The Ongoing Adventures Of Sabrina & Scooter

Date: Thursday July 3
Day: 6
KIlometre: 2148
Location: Sleeping Giant National Park

I got up early today after another cool night (7 deg C) and headed out for Sleeping Giant. On the road out of Pukaskwa I had a good look at a red fox - a beauty in what looked like perfect health. Half an hour later I was treated to the sight of a mature Bald Eagle ascending and then floating along effortlessly on those huge wings. The last few days I have had pretty much zero ability to use my cell phone, but no big deal.

Once I got to Sleeping Giant, I set up camp and did some much overdue laundry, as I had (barely) enough time to do it before setting up for the show. While the washing machine was doing its’ thing, I made a quick dinner. While sitting down to eat, a small deer hobbled onto my site and just stood there and stared at me. Her right front knee was the source of the limp - a previous injury perhaps. Strange, I thought. A dash to the car for the camera did not faze it at all. Hmmm…Ahhhh! Obviously, campers have been feeding the deer and this one was looking for handouts. Not from me! If people only realized how dumb it is to feed wildlife - I spoke about this to a Park official and she said people feed the deer all the time. And the bears too! Yikes - an accident is waiting to happen methinks!

I was hired for this show not by the Park, but by Linda and Charlie from the Friends of Sleeping Giant. They had me do a show here two years ago but circumstances dictated that they could not attend it - and although we did hook-up the day after, they surely were not going to miss it this time! So it was good to see them again and we chatted for a while at the amphitheatre during the setup. A big crowd again, about 250 folks and the show went really well except for some sound system glitches. Lots of help from Park staff Adam, Isaac and crew.

It is a small world indeed - during the after-show melee when folks come down to talk one-to-one with me, a fellow said how did you get your own kids so interested in nature? I gave him a puzzled look and he then stated he was good friends with my son Jesse and his girlfriend Hillary. Jesse and Hillary went to his wedding in Nova Scotia last year!

That night back at camp, a Cecropia moth came flying in and promptly planted itself in my campfire. Too late, nothing I could do but cringe and watch it fry. Later, a gorgeous Luna moth paid me a visit. It too seemed determined to extinguish itself in my campfire so I had to catch it and take it far away into the forest to let it go on its way. The fireflies were out in full force, but were different in behaviour than the low-to-the-ground blinkers found in southern Ontario, as these were high-flyers - up to 30 metres! A northern flying squirrel paid a visit to the campsite too - must be thinking about courting Sabrina! This is not unusual at all - flying squirrels visit my campsite more often than not - they can smell mine and are just curious (and possibly romantic!).

Date: Friday July 4
Day: 7
KIlometre: 2620
Location: Blue Lake Provincial Park

Leaving Sleeping Giant I spotted a Spruce Grouse near the road. The roadside lupines are in full bloom and are everywhere, along with what appears to be orange hawkweed. Just south of Blue Lake I spotted a magpie. Arriving at my campsite, a pair of gray jays made themselves known. A quick swim in the lake after setting up camp was a nice way to refresh before the show. Jake (head Natural Heritage Educator) and Stephi (assistant NHE) came by the campsite to say Hi and make sure we had all our ducks in a row. Jake said 60 percent of Blue Lake’s campers are from the Peg (Winnipeg). A short walk and look-about at licence plates bears this to be true! Apparently, Manitobans like Ontario Parks!Pictured below - Jake, Lisa and Stephi. Lisa and Stephi helped tremendously and ALL IN THEIR FREE TIME! That is dedication and proof they love the Park and what they do for it.

This dialup connection at Blue Lake Provincial Park is killing me!

My next three shows are at Manitoba Parks campgrounds, starting tomorrow at Falcon Lake.

Date: Monday, June 30

Day: 3

Kilometre: 1341

Location: Wakami Provincial Park, Ontario

Today was a “travel day”, so rather than travel up the familiar route on Highway 17 to my next show at Pukaskwa National Park on Canada Day, I decided to check out a provincial park I had not ever been to - Wakami Lake.

The long, twisty drive along a very poorly maintained “highway” was worth it - Wakami Lake proved to be a really nice getaway in the middle of nowhere - no cell service, no electricity even! This meant there would be not hot shower that I so desperately needed, but …. as there were so few campers at the park I had my choice of sites, so I snagged a beautiful site right on the lake. After setting up the tent and getting the squirrels into their digs, I went for a nice cool refreshing swim.

I had heard previous reports that the mosquitos were very bad this year - and I can attest to this fact! Yikes! I avoid using DEET if at all possible - not good for little squirrels - but I had to spray some on my head at one point if I was to stay out of the tent for any length of time. They seem to attack in “waves” - it’s like each species has its own “dinner time”…

And the loons - I was treated to virtual symphony of loon voice during the crepuscular period tonight. This symphony came in three parts, each about 1.5 minutes long, with one loon starting and then loons from various areas of the lake within hearing distance doing their part as the symphony progressed. Awesome end to the day.

A sound sleep and no rain - yet! Off to Pukaskwa tomorrow.

Date: Tuesday, July 1

Day: 4

Kilometre: 1713

Location: Pukaskwa National Park, Ontario

I awoke at 6:30am, snoozed until 6:45 and then rose to break camp and head out. My show at Pukaskwa National Park’s Visitor Centre was set for 3 pm - so I would have time to set up camp and have that long-awaited hot shower before showtime. On the access road to the Park I came across a black bear, slowly ambling along the middle of the opposing lane. I stopped, not wanting to scare the animal and have it run into the car - took a photo, then slowly proceeded to get closer, then honked my horn and it took off to the safety of the bush.

Again, very few folks camping so I had my pick of spots. I arrived at the VC with Sabrina and Scooter in tow. There I met up with Greg Stroud, the Park’s enthusiastic Ecosystem Liason Officer. I also met Muriel of the Friends of Pukaskwa, a real go-getter, and a number of the summer staff, students mostly, including Tam, a student at Carleton University in Ottawa. There was also a contingent of Katimavik (www.katimavik.org) kids who were a great help unloading and loading the vehicle before and after the show. Speaking of which, although the quarters were cramped, there was a great turnout for the show - way more than anyone had anticipated - standing room only! Needless to say, Greg was very happy with the numbers, as was I! Sabrina and Scooter wowed everyone, as per usual. They are, after all, the real stars of the show. I am just a facilitator. The Park has consigned me to give another presentation on my return trip in honour of the Park’s 25th anniversary. This show will be held at the Town of Marathon’s new visitor centre - a larger venue and more accessible.

The Friends of Pukaskwa were very kind to have fed me (a veggie burger) and provide me with enough firewood to keep me warm that night. I was dead-tired and hit the sack fairly early, deciding to watch a movie on my notebook. I was treated to a big thunderstorm not long after - the first real test for my new tent, which passed with flying (gliding?) colours.

Date: Wednesday, July 2

Day: 5

Kilometre: 1713

Location: Pukaskwa National Park, Ontario

A day off today. Did a few short hikes, some birding. Went on a short hike with Greg and Tam - this being Tam’s fourth day at the Park. Tam wanted to learn more about the vegetation for interpretive hikes he was planning so Greg guided him (and me) along a trail and pointed out many of the Park’s interesting lichens, ferns, orchids, and vascular plants. And he not only impressed me with his outstanding knowledge of the flora, but also with his birding skills.

Shown in the picture below - Tam (left) and Greg Stroud (right). 

Greg and I went out for dinner at a local Marathon restaurant, but we were stymied by a rock-blasting operation that had us waiting and waiting on the road, so we turned back and had a breakfast dinner at a highway “greasy spoon” restaurant that was oddly satisfying! We talked about many things both personal and general - a great time was had and I could have spent a lot more time with him - there is so much one can learn from people everywhere! I am in the Park’s Administration building now as I write and send this missive to the blog - soon I am back to my campsite and bed!

The squirrels and I are off to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park in the morning! 

Date: Saturday, June 28

Day: 1

Kilometre: 340

Location: Point Pelee National Park

The first day of the Tour is a busy one indeed. After saying goodbye to my wife at our Streetsville home base in mid-morning (we’ll meet-up in Calgary), the drive to the most southerly point in Canada was stormy at times - replete with ominous clouds belting out copious amounts of rain. This has got to be the wettest June in southern Ontario in a long time - thunderstorms virtually every day!

Point Pelee is fairly familiar to me as in 1999 I helped out (albeit only for one week) with the second census of a re-introduction of the southern flying squirrel to the Park undertaken by then grad student Ian Adams in 1993/1994. The show began at 3 pm and went to about 4:15. Considering the weather was not co-operating, the staff at the Visitor Centre thought the turnout for the show was quite good. This was my first time presenting at the Park, and one thing I can tell you - the theatre desperately needs a thorough upgrade! Poor Jeremy was stuck up in the gondola with my computer, watching me for cues for what to play and when, then turn the notebook in my direction so that my remote control could control the Keynote presentation section. And there was no facility for amplifying my headset mic or guitar. Awkward indeed, but we managed!

I spent a long time talking with Park Superintendent Marion Stranak - she came in specifically to see the show - I was quite honoured! We talked about Parks Canada’s efforts to reduce the double-crested cormorant population on Middle Island and, after much debate, she had me pretty much convinced that what they were doing was the best solution, given the “between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place situation.

Kudos to Bonnie McCutcheon and Jeremy (his third day on the job!) who were a great help with loading and unloading all my presentation gear, with everything remaining relatively dry. Bonnie, acting education head of the Park, is a grad student studying outdoor recreation and parks management, and was quite taken by the squirrels (who isn’t!). Here she is with Sabrina, who liked Bonnie so much she did a shirt-dive for her!

 Bonnie McCutcheon and Sabrina

Date: Saturday, June 28

Day 1 (continued)

Kilometre 812

Location: Bruce Peninsula National Park

I left Point Pelee at 6 pm under clearing skies - knowing I had a long drive ahead of me - and that I would be setting up my new tent for the second time in the dark! With Sabrina in my shirt and Scooter in the travel cage, the drive was uneventful, with the odd patch of rain along the way. I arrived at my reserved campsite at 12:30 am and considered (briefly) just sleeping in the car but decided against it and plugged along with the job of setting up. The sky was clear and, being in a Dark Sky Community, simply sparkling! The squirrels waited patiently in the car (Scooter busily running in his Wodent Wheel) while I somehow managed to get the tent set up (well, sort of - it did look rather odd in the morning light). I put up the squirrel’s tent enclosure, made their breakfast and popped them in. Some heavy-bodied moths were fluttering around my lantern so I grabbed a few and offered them to the squirrels. The moths were, as per usual, grabbed immediately and scarfed down - such good dining fare tonight!

Date: Sunday, June 29

Day 2

Kilometre 841

Location: Bruce Peninsula National Park

The new 7.5 million dollar Visitor Centre at Bruce Peninsula National Park is simply amazing - in sharp contrast to Pelee’s aging facility. I have presented a number of times here at the VC and it is a Presenter’s Heaven, if there were such a thing! I can direct-connect my MacBookPro at the lectern to their 20,000 lumen HD projector. I can adjust the lighting an numerous other settings via a touch-screen interface. Everything at the presenter’s command!

The show was standing-room only! Once again, we had technical issues with sound, as the VC has been having glitches on-and-off with their new installation. Gotta love technology….when it works!

The song was once again very well received, with young and old singing along, and the new live close-up video component was a hit as well. Sabrina and Scooter performed flawlessly, and no pee at all! LOL

Pictured below are some of the great staff of Bruce Peninsula National Park, all of whom helped with the presentation in one way or another (Sean did yeoman work trying to fix the glitches, and Lenore was a wonderful actress in our skits (playing a sick tree with astonishing realism indeed!).

From left to right Lenore, Jason, Meredith, Jenna, Jenelle and Sean.

So we’re off on the Chi Cheemaun ferry tomorrow morning, then Manitoulin Island, then points north along Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. We’ll hit Pukaskwa National Park on Tuesday! Until then…. 

With all the planning and logisitics headaches out of the way, we’re now gearing up for the first leg of our tour of western Canada. We start at Point Pelee National Park on June 28 and end at Bruce Peninsula National Park on August 31. The most westerly show is for the Stanley Park Ecology Society in Vancouver, BC. Our most northerly show is in Grande Prairie, AB.

A schedule denoting all of our general-public shows is available for viewing here.

Camping most of the way, we’ll be travelling over 11,000 kilometres in our trusty Taurus station wagon, taking two round-trip ferry rides, (the Chi Cheemaun ferry in Ontario and a BC Ferry to Vancouver Island), and on our way to Elk Island National Park, we’ll be staying two nights at Banff Springs Hotel for a relaxing treat.Wish us luck and stay tuned for numerous reports from the road!

While I recently wrote about where the squirrels live at home, I thought it best to share the goods on where they live when we are on the road.One thing I am always cognizant of is West Nile Virus (WNV) during the time of year it presents itself here in Canada. WNV, transmitted by mosquitos, may be as fatal to flying squirrels as it is the Corvidae genus of birds, and although it has been suggested that tree squirrels MAY be good indicators of WNV, certainly no direct research has been published on WNV and Glaucomys sp. (Editor’s note - although flying squirrels spend most of their time in the trees, they are not considered tree squirrels per se).Having said this, I will not expose my squirrels to unnecessary risks, so when I travel with them in summer months I use caging that is mosquito-proof.For general car travel, hotel and B & B stays, I use an aluminum metal frame and mesh enclosure for each squirrel (see pic below). I custom-modified plumbing pipes for their nesting area. The whole setup is completely washable and I always carry a repair kit just in case there is a tear in the aluminum mesh. Made for reptile-keepers, these units are mosquito-proof, washable, ventilated and secure. In the car, they are held in place on the back seat by shoulder belts.The partitioned dish is attached to the removable top with exterior-grade double sided tape.  One side for “wet” food (fruit & veggies), one side for “dry” food - (nuts & seeds)

I am just about done building a new enclosure setup for the squirrels when I am camping in a tent - my preferred camping method. Again, exposure to West Nile Virus via mosquito bites must be taken into consideration.

Below are photos of my latest creation - it weighs a mere 3 pounds, builds up or breaks down in 3 minutes, is completely washable/non-rusting and mosquito-proof. The unit stands 6 feet tall, 30 inches wide and 30 inches deep. It is fitted with a custom 1/4″ pegboard “ceiling” that holds two modified to be “quick-release” Stealth running wheels and because of ceiling is made of pegboard, it can hang a variety of toys, hampers or quilted nesting areas. It fits perfectly in any tent that offers “stand up room”.

I am often asked how I house Sabrina and Scooter. The answer is both simple and complicated at the same time! The photo below gives an ideal of their housing, which consists of two walk-in cages, side by side. The farthest cage also occupies what was once a closet. I custom-built the cages so that they are modular in nature, are easily taken apart and easily expanded, should the need arise.There is a 4-inch diameter round ingress/egress hole between the two cages which is wide open most of the year. There are no screws or nails inside the cage, so no worries about injury from sharp objects. Most of the year they sleep huddled together in the same nesting box (they have five to choose from) but there is a certain time of year when Sabrina will not tolerate Scooter’s amorous advances - late May and most of June - so the 4-inch access hole is plugged during that time. I cannot count the tims I have considered having Scooter neutered, but always defer to the risk factor outweighing the inconvenience to Sabrina.

The floor of each cage is lined with industral-grade 3/4″ foam rubber. This makes for easy washing and also presents a soft landing surface for them when playtime gets overly rambunctious! There are currently 6 running wheels (3 Senior and 2 Wobust Wodent Wheels, and 1 Stealth Wheel). Lots of thick rope, shelving, ledges, IKEA hampers, tree branches keep them active and stimulated. The room outside the cage has a “running track” that makes a loop around the entire circumference of the room at about the 7 foot in height mark. This running track is used extensively during their supervised “free-play time”, as are the various human-centric objects in the room like bookcases.

So there you have it!

Sabrina had a busy weekend - on Friday, Sabrina and Scooter performed their yearly show at the Huron Fringe Birding Festival to a full house of naturalists and their families. Sabrina was barely into bed the next morning when she was off to a location shoot in an old-growth forest.

What for, you ask?

Sabrina has appeared in a number of television shows before, and she has been the focus of attention of myriad professional photographers and videographers over the past four years. This time, Sabrina and Steve were hired by the producers of the Discovery Kids’  multi-award-winning TV show “Mystery Hunters” for an upcoming episode asking the question: could reindeer fly? The show will air prior to Xmas 2008 and I will put a firm “air date” on this blog when I get it.

The director, Alain Pichette, flew in from Montreal, while the show’s host (Christina Broccolini) flew in from her home in New York City. The HD cameraperson (Harald) and digital soundperson (Tim) came up from Toronto. For all four it was their first time in Grey and Bruce Counties. Director Alain was most impressed with Sauble Beach and the great expanse of Lake Huron’s clean water.

All work was undertaken in the great outdoors on three properties managed by the awesome folks at Grey Sauble Conservation - Krista McKee (Community Relations) handled the logistics and Chris Hachey (Property Manager) was kind enough to provide on-site support and will likely appear in the episode!

Sabrina was, as per usual, spectacularly patient with the many takes required, and she performed pretty much on-cue when called upon. Sabrina even handled the sometimes intense black fly swarms (certainly something she is not used to) with grace and aplomb.

The host of the show, Christina Broccolini and Sabrina “hit if off” immediately. Sabrina usually does not like other folks holding her but she stuck to Christina like glue! I was most impressed with this young lady - watch for great things from her in the future!

It was a long day (10 hours) but we all had a great time and could not have asked for better weather.

When I was growing up, there were few nature guides aimed at the younger set. For the most part, children were limited to referencing the Golden Nature Guides (Dr. Zim) series of pocket nature guides. I still have my (completeley falling apart and held together by elastic bands) Zim guide to insects. If you were left wanting more, you had to read guidebooks aimed at adults. Which is great if you had a high-ranking reading vocabulary like I did. But what if you didn’t? Sorry pal, out of luck.In today’s market, there are a plethora of nature guide books written for children from ages 5 to 15. Ironic, given the paucity of children enjoying nature in the great outdoors. A new birding guidebook for children has been published recently - birding is a great way to get kids interested in nature while involving the whole family - so I thought I would put in a few good words for it here. Perhaps my being on the board of directors of a bird observatory has some basis for recommending birding as a good way of connecting to nature, but make no mistake, I am not a birder per se, nor do I suspect I will ever be good enough to ever call myself a birder. But birding is a fun thing to do regardless of skill level - bird behaviour is fascinating and you’ll always learn new things.The book is called The Young Birder’s Guide To Birds Of Eastern North America and is authored by Bill Thompson of Bird Watcher’s Digest fame. Presumably, a Western North America guide is in the works.From the publisher -This fun and lively guide provides just the right amount of information for kids who have an interest in birds and want to learn more. Each of the two hundred species has a full page devoted to it, which is chock-full of information and includes a Wow! burst with a particularly interesting fact. Range maps are easy to read, with a key next to each one, so small hands don”t have to constantly flip to the front or back of the book. Each page includes a space to check off the bird and write in the date it was seen. Color photos are used for identification purposes, and black and white line drawings illustrate interesting behaviors or characteristics.Most online and brick-and-mortar bookstores carry this book - I have thumbed through it and can state with certainty that it would be money well spent as a gift for your child, grandchild, niece or nephew. 

Scouts Canada Leader Magazine editor Susan Muehlherr and I collaborated on an article a couple of months ago. It is now published in their April issue. The mag has a circulation of over 50,000! I had no idea there were that many adults involved in the scouting movement in Canada. Robert Baden-Powell would be proud! My dad was a Kings Scout, I was a Cub Scout, my wife was a Beaver Leader….the Scouting/Guiding movement gets my vote because it helps to get children outdoors and teaches them to appreciate the natural world around them.The article covers basic salient points about flyers in North America, instructions on building a nesting box, and features a photo by the late great Cyril “Cy” Hampson. Cy began studying flying squirrels in the early 1960s. He and his wife Mary maintained captive colonies of both species during Cy’s long tenure as a professor at the University of Alberta. Mary entrusted me with sole distributorship of Cy’s flying squirrel photograph collection..I plan to visit Mary in Victoria, British Columbia, and take her out for tea at the Empress Hotel. This would be the most westerly point I visit on my Campers Tour trip to western Canada this summer. More on that later. I know Mary will get a real kick out of meeting Sabrina (Mary lent both financial and spiritual support during our fight against the Government of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency back in 2004/05) …and Scooter too, of course! You can download the article here.