For the Naturalist
If I were to name the three most precious resources of life, I should say books, friends, and nature; and the greatest of these, at least the most constant and always at hand, is nature.
– John Burroughs
On land, water or in the air, Northwestern Ontario is a haven for naturalists of all stripes. The naturalist may be a six-year-old who stands for hours in a pond netting tadpoles and crayfish, the retiree who spends half a day perched on a clifftop viewing an osprey nest through a spotting scope, or members of a family studying the strata of rock as old as time itself. In fact, a naturalist may be anyone of any age who loves nature and revels in its wonders and beauty. And to enjoy this title we don’t need a college degree in biology.
Many of our visitors are aware of our game fish but there is much more to the area than pursuing creatures of the fin. Nature is at her best here during the spring and summer months and while you are enjoying our marvelous scenery, you might keep an eye out for some interesting residents. Morning and evening are best for nature forays because during the heat of the afternoon, much of our wildlife lies low. Humans weren’t the first ones to invent the siesta.
Lake of the Woods country is the three-season home of a healthy population of bald eagles. Any local person will tell you that this was not always the case. In the 1960’s there were few eagles to be seen. Since then the ban on the use of certain pesticides, particularly those containing DDT, has had a positive effect on raptor populations and once again these large birds of prey can lay eggs with shells that won’t break when an adult attempts to incubate them. In addition to the bald eagle, another popular raptor you may see is the osprey, also known as the fish hawk. While the eagle favours fish and carrion, the osprey’s diet is exclusively fish.
For the birding naturalist visiting the area, our forests are filled with insect-gobbling little warblers, those pretty but elusive songsters that take advantage of our heavy forest foliage to remain hidden from prying eyes. One of the best places to observe birds is near or on our lakes and rivers where the stately great blue heron forages along the shore and a myriad of waterfowl paddle contentedly through cattails while loons yodel across the water. You will notice that some ducks dive completely underwater, while others tip their heads into the water exposing their feathery rear ends to the sky. You just can’t buy entertainment this good.
On larger lakes and rivers, those black water birds that fly in long, low lines are double crested cormorants. The large white birds with enormous orange bills are, of course, white pelicans, and they are magnificent fliers. Lake of the Woods is near the eastern limit of this western bird. After seeing these birds in action everyone will agree that their bills must be able to “hold more than their bellies can,” as the children’s rhyme declares. Two species of gulls are very common here, the ring billed gull and the herring gull. Take a close look at these birds; the smaller ring billed gull is aptly named.
On your travels either by foot, bike, or slow-moving watercraft—the naturalist’s water-transportation of choice is a canoe—you might encounter a few of our favourite furry residents. Black bears are abundant and their teeth, claws and sheer size demand that they be respected. The best way to avoid problems with these animals is to store food properly and dispose of garbage wisely. Foxes are common but few wolves and coyotes are seen. Among the larger herbivores, most people go home with mental images of white-tailed deer or, if they are very fortunate, a moose, although these giants are very secretive in the spring and summer months. Some other mammals you are likely to spot are otters, minks, martens, groundhogs, beavers, hares, muskrats and of course, mice and their relatives. If you happen to see a particularly cute-looking mouse with a short tail, it is a meadow mouse, more commonly known as a vole. Rodents like these form the base of one our local food chains.
You may even run across our smallest carnivore, a shrew, described as a tiny, smoky-coloured mouse-like creature with almost no visible eyes or ears and a pointed snout. But these mammals are not rodents. They have voracious appetites and a metabolism that requires them to eat continually or die of starvation within a few hours.
While we have our share of spiders and while they are interesting to observe, there are none that cause any safety concerns. The fishing spider, also locally known as a dock spider, is fascinating to watch, but its large size is intimidating to some people. However, black flies and mosquitoes can be a real concern and it is inviting disaster to go into the bush—Northwestern Ontario word for forest—for any length of time without adequate protection from these blood-sucking fiends. Proper clothing and a good repellant are strongly advised.
So let’s choose a fine, warm, sunny morning and spend a few hours reclined against the sturdy trunk of a giant red pine observing a world unsullied by humanity. And if someone has the effrontery to ask what you are doing, politely reply that you are a naturalist and that you are working. As with all nature study, the reward is in the journey, not the destination.
Welcome to our corner of the Canadian Shield, fellow naturalists, and enjoy your stay.
By Phil Burke
