Panda on Pause

David in New Zealand has recently been to the Adelaide Zoo and he’s sent us some very adorable Giant Panda pictures. David says:

This is Funi, one of the two Giant Pandas we have. They’re on loan from China as part of the breeding programme, but so far, no cubs. Wang Wang (yes, he’s the boy!) was hiding, but Funi seemed quite comfortable sleeping here. I have had days like that, but I didn’t always choose to sleep on the rocks.

Well, that does look like a heavy head to hold up. Thanks David.

Itsy Bitsy Spider (for real)

Wonderful photos and a tongue in cheek title from Nightjar, who says,

Prompted by Charly’s post “Itsy Bitsy Spider (Not)”, here is a really itsy bitsy spider I found on one of my zinnia flowers. Not bigger than a typical ant, I only spotted it because it is totally not camouflaged.

Nope. Definitely not camouflaged, but certainly very, very small. Good eye, Nightjar. Thanks for sharing.(click for full size)

Jack’s Walk

It’s fairly windy today and there are small whitecaps on the ocean so we decided to take Jack swimming in smaller, calmer water. He didn’t seem to mind. As long as he’s wet he’s all Happy Jack.

This is the backside of a place called Corner of the Beach. It’s a popular spot for tent camping, for those in the know. It’s just off the highway and easy to get to, but it isn’t well-marked. There’s seldom more than a few people here at a time and it feels like you’re deep in the wilderness. It’s quiet, except for the sounds of nature and at night there’s very little light pollution and the skies are ablaze with stars.

Friday Feathers

The second bird instalment during the week comes right before the weekend.

Today’s Friday Feathers come from Nightjar who managed to capture barn swallows. The one with the feeding is my absolute favourite. As usually, click for full size.

“Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!”
© Nightjar, all rights reserved

“Was that all????????”
© Nightjar, all rights reserved

Jack’s Walk

Malbaie Salt Marsh

This is part of the Malbaie Salt Marsh which is a federally protected nature conservancy. The marsh is the largest natural lagoon in Quebec and is an important habitat for over 200 species of birds and 25 species of fish. It’s also an important location for migrating birds. This photo was taken at low tide and you can just see the sandbar in the background that separates the marsh from the ocean. At high tide there are gaps in the sandbar which allow the fresh and salt waters to mix.

Jack’s Walk

Jack and I went to a place called Belle Anse today, but we usually call the place Glass Beach because there’s always a lot of seaglass to be found among the stones. The secret to all the seaglass here is that a friend of mine feeds the beach. Every autumn she takes buckets of broken up bottles and coloured glass and tosses them into the surf. It only takes a few days for the sharp edges to round off and by spring all that broken up trash has become treasure. My friend is a stained glass artist and she uses the seaglass to make all sorts of beautiful things. Jack doesn’t care about any of that, though. He just thinks it’s another fine place to frolic in the surf.

Wednesday Wings

Hello and Welcome to Wednesday Wings, one of the new features replacing the Daily Bird. Today’s gorgeous pics are from David in NZ, who writes the following:

This is Manu, he puts on a show for the crowd, flying from one keeper to another, untethered and outside a cage. He did go for a “holiday” for 3 days last year.

Cheers

David

I know that the birds of prey ion our local zoo tend to go on holidays as well, but generally return because hunting is too much work.

A Living Remembrance

Nightjar has sent us photos of a Barberry shrub that she planted in remembrance of Caine. She says:

Here are the photos of the shrub I planted in her memory, it was in such a small pot and badly in need of being planted. The colour red, thorns and berries that attract birds are all things Caine loved, and that’s what made me pick this shrub.

That’s a beautiful way to remember someone, Nightjar. I know Caine would approve. Thanks for sharing.

Jack’s Walk

This is Smuggler’s Cove, one of our favourite beaches. It’s a bit out of the way and the road in isn’t well-marked, but that just means we usually have the place to ourselves. The cliffs here show off the mixed rock that is typical of this area and the colours change as the light moves across the sky. At low tide you can walk along the base of the cliffs and if you’re lucky you’ll find a fossil or an agate. I often also find sea urchins and sand dollars here. It’s one of my best places to beach-comb.

Jack’s Walk

When most people think about the east coast of Canada they think about the ocean, but because of the beautiful Chic Choc Mountains we have here there are also lots of fresh water rivers and streams. This is the Portage River which flows into the Malbaie Salt Marsh before finding the sea. It’s a great place to canoe or fish and just happens to be behind Jack’s favourite ocean beach, Coin de Banc, making it a great place to rinse saltwater off a tired soggy dog. I’ll spare you another photo of an all wet Jack frolicking in the water.

Monday Mercurial

Hello and welcome to Monday Mercurial, a regular feature for all the critters out there. Sadly we won’t be able to keep up the Daily Bird, but we will replace it with three regular features throughout the week for the winged and furred inhabitants of planet Earth.

This is a young magpie that kept begging for food, even though it was already old enough to get over to the bowl of dogfood some campers had forgotten outside.

Jack’s Walk

Jack and I are still on the east coast of Quebec in our little village called Perce. There are so many beautiful vistas here that it’s hard to choose, but today I’ll share the Chic Choc (pronounced Shick Shock) mountains. They’re the Canadian part of the Appalachian mountain range and are among the oldest mountains in the world. I love the soft rounded peaks that roll one into the other in a long unbroken chain. I’ll be sharing more photos of certain places in the mountains, but this is the long view to whet your appetite.

After today, Jack’s Walk will be here Monday to Friday only.

Jack’s Walk

The weather here is perfect today, a rare treat for the Gaspe where it is frequently cool and damp. Jack and I decided to walk the meadow path that leads to the edge of the cliff overlooking North Beach. The ocean looks so blue today and the sky so clear that we wanted to take it in from on high. You can walk even higher, all the way up to the cross which sits atop Mt. Joli, but that’s a steep climb we’ll save for another day.

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Panda on Pause

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Itsy Bitsy Spider (for real)

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Jack’s Walk

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Friday Feathers

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Jack’s Walk

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Jack’s Walk

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Wednesday Wings

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A Living Remembrance

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Monday Mercurial

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Jack’s Walk

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