Columnists

I’m away for a few days, but writer Catherine Labelle has a story she would like to share with you.

Take it away Catherine!

*

An eerie silence creeps into my backyard.  No more calls from the cardinals, and the squirrels have stopped leaping from tree to tree.  Then I hear it, an ear piercing screech as a shadow moves along the pages of my book.  The hawks are back!

Every summer a pair of red-tailed hawks descend upon my neighbourhood. The graceful raptors swoop and soar in the sky, seemingly performing for their many admirers. With the hawks’ arrival, my neighbours fall into a familiar routine – a Jack Russel a few doors down is no longer tied outside, and cats are kept indoors. Personally, I run around with my camera for days trying to catch a snapshot of these magnificent creatures. Last year I narrowly missed one that was perched in full view on a nearby washing pole.

What attracts these birds of prey to my little corner of the world is a bank of 100-foot trees that pass along the edge of my yard.  The hawks rely on these trees and others like them for shelter and a base from which to hunt.  It is not unusual to spot one of the hawks perched on a branch scouring the ground below for squirrels, mice and snakes.

Considering I live in the largest city in Canada, I am extremely fortunate to have such impressive towering giants so close. Let’s face it, cities, particularly large ones, are not generally kind to trees. Each year more and more mature trees in my neighbourhood disappear.  In the spring we lost a 125-year-old tree a few streets over.  Replacements, what few there are, are saplings that will take decades to grow to a decent size.  That is if they survive the city’s smog, changing climate and never ending development. With urban trees facing such challenges, it is a wonder whether we will be seeing hawks in the city for much longer.

Perhaps all is not lost.  Organizations like LEAF, a not-for-profit, are working to restore more tree-cover in urban centres.  Trees Ontario and Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources have joined together in an ambitious greening program. Their goal: plant 50 million trees in southern Ontario within 10 years.

My hope is next summer, the tranquility in my backyard will again be broken.  That once again I will hear the screech and know the hawks have made it back.

Photo copyright Catherine Labelle.

Over the Christmas holidays I enjoyed some wintry walks in the woods. I’m learning that, when trying to identify birds and other wildlife, you don’t have to see them to know they’re around. I’m trying to learn bird calls, although, for now, I couldn’t tell you who’s singing beyond Chickadees, Red-wing Blackbirds, Jays and few others. But animal tracks, evident after a recent snowfall, are another way to see who’s in the neighbourhood.

Here are a few pictures of tracks I took while on one of those Christmas walks, while visiting the Frontenac Arch area. (I kinda think that seeing tracks is one of the best ways to see wildlife. I would rather let habitats be wild, and that means free of human encroachment.)

These are deer tracks. I wasn’t surprised to see them — there is an overpopulation of deer in the area, and, mainly through devouring young trees, the deer have taken a serious toll on the habitat. (And, lovely, their little round poops are everywhere. Ech.)

These are turkey tracks. Yes, wild turkey are living the good life in the Frontenac Arch!

These are coyote tracks. A lot of coyotes inhabit the area, but they aren’t generally aggressive toward people.

Have you enjoyed wildlife… without actually seeing any animals?