A Snowy Ottawa Weekend

07 - 10 December 2018

     We drove to Ottawa on Friday 7 December to spend the weekend with my daughter, Caroline, son-in-law, Andrew, grandson, Will and other grandson, Sam, who has now moved out of the family home but who would be visiting with his girlfriend, Melanie, to have dinner with us on Saturday night.

     We had a perfect drive up to the Nation's Capital, experiencing only a brief delay on the final leg of the journey due to a vehicle collision on the highway. Even that incident cost us only about twenty minutes.

     Caroline prepared a great dinner and we were happy to catch up on each other's lives.

     We awoke on Saturday morning to a classic Ottawa winter weekend, with the early morning temperature registering minus 20°C, with bright sunshine and barely any wind. By mid morning we decided to take the dog (Nallah) for a romp through the woods near to Caroline and Andrew's house in the eastern suburb of Orléans. It was very pleasant indeed and I am not sure who enjoyed it more, us or the dog!

Miriam, Caroline, Andrew

     Nallah is an old dog now, but still with the heart of a pup, and she loves to gambol through the snow. She is truly a faithful companion, always looking back to make sure that her human charges are within view. 

     On Sunday, still experiencing glorious conditions we ventured a little further afield, to Gatineau Park across the Ottawa River in Québec. We had decided to do an approximately 5 km trail at the William Lyon Mackenzie King Estate, managed by the National Capital Commission.

     William Lyon Mackenzie King was Canada's longest serving Prime Minister, heading the government from 1921-26, 1926-30 and 1935-48. He is especially remembered for steering Canada through World War II and for the important role he played as an international statesman dealing with Winston Churchill of Great Britain and Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States.

     

     Mackenzie King was a great lover of nature and the outdoors and spent every summer for almost fifty years on his 231 hectare estate in Gatineau. Upon his death the property was bequeathed to the people of Canada to be enjoyed by them for all time.

     It is a magnificent location with topography characteristic of both the Canadian Shield and the Boreal Forest, a landscape somehow imprinted into the psyche of every Canadian. In many ways it identifies who we are as a northern people.

     Walking through the woods on a crisp winter day in La Belle Province, one cannot help but call to mind that great Québec poet, publisher and songwriter, Gilles Vigneault, who wrote "Mon pays ce n'est pas un pays, c'est l'hiver," a song which has become a sort of unofficial anthem in Québec. 

     For a while I lived in Québec City, Caroline was born there and Sam is now living in Gatineau. We all cherish our association with this beautiful land.

     There is much to learn about the Mackenzie King Estate; buildings have been restored and history abounds. What is the story behind the ruins of this abbey?

     I had neither the time nor the inclination to find out, only wishing to embrace the outdoors, but I vow that I will, and much more too. We live in Waterloo, Ontario and our city has a connection to Mackenzie King, for it is here that one may visit his boyhood home.

     The woods were quiet as we explored their snowy solitude with barely the sound of a bird, sometimes the crunch of our boots in the snow being the only intrusion on the silence of the deep woods.

     The few leaves remaining on the trees, especially the golden foliage of the beech, were the only reminders of the riot of autumnal leaves so recently fallen to the ground and now buried deep beneath the snow.

     

        The deep croak of a Northern Raven (Corvus corax) caused up to look up as it coursed over the treetops. 

Northern Raven (picture from the internet)

     Caroline and Miriam often walked ahead, enjoying their time together in the great winter forest.

      As Andrew and I dawdled along behind, Caroline suddenly spotted an Ermine (Mustela erminea), but it darted away, and even though we could follow it, we were never able to get a picture, so I am relying on the internet to provide you with images of this delightful creature.

     It is a fierce and proficient hunter and when we last caught sight of it had a rodent of some kind in its mouth.

     In former times these animals were trapped mercilessly for their fur which was used to trim the capes of the European aristocracy and its religious élite.

     The chatter of Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) suddenly attracted our attention as we searched in vain for the Ermine which had removed itself from the scene.

      These little charmers are the familiar companions of winter and survive even the harshest of conditions. It always brings great pleasure to enjoy their company.

       This outcrop of granite was barely visible beneath its coat of snow.

  

     The splendour of the forest was visible at very turn.

     Andrew stopped and kneeled down to get the best possible angle for a photograph. Caroline was no doubt offering words of encouragement.

     Nearing the end of the trail we heard the nasal call of a White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) and it did not take long to find a bird. (Pictures from our archives).

     It had been a splendid walk, enjoyed not only by us, but by numerous other outdoor Canadians too, both walkers and cross country skiers. Many were families with young children being introduced to the essence of their country. I think at times we fantasize about living in a climate with year round warm weather, a place where you need never wear a toque or gloves, but I think if push came to shove, we would all confess to being pretty happy where we are.

     Vive Le Canada! Vive Le Québec! Vive La Neige!

Northern Gannet (Fou de bassan) Colony on Île Bonaventure, Québec

     We returned last night from a short trip to Québec (justifiably called La Belle Province) where our main quest was to witness the grand spectacle of the colony of Northern Gannets (Morus bassanus) located on Île Bonaventure just offshore from the easternmost regions of La Gaspésie.

     This bird, surely one of the marquee species of all seabirds, is nothing short of magnificent, and the colony one of nature's awe-inspiring events. The sights, sounds, and yes the smell, are unforgettable. For a bird lover this is an exercise in sensory overload!
     Miriam and I were joined on our trip by Franc, Carol and Judy, and as usual we are counting on Franc for the best selection of pictures, and doubtless Miriam will have many fine images too; in the meantime I hope you will enjoy a few from my less than perfect results. A full report of this trip will be posted within a few days.
     The range of behaviours displayed by Northern Gannets is quite remarkable; from vicious attacks on intruders, to tenderness between pairs. This couple solicitously preened each other with loving care. It is not hard to anthropomorphize about these birds.

     This youngster was alone in a grassy area, perhaps having strayed from its nest. It is certainly not a good idea to roam in so dense a colony, rendering it difficult for devoted parents to locate their young when returning with food.

     In the same manner that adult birds engage in allopreening, great attention is also paid to the young. Whether this is a comfort mechanism or a sanitation practice I am not sure.

     Birds are very densely packed together but as long as each pair keeps to its own small space tranquility reigns.  Any bird straying into the territory of another risks prolonged and serious attack from its owners. 
     This individual has decided that a log is a fine place to perch.

     Conditions in such a crowded colony must at times be difficult and an individual here has somehow collided with a branch, or has in other fashion become entrapped, hanging there in mute reminder that life is sometimes brutish and short.

     As soon as one lifted one's eyes from the immediate concentration of birds practically at one's feet, the size of the colony was once again revealed.

      Headland after headland contained countless thousands of birds from mature adults to recently hatched chicks, and everything in between. In fact one bird was still sitting on an egg. In the picture below you can see a bird on a nest to the right of the bird with its head pointed skyward.

     Below, if you looks carefully, you can actually see the egg, as the sitting adult raised up to turn it.

     This pair seemed bonded by ties as strong as any human attachment.

     Whenever I decided that I had taken enough pictures I set about taking a few more!  Who can resist?

     I do not have a great deal of experience with Northern Gannets, but I am fairly sure this is a third year bird, with strongly marked upper wings and a yellow suffusion starting to appear on the nape.

     Franc, our consummate photographer, will have many fine shots of birds plunge diving into the water, and flying in formation across the waves, taken from the boat as we crossed from the mainland to the island, and I will look forward to sharing those with you, in addition to many other details about our trip.
     À bientôt!