Photo from Andrew

 

A flutterby, kindness of Andrew. Anyone know what kind it is?

Bob is for the...Critters

Over here, we had many squirrels running around our cottage. And coming up to greet us.  Like...every hour. Since 5 or 6 weeks, not one!

In prior years, there were lots of chipmunks in our rock walls, and in our garden. Lots of babies. This year, not one! None since last fall.

And, lo and behold! Not one mouse since mid-winter. None. And none in our compost bin.  Very rare!

Don't know if it is due to an ermine(s) or a fisher. Doubt that it is a fisher, so close to a residence. A mink would not venture far from the shoreline.  And our resident broadwinged hawk rarely strays from Anne Est.

Anything unusual on your side?

Robert Gaudreau

[Editor's note: Over on this side, can't answer for mice, but plenty of squirrels however far fewer chipmunks. I read in Joseph Graham's column in The Main Street, that heavy rains flooded their burrows and many drowned. I'm sad 😢]

Another Photo from Madeleine

On Aug. 10th, after the rain,...I ventured out in my kayak.  The reflections on the lake, and the mist in the hills were beautiful.  When I landed back at our dock, I turned around and saw the following:

Hunting Information, Fall 2023

A Message From Reid McDougall

Hi everyone – quick update on hunting on Lake Anne Club lands.

The LAC is in the annual process of signing agreements with the hunters of Famous Grouse
Lodge and the hunters of the Shrewsbury Knights for the 2023 fall hunting season. These two
groups are our neighbours and have been hunting on our buffer lands for many years.

We allow the hunting of deer and moose by hunters of both clubs during the bow and rifle season. Lake Anne is in Zone 9 West and the 2023 dates for our zone are as follows:

• September 30 to October 13 (bow season for deer)
• October 7 to October 13  (bow season for moose)
• November 11 to November 26 (rifle season for deer)

We do not permit hunting on LAC lands over Thanksgiving long weekend.

Both hunting clubs do a good job of keeping unaffiliated hunters off our lands and their

presence year after year has been a great partnership for LAC.

Every year the ministry updates the opening and closing dates for hunting season here.

If you have any questions about how the LAC works with hunters, let me know

(reidmcdougall@gmail.com).

Loon shot

 Kindness of Madeleine.

Creepy Critter?

 Bill Hogg found this lovely being, with two others, off his dock. 

So far, the only suggestion, from Andrew, is a fresh water jellyfish. Jerome wants to know how it smells, whether animal or vegetable.

Craspedacusta sowerbii or the peach blossom jellyfish is an invasive species that originated in the Yangtse River. It is now found in lakes around the world. It eats little bitty protozoa. While it does have a sting, the venom is aimed at little bitty protozoa, so it should not harm humans. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craspedacusta_sowerbii]

Somehow, this identification doesn't seem right to your Humble Editor. It looks more like some kind of aquatic worm.

Any brilliant biologist out there with suggestions?

Erratum

 A booboo was made in the post about the tree planting. David did not say he would be planting deciduous saplings. He said their were plenty already in place. Thank you Mother Nature.