bird list

Please don't read this post.
It is going to be the most boring ever.
It's just going to be a list of birds. I tell myself; it's a more organized way of keeping data. But you know, i don't label things, and when i look for a certain post i know i wrote, i can never find it back. And why keeping data anyway?
It's a sad state of affairs, and i don't even blame it on the weather, which is right about average for what we had from October till April.
It's a good thing i do have lots of things to do today, i didn't do my regular housekeeping yet this morning. I haven't been reading much lately, neither books, newspapers nor blogs. Oh, just poetry and bills.
Ah lucky for me; lots of poems, Thanks. and not many bills.
And then i listen to music more than ever and dance. I am just talking myself out of my own misery, because looking up today, well....
Darn it!
As i listen to the music; "i wouldn't be the fool i am, if i had you...."
What kind of stupid song is that anyway.
Better get on with my list.
Like Sue's, it is kind of; what i am grateful for list.
Blessed as i am, that list is much longer than you see here.

Mendenhall meadows and 911-pond
May 11 2009

Among many more:
4 Trumpeter Swans
lots of Lesser Yellowlegs
lots of Swallows
Mallards
a pair of Northern Shovelers
a pair of Ringnecked Ducks
lots of Canvasbacks
Green-winged Teals
American Wigeons
Scaups
Buffleheads
Gulls
2 glorious, graceful, fast Arctic Terns
And a soaring Redtail Hawk!

"We've only just begun to live,
before the rising sun
we fly......"

Well that's better.

"sharing horizons, that are new to us....."

"and when the evening comes, we smile"

Thanks for music, i dance here, maybe you dance there with me.

??? and oops Ringnecked Duck

Tern

Redtailed Hawk

Looking up

Waking up
snow on the ground
when i look up
there is a group of 5 Grey Jays
a brand new family?
They fly so well
among the faint green
tree tops
I just keep looking up
change thoughts in my head(er)
let go of that last bit of cold in my heart
Because, well
the shorebirds are here
I heard them
already at the lake
now they are right here
in my neighbors backyard


The Lesser Yellowlegs

Silence

Hi, i am back from
retraites de solitude et de silence.(thanks Claude Gosselin,ptre.
Comite francophone catholique Saint-Eugene de Mazenod.
cfcyukon@klondiker.com)
Ah so much to tell after taking so much in, while silent.
It was suggested not to bring a camera, (we were just to bring clothes and toiletries.)
so i have no photos to share.
the scenery totally incredible though!
Kluane
(the cabins we stayed)
When you go to this website, you don't even see a fraction of the beauty of the place. Again I am reminded that the Yukon is still so remote and hardly promoted.
The cabins right on the lake, one of the most beautiful lakes ever, surrounded by giant mountains, The cabins on the beach, gravel and sandy stretches. Right in front of the cabins an alluvial plain, with all it's beauty of water workings through sand and mud. Right beside a million dollar worth historical site, Silver City.
If you are interested in that, i can put you in contact with the history teacher of Vanier high school, (sorry jan? i don't know how to spell your name) He is working on trying to preserve this area, but lacks the funds.

Anyway for the silence; it was very beautiful, not noisy at all, gentle sounds and lots of Love. The love of God within me, surrounding me.
the theme of the weekend;
"Therefore, I will now allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her." Hosea 2,14
You know, i did not know this, among many other things.
I just thank my dear friends Joanne Viellette and Silvie Tremblay, who took this retreat last year, and came back, well; In Love.

As a keeper of Wilderness, i do like to share with you, if i can, the most beautiful sight i encountered this weekend, among many that is.

The lake still mainly frozen, had a crack running through the middle. In the morning the white pushed up ice, would catch the sunlight first.
When you were careful, one could still get onto the lake, finding a spot where the ice had not melted yet along the shore.
Walking on the ice was like walking on a brilliantly white desert, the pushed up ridge calling me,
Carefully, open water in an among the crack, in all colors of blue imaginable, with whites underneath the blue. The water mirroring the great mountains, striped black and white, tender greens and rusty reds and the blue, blue sky.
Caves and arches of ice with pools underneath. Candling ice, thin sheets of new ice.
Among mostly great white chunks, connected through the water, with the great white expanse.
looking into the clear ice of winter, cracked open, soft edges, washed by the water, air bubbles as diamonds frozen within.
And drinking this glorious water, a possible ancient drink, Kluane Lake fed by the Glaciers from the St. Elias range.

Frogs & Flickers

Frogs and Flickers
making a racket
White-crowned Sparrows
singing everywhere
Wood Frogs(May 26)
Not to be seen, just
a cacophony on the edges of a pond
Northern Flickers (May 28)
bright yellow firework
flashing through the trees

My Status secured again
(sigh)
Thank you Canada!
for letting me live
in your beautiful land
safely tucked away
in a Northern corner
eating fermented cranberries
along your trails
still no Spring elixir
still getting lost
among the Birch trees there
thanking
a white raven
for giving me the words
found in your wilderness

ah, and this afternoon
i will enter the silence
wondering how noisy that can be
see you sunday!
Thanks for all your comments:)

not much time

I probably won't be posting again till next Sunday.
The next few days i will be quite busy, straighting
out, something of my own doing :(
And wednesday i will, hopefully having solved my situation,
go on a silent retreat here at beautiful Kluane Lake

sunday, may 2
the white crown sparrows
arrived everywhere
in big numbers
all in the same day

a gossamer wing
light blue
like my father's eyes
fluttered by, normally
not till the end of may

ravens talk you know
a language of their own
maybe more intelligible
than mine, bird brains
candace savage told us

today, monday
meeting beautiful people
while an hour later
problematic paperwork
wasting time for what?

after initial panic
still receiving love
a townsend's solitaire singing
shows its wings of gold
on a hill of purple kisses

late in the day
checking the birch
there's no sap yet
strange sounds in the woods
make me hasten my step

my footprints stain red
in the last snow
handfuls of fermented berries
is that what causes
me giddy with joy

Despite my trouble
only i will be effected
the thunderstorm
coming from the north
almost catches up on me

just a few raindrops
in these
gloriously
hot hot days
i hope i can handle it

staging area

Ah Tara and i started our 8 am walks again, (well that's what i hope Tara, that many follow)
It is still crisp outside, i think it is slightly below freezing, she thinks it's above. But.... it's the start of a hot day. I tell you, this is better then summer! hotter and less mosquitoes.
We walk down the road, and then up crocus hill.
Among the tall dry grass, there is a nice manicured hilly lawn, dotted with crocusesIt's where the gopher lives.

And we see the first Swallow of the season!

Much later that day, (i have been lounging in the sun)
i bike up to the '911-pond', which is my personal pond(almost). I think it is a small staging area, a place where water birds gather on their migration North.
There is one set of human footprints, so it is slowly discovered by other birders.
Walking up, all sort of spring smells are out and definitely the smell of hot summer in the forest.

The pond is totally gorgeous today, blue water sparkling, white snow, many birds, Mallards, Canada Geese, Buffleheads, Green-winged Teals. And the pond shimmering on the distant shore, because of the heat.

Trumpeter Swans (the same pair?) and Barrow's Goldeneye
Bucephala islandica

Northern Pintail
Anas acuta Linnnaeus

My rubberboots filling with water, cooling my feet, trying to get close to the birds.
Which is always a challenge here.
As i sit typing here the male Robin is calling for his female,from the top of a high Spruce tree, he started last night, and was up as early as 7 this morning.

Fairy land

Checking the Birch trees again for sap;
Today i was prepared, and it amazing what a difference that makes.
Tuesday my walk was cumbersome, today
it was like walking through... fairy land.
Well now most snow , just turned water,
and sopping in my boots sloshing through water heavenly.

No sap yet!
I have to check my posts from a year ago, but i just don't seem to have the time.
Sitting here inside now is already a confinement,
but knowing, the sun will be hot till 10 pm (maybe, i have to check that too, i don't wear a watch) i am OK.

Close to my trees i checked the 'moose meadow', full of water and magical, surrounded by willows full of singing birds! and for perfect symphonies; Grouse drumming (their spring...call, again, i heard their drumming first the 28th.))

On the way back i check the drumlin for flowers; crocuses.
From there i go through 'blue china swamp' and that's where the glory starts.
snow turning ice, little rivulets forming, brown mysterious pools among the trees.My snowshoes work very well in the wet swamp.
'moose skull' the ice melted on the edge of the lake, here my snowshoes work well too, to cross that bit of open water.
I come out by 'elfin creek'



Which was running last Tuesday, April 28.


What can i say, i love it, the photos only show so much.
I walked as far as 'fairy falls' them being the highest waterfall of the creek, a 2 meter drop or so, but it didn't come out so nice in the pictures.
I'll be back!

Wednesday morning I met some friends of the fairies and elves.
The Elk.

By the canyon at Blue Kennels, where i will take you one day, promise.

Love you All, i'm off to play in the sun. plus 20 C (sorry i misplaced the conversion table) must be 80!

For (maybe more elves in) a much! greener wetland check, foto's WILLEM OVER LEEFT