David Hawke is a naturalist who is well known for his outdoor writing and photography. David has worked for several agencies and organizations around Lake Simcoe. In his weekly blog, he shares his observations and insights related to our local natural environment.
By David Hawke -- Breakfast is usually shared with my grandson, 11-year old Toby, who wanders over from the farmhouse just across the yard.
By David Hawke -- As the Grade 6 class followed me along the winding path down to the edge of the marsh we gave the appearance of a medieval troop of wood gnomes off on a quest. We were in search of dragons and damsels, predators and prey, things hidden and hiding. Long-handled dip nets bristled forth from every other student while collecting bowls were handled by those in between like careless shields. Excitement, some of it nervous, was in the air.
By David Hawke -- It's hot when I get out of the car. Very hot. Wickedly hot.
The third of a three-part series by David Hawke concerning invasive species.
By David Hawke -- The first wave our attack on the invaders has begun! They will not survive! They will not expand their range! They will not get by us!
By David Hawke -- The gypsies are back in town!
By David Hawke -- Road kills. We see them all the time, lying on the pavement, sometimes surrounded by fresh gore, other times well-cooked from a few days in the hot sun. These animals, who never made it to the other side, are part of a motorist's daily life -- usually we just see them, occasionally we cause them.
By David Hawke -- This is an awkward time of year for one who professes to be a naturalist. The spring flowers are pretty well over, the song birds have stopped most of their singing and the woods are now dark and deep in shadows. Not that any of that is a bad thing, it just that the excitement of spring has slipped away and the lazy summer days haven’t quite arrived.
By David Hawke -- You can tell that we humans are hard-wired with the need to survive.
By David Hawke -- If you were to chart the highs and lows of excitement for birdwatchers you would see a high peak in late March when the waterfowl migrate northwards, the ducks, geese and swans following the edge of melting ice as the lakes open up.
By David Hawke -- There have been reports coming in of “unauthorized construction” appearing in many yards this spring: heaps of soil and haphazard tunneling have shown up regularly since the snow cover melted away. All good evidence that moles have been ‘busy as beavers’ helping you maintain a beautiful lawn. However, their messy habit of leaving soil debris may not fit with your vision of a manicured grassland.
Hello to all the dear readers of my stories,
By David Hawke -- It may have just been the way the cool breeze swept over them, but I think I saw a patch of white trilliums shivering. Heavy in bud, not yet open, waiting, waiting… when will it be warm enough to burst open into radiant bloom? I mean, really, what’s up with the weather this spring?
By David Hawke -- There are those who say that we humans are a part of nature, and those who say that we are separate, indeed above, nature.
By David Hawke -- With temperatures sneaking up past the freezing point, the frog he would a wooing go. Although the cool temperatures of late have delayed some aspects of spring, the amorous frogs have been jostling for position in the icy waters.
By David Hawke -- With the melting of the winter’s snow comes an important time in the life of a white-tailed deer… social distancing! For the past four months, all the deer in the area have been clustered together in a deer yard, and now it’s time for spring break!
By David Hawke -- While anthropomorphism is a honkin' big word, it describes something we do, probably every day. Have you ever looked at an animal and said that "it looks like it’s hungry" or "it must be lonesome" or "it acts angry"? The transfer of a human emotion onto an animal is an anthropomorphic act.
By David Hawke -- To enjoy another day of ‘social distancing,’ I took a wander through our tree farm to inspect for winter damage and assess what work may lay ahead in regards to pruning. The snow had been dropping steadily and the remaining patches were still sturdy enough to walk on without snowshoes. The freeze-thaw cycles of March were chipping away at winter in a delightfully steady fashion.
By David Hawke -- It is now well into March so I assume that you know what that means… it’s rabbit dancing season! The term ‘mad as a March hare’ was coined to describe the courtship antics of both rabbits and hares, at least for the male members of the species.
By David Hawke -- In the coming week, if you watch the 6pm news or, if you’re still young enough to stay up, the 11pm news, I predict that one of the top stories you’ll see has to do with, not the lack of toilet paper, but the abundance of water. Spring floods are upon us once again, and the TV reporters are digging out their hip waders and will soon be seen out standing in the field as they document the spring freshet.
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