Thursday, April 5, 2018

Nature's Spring

'Tis the season for the flight of wings...of 4-footed friends...
the salamander migration and bird tales.
Mother Nature welcomes us: she has thawed the winter snows...
will bring us refreshing raindrops...awakens the trees to birth their tiny leaves...
and induce humans to dream of gardens with colourful blooms,
of summer berries and the harvesting of autumn's vegetables.
Springtime is the land awakening!

King Road to Close for Annual Jefferson Salamander Migration
No Through Traffic on Road until April 1: I'ts once again time for the annual migration of these salamanders. The City of Burlington closed the roadway from the base of the Niagara Escarpment to Mountain Brow Road March 11 until April 1 to provide the endangered Jefferson salamander safe passage during its annual breeding migration. The closure is a partnership between the city and Conservation Halton. The Jefferson salamander is a nationally and provincially-protected endangered species. Fortunately, since the first full road closure in 2012, there has been no road mortality observed by Conservation Halton staff during the road closure period.

Coyotes are Out and About: A west Mountain school is advising parents of coyote sightings on its property. Westview Senior Elementary issued the alert March 6, saying coyotes are residing in the woods adjacent to the school and have been sighted on the property while students are indoors. There have been no reports when the animals are sighted ~ students and staff are kept indoors as precaution.
Of interest, Burlington has coyote visitations also.

Man's Best Friend really may be this, especially to Miguel Guzman of Villa Carlos Pax, Argentina. Although his owner passed away in 2008, the loyal dog, Capitan, has stayed by his grave ever since. Capitan left the family home shortly after the funeral and the family thought he was lost. Veronica, the owner's wife, one day found him at her husband's graveside. Because the dog won't leave, he has become a mascot of loyalty to the cemetery workers who feed him and ensure he has vet care if needed.

Fortunately, the Donkey Was Very Co-operative: Grant LaFleche resports from the St. Catharines Standard that sometimes, the subject of a hard target search by police officers isn't a hardened criminal hiding from the law. Sometimes, after years of training and experience, often dealing with the worst people have to offer, cops are called upon to corral a lost donkey. Early Friday morning, Niagara Regional Police received a 911 call for an unusual road hazard in Thorold. The call came in about 3 a.m. from a motorist. The hazard was not a pothole or the lost payload from a transport turck. It was a lost, light-brown donkey. Working with the local humane society, police officers managed to corral the beast. Apparently, the donkey was very co-operative...was returned to his home without incident by the humane society after police got it off the road. It demonstrates the varied nature of calls to which officers are called upon daily to respond.

Olympic Star Saving Canines from Dog-Meat Trade
Reported by The Canadian Press, “Canadian skating figure skater Meagan Duhamel strode slowly from cage to cage Thursday, greeting some of Canada's newest arrivals from South Korea, at an emergency dog shelter in Montreal. “You're scared eh? That's OK,” she said, reaching out a reassuring hand to a big golden-coloured dog named Bear. Duhamel was on hand as Humane Society International 's (HSI) Canadian branch detailed its latest operation, bringing more than 80 dogs to the organization's emergency shelter in Montreal, from a farm in Si-heung-si, The Olymipic star, who ended her competitive career in the recent Winter Games in South Korea with a bronze medal in pairs figure skating and a gold in a team event, added her voice to those calling for an end to the dog-meat trade.

After inspecting many of the canines, Duhamel said it is heart-breaking to see them when all they want is love. Some of the dogs that were destined for the dinner plate were clearly suspicious and scared of interacting wtih humans at the Montreal shelter. “But there are others who are friendly and loving and I believe they'll adjust very well into homes and a loving family,” said Duhamel, 32. “I just hope they all find a home and people who will treat them well.”
A senior campaign manager for HSI's Canadian branch
who was in South Korea for the recent removal, described the conditions as deplorable.
Multiple dogs were crammed into tight quarters with fellow pups.They were exposed to the elements and living off restaurant waste with no water, no socialization or proper vet care.

Duhamel, a vegan for the past decade, has travelled extensively in Asia over the past 15 years and had heard about dog meat being readily available in South Korea and China. To help, she started by making a monetary donation and volunteering to fly with dogs back to North America.
That's how she ended up adopting Moo-tai, a miniature dachshund mix,
who was rescued from a South Korean farm a year ago.
HSI says there are 17,000 facilities in South Korea where some 2.5 million canines are raised for human consumption yearly. HSI has helped shutter 11 dog-meat farms and rescued about 1,300 dogs in South Korea.

Bird Tales
(Shared stories about feathered friends that will truly amaze you.)
Tapping the Tank: Each day, this yellow-bellied sapsucker comes to drink at our oriole feeder. Then when it's finished, it flies to a large propane tank and taps like crazy. The sapsucker begins its routine in spring and continues its pecking through the summer, several times a day! (Marcie from Peterborough)

Tweet Revenge: As my husband and I sipped our coffee one morning, we watched a squirrel scamper from our roof onto an overhanging tree limb. At the same time, a blue jay swooped in to perch on the same branch. The two startled each other so much that the squirrel fell to the ground, stunned and the jay flew away. After a few minutes, the squirrel returned and found a spot on our garage roof to sit and nibble on a nut. That's when the blue jay emerged and flew right at the bushy-tailed critter and gave it a sharp peck. I believe it got its revenge! (Gretha from Florida)

Lost and Found: When my friend is having a bad day, she sits outside on her front steps to observe the natural wildlife that surrounds her 40-acre property. As she was trying to lift her mood one particularly troubling morning, she noticed a baby bird hopping near her. It seemed to purposely make its way right over to her. Then it threw its head back, begging for food. My friend lifted the little bird up into her hands and began to search for its nest. All the while, the hungry little bird kept begging to be fed. Once she found the nest and returned her wee feathered friend, she stepped back to ensure the parents would return. After that, she felt better ~ and her problems didn't seem so bad.
Nature always seems to have a way of balancing us out. (Dana from Oklahoma)

Bern Williams concludes that the day the Lord created hope
was probably the same day he created Spring!

Written by Merle Baird-Kerr...March 20, 2018
Comments appreciated: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca or inezkate@gmail.com

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