The first snow seemed to arrive early this year. We found a little at Ross Farm in mid-November and then enough fell in Mahone Bay on November 27 to make some straggly snowmen. (Exactly one month before the first snowfall of 2015.) The first real snowstorm blew in on Monday December 12. Surprisingly school wasn’t … Continue reading
On January 1 we took part in a bird count in Mahone Bay with Kevin, an experienced birder from the Valley. He recommended a movie called “The Big Year” with Owen Wilson and Steve Martin which we watched that night. The kids weren’t interested in watching with us, but it was so good that I … Continue reading
First peep: April 5!! This is a day earlier than last year’s record. The temperatures have been around 8 to 10° C for the last few days with plenty of sun (but dropping to frosty temps overnight). Although we did have a whacky spring squall (and a snow day off school!) on April 4. I heard … Continue reading
First peep: April 6!! This is the earliest date yet for the peepers in our back yard — what’s more, friends have been hearing them along the Fauxburg Rd and in the Valley for more than a week already. Today’s temperature reached +13° C and that came after a very wet few days — perfect … Continue reading
We spent Thanksgiving near Parrsboro at the Tidal River Cottages — primarily so we could explore a new stretch of the Bay of Fundy and visit the Fundy Geological Museum which is home to the world’s smallest dinosaur footprints (photo below shows the tracks on display in the museum). These were found at Wasson Bluff … Continue reading
With COVID restricting travel throughout most of 2020, we stayed within Nova Scotia for our summer hols. We explored Wentzell Woods almost daily in May and June as lock-down continued. At the end of June we booked a weekend in North Cabin at Milford House (made friends with a flying squirrel who was sharing Lily’s … Continue reading
At the beginning of April we downloaded the iNaturalist app on my phone and have been slowly but steadily uploading our nature observations. (The website is much easier to browse through: iNaturalist.ca) So far, we’ve uploaded 57 plants and animals. Our “finds” include salamanders and spiders, lichen and fungi, trees and shrubs, beetles and bees… … Continue reading
During COVID-19 lockdown we’ve spotted more bird nests in the garden than at any time in the previous 10 years. Here they are — in order of discovery (all spotted within a month from mid-April to mid-May, 2020): Cardinal nest on the way into the wood was the first nest of the year. She laid … Continue reading
We’ve had a mild, sunny few weeks (give or take a few showery days) and we listened for peepers for a few nights before we heard them on April 13: a very average date for the last 10 years after a pretty middle-of-the-road winter. I need to do some more research on average daily temperature … Continue reading
March 22, 2020: The world has been rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic and we’ve been in quarantine for a week since Matt came home from a work trip overseas. Today the premier announced all provincial parks and all beaches are now closed and people will be fined $1000 for violating the social distancing laws. We … Continue reading
It’s only February 23 but temperatures are close to 10° C today and the sun is shining. The robins were out in full force yesterday — around 15 of them — grazing on the lawn. And today we watched a pair of nuthatches on the suet bird feeder outside the kitchen window. It feels like … Continue reading
witches whiskers 