Waiting...

Last year by this time I was pretty stoked about the Eastern Bluebirds showing themselves in the Forgotten Land. This year I am looking out to a landscape covered in ice pellets after this past weekend's never ending ice storm and days after of precipitation.

Our backyard on April 18th with a photo bombing Pigeon.

The crappy weather and me being unwell for a week have put a damper on things. I guess it was a good time to get sick though.

I am feeling much better now and the coming days are looking a lot better. In the meantime, a little filler blog with a a bit of this and that from the areas.

For starts, the area around the corner from us is about ready to go. The t-bars just need to be greased but the boxes are up.

Here is one of the boxes. It was a rather standard and plain looking nest box when it was given to me. I decided to fancy it up a bit, I know the birds don't care, but I like it.

The other box that was given to me. I nailed a piece of roof shingle to the top. The bottom piece was split apart and I was able to use a piece of another nest box that I brought home from the Forgotten Land to make it usable once again.

This is the box I set up last Spring. It did not get any tenants. I have thought about moving it for this season but might leave it for one more year. It's about a 5 minute walk from the above two boxes but that's okay, I can handle it. If I ever take any of you out for a walk of Area One, you will get that last comment.

I have yet to name this area.

A few weeks back I was in the Forgotten Land. A Squirrel recently chewed the hell out of one of the newer boxes. Argh!

I brought the box home and tried a couple ways to repair it. I had a great idea of framing the hole and attaching a metal ring predator guard but with what I had laying around here, it wasn't working out. The thin wood quickly split apart when I tried to screw it to the remains of the box's front access. Remember I am trying to keep this as least costly as possible especially in the Forgotten Land because of all the hoopla with others. I next took the front wall off that same nest box which I used the bottom piece for the box I posted about above. It's not the most attractive box right now but this will work for 2018. Talk about not letting anything go to waste, eh.

I will be returning to the Forgotten Land soon to set it back up.

Lastly regarding this area. I was speaking live with "the man in charge". Unfortunately he had no answers, no decisions had been made about what, when, if they will come back and do any more to the area. I'm okay with them not coming back but I think it would be fair to me if they would give me a straight answer. He asked me to email him about everything once again, and give him a reminder. I have done that. It's been 3 weeks since and I've still not heard a thing.

Before the weather went for a shit and before I got sick, I was in Area One. It was great to have some company and some huge help from a guy I now call a friend of mine. We accomplished a lot in such a short amount of time. I won't deny that being chauffeured around in this brand new Gator was pretty freakin' sweet!

We assessed the last of the old boxes standing. We took down the 2 that were wrecked by Squirrels. The "mouse houses" were lowered considerably. I should note that we are 7 for 7 of the mouse houses being occupied with mice. They will be dealt with in the coming weeks, meaning the houses will be opened up for the season. The mice will vacate the houses on their own. We will re-visit this "mouse house" idea in the fall, allowing them shelter through the next winter. Predator protection will be applied to all t-bars soon. Boxes are being tagged which will help with notes through the nesting season and communicating in the future of any that need special attention. All that has happened in Area One is wonderful. Talk about a revival of an area that while was not forgotten, it wasn't getting the full attention needed to make for a successful breeding ground for the birds. My numbers from 2017 compared to the first year of monitoring in 2016 are proof to that.

I've been tweaking a couple other nest boxes I brought home from the Forgotten Land. These boxes are surprisingly in decent shape but they have been nailed shut from every side, making them not accessible for monitoring and more importantly for cleaning. It was almost like performing surgery trying to take the nails out because the wood is dried out and while not exactly brittle; force from a tool like a hammer can split the wood without much effort.

This first box, nails removed, front screw which is like a lock for the side access door. Whatever the reason, that side board pushes inward upon loosening of the front screw instead of pushing outward like all the other boxes so I put a small screw I found in my tool box which is now like a door handle.

Of course all this messing around simply cannot go without any sort of personal injury. That's not paint on the wood, that's my blood from one of my OOPS moments. Really I am not much of a handy man but I'm learning as I go and often it's a few "shit, that's not gonna work" moments before I get it somewhat right.

I should note both boxes contained remnants of Tree Swallow nests inside. They were from a few years ago and since have been home to wasps. A rude awakening for the wasps as I cleaned out the nests but that's what must be done.

I recently posted on social media asking anyone for any exterior wood paint they may have in their homes. You know, left overs from a finished project and willing to donate to my projects. The two above houses could use a coat of paint. It could be helpful to someone who may be holding onto a small amount of paint just because or too lazy to dispose of it. The last bit would go to good use here. And as I've mentioned, less out of pocket for me. Win win.

I had a couple offers.

One to meet a friend and get some paint but I would have to drive out to Cambridge. It's not that far really but the fuel spent in my truck for the drive would pay for a can of paint. I plan on meeting my friend one day, when the weather is nicer, and it won't be just about picking up the paint but about having a little social. That would make more sense to me with the drive.

Another made the generous offer to buy me the paint I needed. That was incredibly touching especially from a person I've only met twice but we are fellow Falcon watchers and have a bond of sorts. For the time being, I did pass. One, it goes against my keeping this low cost. Secondly, I have a difficult time accepting such kindness with my mish mash of projects. Like the uncertainty of the Forgotten Land keeps me from investing much other than my time. The spot around the corner is a little experiment of sorts and won't get any bigger than what it is. Area One I would have to discuss this with my friends since they built all the new houses. I'm sure they would say "yes" but I'd rather go over this with them first. Meh, I'm rambling now.

They are calling for double digit temperatures by early next week. May is just around the corner. I hope to have some cavity nesting bird sightings in these areas with my next blog. The waiting is killing me.

Quick Update

Spring is here, and it's time to get ready for the birds who will be back before we know it.

I did a walk about Area One this week. The new Guild style boxes are all set. Unfortunately I found two of the old style boxes, which have only been up for 2 seasons have been chewed to hell by a Squirrel.

Frustrating because the spot normally does not have Squirrels running through it. The boxes may be salvageable with a little exterior framing around the gaping holes. Lesson learned that in future, we will just leave the side doors open through the off season. The t-bars will soon be greased and that's about it.

We did have a little experiment going through this winter, keeping the old boxes on the t-bars, below the new ones. Mice took residence through the winter in these boxes like past years. Of course the mice and these boxes cannot stay on the posts and will be relocated (not harmed very soon). We have a great and healthy ecosystem in Area One which attracts all sorts of wildlife. Mice can be seen as vermin but in a field they feed other creatures. Now as nesting season nears, we have to get back to the mission of helping the birds we attract to these boxes. The mice can stay, even in these old boxes, just not on the same posts as the birds.

At least 3 mice were, and still are, in this one box.

A cool find from my walk of Area One. This piece will be going to Toronto Wildlife soon as an enrichment source for some animals in care. Nothing gets wasted, does it? If anyone reading this ever comes across any antlers, pick them up and give them to a wildlife rehabber. Or pass them along to me and I will get them to one.

I will be meeting some people from Area One next week to go over the last things we need to do before the birds return. We are all excited for another season.

I will admit my hesitation to this new style of nest box. I'm not big on changes, especially when it's something to do with what I am passionate about. You know the whole "if it's not broke, don't fix it" saying? The Guild style was far easier to build for the guys. I get that. The old boxes needed replacing for the new season. I'm told Tree Swallows and Bluebirds will use the Guild.

I've been in contact with the man regarding The Forgotten Land. As I key this, they still haven't made any decision about this location. There are some big factors that I choose not to discuss at the moment, which are out of our control. What happens here seems to effect their decision. So, for now, 6 boxes will stay standing. I'd love to add a few more but I won't this year. I may not ever if things go the way they are looking for the area. I'm anxious about if the Bluebirds will return. I've walked the area once a week the last couple weeks, no birds yet.

Last year I set up a lone box around the corner from us. A male Bluebird was often seen in the area but by the looks of things, he never attracted a mate. This morning I pounded in a couple more t-bars in the area and hopefully put up a couple boxes I salvaged from The Forgotten Land sometime next week. I don't mind doing this since it's costing me nothing other than my time. Stay tuned for what comes of this and what I might name this location. Pics to come.

How's that for a quick update?

Be back in a few weeks. Cheers!

Demolition

Hey hey, back to the Forgotten Land for a moment. I know my last blog regarding this area was a frustrating documentation of occurrences and I thank some of you who contacted me personally after reading it.

After the time down there with these people and the communication with those in charge in November, I took a break. I finally returned some where around New Year's for a look. East Ravine was cleaned now. Only 2 boxes remain. My Bluebird box and a nest box they donated to the area last Spring. All the other nest boxes were taken away for disposal. The 50+ t-bars were removed as well (not an easy task).

I then ventured over to West Hill and noticed they did not get that far. All the boxes were still standing, most barely as you can imagine.

I was not upset about this. I know the girls worked their asses off removing those t-bars from the ground in the east. It was a difficult time consuming chore. I'm sure it was a matter of them running out of time on this project and had other things to get on before the winter.

The weather has not been ideal to get over there and tackle the west. As March rapidly approaches, the thoughts of doing something drilled into my head daily. February 22 I put my head down and went to it. We had another thaw recently so all the snow melted away and it's been dry for a few days. It was -6 with the wind chill, not too bad for working outside. An hour and a half later I had taken down 27 nest boxes.

Some may remember this one below from an older post about the area.  Deluxe edition with 2 entrances!

One reason I am not keen about nest boxes in public areas...  people messing with them.  One of the others had a whack of sumac rammed into it.  Sure these are boxes falling apart, but it shows people do go off the path and someone idiot can muck around with them if he wants to.

A couple of these boxes are still rather solid but they have so many nails in them, one could never access them for cleaning.

I wasn't sure if I was going to get to them all. A couple times I thought I should stop, but then it was "just a couple more" I'd think to myself. I'm glad I stuck it out and finished this task.

I had a few dog walkers pass by me, giving me curious looks as to what I was doing. Only one stopped to say something which was about my neat piles of dilapidated nest boxes on the ground, which were well off path. His concern was his dog getting into those piles and possibly hurting himself. I replied about how if he kept his dog on leash, he would have nothing to worry about, because after all it was not an off leash area, there is one of those just down the road. That seemed to end the chat.

I left 4 boxes standing in the west section. Three are along one stretch where a pair of Tree Swallows nested successfully along with the failed Bluebird nest, plus one more box just because. The boxes are well separated with 30 or so feet from one to the next. The last box is further along where another pair of Tree Swallows had a successful nest. Actually this one I replaced with a box in better condition because the previous one was hanging by a thread. All the boxes are cleaned out and ready for the birds.

I may have added a few too many photos here but I really wanted to give a visual impact about how bad off this area was.

I fired off an email to these people about the latest progress. I've kept my promise about not setting up any more boxes. I still believe that leaving a few boxes up until they figure out their plan, if they have one, is a good idea. I will wait 2 weeks, and if no reply by then, I will start making some phone calls. At this point, I am fine if they want to abandon the project. No more waiting and wondering, no more feeling like I am answering to another boss. I'd like to add 4 more boxes; 2 in the east and 2 in the west. But I won't... for now.

This is going to be one very interesting Spring.

Tribute

A magazine called Niagara Escarpment Views recently did an article on how to help Eastern Bluebirds. They interviewed the founder of The Ontario Eastern Bluebird Society Bill Read. The writer for the story sought out photos of Eastern Bluebirds to be used in the article. I submitted 6 and 2 were chosen. I love seeing any photo of mine make print anywhere, just so there is more use and purpose to a photo; but what I really like is both photos are of a dedicated male Eastern Bluebird, who despite losing his mate, 3 of the 5 eggs not hatching, he never gave up in the final days before his young fledged. Anyone reading the article and viewing the photos will have no idea about the background story with the photos of this pretty little bird but for me it is like a silent tribute. Most of my photos hold a fond memory and some just a little more than that, helping me tell a tale like this one of the struggle with a family of Eastern Bluebirds in Toronto in the Summer of 2017. It's gearing me up a little more for the oncoming season which rapidly approaches. I'm hoping for their return.

If you would like to find a free copy of the magazine, here is a link to places that should have the latest edition.

Argh!

Recently a friend of mine contacted me about an article in the local paper. I believe it was titled "BBQ for the Birds". There is an event coming this Spring where people can come out, have a burger and help build some bird houses as a community project. The area they want to revive is a stretch called The Lavender Creek Trail.

I was furious when I learned about this. The Forgotten Land I would imagine started out the same way.

I texted a few friends who have followed my nest box adventures. It was great to be able to vent to some who understood my upset. They are such friends I can properly vent to, using all the cuss words I want in the moment and no offense was taken.

I felt bad for my friend who told me about this. It was a bit of an educational experience for him. I apologized the next day.  He took it all in stride, appreciating my views on the project.

I wanted to blog about this immediately but couldn't. It was almost midnight Friday when I heard about it. I woke up the next day and decided to let it go. I can't worry about everything that happens out there. I did decide at some point soon I would visit this Lavender Creek out of curiosity, perhaps take some photos of the area and blog about it. And that is what this blog is about...

The following Tuesday I had to run a few errands which would take me over to this area. It wasn't the best morning to do so as we were in the midst of a snowfall that was making for some crappy road conditions but I had to be out there anyway. I dressed accordingly and away I went.

So, for anyone wanting to visit Lavender Creek. The first thing they will find is that there is no real parking to the area. When one drives around and tries to find parking, they may get confused about a lot of things and even forget why they are there. Green space? Birding area? Say what? These photos might explain a few things to you.

Lavender Creek is not a park. It is a ravine in a hydro field. It runs a couple kms starting at Weston Road in the Stockyards District and heads west.

I managed to find parking to the north, on a side street in the residential beyond a line of industrial buildings. A short walk down the street and I was on the paved trail.

The stench in the air can choke a person. Across the ravine and up the hill are the meat packing plants along with a few still existing slaughter houses. I don't know if that is blood and guts in the air, or just the smell of death, but it is almost a permanent odour that hangs over the Stockyards. I've seen new townhouses go up here some years ago, starting at half a million roughly. Imagine spending that kind of money on a home and not being able to open your windows or sit in what little backyard you may have because of this smell? It was below zero Celsius and reeking; imagine a stank hot August afternoon? Honestly, even for a moment, it would make most people re-think their eating habits.  Calling this "Lavender Creek" must have been a sick joke by someone.

I walked the path. I did not see a person through my trek. I guess I was the only one crazy enough to go for a walk in it. But I also did not see or hear much bird activity. One pair of House Sparrows, one lingering White-crowned Sparrow (which was a nice surprise) and a few Mallards down in the creek. My soundtrack to the walk was trucks running and cows mooing, awaiting slaughter.

I shouldn't put so much into this about the meat plants because in the big picture, the birds really don't care about such things, but people thinking of spending time in this area probably will. I understand the idea someone has to revive the area, awaken the community to nature and pay attention to what can happen in their little stretch of green space. Unfortunately the track record for most of these projects is ultimate failure. The Lavender Creek has the Stockyards going against it in every sense. As for the trail itself, see here.

The trail is narrow overall. The south side has a drop down to the creek and then a steep hill going up to the plants. It's a long narrow line of wooded area. I'm sure in the warmer months all the views of the plants and trucks disappear.

Half a dozen Mallards are calling this home for the winter.

The creek is not really accessible as there is so much growth along the steep hill.  Who would really have a purpose to go down there anyway?

To the north is various industrial including a scrap yard and many other businesses I had no idea existed.

Just before the line of industrial is a lot of growth, it's thick and dense in many spots, a lot of sumac grows along here too.

Hey, there's a Squirrel!

It seems a Robin made a home here last year.

There is a White-crowned Sparrow in there...  somewhere.

Lots and lots of Sumac.

There are no open fields for cavity nesters like Tree Swallows and Bluebirds. This is a haven for House Sparrows and little else. Nothing against the House Sparrow but they aren't high on a lot of peoples' lists nor other cavity nesting bird species. I suppose some House Wrens might find a box useful for nesting too.

My opinion is that this is good intentions but a bad idea.  It is going to be a waste of time, money and items that could be used elsewhere in a more suitable area PROVIDING people are willing to continue to monitor and care for the nest boxes. They don't have to keep track of bird species, hatches and what not, but at the very least clean these boxes out annually and ensure they remain in good overall condition for birds to use, even if it is just House Sparrows.

The Lavender Creek really could use a make over but sticking up a bunch of bird houses with any people willing to come out for a burger and participate is not the only way. Off the top of my head, a good clean up of the area would be a start, perhaps neaten up the existing landscape, remove any invasive species, and grow some native plants. Right now the area is shit. It looks like it and smells like it. You can put a bouquet of roses on a pile of shit and it's still going to be just that... shit.

I guess this Summer season photo could make one think it's a nice place to visit, especially with the name Lavender Creek.

I've pondered the idea of voicing my disapproval to the project. I think it will go on deaf ears especially since money has been given, plans are well in the making, advertisements have been sent out.  Aside from an email to them, I really do not want to involve myself in this.  I am busy elsewhere as you are probably aware.  I'd like to think there is more to this project than what they have posted but I wouldn't bet on it.

I intend on revisiting the area sometime after the work is done and will share my observations.  I am curious how many bird houses will be set up along this stretch.