Salamander

Bonasa umbellus - Ruffed Grouse

LOCATION: Canada: Ontario: City of Ottawa (formerly Osgoode Twsp): Wigney farm (front woodland path).
DATE: 03 March 2007 TIME: 0915 hrs.
WEATHER: approx. -1C, sunny.
HABITAT: Poplar, Birch, White Pine, Scotch Pine succession forest.
CREATURE: Bonasa umbellus (Ruffed Grouse).
COUNT: One
LIFE_STAGE: Adult
HOW_CAUGHT: Seen, tracks.
REMARKS: Along forest trail. Sabrina startled a grouse that was hidden at the base of a salix among the dried remnants of fern stalks. It flew out of the bushes and almost crashed into me (I was a few paces behind). It continued its flight, but from the sound, may have landed in the branches of a grove of pines.
PHOTO FILE: of tracks on ground at base of tree — on drive - not posted to the net.
WRITTEN ACCOUNT: here.

Tamiasciurus hudsonicus - Red Squirrel

LOCATION: Canada: Ontario: City of Ottawa (formerly Osgoode Twsp): Wigney farm (front woodland path).
DATE: 28 February 2007 TIME: 0930 hrs.
WEATHER: approx. -6C, sunny.
HABITAT: Rural home and surrounding garden.
CREATURE: Tamiasciurus hudsonicus (Red Squirrel).
COUNT: One
LIFE_STAGE: Adult.
HOW_CAUGHT: Seen, heard.
REMARKS: Seen and heard in basement. While doing laundry, a squirrel — no doubt taken by surprise by the banging of the washing machine lid — shrieked as it leaped from an opening in the insulation batts between the floor joists on the basement ceiling.
PHOTO FILE: none
WRITTEN ACCOUNT: here.

Picoides villosus - Hairy Woodpecker

LOCATION: Canada: Ontario: City of Ottawa (formerly Osgoode Twsp): Wigney farm (front woodland path).
DATE: 01 March 2007 TIME: 1000 hrs.
WEATHER: approx. -7C, sunny, light breeze.
HABITAT: Poplar, Birch, White Pine, Scotch Pine succession forest.
CREATURE: Picoides villosus (Hairy Woodpecker).
COUNT: One
LIFE_STAGE: Adult, male
HOW_CAUGHT: Seen, heard.
REMARKS: Steady tapping could be heard from area in front of the barn. I walked directly to the spot where the woodpecker was tapping (loudly) on a Poplar tree. It continued tapping in this way for approx. 15 minutes (or longer) and could be heard from all parts of the small woodland on the south side of the property.
PHOTO FILE: none
WRITTEN ACCOUNT: here.

Bonasa umbellus - Ruffed Grouse

LOCATION: Canada: Ontario: City of Ottawa (formerly Osgoode Twsp): Wigney farm (front woodland path).
DATE: 27 February 2007 TIME: 1320 hrs.
WEATHER: approx. -2C, sunny, light breeze.
HABITAT: Poplar, Birch, White Pine, Scotch Pine succession forest.
CREATURE: Bonasa umbellus (Ruffed Grouse).
COUNT: One
LIFE_STAGE: Adult
HOW_CAUGHT: Seen, tracks.
REMARKS: Along forest trail. Grouse startled from among the grove of Scotch Pine at southwest corner of woodlot. Wing marks found in fresh snow beneath trees. No foot tracks or snow roost. Bird may have been perched in lower branchs of Scotch Pine and moved to snow before flight.
PHOTO FILE: on drive - not posted to the net.
WRITTEN ACCOUNT: here.

Canis latrans - Coyote

LOCATION: Canada: Ontario: City of Ottawa (formerly Osgoode Twsp): back of Wigney farm.
DATE: 13 February 2007 TIME: 950.
WEATHER: approx. -21C, sunny, light breeze.
HABITAT: Field of Salix and Meadowsweet brush;
CREATURE: Canis latrans (Coyote).
COUNT: One
LIFE_STAGE: Adult
HOW_CAUGHT: tracks, scat.
REMARKS: On a trail that we walk daily, fresh Coyote tracks were seen where we had walked less that 12 hours before. Several segments of scat deposited where the trail passes through a narrow spot between two small trees. Scat was quite large and almost entirely composed of coarse, beige-gray coloured hair that looked to be deer hair.
PHOTO FILE: http://magickcanoe.com/farm/coyote-scat-large.jpg
WRITTEN ACCOUNT: posted to the Eastern Ontario Natural History listserve on Feb. 24, 2007.

Canis latrans - Coyote

LOCATION: Canada: Ontario: City of Ottawa (formerly Osgoode Township); Wigney farm
DATE: 25 January 2007, TIME 2300-2400 hrs.
WEATHER: cold (approx. -18C), clear.
HABITAT: rural yard, spruce and pine plantation, oldfield meadows.
CREATURE: Canis latrans [Coyote]
COUNT: Several
LIFE_STAGE: adults & young
HOW_CAUGHT: heard, audio recording.
REMARKS: prolonged chorus of yipping, barking and howling that lasted approx. 2 minutes (or possibly longer before first noticed). This was followed by a couple of sporadic outbursts over the next 20 or so minutes. A second good chorus began about 30 minutes later, but was interrupted by the approach of a vehicle on the nearby road.
SOUND FILE: URL: http://magickcanoe.com/mammals/coyotes.m4a
WRITTEN ACCOUNT: on Burning Silo.
WRITTEN ACCOUNT: posted to Eastern Ontario Natural History listserve on January 25, 2007

Bonasa umbellus - Ruffed Grouse

LOCATION: Canada: Ontario: City of Ottawa (formerly Osgoode Twsp): back of Wigney farm.
DATE: 13 February 2007 TIME: 940.
WEATHER: approx. -21C, sunny, light breeze.
HABITAT: Birch and Poplar forest.
CREATURE: Bonasa umbellus (Ruffed Grouse).
COUNT: One
LIFE_STAGE: Adult
HOW_CAUGHT: Seen, tracks, scat, photographed.
REMARKS: Along forest trail with approx 20 cm. of light, powder snow on top of firm snow base. One grouse took flight out of snow as Sabrina the Dog, and I, walked by on trail approx. 5 meters from the bird’s refuge. I approached the hole to take a photograph and found tracks circling around to the hole, and a distinct wing mark that must have been made by the grouse as it took flight. Several fresh droppings seen where the bird had been moments before.
PHOTO FILE: http://magickcanoe.com/farm/grouse-snow-roost-large.jpg
WRITTEN ACCOUNT: posted to the Eastern Ontario Natural History listserve on Feb. 24, 2007.