Sit Spot - January 31, 2020 + RBG note

January 31, 2020 5:08 p.m.

Sit 570 : Brush Pile W : Cloudy with some snowflakes 

-1° (-3°) e 6-9 kph  74% humidity 

(Jet, traffic noise)

(Delta Airlines flight 2164...)

Very quiet - not even much traffic noise 

Extras:

Great Horned Owl calling @ 5:40 a.m.,

Woodpecker drumming,

Cardinals,

Chickadees,

Goldfinches,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Black Squirrels,

Grey Squirrels. 

Photo Site #2 - East  Willow

Witch Hazel 'Westerstede' 

noisetier de sorcière 'Westerstede'

(Hamamelis x intermedia 'Westerstede')

One of 14 cultivated Witch Hazels

that were blooming outside at 

the RBG Arboretum today.

Sit Spot - January 30, 2020 + Beckett Walk

January 30, 2020 4:34 p.m

Sit 569 : Brush Pile W ; Sunny 

-1° (-5°). E 13-20 kph  71% humidity 

(Jet, traffic noise)

(United Airlines flight 769…)

Dogs barking in distance 

Extras:

White-tailed deer,

Cardinals,

Chickadees,

Mourning Doves,

Goldfinches,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Red-bellied Woodpecker,

Black Squirrels,

Grey Squirrels.

Photo Site 1  - East Pond

Beckett Walkers on Oxbow Road

Strange January Weather

No Snow

Sit Spot - January 29, 2020 + Sumacs

January 29, 2020 8:47 a.m.

Sit 568 : Brush Pile E : Cloudy 

- 3° (-7°) NE 9-14 kph 80% humidity 

Crows,

(Jet, traffic noise),

(Jet Suite flight 307...),

Squirrel chattering,

Unidentified bird chips.

Extras:

Chickadees "fee bee" calls!

Cardinals,

Goldfinches,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Black Squirrels,

Grey Squirrels.

Photo Site #4 - North Ridge Trail

Staghorn Sumac - Male and Female

sumac vinaigrier

Rhus typhina

Sit Spot - January 28, 2020

January 28, 2020 3:17 p.m.

Sit 567 : Brush Pile W : Cloudy 

0° (-4°)  nw 15-23 kph  69% humidity 

(Jet, traffic noise)

(United Airlines flight 422...)

Crows,

Extras :

Chickadees,

Downy Woodpecker ,

Cardinals,

Goldfinches,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Black Squirrels,

Grey Squirrels,

Red Squirrel,

2 Canada Geese flying overhead 20 min after sunset,

11th rat in the barn trap

Photo Site 3 - West Meadow Viewpoint

Sit Spot - January 27, 2020

January 27, 2018 8:31 a.m.

Sit 566 : Brush Pile E : Cloudy 

0° (-4°) w 11-17 kph  99% humidity 

Crows,

Blue Jays,

(Jet, traffic noise)

(Republic Airlines Flight 3606...)

 Extras:

Canada Geese flying overhead 

Cardinals,

Chickadees,

Mourning Doves',

Goldfinches,

Juncos,

Black Squirrels,

Grey Squirrels

Cottontail Rabbit by old chicken coop

Maybe the Screech Owl is back

   in the bird house in the east pond?

A skim of snow in a.m. gone by p.m.

Patchy snow left, mostly on northern slopes

Photo Site 2 - East Willow

Cottontail Rabbit

(I took most of the colour out of the background

with Photoshop so the rabbit could be seen.

Without the manipulation, it was almost

totally invisible.)

Sit Spot - January 26, 2020

January 26, 2020 9:51 a.m.

Sit 565 : Brush Pile W : Cloudy 

 +1° (-4 °) SW 20-30 kph 94% humidity 

Dog barking in distance,

Chickadees,

(Jet, traffic noise)

(American Airlines flight 2264...)

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Canada Geese flying overhead,

Goldfinches,

Extras :

Carolina Wren chattering by barn.

Crows,

Black Squirrels,

Grey Squirrels,

Red Squirrel.

Sadie found part of a deer leg bone

  in the west meadow.

More Canada Geese flying overhead in p.m.

Photo Site # 1  - East Pond

I have no idea what is making the dark

spots in the middle of the pond ice; however...

https://www.swnewsmedia.com/where-do-these-shapes-in-pond-ice-come-from-copy/article_29b67e6a-2171-5e4e-98b6-c728d6c2a585.html

Sadie's find.

I could not find any other part of the deer.

Sit Spot - January 25, 2020

January 25, 2020 4:18 p.m.

Sit 564 : Brush Pile W : Cloudy 

+2° (-3°) SW 26-39 kph 96% humidity 

Downy Woodpecker,

(Chainsaw in distance),

(Jet, traffic noise),

(JetSuite Air flight 307 . . .),

Unidentified chirps,

Extras:

Cardinals,

Chickadees,

Mourning Doves,

Goldfinches,

Junco,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Black Squirrels,

Grey Squirrels,

Red Squirrel by driveway.

Trails covered in patchy, wet, slushy

snow making for very slippery walking!

Photo Site 4 - January 25, 2020

More evidence of a weasel in the barn. 

No more ducks so I guess

it is eating rats and mice. 

Sit Spot - January 24, 2020 & RBG

January 24, 2020 5:12 p.m 

Sit 563 : Brush Pile E : Cloudy with rain 

+1° (-5°) e 24-36 kph  96% humidity 

(Traffic noises)

Wind in trees,

Trees creaking,

Rain on tarp,

(Jet),

( Southwest Airlines flight 1188...)

Extras:

Cardinals,

Chickadees,

Goldfinches,

Juncos,

Black Squirrel 

Photo Site #3 looking southwest from West Meadow

I was at the RBG all morning and looking for wild flowers in the afternoon so I was late for the sit spot today.

I only found one wild flower, a rather damaged looking Groundsel; however, there were 9 different cultivated varieties of Witch Hazel blooming on the RBG Grounds. Below was the best looking:

Meanwhile, while walking the Waterfront Trail near Princess Point, I spotted a skater out on the Cootes Paradise Marsh. The Hamilton Harbour is still open water but there is a good ice cover on the marsh as it is so shallow.

Sit Spot - January 23, 2020

My Sit Spot Book and 
more information about sit spots:
https://www.blurb.com/books/8293192-sit-spot-notes

January 23, 2020 4:40 p.m. 

Sit 562: Brush Pile W : Cloudy 

+3° (+1°) se 6-9 kph  62% humidity 

(Train, Jet, traffic noise)

(American Airlines flight 1580...)

Dog growling & barking 

Crows far away - Southwest 

Donkey

Extras:

Coyotes & donkey singing with 1:00 a.m. train whistles 

3 White-tailed Deer in wet meadow south of property 

Blue Jays,

Cardinals,

Chickadees, 

Mourning Doves,

Goldfinches,

Juncos,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Black Squirrels

Photo Site #2  -  East Willow

Brush Pile West looking down from the West Meadow

Looking into the brush pile 

from the south side entrance.

Sit Spot - January 22, 2020

January 22, 2020 9:23 a.m.

Sit 561: Brush Pile W : Cloudy 

-4° (-10°)  sw 20-30 kph   84% humidity 

(Jet, traffic noise)

(JetSuite Air flight 307...)

Crows,

Blue Jay,

Almost no bird calls during dog walk

Extras :

Rabbit near barn 

Cardinal,

Chickadees,

Mourning Doves,

Goldfinches,

Juncos,

Black Squirrels 

Photo Site #1 - East Pond

Sit Spot - January 21, 2020

January 21, 2020 2:32 p.m.

Sit 560 : Brush Pile W ; Cloudy 

-5° (-12°)  sw 20-30 kph 75% humidity 

Chickadees,

(Jet, traffic noise)

(Southwest Airlines flight 1188...)

Extras:

Cardinal,

Mourning Doves,

Goldfinches,

Juncos,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Red-bellied Woodpecker,

Black Squirrel,

Grey Squirrel 

 

Photo Site #4 - Jan. 21

Sadie, our dog, let me know 

a deer was across the valley.

Sit Spot - January 20, 2020

January 20, 2020 9:13 a.m.

Sit 559 :  Brush Pile W : Sunny 

-17° (-22°) W 6-9 100% humidity

Chickadees,

Crows,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

(Jet, traffic noise)

(Southwest Airlines flight 5786…)

Extras :

Many crow calls for all the time I was outside

Blue Jays,

Cardinals,

Mourning Doves,

Goldfinches,

Juncos,

Red-bellied Woodpecker,

Grey Squirrels,

Black Squirrels

Photo Site #3 looking southwest from West Meadow

Sit Spot - January 19, 2020

January 19, 2020 9:03 a.m. 

Sit 558 : Brush Pile W : Cloudy 

-4° (-12°) W 31-43 kph 87% humidity 

(Jet, traffic noise, Train)

(Delta Airlines flight  1128...)

Black-capped Chickadees

Chirps like Robin - not seen

Extras:

Goldfinches,

Juncos,

Cardinal,

Grey Squirrel,

Black Squirrel,

White-breasted Nuthatch,

Blue Jays,

Mourning Doves,

Red Squirrel,

Red-bellied Woodpecker,

2 White-tailed Deer 

Regular Photo Site 2 - Willow

End of Ducks . . .

            All seemed normal in the barn yesterday morning at feeding time but it seemed too quiet when I arrived in the evening. When I got to the duck's pen I found out why. Our two ducks were lying dead by their water dish. Almost no evidence of why or how at first, but when I moved them, one had its head completely gone, beak and all, and the other had its neck badly mangled. There were only a few down feathers on the ground and no real sign of a struggle. Given the tracks that I found in the snow outside the barn this morning, I suspect a weasel. There was no evidence of any animal going over the gate in the barn and only a tiny bit of food from the morning feeding was gone so it must have happened soon after I left the barn in the morning.

Photo from 2017

Sit Spot - January 18, 2020

January 18, 2020 4:22 p.m.

Sit 557: Brush Pile E : Snowing

-3° (-6°) e 7-11 kph  100% humidity 

(Jet, traffic noise)

(Snowplow back up warnings)

(Delta Airlines flight 1202...)

Snow crystals falling 

Again, no bird sounds

5:30 a.m. no snow

7:30 a.m. fine snow flakes with wind

Sit Spot time: about 15 cm of snow on ground

East Pond Photo Site #1

Did a 12.5 k run this morning in the snow so the sit spot was in the afternoon today.

A photo shot of a photo shot 

from yesterday at the RBG.