Artwork

I was digging around in some old papers the other day and came across some drawings that I did between 2001 and 2003and thought I'd post them here.  Hope you enjoy

 Fly fishing reel

 Green Tree Frog

 Mountain Chickadee

 Old Prospector (concept sketch for a drawing that is hanging on my wall)

Owl

Paddling with Dragons

Zoe and I spent the day paddling on the Hillsborough River which flows through the Wilderness Park Wildlife Preserve in Tampa Florida. The preserve occupies 16,000 acres right in the middle of Tampa and is recognized as one of Florida's best places to view wild life. We rented a canoe from the local canoe outfitter Canoe Escape and decided to paddle 8.5 miles on theHillsborough River from the put in at Sargeant Park to the Trout Creek Park. The trip started out sunny and dry but after just 10 minutes on the water it started to rain. It poured again!!!! It seems that each time I go paddling it rains. What is with that, Sheeesh. We remained soaked for the rest of the day but fortunately the temperature was warm, around 80 degrees F (26 degrees C) so we stayed warm. Despite the rain we had a fantastic day on the water. The river is very picturesque as it winds lazily through swamp land. Much of the river runs under a thick canopy of vegetation, trees thick with Spanish Moss and vines hanging down into the water. There were many trees that had fallen into the water that we had to maneuver around and a couple spanned the entire river. One we had to get out and drag over and the other we were able to lay down in the canoe and float under. We saw lots of turtles, alligators, and many different species of birds. All in all this was a great way to spend the day and Zoe and I enjoyed it a great deal.

Long the river we came to a nature center called, Natures Classroom. There must have been 50 or 60 Black Vultures in the trees and on the ground.

There were many cormorants along the river. This one was particularly cooperative and stayed still as we floated by.

I am not sure what this one is but he was very focused on his fishing.

We saw many alligators on the river. This was one of the largest. The only way past him was around the end of the log he is on. He was not happy with us as we approached. He slowly slipped into the water and was not seen again.

The vegetation was amazing with all the Spanish moss hanging from the trees.

We got close enough to this alligator that we could have tapped him with our paddles. We didn't but he was still not pleased with us and he started hissing. At this time of year is their breeding season and the male become very territorial.

We found these little guys sunning themselves on a log. We didn't stick around too long cause we didn't know where the mom was. Female alligators take care of their young for up to 5 years.

Spanish moss on a tree.

We saw many turtles sunning themselves along the way. This guy was close to 12 inches long.

We had to maneuver around and under many fallen trees.

Google Earth image of the Wilderness Park Wildlife Preserve.

I got wet! Again!!!

Thunder storms and torrential down pours seem to be a running theme for most of my out door pursuits this year. This time I wasn't paddling on a river, rather I was out scouting for deer. Actually it was more of an excuse to get out of the city. We had just got out of the car at one of my favorite hunting spots when I noticed a couple of nice white tail bucks only 75 yards away and as we were watching them threw the binoculars a cotton tail scampered by so close that he could have tripped over our feet. We took these two sightings as a good omen as we excitedly organized our selves. We had anticipated a bit of rain later in the evening but what we were in for was entirely different. As I made my way to a little clearing in which I wanted to sit I flushed out a nice looking doe that didn't seem all too concerned about me. She busted out of the brush and stopped maybe 75 yards away and stayed there for nearly 10 minutes watching me.

I had just settled into a nice little hiding spot when the rain began to fall. It started as a few drops and slowly increased until the rain seem to be coming in sideways. Man it rained hard. By the time I ran the 1 km back to the car I was soaked! We decided that we should get out of there before the field got too soft to drive on.

The storm however was short lived and when it passed the sky was quite amazing. There were interesting cloud formations as well as a great sunset. In total we saw 15 deer, one bunny, and a couple of coyotes and a really great sunset.

An amazing sunset after the storm had passed

Some interesting cloud formations

At times the rain seemed to be coming in sideways

This doe stood and watched me for nearly 10 minutes. I wonder if she had a fawn near by.

Eagles of Hornby Island

As an effort to avoid studying I thought I would let everyone know that the Eagles of Hornby Island are still live on the web and will hopefully be successful in their efforts of raising a couple of eaglets after last years disappointments. (one egg didn't hatch and the other chick fell from the nest)

Live TV : Ustream

We got skunked!

For today I had planned the ultimate hunting day, I would sit with my buddies Reg and Dave for a goose hunt in the morning, then spend the last part of the day looking for deer. As it turned out I only got one nice mallard and I didn't see a single deer. However the day wasn't a total bust, I got to explore some new country and ended up seeing and hearing some wildlife. While sitting in my deer blind a squirrel came over for a visit and sat in a tree just 5 yard back from me and ate his nuts or what ever he had stashed in the dead tree that he was sitting on. Shortly after the squirrel left a lone coyote showed up out of no where and stopped to look at me for a few minutes trying to figure out what I was. All he could see was my head poking up from behind the blind. Just as the sun was setting I could hear a small heard of Elk just 50 yards to the east of me start calling. Unfortunately they didn't show them selves for a photo.

The squirrel was a bit of a character, often he nearly fell off of his branch while enjoying his meal.

This Coyote stopped just long enough for me to get a blurry (low light) photo of him.

The Bear Man of Kamchatka

Bears asleep in the woods

The first snowflakes or 2010 fell on Saskatoon this evening. And as always the first snow fall brings thoughts of winter adventures that put me in a good mood.

At this time of year the bears are good and fat and likely looking for a den to spend the winter in. I often wonder, as I wander through the winter woods, where 'do' the bears hibernate. What does a bear den look like? There are many more bears in the woods than we are aware of and they have to go somewhere for the winter. My guess is that they are closer by than we might think.

I came across a youtube video of the Rick Mercer Report. In it, Mercer is in Algonquin Park tagging black bears. This video shows clearly what a black bear den looks like and just how docile, even a sow with clubs, really are during the winter.

The snowshoes Rick is wearing are the Ojibwa style. From what I can tell, most of the researchers are wearing the new style snowshoes.

Nut Point Hiking Trip

On the Labour Day long weekend Zoe, myself and our friend Shaun hiked the Nut Point Trail which is located just on the north edge of La Ronge SK. The trail head is located in a parking lot at the Nut Point Provincial camp ground.

The trail follows a the Nut Point that extends 15.6 km out into Lac La Ronge.

Our plan was the hike a portion of the trail on the first day and set up camp.

Along the trail we hiked through mixed forests of deciduous and coniferous trees, over high granite outcroppings and descended into dark, damp bogs. Many of which have a boardwalk over the wettest areas. The trail also passes through the Mallard fire that burnt in 1999.

Much of the trail follows exposed bedrock. This section was comprised of some interesting metamorphic rock.

Being a point that has development on both sides doesn't lend itself to viewing wildlife but we did flush this Spruce grouse out of the under brush.

The weather on the first day was very nice though windy. Luckily our campsite was on the lee side of the point.

The view from the Nut portage was impressive as well as the small but comfortable camp site that is located there.

On the first day our plan was to hike part way and set up camp. We ended up stopping at the Nut Portage and as it turns out it is one of the best spots on the trail to camp. Second only to the point itself. Then the second day we did a day hike to the point and back to our camp where we stayed another night. On the third day we packed up and hiked out. This spot isn't used much by campers so fire wood was in abundance.

The saying goes "Pink sky at night is a sailors delight, Pink sky in the morning is a sailors warning". I guess sailors doesn't always know what they are talking about, though we enjoyed a great sunset and magnificent starts that night. The weather wouldn't hold.

The wind on the second day continued to blow and the clouds gave up their contents for most of the day as we hiked to the point and back as a day hike.

The view from the point the day that we arrived.

Despite the rain, wind and cool temperatures our spirits were high as we walked along the trail back to camp.

I asked Shaun if we should still go even if the forecast was calling for rain. He said that he likes the rain.

We were lucky enough to have cut and stashed a small amount of fire wood under the tarp before it began to rain. Upon arriving back at camp we moved the fire under the tarp and began to dry out. We only had a small amount of wood so we were only able to have a small fire but we managed to keep warm and enjoyed our second evening around the fire drinking two of the three litres of wine we packed in as well as smores.

Eagles of Hornby Island

Zoe and I and a couple of friends have been watching a nesting pair of Bald Eagles for the past month on Wild Earth TV, via a live web cam mounted just above the eagles nest. The eagles live on Hornby Island in the Georgia Strait off the west coast of British Columbia. It has been fascinating to watch the birds come and go from the nest, though there are long periods of time with a view of a feathery side or other part of a motionless bird. But the humdrum of sitting and incubating eggs should come to and end soon. The first of the two eggs is scheduled to hatch any day now, perhaps Sunday or Monday, then the secret life of eagle parents will get more interesting with the care of the eaglets.

Wild Earth TV is an "ecosystem" of live webcams and broadcasters that combine the benefits of community driven webcams with the high production values of a presenter led TV series. Click here to learn more about Wild Earth TV or to view the other live channels.

Wanderings in the Fort a la corne forest

It was much too warm and sunny on Saturday afternoon to stay in the city so Zoe and I headed to the Fort a la corne forest for the afternoon. Fort a la corne provincal forest is 132,502 hectares of forested land that stretches from 40km east of Prince Albert to Nipawain Sk. We were there during the mid day and the hottest hours of the day so we didn't see too much for wildlife. We did however see a giant beaver patrolling his pond and a curious squirrel that didn't seem all that afraid of us. We also heard a ruffed grouse thumping in the distance. After a long winter it was nice to finally get out of the city even if it was just for a short time.

Did the Squirrel see his shadow?

One day last fall I noticed the silhouette of a small bushy tailed critter at the back of the yard. I didn't get a good look at him but I thought that it was a squirrel so I put out some peanuts for him. I put food out for him all winter with hopes of getting a glimpse of him, it didn't happen. He must have been visiting his cache of peanuts in the night. I fed this little guy for five months without seeing him only tracks in the snow and and empty cache. He finally made an appearance this morning in the back yard searching in the exposed grass for peanuts that the blue jays might have dropped.

I don't know if he ever saw his shadow but I think that spring is on its way regardless.

Opening the paddling season

Monday, March 1st was a gorgeous day for a paddle, the temperature was only -4, the sun was warm and the breeze was light, how could I resist. When Zoe got home from work we went down to the boathouse and I took one of the Saskatoon Canoe Club boats out on the river.

It had been a very long time since the last time I paddled due to a broken wrist last summer (which took close to 7 months to heal) so this little outing in the afternoon was great, but I could tell that I was out of condition because soon after we were on the water my muscles began to burn.

Zoe and I were not the only ones out enjoying the warm weather, along the bank we saw 2 Robins flying in and out of the trees. It's always nice to see them, I always take it as a sign that we've made it through the worst part of the winter and spring is just around the corner. Some might think that I'm being a bit optimistic and spring is still months away but as far as I'm concerned summer begins on April 1st and lasts into November.

No matter which way you look at it, winter is on it's way out and spring is on it's way in and now is the time to switch daydreaming of winter adventures to anticipation of cold running spring creeks and then the long hot days of summer.

Moose team broke to pull

Zoe and I spent the afternoon, yesterday, wandering around on the trails of the Little Red River park just north of Prince Albert. With snow on the trees and very little wind , it was a great day to be in the woods. At the end of the day we stopped at the Cosmo Lodge. As I was reading some of the postings on the wall I came across the following newspaper clipping pinned to the wall. I don' t know which paper it came from but the photo intrigued me. It's not every day you run into a little known piece of the past, and in a ski lodge of all places. I did a quick search on the internet for the names mentioned in the article and didn't come up with much but did find some information for the town of Makinak, Man.

Feathery visitors

These are just a few of the feathery visitors to our backyard feeders. Blue Jays were going nuts over the peanuts I put out for them. The Dark Eyed Junkoes were having a blast hopping through the leaf litter. Chickadees, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers and White Breasted and Red Breasted Nuthatches paid regular visits to the feeders and later in the day a pair of House Finches made off with a bunch of black oil sunflower seeds. Even a pair of Northern Flickers stopped by.

On such a sunny day you'd have to be crazy to be inside.