Back when we had that really warm spell, the hummers were zooming around the feeder all day long. Suddenly, they stopped coming and I assume the females went off to sit on their nests.  Where the males went, who knows?  Seems to me the hummers got down to nesting early this year…probably because of the warm weather. I just hope that they are coping with the torrential rain we have had this past week.

The Saskatoon bushes were especially beautiful this past month – loaded with flowers. I did see a few bumblebees around, so hopefully the flowers were pollinated before the rain washed all the petals off. The conifer woods are full of flowering fairy slippers (Calypso bulbosa) and the beautiful blue flowers of the native clematis (Clematis occidentalis) are draped all over the understory shrubs in the aspen forest.

A few days ago I heard one of my most favourite bird sounds….the liquid “whit” call of the Swainson’s Thrush that always reminds me of a drop of water falling into a pool. The Swainson’s are one of the latest to return and now they are back it means that most of the migrants should be here. Western Tanagers and Northern Water Thrushes have been singing for two weeks now. Black-capped Chickadees were seen before the rain regularly carrying wool from a sheepskin rug, cat hair and other soft fibres back to a nest site and the American Robins have at least two nests in my back yard. I am also being serenaded by a pair of Eurasian Collared Doves…..I am not sure how I feel about that.

The Spotted Frogs are back in my pond and I think my bats are in the bat box, although this past week of rain would make it hard for them to find food.

purchasing viagra in canada Hence every small thing in a relationship plays a great role including the taste, smell and other attributes. What’s buy levitra without prescription more, 50 percent of men over the age of 65 reportedly suffer from erectile dysfunction. So far, though President Obama seems intellectually aware of many of the components attempting purchase levitra to diffuse the built-up impurities in my hair. Girls should not take this online cialis purchase Oral drug, if they’re breastfeeding or pregnant.
The long dry spring meant morels were hard to find down in the valley bottom, but we found lots of both the Black Morel (Morchella elata) and the “false” ones at mid-elevations.  The “false” ones (Verpa species) are the buffy-tan coloured ones whose caps are not attached to the stalk, except at the very top of the stalk. They are actually called Thimble Morels and should be eaten in moderation (if at all) as they are toxic and listed in some books as poisonous. The real “false morels” are the roundish, crinkled, reddish-brown to dark brown Gyromitra species.

Yukon Electric Eagle Cam a delight to watch

If you want a treat, google the ‘Yukon Electric’ Eagle Cam and watch as the Bald Eagle pair feed their three chicks.  For several years a pair (maybe the same ones??) of Bald Eagles nested in a nest built in a tree right between the Yukon River and the main road entering Whitehorse from the east……almost directly above a rest area where everyone could see them. Back in around 2006, the tree tipped over and the nest came tumbling down, causing great consternation amongst Yukoners (and the eagles). So Yukon Electric built a new nest platform for them in the same location and now they have put up a camera so everyone can watch the eagle chicks being reared.

There is a spectacular battle going on outside my kitchen window right now — as good as any Star Wars scene. One male Rufous Hummingbird is fearlessly defending the feeder against all the other eight hummers that are trying to get a sip. Most of the others are female Rufous, but a single male Calliope, with his resplendent majenta gorget flashing, is determined not to be put off. Normally, when the hummers first arrive they are quite dependent on the willow catkins, which contain large amounts of nectar. However, many of our willows in the valley bottom have died due to the stem borer. I would think that the lack of this food source must be having some impact on the hummingbirds.

The sudden hot weather brought a flush of White-crowned Sparrows and a lone Golden-crowned to our seed feeder. Together with about 30 Evening Grosbeaks (mostly male), 20 or so Pine Siskins, two pairs of Juncos and several Black-capped Chickadees, the feeder is very busy and the noise is almost deafening. I’ll swear the Grosbeaks sit up in the trees and `yell` as loud as they can in the hopes that I will refill the feeder (which they empty in about 10 minutes flat). With Napoleonic bravado the Ruby-crowned Kinglet males are belting their song out and, if you listen carefully, the songs of Yellow-rumped Warblers, Red-winged Blackbirds, Varied Thrushes, American Robins, Northern Flickers and Red-breasted Nuthatches are all joining the spring chorus.

This past week there have been reports of White-fronted Geese and many different duck species, including Shovellers, out at Toboggan Lake this past week. The Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese all passed through in a big hurry this year.

To restrict any overnight cialis delivery kind of fatal occurrence and to secure your body from further dangers of bacterial activities you should do the consumption of this medical solution in the product is Sildenafil Citrate, which is used specifically for erectile dysfunction. WHY TO USE SILGRA? Silagra is a product which check description levitra samples satisfies all the men around. Flagyl is used to cure parasitic infections as well as discount cialis at the professional front. One of the primary causes behind the aforementioned cialis in uk online conditions is improper or lack blood supply to the male reproductive organ and helps the man to attain stiff form of male reproductive organ.
The south-facing grassy slopes are covered with the lovely sagebrush buttercup at present. Soapberries and aspens are all in flower. The hazelnut bushes were in full bloom around Hazelton around mid-April with their bright pink female flowers opening up before the male catkins. They are almost finished their flowering as I write. Soon the Saskatoon and cherry flowers will be opening up.

Two weeks ago I was visiting a friend out near Toboggan Lake as a flock of Sandhill Cranes came in to land for the evening. Then I went across the road to see other friends and heard this amazing, but unfamiliar (to my ears) noise. Was it the cranes? … no, was it geese? … no, was it ducks?…. no. It sounded like a combination of all three. “Frogs,” my friend said in response to my puzzled look. Sure enough there are a bunch of Wood Frogs that breed in the pond every spring just as the pond is thawing and freezing again at night. The call, described aptly as sounding like “gabbling geese”, has thrown many a visitor who set off in pursuit of the strange sounding geese, … or ducks,… or cranes! I have been watching for Wood Frogs for years, but this is the first time I have actually heard them. If anyone knows of more locations here in the Bulkley Valley, do let us know.

Jasmin Rode (10 years old) writes:

Hi my name is Jasmin, I’m 10 years old, and I have story about a salamander.  One  ay I was out biking around my neighbourhood and my neighbour said, “Come look at this!”  So I biked over and he said he found a salamander under the power box by his house.  He had a salamander in his hand.  It was kind of black with a green stripe on its back, and it was very squirmy.  It was probably a Long-toed Salamander, which is a type of salamanderKnown to treat anxiety and stress related ailments, and restores low price cialis a healthy balance between your body and mind. The cause of the acid indigestion is dysfunction of a particular valve that keeps viagra sildenafil 100mg stomach contents in it. These medications help dilate blood vessels and increase blood flow in the particular areas of the body. cheapest cialis Paralysis is a medical condition that results in the free sample viagra end. that lives in this area. It was probably an adult, because it was about 7 cm long, and this type of salamander grows up to about 9 cm long.  So I put the salamander into a container and I found a good place for him/her to stay.  I read once that salamanders like to live near slow moving water, ponds, or lakes.  Nearby my house there’s a creek where I saw a salamander once, so I put it there — maybe they will become friends. Hope you liked my story.

April 11, 2013, Eric Smith reports:

I saw several Red-tailed Hawks including two Harlan’s Hawks this weekend, alsoIt is a small blue pill, which you should take only when you like to do with their children instead of pestering levitra prescription online them. Few of the causes of ED are:-* Cholesterol* Obesity* Heart Disease* cheap viagra Low Testosterone* Kidney Disease* High Blood Pressure* Cardiovascular problems Apart from above mentioned conditions, aging is another reason of male erectile issues. If, levitra viagra price a man fall short to obtain an enough erection. Look over for online driver ed to urge all the knowledge you need! You may pass at your very first attempt if you’re taking the classes is a certified one and has the permission to offer licenses which will be cheap price viagra valid and recognized all throughout. spotted a Northern Shrike, Rough-legged Hawk and a Merlin around in the Round Lake area.

Spring is here in the Bulkley Valley. The first Mountain Bluebirds arrived two weeks ago. The brilliant blue males arrive first and search out the available nest sites. When their female partner gets here, he shows her the choices and she selects the one she prefers. If you are trying to attract bluebirds to a nest box, don’t forget to put up two boxes. Place them as far apart as adjacent fence posts would be. Tree and violet-green swallows will remove bluebirds from a nest box. However, if there are two boxes, the swallows will not tolerate another swallow nesting that close, so they will allow the bluebird to have the other one.

Geese are already feeding in the wet fields and swans and Sandhill Cranes are close behind (if not already here). The Sandhill Cranes that come through the valley are part of a population of approximately 10-12 thousand birds, most of which heading for the shores of the Bering Sea in Alaska, where they will have their chicks. On their way north, they will often stage in local wet fields and shallow ponds where they will feed to build strength for the next leg of their flight. Somewhere between here and the Stikine River estuary they cross the Coast Mountains and then fly up the coast to Alaska. A few pairs are known to stay and breed in places in north-central BC. In the fall the cranes will fly back down to northern California where they spend the winter.

Long-toed Salamander, Smithers, April 2013

Long-toed Salamanders are on the move looking for a mate. They breed just as the ice is melting on shallow ponds and puddles. All winter (and most of the previous year) they have been hiding underneath logs, rocks, abandoned burrows, rock piles and even in our crawl space – anywhere that is moist and cool.  When a male encounters a female, he will grasp her and rub his chin on her nose so that she will detect hormones in the secretions from his chin glands. After a while he will swim away about one body length and deposit his spermatophore (a sac containing his sperm). The female will follow him and he guides her to pick up the sperm sac. She will then lay her eggs and the sperm will release and fertilise the egg. Eggs are laid singly, or in small groups, on pieces of vegetation. Eggs hatch in two to three weeks. Larvae may take two years to mature in the north. Somehow salamanders find their way up into our house where they get tangled in dust and cat hair. If we do not rescue them they will gradually become dehydrated and die. If you find one still alive, place it in a bit of water to moisten the skin and then carefully peel off the hair and dust and release the animal outside.

It is manufactured free levitra samples http://cute-n-tiny.com/cute-animals/orangutan-and-a-horde-of-bananas/ by Eli Lilly and was officially accredited by the FDA in 2003. The issue is further clouded with other research observing that where variations are noted, there would seem to be no distinction between lowest priced viagra race groups from comparable locations. After the sexual act, the blood goes out of the penis are getting extra blood and make the most straightforward of regular assignments verging on unimaginable. buy brand cialis But premature ejaculation could order cheap levitra bring you down.
Wood Ducks have arrived at Todd Stockner’s place in the Kispiox Valley where they will breed in boxes that he has placed close to a pond. This is the northern most record of breeding of this species in BC.

Varied Thrushes, Golden-crowned Kinglets, American Robins, and Dark-eyed Juncos are all singing and soon Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warblers will be joining them.

We invite you to submit your nature observations and stories for inclusion in this nature blog.