Bondi Resort Blog

Come on into our Blog for a look at the wonderful world we've got to share! With over 240 hectares (600 acres) of wilderness woodlands surrounding the resort, just ten minutes from Algonquin Park, we feature over 400 metres (1200’) of waterfront and beach; boat rentals; summer hiking trails winding through fields and woods; 20 km. of groomed cross country ski trails and snowshoeing in winter; access to nearby snowmobile trails for sledders, and a toboggan hill for the young at heart.
www.bondi-village-resort.com

Monday, June 27, 2016

A fawn has to eat when a fawn has to eat

All this fuss about feeding babies in public.... When the little ones are hungry, they need their Mom.


Dale Peacock got this great photo of the doe with her twins (yes, there are two... look closely, you'll see the eye and ears of the second fawn)  who didn't care at all about where she was, she was just looking after the kids.


And they had found a lovely cool place along the river bank for their lunch as well.


Thursday, June 23, 2016

Summer Ready, and then some

before the storm... which didn't amount to anything, but looked cool

water toys just waiting for you to come jump splash and climb

volleyball net all ready in front of the LODGE

frisbee targets are up and waiting

weather has been hot, hot, hot, and the forecast is more of the same

so, where is everybody????

Royal Canadiana wins Again

There is a long story behind this boat.

The Royal Canadiana was one of the best hydroplanes in her class, back in the day when these boats roared around the water!  One of the best pilots was Art Asbury, who lived right here in Dwight.

This boat has been completely reconstructed after the original was lost in a fire while in storage -- some of the original metalwork survived.  The mechanic was Harvey Payne, and his son Don has done the work on this boat.

If you are in the vicinity, you should go take a look at her.  She's quite the sight to see!

If you're listening to the radio, you may even catch the song, by Brian Good of the Good Brothers -- called Harvey's Boy, about this very boat.

Bird Walk

bluebird on garden fence
 Walking around the edge of the garden this afternoon, I found a lot of company.


In addition to the huge flock of swallows, both tree and barn, that are working on reducing the mosquito population and are just filling up the air, I found lots of sparrows, the pair of brown thrashers, and these beauties...
world's largest grub being brought home for dinner by the bluebird

American goldfinch. They love the dandelions in the lawn.

swallowtail butterfly -- not a bird, but almost as big as the wren... and
just so lovely

the little wren, bringing dinner home for the nestlings.

the ducks... who walk up from the lake every day to join the hens at the office,
eating cracked corn.

Shhh... top Secret, orchid blooming...




 The Pink Lady Slipper orchid is one of Ontario's loveliest wildflowers.  These were picked almost to extinction -- once picked, not only does the bloom droop away, but the entire plant dies, so it is critical to leave them ALONE.

We were delighted to find this one growing (but we won't tell you just where, so it can bloom in peace.)











Dorset Heritage Day


HERITAGE DAY at the
DORSET HERITAGE MUSEUM 10 – 3pm
Sat. July 2nd 2016
On the Lawn… B B Q Yummies!
35th Battalion, Muskoka’s Military Past
Woodland Heirlooms
Pioneer Power Drag Saw, Flour Grinder
Royal Canadiana 60’s Racing Boat
Antique Cars
Antique Radios
Uncle Norms Tractors
Bigwin Island Resort Memorabilia
Summer Sampling Team from Moose FM
Fluffy Feet Face Painting!
Unique Market Place
Your one stop shop for special gifts!
Big Ass Garlic, 7th Monkey Designs,
Patti Parker Cards & Photos,
The Muskokan Beaver, Maple Syrup
Market Place Raffle!
New! Fun Game Station For Kids!

Moose in the Swim

In Algonquin Park, Momma Moose and the kids head for the island...

If they were staying with us, the canoe would have been included in the rental...

And every Thursday, on our Marathon Swim, they could have enjoyed some company on their swim...

Isn't this the most wonderful photograph? Thanks to Ryan Adams for sharing this great image.

One of the great things about living where we do, here at Bondi Village Resort, is that we get to see wildlife on a daily basis.  And just ten minutes from the Park, we get to see all their wildlings too!

Got my Eye on You!

 Here's looking at you!


Robin Tapley got this great close-up in Algoqnuin Park -- but you could probably match it along our shoreline, as the beaver swims past.

Pollen, like Smoke

not smoke, but pollen drifting off the pine trees!

Brian was flying this week.  So was the pine pollen...

Every year, the pine trees gather up their pollen, and when conditions are right, just toss it out there...

They work on the theory that if they put enough out there, SOME of it will find its way to female pinecones (yes, there are both male and female cones) and more little pines will be born.

But they also work on the theory that it is an imperfect system and involves huge loss, so they put out plenty.

Brian got some amazing photos...   and he made the local paper!

pollen also accumulates on lakes and rivers. 
This is apparently a good year for pine trees. The lack of rain means it is more obvious, since it lingers in the air (and on any available surface!)  It is good news for the pine -- lots of pollen improves pollination rates and improves seed production.  It is good news for the pollen eaters, including some bee species. It is good news for the critters that later in the year will be looking to eat pine cone seeds...  It is not such good news for allergy sufferers, although it is more than likely NOT the pine pollen that is bothering you, but several other trees that bloom at the same time, and have a finer pollen that lingers longer in the air.  Reach for the allergy meds, and get back outside.

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Friday, June 17, 2016

Come Listen to the Radio

If you are in Dwight on Saturday, why not take an hour and a half for coffee, tea, desserts and two short original plays, presented as a radio show taping in front of a live theatre audience (that would be you)

At two p.m. and seven p.m.   Yes, that's my name on the bill... Yes, I wrote them.  And yes, they are good fun.

$15. Tickets available at the library or at the door of the Community Centre.

Heron There

this lovely great blue heron has been hanging out along our waterfront, but is a little camera shy...
Our guests at Lantern cottage had a front row seat as the heron hunted right along the shore in front of their cottage. I was able to just 'catch' the heron in front of my cottage... and in flight... and more flight... (I have a touching faith in the power of my telephoto lens, which is apparently sadly misplaced.... )

Stepping into a Painting

When Carol's gardens start to bloom, I always feel like I'm in a Georgia O'Keeffe painting...

Getting in the Swim

It's swimming season. and not just for people!  Dave and Megan have been in the lake for the last two weeks (not all the time, I realize as I write that, but on a pretty regular swimming basis. :)   )  This  great photo taken by Robin Tapley in Algonquin Park shows that i's not just us who enjoy a dip on a scorchy hot day.

You can hop into our lake right here at Bondi Bay, no moose required..

The Sun on his Wings



Brian was up in his Piper Cub last week.
The weather couldn't have been any nicer, and he did take his camera, so hopefully he'll send me some of his pictures.

Faeries and Elves

Apparently, we've been joined by a family of faeries... or possibly elves????

Look what we found!  We are wondering how our young visitors this summer will react to this pleasant little invasion.

Brown Thrashers in our Garden!



'plant a seed, plant a seed, bury it, bury it, cover it up, cover it up, let it grow, let it grow, dig it up, dig it up, eat it, eat it' goes the song of the brown thrasher. 




A member of the mockingbird family, famous for their intricate songs, the thrasher repeats all his song phrases twice.  Meanwhile, when not singing, the pair make a 'chuck' call.  This pair is sharing the summer with us, nesting in the garden, and easy to see.  

described as looking "rather severe" due to shape of
the eye and the beak, this one certainly meets that
description!
Brown Thrashers spend most of their time near or on the ground, walking, running, or hopping. When disturbed at the nest, they drop to the ground and dart into dense cover. They feed by sweeping their long bills through leaf litter to uncover insects and other invertebrates. They are slow, short-distance fliers with a distinctive jerky, fluttering flight style. They breed in such dense vegetation that little is known of their courtship; the few observations that exist suggest that a courting pair presents each other with twigs or dead leaves, after which the male may briefly chase the female before mating 

They defend territories of variable size, and they are very aggressive toward intruding Brown Thrashers and toward potential nest predators, which include snakes  and dogs. Sometimes Brown Thrashers strike predators with their bills hard enough to draw blood.















Along with our swallows, swarming the air and gobbling up mosquitoes, and our elusive but lovely bluebird, and the even more elusive wren, a walk along our garden fence will always provide lots of bird sightings.

30 degrees today... and it's not summer yet!

We still have some vacancies -- if you are on our email list, you will have received a full list by now.

Here's one... that really should be welcoming a family for this week !!

ANCHOR, two bedroom housekeeping cottage located over the boathouse, with water views from three sides. Ideal for four people. Queen bed, two single beds, futon in the living room. 4 piece bath. Rates include a canoe, bbq, our weekly cookout, all the resort facilities and so much more.

 Available for the week of Sun. August 14 to 21. You could be here...

 Forecast is for a very hot dry summer, so where better to be than at the lake??? Call us at 705 635 2261 and book now. ‪#‎bondivillage‬‪#‎explorersedge‬ ‪#‎cottageinmuskoka‬ ‪#‎somuchbetterthanairbnb‬‪#‎ontariotravel‬ ‪#‎authenticmuskoka‬ ‪#‎northmuskoka‬

Twins



'Tis the season -- the babies are arriving daily.  In Algonquin Park, friends of ours got these wonderful glimpses of twins -- double the fun! (and for momma, double the trouble, no doubt!)


Thanks to Dale Peacock for the fawn photo, taken along the river; 


and to Steve Dunsford, along Hwy 60 in Algonquin Park.

Woodcock, doing the "funky chicken"



This is a wonderful little video of a male woodcock, warming up for his courtship dance.  Taken near the Bala cranberry marsh, it's a rare peek at this cool little bird.

We had the honour of having several pairs here this spring, spiralling up into the air and fluttering back down as the next step to this 'come hither' dance.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Good Morning!

How would you like to wake up and find this little visitor just outside your window?  Dave and Meg enjoyed morning coffee with the fawn, and her Mom, just this week.

Our guests frequently report that they see more wildlife right here on our property than they do in the Provincial Parks -- that would be because there are less people here...

Not that you shouldn't go to the Parks -- you absolutely should, especially Algonquin. But if you are staying with us, it just might increase your chances of seeing those very animals you'd hoped to spot...

Turtle Time and Turtle Places


 Last year, Meg and Dave had three snapping turtles borrow the corner of their deck to create their nest sites.  The kids carefully protected the nesting spots from predators such as skunks and raccoons, and later in the year there was a very successful hatching of little tiny turtles.  Exciting stuff.





This year, the visits have begun again.

This is their first turtle of 2016, right at the base of their steps, crafting her nest with care.  Maybe she knows that Dave and Meg will help keep her babies safe...    It is an honour for her to chose to be here with us, so we need to always return that favour.