A Day Like All Days

The Survivor Tree at the 9/11 Memorial, NYC

My patients often give me far more than I give to them. The inspiring ones have interesting life stories that model wisdom, courage, and resilience. A lovely 80 year old widower had been an accountant for a large Canadian corporation, travelling widely for work and pleasure. Recent cognitive changes led to investigations that showed multiple metastatic brain lesions, and doctors were doing tests to find the primary tumour. The brain disease had affected his cognition and mobility significantly, so I was asked to do a functional assessment. The patient had lost track of "place" and could not even remember his address, but when I asked what day it was, he replied with great drama.

"What sort of day was it?

A day like all days, filled with those events

that alter and illuminate our times...

all things are as they were then, except you were there."

He attributed the quote to Walter Cronkite and repeated it a second time so I could write it down. He was 100% correct. I am amazed at the deep memories that surface when more recent memories have faded.

Walter Cronkite hosted a TV show called You are There from 1953-1957. There was a brief revival of the program in 1971-2 on CBS. The series featured dramatizations of important events in American and world history. After the event was announced at the beginning of the show, Walter Cronkite would say to the audience, "You are there!" He would close the program with the quote given by my patient.

I remember several days that changed history during my lifetime, starting with the assassination of J. F. Kennedy when I was eight years old, the opening of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and 9/11, to name a few. On a personal level, there have been significant events that changed things for our family and community on days that started as "a day like all days". 

My husband and I visited New York City in 2018 and spent time at the 9/11 memorial and Ground Zero. We also enjoyed Come from Away on Broadway, which tells the story of the community in Gander, Newfoundland who welcomed people from airplanes diverted from United States airspace on September 11, 2001. That day impacted the lives of hosts and travellers, creating many enduring relationships.

Central Park NYC

I walked an elderly Sikh gentleman in the hospital hallway to the 6th floor window that looks out over our city. He spoke very little English, but when he looked at the green treetops, blue skies and white clouds, he opened his arms to the view and told me, "This is a gift from God!" He then folded his hands prayfully and with gratitude. I couldn't ask him about his background due to the language barrier, but he made me think about the good things I take for granted in our city and country. My "day like all days" includes so much more than many people can hope to have in other parts of the world. 

We do not know when the next "event to alter and illuminate our lives" will happen, and it may not be anything earth-shattering or widely experienced. It may be a conversation with a cogntively impaired person, or someone who does not speak our language, that realigns our perspective and attitude. 

July House Wrens

House Wrens are common birds that are frequently heard, but are often "invisible". The name House Wren was given due to their tendency to live near human homes. They are tiny and weigh about the same as two quarters. Their plain brown colour make them hard to distinguish, and their hyperactive movements as they forage for insects in brush and on trees make it hard to get a good picture of them. Once you recognize their song, you will hear them frequently in the spring and early summer. They literally sing from dawn to dusk during mating season. 

 House Wrens are easiest to see when they are nesting. They are cavity nesters and will occupy bird houses in yards. They raise two broods a season, one in May and another in July. The male will fill several different cavities with sticks and then he lets the female decide which home she wants to use for the nest. It takes a lot of work for the male to build six to twelve prospective homes, which is why they are easier to find during their breeding period. 

All these photos were taken in July. House Wrens will try to evict other birds that are cavity nesters and quite aggressive for their tiny size.

This nesting box in a nearby natural area was used earlier by a pair of Eastern Bluebirds, but they had moved on. I have had House Wrens occupy a bird house in our yard, but the female did not chose our real estate for her nest. We were left with a box full of sticks. I have never seen fledglings, but imagine they would be very small. 

There are three other wren species in Southern Ontario;- the Marsh Wren, Carolina Wren, and Winter Wren. I have found the others infrequently, so if I hear a wren singing, my default ID is a House Wren. 

If you place a bird house in your yard, it will undoubtedly be taken by some bird. Our bird box has most frequently been home to Chickadees, but last year it was taken over by bees, so we had to remove it in the winter. I will try another location for next season and hopefully attract Chickadees, Nuthatches or House Wrens again. Here are some helpful guidelines on setting up a bird box.

Silhouettes

When were at Manitoulin Island, I would sometimes find a bird but, because I was looking into the sun, it was difficult to see identifying details. Any photo taken would turn out as a silhouette due to the backlighting. There were plenty of Ravens, and my goal this year was to get a better picture of this all-black bird, but the lighting was never ideal. 

In the gospel of Mark, chapter 8, there is a story about Jesus healing a blind man in the village of Bethsaida. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus warned his disciples about "the yeast of the Pharisees", a concept they did not understand at all. He said in verse 18*, 

"You have eyes—can’t you see? You have ears—can’t you hear?"

Later, when they arrived at Bethsaida some people begged Jesus to heal a blind man. He put spit in the man's eyes in the first part of a two part healing. The blind man initially said, 

“I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.”

Jesus touched his eyes again and,

 

"His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly".

Bede the Vernerable was a Benedictine monk who lived in from 672-735 AD in what is now England. In his commentary on the Gospel of Mark he wrote, 

"By this miracle, Christ teaches us how great is the spiritual blindness of man, which only by degrees, and by successive stages, can come to the light of Divine knowledge".

We interpret the world around us based on our personal values, biases, culture, and experience. We may only see shadows of the whole picture and miss important details. It is easy to judge the actions of others based on our own sight, which may be blurred or even blinded to the full truth of the situation. 

In the famous love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, verse 12* says,

"Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, 

but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. 

All that I know now is partial and incomplete, 

but then I will know everything completely, 

just as God now knows me completely."

For three days, I knew an Indigo Bunting was in a particular tree. I could see its shape on the branches and heard its call. But sunlight is needed to turn the colour of its iridescent feathers, which have no blue pigment, from black to brilliant indigo blue. The sun shone brightly the day we left and I found the bird, which I had only seen in silhouette, displaying its beautiful colour. 

I am cautious around people who feel they understand things with great certainty, those people who freely share their opinions, who mock others who not agree with them, and are often very poor observers and listeners. I can be that person at times. I must remember that first impressions can be wrong, details are often unclear, and evolving situations can be confusing. We see best in hindsight. In the meantime, we must observe all sides of a situation, share our thoughts lovingly and wisely, and wait for the illuminating light.  

*scripture quotations from the New Living Translation

Bird photos from the top: Common Ravens, Turkey Vultures, Grey Catbird, Indigo Bunting (m)

Cup and Saucer, from Lake Manitou, Manitoulin Island

Front Line View of COVID-19: Six month update

Here is an update to a post I published six months ago. Views are reflections on my own experience.

Travelling by ferry this summer

As the COVID pandemic drags on, the hospital continues to extend my employment contract three months at a time. Our community has been a hotspot for the delta variant and the boil has recently reduced to a simmer. The census in our hospital two days ago showed 7 COVID positive patients, and 20 “resolved”, but still very ill patients. We had one more death from the virus on my unit this week. 

There are still Canadians who resist vaccinations, even though they are readily available for all people over the age of 12. Some of our recent patients have been young, unvaccinated adults who developed COVID pneumonia as well as blood clotting complications. Many of the hospitalized patients have presented with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli, sometimes weeks after their initial infections.

Our province is gradually re-opening and as more people are vaccinated, the hope is that we will not experience another wave of illness. As of yesterday, 80.59% of eligible people in Ontario had received their first vaccination and 66.23% had received two doses. 

That is commendable! 

I am concerned that the remaining 20% are resistant to being vaccinated due to fear, political influences, and inaccurate information on social media. I cannot understand why a few of my coworkers have declined vaccinations, especially as we are exposed to the virus inadvertently at times. There is pressure from some doctors in the province to mandate vaccinations for all health care workers. I could not start working in a hospital until I submitted proof of immunity from hepatitis B, tetanus, rubella, and a number of other communicable illnesses. Serious illnesses like polio and smallpox have been virtually eradicated due to effective vaccines and there are places you cannot travel to without proof of vaccination from yellow fever and other diseases.

I am in this picture with some coworkers

The majority of people infected with COVID-19 will recover without medical intervention. But they can transmit the virus to someone who will develop severe symptoms, as was the case with the patient who died this week. Younger, unvaccinated members of the family spread the infection to a more vulnerable parent.

As Canadians, we are very fortunate to have an abundant supply of vaccine doses. Other countries in the world do not have enough for even a fraction of their population. And so the pandemic continues on like a world war with political, economic, social and religious lines drawn.

I have been fully vaccinated since January 2021, but realize I can still contract COVID. I know of a couple of fully vaccinated hospital employees who became infected in a recent outbreak on a medical unit. They have mild symptoms. So we still wear masks and face shields as we cannot socially distance when caring for patients or interacting with staff.

If you don’t want to be vaccinated, it is your choice and I accept that. But for the foreseeable future, unvaccinated friends and family will not make it further than our outdoor deck if they visit. And I am looking forward to visiting some dear friends in person this summer who are now fully vaccinated.

[This article, Canada could avoid the worst of a 4th wave, was published on CBC today. I will look at the link again in another six months to see how accurate the predictions were.]

Blue Jay Fledglings

First flight

I took the garbage out this morning and noticed a young Blue Jay sitting on the roof of my car. For some time I had suspected there was a nest in the Norway Maple that shades our driveway. Two days earlier, another fledgling dropped on the other side of the fence from the same tree into our back yard. It has been hiding in a shrub while the parents continue to feed it. 

How to get up?

I startled the young fledgling and it dropped to the driveway before flying up to the license plate holder of the car in the first photo. It could only fly about half a metre higher than it was perched. Eventually it found its way to a shrub in the front yard. 

Parent communicating to fledgling in a shrub below

The parents have been diligently caring for the fledged birds, communicating with them quietly from a perch on a tree or the fence. The adults are loudly vocal if I come too close or if a squirrel enters the yard. (Our squirrel, and rabbit population is greatly decreased since the family of foxes started hunting in the neighbourhood. I only saw one squirrel today.)

Young Blue Jays leave the nest 17 to 21 days after they hatch and may not be able to fly for another 5 days. While it may be tempting to capture one while they are vulnerable, they are best left in the care of their parents. 

Young fledgling will stay put for a few more days

The Jays got used to my presence in the back yard eventually, especially when I left some much appreciated cherries on a fence post for them. I was able to take this picture of the backyard fledgling as it sat in the forsythia bush, silent and unmoving. Blue Jays usually have more than two eggs and there may be more young birds to observe as the week progresses. It was a treat to watch them on a quiet weekend afternoon. 

Vigilant Parent

Behind these Walls

Abandoned house on Manitoulin Island

   When I first saw this house a few years ago, it was inhabited and well cared for. A little red car was parked in the driveway and I admired the friendly porch and cute balcony outside the gabled upper room. I would wave to the people working in the garden as I walked along the road.

   It is a sad, abandoned house now. A bird feeder swings empty beside a window. There are a few discarded pieces of furniture on the porch and inside the living room. The owner of the camp where we stayed said the problem with the property was that it had no water. I don't know if there were water lines to the lake which have deteriorated and are too costly to repair, or if there is no potential for a working well on the property. Nature is relentless in reclaiming human structures in this area. Winter freezing and thawing as well as ice buildup on the shores of the lake are particularly damaging. 

   The house reminded me of people whose acceptable outward appearance hides their inward brokenness and dysfunction. When the outer facade breaks down, everyone can see the brokenness, and the person can hide, or accept the grace and caring of others.

J. S. Park is a hospital chaplain who wrote a book recently called The Voices we Carry: Finding your one true voice in a world of clamour and noise. He writes,

Occasionally a patient is so unsettled by their own condition they don’t want any visitors at all. They’re scared of how they look to everyone. 

If you’ve ever been a hospital patient, you know what I mean. You’re dishevelled, you start to stink a bit, and your orifices are singing off key. I’d want privacy too. I don’t want anybody to see that stuff"...

"Grace moves in to say, “You are no stranger to me.” 

I’ve seen that sort of love, through gowns and gloves and masks and needles and diagnoses day after day. I’ve seen love sleeping on vinyl recliners and pacing outside of the OR and in the NICU holding their premature newborn’s hand through a plastic box. 

I’ve seen spouses at the bedside cleaning their wife’s colostomy bags or hand-feeding their husband who doesn’t remember them anymore. 

(the picture on the left is from J. S. Park's Instagram page- a highly recommended follow)

   This week, a tornado ripped through the neighbourhood where my brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew live, damaging many homes. Three houses across the road from them were destroyed, the roofs and outer walls gone, their personal things exposed for all to see. In this time of loss, my nephew wrote,

"If there is one thing I can say about this whole experience is that it has been amazing to see just how much people have come together to help each other. 

By 11 o'clock last night, the shelter at the nearby high school had a literal mountain of water bottles, hot meals, clothes, medicine, and more donated from people all across Barrie. 

People I've never talked to before have come over and we've all offered what we can to each other, from food to water, to shelter, to even just a smile and a laugh."

   We can hide pridefully behind a facade of normalcy when we are struggling, or we can accept the love and grace of God, and of people who are there to help us. 

   We can avoid or ridicule those who are broken, or we can extend to them the kind of acceptance and understanding that we will undoubtedly need ourselves someday.  

   I would love to rescue the house on the island and provide it with running water and the necessities to make it a home again, but it may be too late for anyone to salvage it. It is never too late to live my life honestly and without hypocrisy, and to extend kindness and love to those in need. 

Lessons from Nature: Enjoy Life

Common Mergansers hanging out on the dock- I love their hairdos!

   The quintessential Canadian summer cottage holiday must involve some story material that includes enduring minor hardships. We experienced rain, a few mosquitoes (I forgot the bug spray!), a "right here" thunderstorm and lightning strike, a power outage, a mouse and some cabin spiders, Two nights were so cold in the unheated cabin that I wore a coat and socks to bed. For two days I wore three shirts, a fleece hoodie and 2 windbreakers in 10 C temperatures. Then the weather got warm again. We had good mattresses, a roof that didn't leak, a stove, fridge, microwave, indoor plumbing and a shower of sorts. (That is another story). In my opinion, it was a 5 star experience compared to camping in a tent.  

   Each morning and evening, the birds, who also endured cold temperatures, wind, rain, mosquitoes and more, serenaded us with matin and vesper songs. A few, who were not busy with nesting activities, sang all day long. 

L-R, top-bottom: Singing Am. Redstart(f), Yellow Warbler(m), Indigo Bunting, Sandhill Cranes

   After one rain storm I saw a very wet and bedraggled sparrow singing its heart out. It was so fuzzy it was impossible to see its field markings, but it sang a Song Sparrow tune.

Singing in the rain

Molly chilling in the golf cart

An old dog named Molly lived somewhere up the road. She appeared each time I sat on the deck with a book and hot drink. She was never intrusive, nor did she beg for food. She was just present. 

Solomon, in his end-of-life wisdom says in Ecclesiastes 3:12-13,

I know that there is nothing

 better for people 

than to be happy and to do good 

while they live. 

That each of them may eat and drink, 

and find satisfaction in all their toil—

this is the gift of God.

Life is not perfect, for a bird, a dog, or for most people. But we need not waste energy worrying about tomorrow. It is enough to live one day at a time with joy and contentment. 

Lessons from Nature: Sharing and Caring

Sandhill Cranes are plentiful on Manitoulin Island and can be found easily at any time of day. White-tailed deer are also common, but are most active in the evening. I was walking up a hill and came upon this deer grazing with a couple of cranes. Someone has a deed to this land, but in truth, it is home to a large number of wild creatures. Most landowners along the road had "No Hunting" signs up and people seemed happy co-habitating with other species. At the northern entry to Manitoulin Island I saw a sign that said,

 

"The deer isn't crossing the road, the road is crossing the forest."

As I watched a group of deer cross the road at a swamp, I took this picture and modified the quote. We look at roads as our human territory and right of way, but perhaps we need to look at our man-made structures from the perspective of wild creatures.

It has been five years since we last had a July vacation here. I did bird counts every year between 2006 and 2016. This year, it was worrisome to see that there were fewer birds, with some species seen commonly in the past completely absent. Gone were the Black, Common and Caspian Terns, Eastern Bluebirds, Finches, Green and Black-crowned Night Herons, as well as some of the more common Warblers. Perhaps this week was a fluke, but bird numbers are decreasing around the world. It is widely reported that nearly three billion breeding adult birds have disappeared in North America in the past 50 years. (Cornell) Habitat loss, pesticide use, plastic waste, window strikes, (especially in large cities during migration), are major factors in the decline. 

There was an over-abundance of Crows, Common Grackles, and Double-crested Cormorants. Lake Manitou was almost devoid of birds except for Herring Gulls and Cormorants. Some species like Bald Eagles are making a comeback which was good to see, but the balance of nature seemed off. In six days, I positively identified 63 bird species, mainly along the sideroad where the camp was located. A skilled birder could have found more birds by sound and would have identified more sparrows and warblers, but the totals would still be fairly modest.

The more we observe nature and the creatures that share the earth with us, the more we will care for them. The natural world is not something to conquer, rather, it demands respect and responsible stewardship.

DC Cormorant Nesting Colony- Lake Manitou

Bird List 2021- Eastern Manitoulin Island- July 3-9

Common Loon (4)                                                    Red-eyed Vireo (2)

Great Blue Heron (1)                                                Warbling Vireo (1)

Canada Goose (10)                                                   Common Raven (6)

Mallard Duck (1)                                                      American Crow (many)

American Black Duck (3)                                         Barn Swallow (10+)

Common Merganser (15)                                          Black-capped Chickadee (2 plus birds in nest)

Common Goldeneye (3)                                            Red-breasted Nuthatch (2)

Wood Duck (2)                                                          White-breasted Nuthatch (2)

Double-crested Cormorant (many)

Turkey Vulture (10+)                                                House Wren (4+)

Broad-winged Hawk (1)                                           American Robin (2)

Bald Eagle (3)                                                           Veery (6) -their song is the best!

American Kestrel (3)                                                 Gray Catbird (8)

Sandhill Crane (many)                                              Brown Thrasher (2)

Spotted Sandpiper (3)                                                Euopean Starling (many)

Herring Gull (many)                                                 Cedar Waxwing (20)

Ring-billed Gull (3)                                                  Yellow Warbler (many)

                                                                                  Myrtle Warbler (4)

Mourning Dove (1)                                                   American Redstart (8)                                     

Rock Pigeon (20)                                                      Common Yellowthroat (4)

                                                                                  Black-and-white Warbler (1)

Belted Kingfisher (1)                                                Northern Waterthrush (1)

       

Red-headed Woodpecker (2)                                     Northern Cardinal (1)- South Baymouth

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1)                                    Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1)

Hairy Woodpecker (4)                                               Indigo Bunting (2)

Downy Woodpecker (4)                                            Song Sparrow (many)

Northern Flicker (6)                                                  Savannah Sparrow (1)

Pileated Woodpecker (4)                                           Lincoln Sparrow (4)

                                                                                   

Eastern Wood Peewee (1)                                          Bobolink (2)

Least Flycatcher (1)                                                   Brown-headed Cowbird (6)

Eastern Phoebe (2)                                                     Red-winged Blackbird (many)

Great-crested Flycatcher (1)                                      Common Grackle (many)

Eastern Kingbird (4 adults)                                        Baltimore Oriole (2)

Backlit Turkey Vultures

Lessons from Nature: Life Can Be Unfair

  Warblers are tiny birds weighing in at about 6 grams for an American Redstart, to about 16 grams for a Northern Waterthrush, both of them species I found around the camp on Manitoulin Island. In the tree in front of our cabin, a Black and White Warbler flitted about, often descending the tree trunk like a nuthatch. I noticed that the Black and White Warbler was feeding a juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird that was almost four times it size. 

   Brown-headed Cowbirds are brood parasitic passerines. They never make a nest, nor do they incubate or feed their young. The female lays an egg in the nest of another bird, often that of a tiny warbler. It is opportunistic and is not picky about the nest it chooses to invade. The adult Cowbirds watches the host nest and if the host bird tries to destroy the Cowbird egg, the Cowbird will destroy the host's eggs in return. This is unacceptable behaviour on every level, yet it is a native bird and is one of several brood parasite passerines found around the world. The Black and White Warbler worked constantly to feed the large Cowbird fledgling and I never saw any young Black and White Warblers around at all. 

   This is just a small representation of the injustice found in the world. How do we address unfairness, inequity, particularily the ill-treatment of children and youth?

   In nearby Manitowaning, the Assiginack Museum documents life in this settler community, the oldest European community on Manitoulin Island, established in 1836. Across Manitowaning Bay is the present-day Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory. 

Assiginack Museum, Manitowaning

   In front of the museum this year was a group of childrens' shoes, representing the deaths of Indigenous children in residential schools across Canada between 1828 and 1997. While the horrors of these schools were investigated between 2008 and 2015 by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, the recent discoveries of unnamed bodies in unmarked graves around the old residential schools has shocked the nation again. The generational traumas experienced by survivors and their families continue to this day. One of the books I read while on vacation was Five Little Indians by Michelle Good. It was painful but important book to read. I cannot even imagine how I could have coped if my children had been forcibly removed from my care when they were young.  

   The Government of Canada, as well as the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches who ran the schools, have much to account for. As I watched the Black and White Warbler, I admired its diligent care of the interloping fledgling that belonged to a bird of another species. There are many kind and compassionate humans who would act in the same way, but sadly, kindness is not a consistent human trait.    

   Life is not always fair. We must do what we can as individuals, communities and nations to seek justice for those who are vulnerable, abandoned and traumatized due to racial, economic and sociological inequities. 

Lessons from Nature: Expect the Unexpected!

Red-headed Woodpecker, Manitoulin Island

   Most days I walked the length of Irish Line at least twice, but sometimes I took a golf cart if rain seemed imminent or if I wanted to use the cart as a blind. I was determined to find Eastern Bluebirds and sat quietly one morning in the cart beside a meadow where they have been in the past. I didn't see much bird activity at all and did not even have my camera out of the case. Suddenly, a flash of red flew by and a Red-headed Woodpecker landed on a fence post about 30 metres away from me. I don't think I would have been more surprised if an "angel of the Lord" had appeared in front of me!

The Cornell Lab's site All About Birds shares this information on Red-headed Woodpeckers.

"Red-headed Woodpeckers declined by over 2% per year from 1966 to 2014, resulting in a cumulative decline of 70%, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 1.2 million, with 99% spending part of the year in the U.S., and 1% in Canada. The species rates a 13 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score."

   Red-headed Woodpeckers are exceedingly rare in Ontario and I have found only one at Pelee National Park during spring migration. I was guided to another nesting pair a few years ago by other birders, but would never have found them on my own. To have one land so close and unexpectedly was the highlight of my week. I returned several times to observe the pair who appeared to be nesting in an old stump on private property. I never did see a Bluebird.

Pileated Woodpecker (m)

   Woodpeckers were plentiful on the one kilometer stretch near the camp. Northern Flickers were most common, along with Downy Woodpeckers and Hairy Woodpeckers. I found a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and a few Pileated Woodpeckers as well. 

Hairy Woodpecker

   

Downy Woodpeckers and Hairy Woodpeckers look much the same and can be confusing to identify. The Hairy Woodpecker is 50% larger and also has a longer beak, but their colouring is almost identical. I found both birds in one tree but could not get a picture in the same frame.

Northern Flicker

  

   Northern Flickers are crazily beautiful, mixing patterns;- polka dots, stripes, a necktie and red cap- with flourish. They will forage in lawns and roadsides and do not feed strictly in "woodpecker" fashion. Flickers are common in suburban neighbourhoods, and their call is very distinctive. I have seen them feeding in our lawn with a flock of robins while looking very inconspicuous. 

   I have seen all but one of the woodpeckers of Southern Ontario. I am still looking for a Black-backed Woodpecker, a non-migratory bird of boreal forests and previous burned woodlands. Perhaps I will come across it inadvertently one of these days.  

Lessons from Nature: Face Your Fears

Most of the passerines I found on Manitoulin Island last week were busy raising their young. Some birds were still feeding hatchlings in the nest, others were feeding fledglings on branches, while other birds, like Sandhill Cranes and Common Mergansers, had young birds at their side who were able to feed themselves. There were large numbers of American Crows and at least three pair of Common Ravens in the area around the camp. During a "sit-spot", I watched a small bird chasing a raven high overhead. The raven was making a big, croaking racket, but the little bird pursued the predator relentlessly. 

At the entrance to the camp, a pair of Eastern Kingbirds attended a nest high in a nearby tree. On our last day there, the young birds fledged from the nest. I watched one of them as it sat immobile on a lower branch. It opened its wings a few times but was unable to lift upwards. One parent kept a very close watch, and even blessed me with a squirt of excrement that landed on my pants and shoes. The fledglings were very vulnerable, but the parents were fearlessly and aggressively protective. The size of the perceived threat, whether it was a raven, vulture or human as myself, did not intimidate the adult bird. 

In the poetry of Job 12:7-13, Job replies to Zophar,

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,

    or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;

or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,

    or let the fish in the sea inform you.

Which of all these does not know

    that the hand of the Lord has done this?

In his hand is the life of every creature

    and the breath of all mankind.

Does not the ear test words

    as the tongue tastes food? 

Is not wisdom found among the aged?

    Does not long life bring understanding?

“To God belong wisdom and power;

    counsel and understanding are his.”

In the end, the raven left the area, conceding defeat to a bird that was a fraction of its size. The little bird did not sit passively waiting for a deliverer, but tackled the aggressor confidently. And I was left thinking about the importance of facing future uncertainties and fears head on, with action and with courage. 

Fear can be protective or it can be paralyzing. It is important to recognize when fear is preventing us from moving ahead and achieving our goals. 

Disconnected

Bass Creek, Manitoulin Island

 ...The dream of my life

Is to lie down by a slow river

And stare at the light in the trees-

To learn something by being nothing

A little while but the rich lens of attention.

Excerpt from the poem Entering the Kingdom by Mary Oliver

in her book Devotions

    We are home from our week of vacation on Manitoulin Island. On our second day there, severe late afternoon thunderstorms rolled over the island. A bolt of lightning hit our cabin, which had a metal roof, knocking out the power, and literally melting the wifi line and modem that provided internet to the camp. Power was restored quickly as the surge protectors and fuse switches worked well, but the internet, which was through the telephone line, was still out when we left. I buy enough data on my cell phone for emergencies only, and that was enough to stream radio coverage of the last two games of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The rest of the week we checked emails briefly in the morning, and then lived offline, just like we did for most of our lives.    

    I did not realize how much of a break I needed from news and constant connectivity. We were the only people at the camp and there was plenty of time to relax, read and reflect. The world of COVID-19 was almost forgotten. 

   Nature has much to teach us if we take the time to learn her ways. It has been a long time since I did "sit-spotting", where you stay in one place for 15 minutes or more and record your observations. We miss so much when we are constantly giving attention to our technological devices and listening to "whatever" in our headphones. It is a luxury to have time and space to be nothing at all. 

   The storm, while terrifying at the time, allowed us the welcome opportunity to disconnect. Repairs will take some time. The owner of the camp notified the people coming next week that there would be no internet as advertised. He told us that the parents were delighted that their children would be forced off line for a few days. I hope they adjust and enjoy their week as much as we did ours!

Good holiday reading!

Lincoln Sparrow and More

Lincoln Sparrow looking golden in the early morning sunlight

My husband and I are spending a week on Manitoulin Island, an extension of the Niagara Escarpment that is near the north shore of Lake Huron, Ontario. We took the ferry from Tobermory yesterday afternoon and the weather has been superb. We have been here many times in the past 15 years, staying at a very rustic fishing camp where Bass Creek flows into Lake Manitou. It is very quiet and peaceful and I had two naps already today! It is just what I needed. 

I was up shortly after 5 AM (as usual), awakened by an unfamiliar bird song outside the window of the cabin. It sounded like a sparrow but it was still too dark to see what was singing. I ventured out a few minutes later and started my bird count for the week. Sandhill Cranes were rattling noisily across the road in a farm field. As the sun rose, I could see familiar birds for the area, but I also found a sparrow I had never identified before. Fortunately I was able to get a few good ID photos.

Lincoln Sparrows are secretive birds that have ground nests in thickets. They migrate through our home area, but breed further north. July birding is excellent on Manitoulin Island and many species of migratory birds are breeding at this time. They are easy to see as they forage for food for their nestlings. I listened to the recorded call of the Lincoln Sparrow and it was the call that woke me up this morning.

There are an excessive number of Common Grackles around and I felt like I was in Alfred Hichcock's movie The Birds at one point this morning. Fortunately, they are not aggressive toward humans as they are in the fictional horror story! There is one bird that is not a Grackle in the photo below, and it is a beautiful bird that is common here. Can you find the Northern Flicker?

By 10 AM this morning I had identified 28 species in the area around the camp. I hope to add to that count each day this week and I explore different habitats around the creek, meadows, and the lake by boat. 

Sandhill Crane, Yellow Warbler, E. Phoebe, American Kestrel, Herring Gulls
Bobolink (m), N. Flicker, Cedar Waxwing, Brown Thrasher, Song Sparrow

View from our cabin- Lake Manitou

Happy Birthday Dad...

Dad, with the love of his life- Cape of Good Hope 1961

Dad was born 89 years ago, on July 1, 1932. He lived life with high ideals and a sense of calling and adventure. As a child, I never realized how very young my parents were when they started a family. They had five children by the age of 32, in a time of great social change. I wish I understood my dad when I was younger as well as I understand him now. He lived in the present, set goals for the future, but seldom reflected on the past. 

Dad had a keen interest in science and technology. He always had a good SLR camera and our lives were well documented. He also took movies on 8mm film when we lived in South Africa and we loved watching family movies at home in the evening. Dad bought his first Apple computer when they still used floppy disks and he bought our family a computer in 1991, insisting that I learn to use it. 

Dad with his sisters and me in 1976, and Dad at our home on his 2nd last visit to Canada

Mom and Dad moved to Mexico with my three youngest brothers in 1976. They visited Canada yearly until 2009 when Mom became ill with cancer. After she died in 2013, Dad visited us once more, later that year. Mom and Dad were really indivisible and he struggled in the six years he lived after her death. I was able to visit him several times in his last years in Mexico where he lived with my brother, Philip and his family.

Bible story time- 1966

Dad loved his family dearly and was very fond of his sisters. He lives on in all of his children, and his love of travel, his love for God and passion for the gospel has been passed down through the generations that have followed him. 

Five children, 14 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren and counting...

We remember you with love.