The Treasures in my Neighbourhood

This early morning scene takes my breath away!

Continuing my slow and mindful walks in my neighbourhood,

I was thrilled to see this beautiful clear sky on Saturday.

The crescent moon was just lovely

and the branches seemed to want to retain it a little longer.

It was around 7.30 am and the horizon behind the mountains,

was taking on a pink hue.

I had decided to walk downtown and have breakfast out, always such a treat,

before doing my marketing!

An afternoon stroll up the hill towards some fields,

made me notice these curly seedpods.

The trapped red-brown leaf, caught in their tendrils,

matched the colour of the pods.

Just a little further up the steep hill, I noticed the delicate details of this mossy branch.

This morning, the sky was a little hazy and had taken on an orange pink colour.

The street lights were still lit up.

Although I live in the upper part of town, I can still enjoy the beauty of nature.

I stood in the middle of the road to eliminate all buildings!

When we really look for it, there can be so much beauty wherever we live,

even in a town environment.

It all depends which way we look.

My goal this year is to seek out all the loveliness I can find

and as close to home as possible! 

Henry: Animal Friends' Home to Home Adoption Program

Meet Henry! This handsome black domestic shorthair is about 3 years old and was found as a stray by a Good Samaritan. For a while, he was living outdoors and being cared for by his new human friends, but when the weather turned cold, they decided to bring him inside.

Henry is neutered and has tested negative for both FIV and Feline Leukemia. And, he's up-to-date on all of his vaccinations – all he needs is a loving family to call his own!

During their time with him, Henry's caretakers have seen his sweet and silly personality and have learned how much he likes to play! Henry absolutely loves people and is very friendly with everyone he meets. This ebony kitty is very talkative and will keep you entertained with his constant chirps and mews.

Henry's foster family doesn't have the room to take in another cat permanently, but they know he is going to make a great companion to a lucky family. He is very good about using his scratching post and is litterbox trained. Henry also loves to lounge around on his cat tree or spend time chasing his toys. His currently family feels that Henry may do well with a cat-friendly dog or another cat in his new home ... he just needs to find them!

To learn more about Henry or to set up a meet and greet, contact Arlene at 724.283.8610 or Keatsar@Hotmail.com.

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Our Smallest Owl

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Early Sunday morning my telephone rang and a neighbour told me that a small owl had just hit their window and it was on the ground 'shivering'.  I quickly made plans to go and rescue it but received another call soon afterwards telling me it had flown away.  That was good news.  That meant that the owl was probably just stunned and was recovering.

The owl shown above was another individual which appeared around houses looking for something to eat.  There were bird feeders there and the owl was watching for rodents or small birds as prey.  Northern Saw-whet Owls are strictly nocturnal.  Their main diet is rodents, shrews, voles, birds and insects. They forage close to the ground and spend their days roosting in thick evergreens.  

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Shown above is the actual bird that sparked the phone call.  It is an adult Northern Saw-whet.  Notice the small size, the white 'V' between its eyes, the fine white streaks on the forehead, the reddish brown vertical streaks on its breast and the spots on the sides.  This cute little owl is only 20 cm (8") long!

The Northern Saw-whet Owl inhabits a large area of North America from Alaska across all of southern Canada southward to southern US.  In winter some individuals migrate a short distance to more southerly climates within its range.  It is a permanent resident of New Brunswick.  It nests in abandoned woodpecker holes or natural cavities in trees.  The female incubates the eggs for 26-28 days and the male brings her food.  They vocalize only during the breeding season making a monotonous short repeated sound that sounds like a saw being filed or 'whetted'.  

Northern Saw-whet Owl [Internet Photo]

The only other owl species that might be seen here that one would confuse with this species is the Boreal Owl.  That is a much more northern species which is very rare here.  It is slightly larger but has white spots on its forehead rather than the streaks of the Saw-whet.  The juvenile Northern Saw-whets are very different looking.  They are dark brown overall with an orange breast and belly.  They show the white 'V' between the eyes, the same as the adult.

Northern Saw-whet Owl [Internet Photo]

Sometimes the winter brings hard times for these owls.  That is often the reason they are seen near human habitation.  They are desperate for food and hope for rodents or other food.  That makes them prone to injury (as in this case) from window or automobile strikes, predators,  or interference with humans.  Some of them are so tame or so starved that they allow humans to approach too closely.  It is best to back off and protect these little creatures at these crucial times.  With deep snows finding food is difficult and they are stressed from weather, starvation and being in close proximity to human habitation.

Roxas: Animal Friends' Home to Home Adoption Program



This handsome 7 1/2-year-old Labrador Retriever is Roxas. At 90 pounds, he is a big, powerful dog with a heart of gold. Roxas hasn't had any medical issues during his time with his current family and has been on a healthy and balanced diet for the majority of his life.

 

Roxas is typically a very well-mannered and obedient boy and generally has a quiet and mild personality. He knows how to sit, stay and come and is eager to learn a few more commands. While Roxas loves to play with his human friends, he can be a bit selective with other canine companions, so he will need a chance to be properly introduced before interacting with other animals.

 

This friendly pooch is in search of a family that can give him the loving home he deserves. While he is a very sweet dog, Roxas can be protective of people, so his new family will need to be aware of this when introducing him to friends, neighbors and other visitors. If you think you can give a playful middle-aged pup a warm and welcoming home, consider meeting Roxas!

 

To set up a meet and greet with Roxas, contact his current family at artlavigne@comcast.net.

 

               

Scene & Story: December 2017

My neighbourhood

Now when you live in the town, 

you have to look that little bit harder to find beauty

away from all the buildings and busy streets.

So I decided to make that my mission, I would look out the beauty

in my own neighbourhood!

I started off by walking more slowly and seeking out nooks and crannies

which I had never thought interesting before.

I chose different times of the day for my walks, so that I may see things in different lighting.

I started to look at things from another point of view,

as if seeing them all for the very first time.

The winter months had revealed all sorts of new things to notice

because hedges and trees were without their leaves

and there was simply more to see!

One day, I came across this partially hidden garden,

I had never taken the time to really notice it before -

maybe I was always walking too fast to get somewhere else?

I took lots of different shots, from different angles and on different days.

This is the image I finally chose because it perfectly captured the atmosphere

I wanted to convey.

The little lantern seemed to be the main subject.

enhanced by the red berries which acted as an embellishment

and the lines of the branches seem to bring it all together

as a whole.

Although I first discovered this garden in December 2017,

I know that it has encouraged me, in this New Year,

to continue seeking out the hidden beauty in unusual places 

and what better place to start than in my very own neighbourhood?

***

Linking up for Scene & Story

for the very last time.

This has been the wonderful project of Sarah and Lee

who had the grand idea of starting these monthly gatherings.

I shall miss these gatherings very much,

but I know I shall continue writing stories!

***

Mactaquac Christmas Bird Count

Annual Christmas Bird Count

White-throated Sparrow

The Mactaquac Christmas Bird Count is an annual event taking place on January 1.  A team of hardy citizen scientists brave the cold weather and conduct a bird census in a large 24-km circle running from Keswick to Upper Prince William and Mazerolle Settlement to Springfield.  This count has been done for many years now and the data are collected and compiled by NatureNB, Bird Studies Canada and the Audubon Society.  

The weather was severe this year.  Participants braved extreme temperatures and a wind chill up to - 29ºC.  Being on the road for most of the day made conditions difficult.  Participants observe from their cars but frequently get out to look for birds and to walk through woods, roads and lanes.  Most groups consist of 2 people, a driver and a recorder, both watching carefully for birds.  

White-winged Crossbill

This year we counted 1697 birds representing 32 species.  Both total numbers and species numbers were below average.  This is probably for two main reasons.  Firstly, the weather was so severe many birds held tight in whatever hiding place they had chosen away from the wind and cold.  Secondly, so far this has not been a finch year.  Our fruit and cone crops are low and migrating flocks of finches are not coming into the area to feed.  Many of these flocks are staying well north of us.  That may change as the season progresses and they are forced to move into this area seeking food sources.  There was also less open water this year with the extreme cold so a lot of waterfowl have moved out of the area.  

We did however find a remnant of winter finches.  Note the White-winged Crossbill shown above.  We found only 6 of these.  And, only 1 of the White-throated Sparrow shown above.  We did, however, notice some trends.  The Blue Jay population is high, having seen 164.  We also noticed that the American Goldfinch population is rebounding.  In the last few years the goldfinch population has plummeted.  Not so anymore.  They are increasing now in this area.

Shown below are two charts, one showing a summary of the birds seen on this year's count.  Below that is a comparison of the last 7 years of counts comparing species numbers and total numbers of birds counted.  

Mactaquac CBC 2017
Jan. 1, 2018
Species	Total
Am Black Duck	80
Mallard	1
Common Goldeneye	84
Hooded Merganser	4
Common Merganser	41
Bald Eagle	9
Ruffed Grouse	3
Great Black-backed Gull	11
Rock Pigeon	231
Mourning Dove	35
Barred Owl	1
Downy Woodpecker	7
Hairy Woodpecker	18
Pileated Woodpecker	2
Blue Jay	164
American Crow	88
Common Raven	51
Black-capped Chickadee	223
Red-breasted Nuthatch	37
White-breasted Nuthatch	12
Brown Creeper	4
Golden-crowned Kinglet	8
European Starling	167
American Tree Sparrow	24
White-throated Sparrow	1
Dark-eyed Junco	29
Northern Cardinal	4
Snow Bunting	13
Purple Finch	58
White-winged Crossbill	6
Pine Siskin	51
American Goldfinch	229
Accipiter sp.	1
Total	1697
No. of Species	32

Mactaquac CBCs
	No. of Species	Total Birds
2011	38	2821
2012	40	2469
2013	32	1942
2014	39	1616
2015	38	1747
2016	36	1965
2017	32	1697
Average	36	2037

I Sometimes Wonder

I do sometimes wonder what all the fuss is about

as we leave one year and enter a new one.

I have always preferred it to slip in gently overnight when I'm asleep!

I do like to feel though, the gradual return to light, which I spoke about in December,

not so very long ago!

My daughter gave me this very pretty tree hanging in December.

I filled it with golden tinsel as a further symbol of light.

I thought it was perfect to wish you a beautiful start to your own year!

This second photo, is the first page of my new calendar for the year.

I found it so dainty and refreshing to represent these sweet peas

for the month of January, much more colourful and inventive

than a snow scene, don't you think?

For the time being,

I just like this first month of this year to unfold in harmony

and then it can be seen which paths to take

and how to take them.

There is no rush.