MACOUN MARSH UPDATE

As the season of winter in Ottawa, Canada approaches, the morning meadows are white with frost.  Migratory birds and butterflies are anxious to relocate south to warmer climates.  Trees have almost completely lost their leaves.  The one exception is the oaks.  A few strong plants have continued to flower like the creeping bellflower.  Amphibians and reptiles are hard to find now.  The one exception is the common gartersnake.  They love to find a warm corner in direct sunlight.  They can even be encouraged to visit a warm hand and wrap up in your fingers! 

The chickadees continue to embrace the cold.  They actually seem to like the cold.  They are excellent at finding food and can be so amazingly bold in doing so.  If you are alone in the woods here, they will fight for the right to feed from your hand!  Robins are actively feeding from trees laden with berries.  At times they seem drunk from the fruit. 

Insects are becoming rare to the eye.  Water insects continue to be active under thin sheets of ice.  A few short-horned grasshoppers jump out of the vegetation as the heat of the day builds up.  It is really a very peaceful time of year to connect with nature.  Mike L.