Winter can be fun, if one can get out and enjoy it , in the best way you
can –
Walk in the Woods, Work out in a Gym/ home , to some Baila tune , Sit by
the cozy fire place , curl up and read a book or follow The Web Class of
64, !, or eat comfort food to fill your belly and soul !
Better still- Run Away from it ALL to a Warmer place , like will be doing
in a month, to Arizona !!
Februray is THE worst month – temps at minus 20 deg C for the entire month
and it is killing cold to be alone here, out in the boonies , at this
stage in my life .
In my younger days- it was fun to walk on the frozen lake- not any more !!
I had my Winter Fun- yesterday – dec 13th, out in the woods near by .
Came across just what I was hoping for – Wolf / Coyote track , as this
always gives me a ‘good feeling ‘ that I am not alone in the woods and I am
being watched and guided by those who were here, before I came along to live
in Turtle Island as it how North America is known to the Native People who
lived here for ten thousand years .
I have seen the Wolves / Coyote a few times along this trail, and on the
road side, in the summer , and in the winter , crossing the frozen lake
behind my home , from Giants Tomb Island -gorgeous creatures they are,
specially to see them on the white frozen lake on a winter moon lit night
..
One time, in the summer , it was right in front of me- where I saw the
scat( poop ) yesterday , we made eye contact , for a split second , I
said ‘ Mayeengun ‘ the first word that came to my head , the Ojibway word
for Wolf.
Strange that I could not get the words Wolf , Vuurkaya ( Sinhala ) out
that that time .
I had completely forgotten the Sinhala word, until I wrote about it to
Narme last year January and he wrote back the Sinhala word for Wolf !
Follow the photos .
— the foot prints are very, very fresh- likely a few hours before I saw
them, about 3 inches deep in the snow , indicating it is a mature fully
grown animal, at least 50 lbs wt .
— tracks are in a straight line – — knows exactly where it is going and
this is typical of Wolf / Coyote, where as house dog tracks are hapahazard
and always there is a human foot print near by .
— my foot print to indicate size- a mature animal track .
— Stone Cairn – I made this, at this location, to indicate to me the
direction I should take to go home — I learnt this the hard way one time a
few years back – and thank god it was summer ! The tracks lead up to the
stone cairn, and the community beyond the woods .
It is easy to lose your way in the forest – specially in the winter, when
the usual land marks are all coverd in snow .
There are few human prints along this trail- so this helps .
— many tracks coming together – there were many tracks criss crossing the
woods , about a kilometer after I passed the stone cairn, and the Scat (
poop ) at this location to mark the Family Territory , indicating a family
group that went hunting , perhaps the Alpha Male marked the territory .
From here, the tracks part company again , and a few tracks followed my way
to the street , and went into the deep woods that follow the street for the
next 3 kilometers and into Awenda Provincial Park- a 6000 acre Natural park
/ Camping grounds, beaches etc .
— an earlier photo with the sunshine and blue sky- taken Jan 2nd – 2017-
when the snow was VERY deep, along the same woodland trail.And, belive me,
this particular day, it was hard slugging on the snow that was 8- 10 inches
deep !- I should have known better, not to venture into the woods, when the
snow was that deep !
Live and Learn !
For those who want to know this location – look up google maps- Awenda
Provincial Park/ Champlain R d, and I live on a side street off Champlain
Rd, just 2 km from the park entrance Awenda Park Road .
Eagle Deepthie
News, Views and More from Batch'64, Faculty of Medicine, Colombo, SriLanka 
Thank you Deepthie.You are a born story teller. It is very interesting to note that you have acquired the ways of the Ojibway people and even remember to call the wolf Myeengun.Your pictures of the snow tracks and the accompanying commentary makes it easy to relive your experience even for us in summer weather.Your story line with pics makes you an Alice in Wonderland.Keep us informed of your activities.Eddie.
LikeLike
Yes Eddie- I am an Alice in Winter Wonderland ! it was a ‘warm ‘ winter day, if there is such a thing as this !
Temp minus 5 deg C , with no wind , no sun .
By the time I finished the whole 4 mile hike, the temp rose to minus 2 Deg C and I was really hot and greatly refreshed body and soul , after that lovely solo hike in the woods .
Glad you enjoyed the Winter Fun story .
eagleD
LikeLike
Thanks Deepthie for the account about your adventures in the Winter wonderland near your home. When I had my dog ( died November 2017 ) I had no choice but to walk the dog rain or shine. Now I do my walking in a warm environment in the Gym either on the tread mill or the Elliptical machine.
As I get older I have become intolerant to the extreme cold.I still love the seasons spring summer and fall are my favorites.
Nisantha
LikeLike
Thank you Nisantha for your comments .
I can handle the cold up to minus 15-20 deg C- after that I have to get out somewhere warm, and this is why I started to go to Arizona for the winter .
Also- I need to see the sun- SAD- Seasonal Affective Disorder- I think I suffer from this malady .
The Arizona blue skies and the eternal sun- does me good .
It is cold where I stay, at 4500 ft altitude ( Sedona ) with temp going down to frost level – but, it is no where near the cold out where I live now .
Eight weeks in AZ , gives me New Life- it is NOT a luxory- but, essential to my survival .
I will surely die if I were to stay here the month of feb, when the temp dips to below minus 20 Deg C
I am not ready to die yet- there are a few more things in the Bucket List ‘ for me to attend to , and after that I am ok to ‘go ‘ ! perhaps in 5 yrs or so !!
Since of late- we have not seen the sun for almost 14 days . But, it is warm at zero Deg C today and infact it was raining this morning .
So, I force my self to go out and do things . I am not a ‘gym person ‘ , I am more an Outsy doorsy person .
Anyway- This is My Coffee Cup of LIfe – the lovely post by Sam today .
Glad the Web is getting a bit busy – I am in the library- so, I can ‘play with the web ‘ !! for a while .
thanks again- eagleD
LikeLike
My dear Deepthie,
Thank you for taking us through the winter wonderland
Bringing immense delight with descriptive photos vivid
None to match you in batch, nor in the world anywhere
With stamina to enjoy nature plus vision of a bird eagle
Ariya
LikeLike
Thanks my dear Dr Poetry for the poetic way you describe my Winter Fun Adventures !
eagled
LikeLike
Dear 🦅D
Thank you for your wonderful post on the joys of winter as you experience it. The photos are fantastic andI don’t know how you have the energy and the stamina to go through all that in the bitterly cold winter. At the moment if it is cold but not as bad as yours and I prefer to stay indoors rather looking fir snowy 🦉 🦉 owls. They are lovely 😊 though and I suppose worth it firva jeen birdwatcher like you .Thank you once again. Praxy
LikeLike
Sorry typo😩
Should read worth it for a keen birdwatcher like you. Praxy
LikeLike
Thanks Praxy !
I just returned from the Christmas Bird Count Drive .
I am sure you have this in UK too- as it is a popular ” Citizen Science Project in the Western Hemisphere ‘– read more on google for those who are interested in this ., on how this is done year after year .
Our collected data are sent to Bird Studies of Canada , year after year .
We were three, doing the count in a given area , and we are members of the Midland Penetanguishene Field Naturalist Club – driving around counting birds from 8 am to 1;30 pm ! and many species counted ., within a 24 km radius of a given location, and I have been doing this for many years .
Today- the weather was great- ideal weather for the Christ mas Bird Count, no wind and the sun came out after 14 days and warmed up nicely to zero deg . and not the butt freezing cold that sometimes we have had to experience on a few other occasions .
Bird Nerds – are a funny species indeed !!
The real treat was seeing a flock of Evening Grossbeaks- one of those moments in the winter, that will light up ones soul .
It was at a friend’s front yard bird feeder- so, we could pull into his driveway and enjoy the spectacle – binocs, camera for photos / videos .
We did not see Snowy Owls on the area given to us – other gps may have seen them .
Thanks again Praxy for your response – by the way ‘ The Energy ‘ —it comes from within … and for me, it is very rewarding indeed .
eagledeepthie .
LikeLike
Dear 🦅D
Now you have got me alsointerested in birds 🐦. I read about bird counting in UK 🇬🇧 and they too are dong the bird counting this week for RSPB . Even as I was waiting in the surgery for my GP I was looking at a Nature magazine full of birds of all different kinds.
Glad that you had a rewarding experience today with bird counting.Keep up the energy. Praxy
LikeLike
Hi Deepthie, Just to catch up on this thread of conversation regarding bird counts.You say that you have been doing it for 24 years,.What has been the trend in the numbers and species.Has there been a change with global warming.?Why is it done only in winter ? Thanks Eddie.
LikeLike
Dear Deepthie
That is a good question by Eddie. I too like to know whether there is a decline especially with relation to global warming. Praxy
LikeLike
Why is it done in the Winter ?
Just to see, how birds in the Northern Hemisphere handle the cold- who stays, who goes .
Who is winter hardy, who is not .
This was the original idea, but, today, with Climate Change , it has taken a different meaning .
Pohutukawa Blooms – must be a magnet for Humming birds I am sure .
eagleD
LikeLike
HI Praxy and Eddie .
I have been doing this for about 10 years- and NOT 24 yrs .
Each gp is assigned a 24 kilometer radius to drive around on all streets – we put in 100 km within that radius .
Yes- I will write to the party in the Field Naturalist Club about your questions
. We have definitely seen a decline in some bird species in my area- eg- yesterday- there were very few Blue Jay birds, who are ‘year round birds ‘ .
Snowy Owls- the lemming population in the Arctic is declining — Red Foxes have moved into the Arctic and this may be one reason , as Red Foxes predate on rodents .
Sadly- the Red Foxes are now predating on the Arctic Foxes .
This is a climate change phenomena- I saw a documentary on this , just yesterday- ( Nature of Things – by Dr David Suzuki ) .
So, in the past 10 yrs or so, there have been an Irruption ( that is migration of species that will not normally migrate to a particular area ) of Snowy Owls .
They feed well in the local farm lands, return to the arctic, reproduce well, and return for more .
The Cycle goes on .
Birds — we saw many pigeons and doves – at home bird feeders and less of others at home bird feeders – again– supply of food is the determining factor .
Bald Eagles- stay around my area- all through winter , as there is more open water now than before .
Robins– they too have been seen as late as December – unusual indeed .
I dont have the statistics from yesterday’s Bird Count- but, will get it and let you know .
Thanks my dear Praxy and Eddie for your interest in the Nature — Birds and Photos !!
eagleD
LikeLike
Thanks Deepthie,Your work with birds and animals is fascinating.You should have been a conservationist .! A hobby such as yours is easily cultivated and then you meet similar minded people and your life becomes meaningful and fulfilling.You have made the last ten years count.Keep on with your hobby.Eddie.
LikeLike
HI Eddie -thanks for your comments !
Yes- I do enjoy my life in along Lake Huron ( Georgian Bay to be exact ) .
Keeper of Nature ( with a bit of photo taking on the side ) – -great hobby so to speak ! and it keeps me alive, body and soul .
My Cup of Life …
An Up date to this post — Yesterday ( dec 16th ) being a very rare and sunny day , I did this again — The Walk in The Woods with the Wolves and Coytes , and found new scat and new fresh trails that came together at this new scat spot .
The tracks from the 13th dec were used again- with more tracks .
After this very invigorating hike, I decided to drive the 75 km – for my Owl Prowl and play with the Snowy Owls, and I sent you and a few others the photos as my Holiday Greeting- the Snowies against the clear blue sky- that has been something of a rarity for us this past few weeks .
Not too often that one take photos in Dec with the snowy owls against a clear blue sky .
So, I just put everything on hold , so to speak, packed up some snacks, recharged the camera batteries, binocs and all and headed out , and was duly rewarded .
Came home around 6 pm, in the dark and half moon lit night, feeling like a million dollars !
Photos turned out great- as you saw them in my Holiday Greetings .
eagleD
LikeLike
Hi Deepthie, That was indeed a great way to spend the day.Enjoy your outings.Keep safe.Eddie.
LikeLike
My dear Deepthie,
In addition to descriptive names to you had given
There is another name just come up, ‘a bird nerd’
Must confess I heard it first time, you just used it
Who is a ‘bird nerd’? Is it a parliamentary, word?
Before being myself misunderstood must explain here
Words used in Lankan Parliament cannot be the measure
They qualify as nerds, even for throwing powdered chilli
Definition parliamentary should be UK, not Colombo or Delhi
Ariya
LikeLike