Sunday, May 6, 2012

Still Hiking A New Trail Of The Vermilon River. A Post to MWT and WBW.

 We're still hiking the new trail and taking a look at some tundra, taiga or bog, whatever you want to call it. Amila Kanchann remarked in the comments section that it was like being on a virtual hike. I've always thought of the blog as a glimpse of the beauty contained in a small area of Canada. The "virtual hike" remark takes it even further, so thanks Amila, from Boom and I. CLICK ANY PHOTO TO VIEW THE SLIDE SHOW.
 There are of course many regions in Canada that contain forests similar to this one or even different types, but all equally beautiful. Canadians are blessed beyond others by being able to enjoy such bounty. But we have to guard it carefully from despoilers and exploiters, who would sell us their destruction under the guise of a questionable progress.
 As I said in the previous post, the hike starts early, and starts along the south wetland of the east track area. There are two trails, one almost a road, and the other a trail that skirts the wetland. We'll skirt the wetland. The lighting is bad on this trail, as its a black spruce area, with a thick canopy. I used for the wildlife photos the 70-300mm, as there is not enough light for the 150-500mm lens, and for wildlife you need to shoot fast.
 The wetland at the far end turns into tundra or bog which is usual for a Boreal forest. The Vermilon Forest is a transition forest between the Boreal and the St. Lawrence/Great Lakes forest to our south. We have hardwood trees but they are birch, and only some maple or oak, and then fairly stunted. Our trees are mainly coniferous trees.
 You can see the light brightening in this photo.
 You can see the density of the trees as the sun rises. You have to be careful as the trails are not maintained. Black spruce has a small root ball, and the aspen and birch die in place standing. So there are standing rotten trees, and in a wind they'll come down on you. You though I was going to say bears, but while we're looking for them I haven't seen any this year.
 This is what tundra looks like.
And this is why we're not going in there as its wet, and you'll sink.
This Black-capped Chickadee series shows this little fellow rooting in a woodpecker hole and in the final shot, coming up with sawdust. This is a standing birch,as rotten as can be.  I mentioned above you have to watch for falling trees.

 Now he's got the sawdust.
Black-capped Chickadee.

Mourning Dove.

Tree Swallow

 The Dark-eyed Juncos have moved north now.
Dark-eyed Junco.

White-throat Sparrow.

 The colours on the birds are especially vivid at this time of year. Look at that yellow. It just jumps off the page.
White-throated Sparrow.

This is a  Swainson's Thrush. We have the Hermit Thrush and the Veery as well.

 There are lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers around.




 I was lucky to catch him in flight. You can see the yellow in his tail area.

Equally so, there are a lot of Purple Finches around.


 Although not as colourful, the female purple finch has incredible markings.



 In a previous post I said this was a Painted Lady, or an American Lady. Wrong on both counts as Jenn Jilks pointed out. Its a Red Admiral. Apparently 10,000 of these butterflies migrated to Ontario during the cold snap. They must have survived as NWO Birds is reporting Red Admiral sightings, and they're north of me.
This guy is still lying down on the job. A Post to MWT and WBW. I don't put the URL's in anymore as they don't set up the link system automatically. Is this Blogger again?
Red Squirrel.

61 comments:

  1. not sure what you mean about the link system. i still add mine using the link icon in the post menu.

    cute squirrel. :)

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    1. That doggy is sooooo sweet! I love it. Thank you guys for the nice blog and your great pictures :)

      Greets,
      Holiday Rentals Saas Fee

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  2. Your commenter is right, your posts are like virtual hikes -- I read what you say and look at the pictures and then do the slide show and feel like I know something about your area! Nice to see the signs of spring. And I hope for you triumph over those developers who want to destroy these beautiful wild areas.

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    1. The comment was more general in nature. There are no particular developers here.There's just the constant demand for oil,mostly from the US and its in tundra like this. And it doesn't recover.

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  3. Looks like a great hike with beautiful scenery and great bird sightings. Great post, Gary!

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  4. Beautiful shots Gary, it does feel like every day you take us on a journey with your walks. The last one of the red squirrel is pretty neat. They are really rare here in the UK and dont get to see them that often.
    Shaun Valleys ShutterBug

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    1. They're sure not here, so expect to see some more.

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  5. Nice hike, thanks for including me!

    We have Swainson's thrush here, but I have never seen one. I love their call, like a waterfall going up, and I heard it for years before I found out what bird it belonged to. Thanks for introducing me! Maybe now I will see one...

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    1. You're right his song is incredible, even more so than the his brother the Robin, but he's really illusive. I caught a photo of the other Thrush the Hermit today.

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  6. Always a pleasure to come here and accompany you on your virtual hikes, Gary. Lovely captures of the wildlife once again!

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  7. It's interesting to see the mourning dove up north Garry ... I have them here in my backyard - apparently they live for many years. A wonderful walk along this track and great captures of the purple finch .

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  8. What beautiful pictures, yes, you are a specialist in capturing birds in the best light.

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  9. A beautiful hike and photos. We have tundra here too, above treeline, which is around 11,500 feet elevation. The tundra is very fragile and can take years to grow even a few inches.

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  10. I just love going on your hikes with you. Thank you for sharing! :)

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  11. Thanks for taking me on this virtuel hike. Beautiful! For sure I would like to hike there. Indeed Canada is a great nature place and I love it. Maybe you know already: I hiked in BC in two month from Vancouver to Cranbrook on the Trans Canada Trail.

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    1. That's an incredible hiking experience all at once!!

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  12. Wow..Gary! This is a fantastic post, beautiful views, amazing critters, and I enjoy this very much! Thanks..

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  13. I enjoy the wonderful trails through the wild parts of Canada you show us and also the wildlife shots. It is so important that wild areas are protected and I know the frustration I feel where I live when I see areas threatened.

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  14. Marvelous captures as always, Gary! I, too, love the trails you share with us and, of course, the beautiful birds and those funny, delightful squirrels! Have a great week!

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  15. Beautiful shots from your hiking. I love these birds.

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  16. Wow...these are stunning photos! Amazing!

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  17. Stunning Gary!
    Greetings from Holland,
    Anna :-))

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  18. Love your post. Thanks for sharing with Walkabout.

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  19. Always love to see the water scenes. You've some great reflections on the water too.

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  20. Beautiful, I like the Mourning Dove. Greetings.

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  21. Your environment looks amazing. Thank you for this escape.

    daily athens photo

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  22. Great post Gary and I couldn't agree more with the "virtual hike" moniker.

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  23. Great to see you and your country and Boomer of course, have survived another winter. Those Tundra swamps can be treacherous. Do they have pixie lights that lead one astray at dusk? I remember being warned as a child never to take a shortcut across the swamp.

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    1. They have all of that, and one eyed gorms also, but Boom & I are Keepers of the Vermilon Forest, and members of the Raven Clan so we're safe.

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  24. Wonderful to travel with you. I'm always amazed how well the birds blend into their surroundings --- even the more colorful ones. Lovely post.

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  25. Loved this hike, Gary. I haven't seen a purple finch in long while. We seem to have toms of house finches, though.

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    1. The Purple Finch is being replaced in non-forest areas by the house finch.

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  26. Another super series of photos, Gary. Yes, we are blessed, all across the country, to have such beauty. I'm going "home" to the west coast this week, and looking forward to flying in over the Fraser River, between the mountain ranges.
    K

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  27. I so enjoyed this post. We have some of the same birds here in Vancouver, but I've yet to see a Purple Finch, though I try to keep an eye out for them. I also have a 70-300 (Nikon) lens and a 150-500 (sigma) but use the larger one most of the time. You are right, though, that it's often too dark to get quality wildlife shots. Anyhow, I'll be looking forward to your next post. Lots of interest here. Thanks.

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  28. Beautiful country, great pictures.

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  29. Thanks for the comparison of the two lens. I was thinking of getting one in the next 6 months. 70-300 is what I have in mind.

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  30. What wonderful pastel skies. And the squirrel shot - the last one - is just delightful!

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  31. Fascinating post!

    Today I learned a lot too.
    Had to do a little research on the tundra and boreal forest.
    Beautiful pictures of the wild life.
    Cute little Admiral too.

    Regards from Norway

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  32. Love the Red Squirrels always;') Your scenes are lovely and one day, the husby and I shall make it up into Canada~

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  33. I love seeing the varied wildlife from your part of the world. Wonderful shots!:)

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  34. Thanks for taking me on your hike, Gary! I love those Purple Finches & the Yellow Rumped Warblers. I bet the sunsets are beautiful there.

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  35. j'aime beaucoup la serie avec l'ecureuil

    Publicity ;o) Every Friday (and the Weekend), The Challenge "Walk In The Street Photography"

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  36. I am a bit behind in following you. Love the birds and squirrels shots.

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  37. A virtual hike indeed Gary! Terrific shots! Thanks for sharing.

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  38. Nice shots, Gary. Looks like spring up your way.

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  39. I just loved going on this hike with you. Great photos along the way.

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  40. A great post with a lot of very good photos!
    Happy WBW!

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  41. The darker lighting in the scenic photos this week is very beautiful - and the birds are beautiful as usual!

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  42. What a fun walk! I have not seen juncos in a couple of weeks but a few white-throated sparrows are still hanging around. I near them more than see them. When they are in fresh plumage they are just stunning! Looks like you are seeing lots of wonderful birds!

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  43. Thanks for taking me along your hike.Love the landscapes and the variety of birds you saw and captured so well!!Have a great day!

    Shantana

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  44. SO much to see - you have such beautiful photos of the birds! I am hoping for some good ones this weekend - attending the International Birding Festival at the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia...fingers crossed that the weather holds and I have some good photos for next week!

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  45. You and Boomer love in such a beautiful area, Gary! I agree with Amila that your posts are virtual hikes. This is another wonderful accounting, full of lovely scenic and nature shots!

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  46. «Louis» admires your ability to photograph birds. By the time he gets the shot set up, the bird he tries to photograph flies the coop, so to speak...
    ;-D

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  47. Thanks everyone for your visit, and kind words.

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  48. Great trip you take us on, beautiful scenery and exciting fine birds. Some of the birds are unknown here in Norway.

    Ottar

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  49. Great post Gary. I always enjoy seeing your wildlife.

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  50. A beautiful series Gary. That Swainson's Thrush would be a lifer for me!

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