Today in Nature: Some Northern Shovellers Passing Through

November 3rd: As the winter gloom descends, here's something new in the neighbourhood: there's a flock of Northern Shovelers in High Park right now. They are smaller than mallards, and have a cool, wide bill. They use it to strain water so they can suck in plankton, insects and other small life forms. Dozens of them have stopped by on Grenadier Pond before continuing their flight south for the winter.

Shovellers spend a lot of time with their heads
 in the water, spinning in circles.

A Female Northern Shoveller. 

Today in Nature: A Painted Turtle

September 25th: This is one of Ontario's eight species of turtles. It is a Midland Painted Turtle. When it gets cold, it will settle down into the bottom of a pond to nestle into the mud. These turtles have a special kind of antifreeze in their blood so that they can stand temperatures as low as -9C. Being below the ice, they are okay as long as the entire pond doesn't freeze solid. The other way of seeing this is that a Canadian turtle spends about half of its life under the ice, just dreaming of days like today when it can hang out in the sunshine....

 — at High Park.

Today in Nature: Great Egrets and the Audubon Society

September 28th: This is a Great Egret, which has played an important part in the conservation movement. The Audubon Society was created in the late 19th century to protect the Great Egret. Its long head plumes ( only seen during breeding) had become fashionable for ladies' hats, and the bird was on the verge of being hunted to extinction in North America. Efforts to protect the Great Egret led to laws forbidding the shooting of wading birds that migrate, which is one reason we can enjoy their beauty today.

Today in Nature: Deer Food and the Prehistory of Toronto

September 29th: I nearly fell when I walked on these acorns today,  it was like walking on ball bearings. Acorns are inconvenient for us, but deer like their protein for fattening up for winter, and to help males in their head-butting competitions. In the 1780s, just before the city of Toronto ( York) was established, the Mississauga tribe used to travel to the Oak Ridge Moraine to hunt for deer when the acorns dropped in the fall. Skins and smoked deer meat would then come down the Humber River to villages close to Lake Ontario.

Today in Nature: The Turtle with Antifreeze in its veins

A Painted Turtle

September 25th: This is one of Ontario's eight species of turtles. It is a Midland Painted Turtle. When it gets cold, it will settle down into the bottom of a pond to nestle into the mud. These turtles have a special kind of antifreeze in their blood so that they can stand temperatures as low as -9C. Being below the ice, they are okay as long as the entire pond doesn't freeze solid. The other way of seeing this is that a Canadian turtle spends about half of its life under the ice, just dreaming of days like today when it can hang out in the sunshine....

For more pictures and information about turtles, please visit our website at www.torontonature.com.

Today in Nature: An American Goldfinch

September 19th: It took me a while to figure out who this was - I am pretty sure it is an adult female American Goldfinch. Their male mates are a bright yellow. This one was with a flock that was happily harvesting the seeds from these late flowering plants. Goldfinches rely on seeds, so they breed late in the summer, unlike most other birds. Once the breeding is over and the young are ready to fly, they will head south to the U.S. for the winter. I hope they have health insurance....

Today in Nature: The Tool-Using Heron

September 21st: Today was my birthday, and nature gave me a present, by having this wonderful creature fly across my path as I was riding in High Park. Green Herons are the lest common of the herons in Toronto, and are quite small. But they are smart- they are one of the few bird species that have been observed using tools. They sometimes use twigs or bread in the water to lure fish closer.  So, it was a real treat to see this one today. We are surrounded by wonders....

Today in Nature: Tracking Monarch Butterfly Migrations

September 10th: So here is how scientists track the migrations of monarch butterflies. I came across this one in High Park today. The tag is from the University of Kansas, which invites people in North America to affix these tags to the butterflies so their routes can be tracked. I have emailed them with the information, and hopefully they will let us know where this butterfly has been. It is possible it was tagged here. However, it is the right time of year for it to head south for Mexico. If so, this may be one of its last days in our fair city before making its amazing journey southwards. I'll let you know if the University gets back to me about where it was tagged. Cool, eh?

Today in Nature: How Lightning Strikes

A tree hit by lightning

August 11th: A tree in High Park that looks like it was felled by lightning some years ago. Lightning causes any moisture in the tree to boil along the vertical path of the bolt. The result is often explosive, drawing a straight line down one side of the tree, and blowing off the bark. That opening is often fatal to the tree, as bark is like skin - it keeps out parasites, as well as water that can freeze and thaw, weakening the tree. This tree was at the highest point in this part of the park.

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