tanks.  So we walked a loop along a park trail and while we were killing time waiting to see captive snakes, we saw a not-so-captive one!  The fairly large Garter Snake skedaddled back into the bushes as soon as he saw us - apparently he had no interest in attending a Spring People Festival.

     After grabbing some bird-friendly coffee from Birds and Beans (which was most tasty), we heard a little girl variously shrieking and giggling, and realized the snakes were out and about.  The little girl wasn't willing to hold the snake, but she was willing to touch it while her amused dad took pictures. Steve and I, on the other hand, were both up for some Eastern Milk Snake wrangling.  Juggling the coffees and my camera got a little awkward, but with the help of the assistant from Sciensational Sssnakes!! we got it sorted out.

 Steve shows that girl how it's done.

      After the Eastern Milk Snake, we petted a Corn Snake who was surprisingly soft.  Steve listened intently while the owner of Sciensational Sssnakes!! talked about Corn Snakes as pets... perhaps a little too intently.  Not that I'd mind having a snake in the house, but I'm not sure the cats would approve, no matter how soft it may be.