We join Thunder Bay kids' climate strike

Thunder Bay students, just like others around the globe, are holding climate action demonstrations on Fridays. They are walking out of school saying there is little reason to plan for the future when there isn't going to be one unless we all take climate action.
So Brenda and I and several of our friends joined their protest today. We found the students' speeches to be profound and their protest signs witty.
They want the City of Thunder Bay to declare a climate emergency and to start taking immediate measures. And they want the provincial and federal governments to do likewise. But they said they recognized the most significant action will come from individuals making wise climate choices.
We signed a petition to be taken to Thunder Bay City Council. A table of volunteers asked us to write about things we have seen that give us hope. I wrote about the photo I took below. The Canadian Tire store on Arthur Street has installed five Tesla EV chargers. That act probably doubled the number of commercial EV chargers in the city.
Another hopeful sign is that one of the Petro-Canada filling stations in town has installed an EV charger as part of the company's plan to build an "Electric Highway" across Canada. The Valhalla Inn in town also has an EV charger. So does the CAA (Canadian Automobile Association) office.
It's happening; businesses are awakening to the change that is coming.
Our next vehicle will be an EV. We will probably use it almost exclusively for commuting to Thunder Bay from Nolalu, at least until the "Electric Highway" of chargers everywhere is completed. But that purchase is going to need to wait until we finish paying for the internal combustion auto we now own. I suspect a whole bunch of people are just like us. In a couple of years there will be a quantum shift to EVs.
That is something that individuals can do.

Canadian Tire on Arthur Street, Thunder Bay

Most-wonderful time of the year is here

It's Butter Tart Season!
If you don't know what a butter tart is, I truly pity you.
Wars have been fought over this tasty snack. Well, that may not be exactly true but let's just say it would make more sense to fight a war for butter tarts than for the usual humdrum reasons. It would be an unusual war, that is for sure: soldiers laying down their weapons and instead eating butter tarts until they finally curl up and fall asleep.

'Sound of the Sasquatch:' I've heard it

The CBC radio program The Current featured a segment last week about a man who has written a book about the Sasquatch.
The book, In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond: In Search of the Sasquatch by John Zada explores how this supernatural creature seems part of many cultures.
Recently a hunter near Sioux Lookout, just east of Red Lake, heard what he took to be a sasquatch and recorded the encounter on his cell phone. Here is the link:

https://youtu.be/wo4VdvjTw3Y

As soon as I listened to this frightening video I recognized I had heard this sound before, just once, up at Red Lake. I would likely also have put the call down to something supernatural because there just didn't seem to be any ordinary creature in the Boreal Forest that could make it. I didn't have a cell phone to record the hideous sound, which was a pity because I don't think most people believed me when I retold the story. I did, however, have the good fortune to actually see the creature make the sound. In fact, I was only about 50 feet away and had an unobstructed view. I also wasn't alone; our son, Josh, saw the whole thing too. We were both in the same canoe.

I did a search for the sound and the creature on YouTube and found it: Here is that link:

https://youtu.be/_cO2UWlff4s
The creature seemed angry and we quickly paddled away.

Spotted Dog Lichen and other finds

Isn't this the most beautiful Spotted Dog Lichen you have ever seen?

It must have been the subdued November sunlight or maybe it was the skiff of snow, whatever, but if I do say so myself, these are some of the finest obscure nature photos I have ever taken!

Club Moss, aka Running Pine, aka Wolf's Claw Clubmoss

 The spores of Club Moss were once used as camera flash powder.

White Cedar boll

Possible animal den, fisher size.




Redbanded Polypore

Spot on cedar is Common Greenshield lichen

Rock Polypody

Whitewash Lichen

Clarity on Bushnell Core impressive

Click on photo for larger view

I bought a new trail camera this fall. It is the Bushnell Core.
The definition to its daytime photos is incredible as the shot above proves. Night photos are not as sharp, which is to be expected.
Both of my previous Bushnell Trophy Cams died last year but they were nearly 10 years old and owed me nothing.
It remains to be seen how the Core functions in extreme cold. The Trophy Cams worked even in -40 temperatures.

Where have all the songbirds gone?

Cedar cones are ripe for the taking

This is the question everyone in this area is asking. Bird feeders are all but empty; bird banders are catching about a third of what they normally get and you just don't see any birds.
Virtually everybody has reached the same conclusion: there was such an abundance of natural food produced last summer that the birds are feasting on that. Not only does it keep them from frequenting bird feeders but also delays the birds migration. Why fly South when you've got everything you want right here?
At our feeders we have a few bluejays, Canada jays, chickadees and hairy and downy woodpeckers. That's it.

Mountain ash bent over with berries

What do you call 'stringy stuff" on trees?

There are many tree lichens out there but this book nails the exact one

Boy, do I love these books. The North Woods Naturalist Series books are a must for anyone interested in the outdoors of our region. Published by Kollath+Stensaas of Duluth, Minn., this series of field guides are strictly about Northwestern Ontario, Northern Minnesota, Northern Wisconsin and the north half of Upper P. Michigan.
The guide shown above is Lichens of the North Woods.
Other titles I have are: Amphibians and Reptiles, Orchids, Dragonflies, Spiders, Moths and Caterpillars, Insects, Butterflies, and finally, Ferns and Allies. The full titles are the names just listed followed by "of the North Woods."
Each is written by a regional expert. For instance, Lichens is authored by Joe Walewski, director of Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in Finland, Minn.

The deer rut is in full swing

Deer in these parts seem to wait for snow to start their rut. My trail cameras are seeing lots of activity and scrapes and rubs are showing up everywhere.
The temperature is turning snappy too. I believe the low last night was -16 C and the high today was just -8 C.

Nov. 5, Whitefish Lake mostly frozen

There are still some unfrozen places, like between the islands

Whitefish Lake, just west of Nolalu, was mostly frozen today.  We could see a few open patches.
The temperature hit -10 C at our house today and for the first time never got above freezing.
It has been a cold, wet fall. I would think this is the earliest Whitefish has frozen in recent years.
How thick is the ice in the photo? Probably two inches at the most with lots of thinner spots, even unfrozen places. Certainly not safe for travel, you would think. Despite that there was a set of ATV tracks on the ice running parallel to the shore but perhaps up to 100 feet out. Ooooh!

How to tell balsam fir from spruce

The flat, soft needles of a balsam fir

Spruce needles are like a stiff bottle brush

I often hear Boreal newcomers mistake balsams and spruces. Their basic shape is similar so it's an easy mistake to make.
If you can grasp a branch, you can quickly tell the difference. Balsam firs have soft needles. You have probably had a balsam for a Christmas tree at some point as they are commonly farmed for this purpose. You can hang ornaments on their branches and not prick your hand. Not so with spruces. Their needles are like stiff bottle brushes.
The balsam needles are not only soft but are flat in shape and are arranged on either side of the branch. Spruce needles are four-sided and go all the way around the branch.
Balsam are very aromatic. Spruce have little smell.
There are lots of other differences but this is a good place to start. Just run your hand along the branch.