Me, Boomer and The Vermilon River: Fun and Games at the Vermilon River. A Post to Sky...

Me, Boomer and The Vermilon River: Fun and Games at the Vermilon River. A Post to Sky...: " Day Light Moon  These moon shots were taken in the afternoon about three o'clock, so the moon while visible was not up to ..."

Fun and Games at the Vermilon River. A Post to Sky Watch.



Day Light Moon

 These moon shots were taken in the afternoon about three o'clock, so the moon while visible was not up to its usual brightness. They're all bumped in PSE8.


Day Light Moon.




1 Male RedPoll

  These are the obligatory Redpolls.


2 Male RedPoll




3 Male RedPoll


You can enlarge the photos by clicking on them. See how white or buff the chest of photo 2 and 3 are. I think they, maybe, are Hoary RedPolls. Although the positive check is the buff/white area between their wings on their back.

The Goldfinch below is just to remind everybody that RedPolls are not the only birds around.




Am Goldfinch



And of course, the incomparable Boomer who is always up for a few poses. By now you may have guessed that I bought the new computer. Six GB of ram and expandable, one TB of hard drive, and one GB in the video card. The lap top is now reserved for my music complete with its own external hard drive crammed with CD's. I'm just listening to Elton John and Leon Russel's CD called "The Union".

 I'm just in the process of removing the last of the photoshop pics from the laptop.

All of which proves Boom and I are just two boys with their toys.

A Post to Sky Watch @ http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Me, Boomer and The Vermilon River: Another Group of Friends from the Vermilon River. ...

Me, Boomer and The Vermilon River: Another Group of Friends from the Vermilon River. ...: "Crow As I mentioned in the previous post, the way to tell a Northern Crow from a Raven is the lack of the shaggy mane. Size is not a great..."

Another Group of Friends from the Vermilon River. A Post to WBW.

Crow

As I mentioned in the previous post, the way to tell a Northern Crow from a Raven is the lack of the shaggy mane. Size is not a great indicator as this crow is pretty big also.


Profile of Crow.

Pretty impressive looking isn't he?


Same Crow

Notice the light reflection in his eye?


Profile

These are the same guys that I attract with the peanuts, and they're getting fairly use to Boom & I.


In Profile Again

If you look closely you can see the snow on his beak as they get their moisture from the snow an indication of their adaption to a northern climate.


Full Profile




Female RedPoll

 Again you can never get enough RedPolls.


Female RedPoll




Female RedPoll




Female RedPoll




Am. Goldfinch

Just as a change of pace I thought I'd include these American Goldfinch. Another splash of colour against the black of the crows. 

American Goldfinch




RedPoll



Me, Boomer and The Vermilon River: More of my Favourites of the Vermilon River. A Pos...

Me, Boomer and The Vermilon River: More of my Favourites of the Vermilon River. A Pos...: " Hugin, My favourite Raven.  This is my second do of this post because of the snafu that blogger got us into over up loading pho..."

More of my Favourites of the Vermilon River. A Post to My World Tuesday.



Hugin, My favourite Raven.

 This is my second do of this post because of the snafu that blogger got us into over up loading photos to blogs. Anyway, Ravens are extraordinary birds because of their association, of course, with Poe. Perhaps this is more our N. American perspective than anything else. As these guys are associated with Viking legends and aboriginal legends much older than Poe's work. Hugin and his associate sat at the shoulder of Odin, king of the Viking gods, dispensing advice, although of a tricky nature.


Hugin in profile

 You can see from the profile that they are easy to confuse with N. Crows. The difference the most easy to spot is the the rough shaggy mane on the Raven, as shown above. The opposite shot is the same Raven. This time he is not showing his mane which leads to confusion. Ravens are larger but if you don't have a  crow to compare with it's a useless comparison.


A Loud Hugin

 Hugin is one of a flock and the noise is incredible. Hilke in one of her comments said it sounds like a crow on steroids, and that is an apt description. Ravens are incredibly intelligence in the cognitive sense. In an experiment, a perch was set up for the Raven and from it a string with loops was suspended. At the bottom of the string food was tied onto the string. Four out of five Ravens were able to pull the food up using the loops. The same test was used on polticians. Zero out of ten were able to figure the process out, although all admitted they recognized the bribe at the bottom of the string.


The Regal Raven





He's really remarkable in looks isn't he. These guys average about 31 inches in length; a crow runs about 27 inches in length.


Female RedPoll

 You can never have enough photos of RedPolls.


Female RedPoll




Female RedPoll




Male RedPoll

 A Post to My World Tuesday @ http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/

Me, Boomer and The Vermilon River: Some Favourite Birds of the Vermilon River. A Post...

Me, Boomer and The Vermilon River: Some Favourite Birds of the Vermilon River. A Post...: " Northern Crow  These are a few photos of some favourite birds of mine. In the second photo the Crow has been eating snow and..."

Some Favourite Birds of the Vermilon River. A Post to Camera Critters.



Northern Crow

 These are a few photos of some favourite birds of mine. In the second photo the Crow has been eating snow and you can see it still settling. I was going to leave the copy at a minimum, because I wasn't sure what I wanted to say and several thoughts were percolating in my poor old brain. Some comments and the popularity of the hike sequences raised some areas that I need to think about. Sondra's comment about her hope that Mystic Lake would remain free of people, and homes made me think about somethings.Firstly the chances of that happening are so unlikely that hell will freeze over first. Mystic Lake is a long chain of small lakes which are people free so my comments apply to them as well. The immediate area is economically dying. What was a rail head on the northern route is now a whistle stop, and isn't likely to resurrect itself. The major city which I call the Valley of Death worships Toronto, but always about 40 years too late. The architecture is dreadful and there is no downtown to speak of. The mall culture is still supreme here and the council still equates progress with growth. not quality. Despite the fact the city is a University town, it is not integrated with the city and it is not especially known for research unless, federal or provincial politicians are currently throwing around the people's own money in an attempt to buy votes. It will never be a centre of "smart jobs" , because it does not offer the attributes that appeal to smart jobs holders which are not hockey,or hunting or wrestling, or ATV riding.

The point I'm making is that the limits of our(only here) main urban centre protects our forests and wildlife, as a wilderness and not a park of some sort. The residents are uncomfortable with animals, and the forest, and don't want to be there. That's the difference between here and the nature blogs that I follow in the US or Europe. Where most people are hiking parks because the real wilderness is unfortunately gone. Of course the small Canadian population helps also.



Northern Crow

 
 The other problem that faces me is a technical one. The second hike post contains animals, birds, wild flowers, and scenes. The only addition I'll be adding to my camera gear is a polarizing filter to stop that water sheen, and to play with the white water. On a hike I'll shoot about 300-400 photos in RAW. Do a quick camera edit and delete some both in the field, and before I upload to my computer. I then transfer, edit and set up a file for the photos that are gong into the post. This demands high RAM, and despite some upgrades, I think my computer is not up to the job. So I'm looking...just looking!


Common RedPoll

 
The other problem is posting the blog itself, because it's a great hobby when weather curtails my hiking. But once weather improves, the trails call, and my average hike is about 4-5 hours. As I said earlier I now shoot flowers,birds, animals, scenes, and  I want to add  trees. There are also other new trails to pursue. I don't want to curtail either. So, I'm just thinking.


RedPoll

 

I'm sure all of these issues have arisen for other people. If you want to comment feel free.

RedPoll

 

Male Hairy Woodpecker

Male Hairy Woodpecker

A Post to Camera-Critters @ http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/

Me, Boomer and The Vermilon River: Still Hiking to Mystic Lake of the Vermilon River....

Me, Boomer and The Vermilon River: Still Hiking to Mystic Lake of the Vermilon River....: "For any of you that are just joining the hike to Mystic Lake, this is by far and away my most rugged hike. We'll take a side trail into..."

Still Hiking to Mystic Lake of the Vermilon River. A Post to Sky Watch Friday.

For any of you that are just joining the hike to Mystic Lake, this is by far and away my most rugged hike. We'll take a side trail into these hills along the rim of a cliff. The elevation is about 70 feet; the trail is narrow and the slope will vary from 45 to 60 degrees. SEE THE PREVIOUS POST TO CATCH UP.

Remember this is a wilderness. There are no people. Boom is not with me because it is hunting season, official or otherwise. The hike was made in late November over a two day period, and it is intensely cold, especially on the sunny day.

Hugin, our Raven trail guide will still watch over us.


Hugen, the Raven Guide




Mid point

We left off yesterday about this part of the trail. The climb to this outcropping has been made up a narrow 45-60 degree trail. To step off the trail would be foolish as the incline to my left is steep, and the small valley below may be dead fall. At the upper end of the outcrop of rock, the trail will dogleg at a 90 degree angle. The outcropping is about 12 feet high, so I have no idea what is on the other side, and again there is no place to step off the trail. If Boom were here, he would let me know what is around the trail. Once around the corner we'll cross a flat rock shelve with a few manageable uneven parts. Everyone OK?



Ice Cave

Now we're past the rock shelve which is a great spot for a rest, and we're on the down slope which is a lot more gentle. There is all sorts of water seepage,which has worn out little caves underneath the rock. With ice coverings they tend to look like ice caves.


Red Fox

 There are all sorts of red fox in the area and this guy has found his own hidey hole.


Black-capped Chickadee

Black-capped Chickadees are native to the area and it's common to pick up a couple that will follow along with us.Similarly, the sparrow population is well represented, and I've included two of my favourites, below.


White-throated Sparrow




Black-capped Sparrow




Fireweed



Pin Cherries



Ripening Blue berries

I included some examples of the fauna to give you some idea of the rich colours, and bounty of the forest in season. Fireweed gets its name from its quick growth after a forest fire to begin the re-generation process. Pin Cherries are edible as are most of the berries in the forest, and provide a staple for such diverse residents as Bears, and Cedar Waxwings. Me too, of course as pin cherry jelly on home made bread is delicious. And you have not lived until you have tasted N. Ontario wild blue berries which grow in abundance, and again provide a staple food for wild life, especially the black bear.


 A Colony of Cedar Waxwings




Black Bear




Garter Snake




Northern Flickers

Just to show that we do have snakes, but none of a poisonous kind, I included this garter snake. The Northern Flickers, opposite, are ant eating woodpeckers, and are therefore ground based. This pair are two males ,as they have moustaches beside their beaks.


Mystic Lake to the south




Mystic Lake almost across from me.

At last the lake!! The top photo looks south while the lower photo is almost directly across from me. Remember the lake is uninhabited. Attractive shoreline isn't it?


Leopard Frog


The leopard frog is apparently wearing his northern colours as is the garter snake shown earlier.

Mystic Lake




Canada Geese in Formation Migrating.




Mystic Lake



Ring Billed Gull

The Lake is home to Canada Geese, Mallards, Mergansers, and Ring-billed or Herring Gulls.



Hairy Woodpecker




Pine Squirrel




Blue Jay




American Goldfinch





Mystic Lake with Mist


These photos are from the second day,so it's sunny. If you look closely you'll see a clear ice skim on the lake, and a cairn on the outcropping to your left, so someone has canoed or used a kayak in the area. Notice anything else??


Mystic Lake with mist.

 That's right as the sun rises and hits the ice on the lake, a mist is forming. The mist is intensely cold, and enshrouded the whole lake while the sun stayed bright. It was so cold I moved inland to warm up. As I said before the lake is in a bowl and I think it was just some sort of inversion, but it sure surprised me.
There are about six lakes that connect to the north of this one, and another series to the east. We'll have to see how I do reaching those.





Ring Billed Gull

 





RedPoll

 So very cold, I began the journey back. I won't be able to snowshoe the area as it is too steep and too icy. Unfortunately I won't be able to return until probably mid-April, which is not far away now.

A post to Sky Watch Friday @http://skley.blogspot.com/