Welcome, Very Welcome, Home

 

 Our bluebirds have returned. They are most welcome.

There are two pair currently arguing and haggling their way along the fence line trying to decide on the right birdhouse for the summer.  Like any property transaction, it can be complicated.






Particularly when the tree swallows are also checking out the Real Estate.  There was quite a discussion this morning between the swallow and the bluebird concerning one particular birdhouse.  There are plenty out there, so hopefully they will be able to work it out.

 Now I will begin my quest for the best photo of a bluebird.  This one won't be it...  too far away for the focus to be sharp, but it does show off the gorgeous colour in the bird!







Mrs. Bluebird is more muted in her colours, but still extremely elegant.  Understated, really.  She was also diligently examing the houses on offer.








And to make me very happy, two pairs of barn swallows have returned. They always arrive a week or so later than their cousins the tree swallows. They are such happy birds, and the stable fills up with their twittering calls.  Some people I am told don't like them in the buildings, but I think those people have shrivelled up souls.  For me, for my stable, these birds are among the most delightful of visitors. The barn swallows have been experiencing a bit of a rough ride in the past few years, and have been in decline, so I'm thrilled they are back.

How Rivers Run -- The Oxtongue River

 Brian took these last Spring, 2012. It's going to be interesting to compare them with this summer's, post flood.

This is the Oxtongue River, curling and swirling its way to Dwight Bay. That's Dwight, up in the top of the photo, just left of centre.

Rivers are constantly remodelling themselves. You can see, on the left side, where the old oxbows and swales remain from previous river routes.


This is a good look at the delta at the River mouth, and how far out into the Bay the sand and silt accrue.



You can see from this that once upon a time the mouth of the river entered Dwight Bay more to the left of the photo.  Who knows? Post flood, it may be doing so again.

This last, taken in Fall (obviously) is one of my favourites. The old river trails, swales, oxbows, ponds are all clear to see.

Ice is Nice, and will Suffice

 Robert Frost has a famous poem that says (in part)  'that for destruction Ice is also great, and will suffice."  For some of the docks and boathouses around our Lake this spring, that is certainly the case.

We took a trip out on the water yesterday. Beautiful hot sunny day -- but it was necessary to travel carefully to avoid debris floating in the water (often just below the surface, just waiting for the unwary)

This is what happens when ice decides it is going to move.  We've talked about this before in the Blog.  You can have all the bubbler systems, ice-aways, and do-dads that you want. That may help keep ice from squeezing against the docks in winter time, but come spring, come the time it really matters, if the ice is on the move, it matters not what you've done.  Ice, driven by wind along the shore, is pretty much your irrestistable force. The boathouse is not the immoveable object.

High water will lift the deck boards too, particularly if there is wind.  We are told there are a lot of loose docks roaming about out there. Quite a collection of errant Muskoka chairs, too...  not to mention the occasional canoe that was left on the dock for the winter.



The water level is dropping, but is still high, as you can see from these pictures.  The flow down the Oxtongue has decreased, but it's still running well above its normal levels. Along the river banks you can see some of the impressive erosion that the high water has caused.






This is a natural process for a river -- which is constantly altering its channel over time.






Some of the eroded banks are quite impressive.









You would not have been able to take this picture a week ago -- the river was running so high, so fast, with so much debris that it would have been very foolhardy to venture in with a boat.






The water is still high enough that the Falls look a lot smaller than they are... but look at that beautiful churning white water!   So very beautiful -- it is easy to forget the force contained within, and the damage water can do in all its forms.

This Spring, everybody up here got a reminder notice. from Mother Nature.

Raging Water, Ragged Falls

 Ragged Falls in spring is always a beautiful place to be.

While the rush of the floodwater has receded, there is still plenty of water coming over this falls.  Walking in there today, in the sunshine, with no flies out yet, the air thick with the song of the returning birds, the trout lilies decorating the forest floor, it was magical.  I highly recommend it.







During the height of the flood, the rock in the center was completely covered, and the water was much farther up the banks as well.

 Just upstream of the falls, it looks deceptively like something you might try in a canoe. Not.

 Upstream, rapids create wonderful patterns. The rush of running rivers is a beautiful thing indeed.

 Looking upstream above the rapids. The Oxtongue river rises at Tea Lake in Algonquin Park and falls steadily downhill until it tumbles into Lake of Bays.




We were in t-shirts. The day was hot.  But as you approach the Falls, the air noticeably drops in temperature.  There are still huge rock-falls of ice next to the river, creating their own patterns. There are nine distinct ecosystems at Ragged Falls Park -- this, with the mossy northern face of the rocks holding the cold, is one of them.

 Sun streaming through the trees, casting shadows, and the 'glacier' effect of the ice, made their own pictures.

 Another look down towards the brink of the Falls.






Old stumps have their own charm, and beauty.







Trout lilies -- or as my dad called them, Adders' Tongues, are out.  Next will be the May pinks, and trilliums.





And no visit towards Algonquin Park is complete this time of year without the obligatory photo of a moose standing at the roadside.  We saw 4... but three of them kept moving just out of camera range.  This youngster was more obliging.  And he was only a short distance from Ragged Falls itself.

Buffleheads and Mallards

 The mallards have been back with us for several weeks now. It must be the same pair -- they arrive, and almost immediately present themselves at the barn to say howdy to the hens and help themselves to chicken feed.  In their full breeding plumage, the drakes are gorgeous, and this one was at great pains to impress his lady friend.  The ducks seem quite oblivious to the high water levels. If anything, it is making their hunting along the shores for food easier.

A bit farther out, and too shy to come in close enough for the "money shot" is a small flock of bufflehead ducks. These are the smallest of the fishing, or diving, ducks, and look striking with their white heads.  They visit us in Spring and Fall as they follow their migration routes north and south.  Unlike the Canada geese who no longer seem to bother to migrate...

Taffy was pretty determined to get up close and personal with the ducks, but they cheat, and swim too far out, and the water was too cold for swimming. She is remembering that she fell off the main dock a few days ago and it was icy!!!

Downing, yes. Slowing, not so much

 The Oxtongue River is getting back between the banks. The flow is greatly reduced from what it was last week at the peak of the flood, although there is still a lot of water coming over Marsh's Falls .

Compare this with the photo from last week, just after the flood hit, when the water was within the top run of stones on the far bank.

While the water levels here are downing, the flood is now to the south of us, where we hear that the Moon River is 9' above normal.  Our friend Ed Boutelier has graphed the levels on his own blog.

As the water level drops on Lake of Bays, people are getting a better idea of the damage to docks, boathouses, basements.

If you are keen to get to your cottage and check it out, and cannot resist getting out in the boat while you are there, please keep in mind that there is a LOT (and we do mean a LOT) of debris in the water, ( to give one example, check out this video of the Muskoka Chairs and their dock taking a dive over the Bracebridge Dam) including logs that are floating just below the surface and constitute a big hazard to navigation. Also, remember that wave action will farther compromise docks, so please avoid joy riding at any speed that produces a wake (note previous comment re debris in water) and finally, the ice just left. Really. Just. So that water is COLD. Be careful. Keep a close eye on pets and children if you are near anything running with a current.
Yes it is lower than it was... that doesn't mean it is anywhere near back to normal levels.

Getting 'On Target' at the Library

This Saturday is the 5th Annual Outdoor 3D Archery contest, hosted by the Dwight Friends of the Library. It is taking place at Logging Chain Lodge, in Dwight, rain or shine, and the trails and targets are amazing.

Last year the bear target fell victim to the anger of a 'real bear' who took umbrage at finding an interloper with poor communication skills in 'his' woods. 

The replacement is this big fellow -- seen here trying to take a bite out of librarian Peggy Hurley.

Even if you aren't an archer, it's worthwhile to drop by for lunch, to see the displays, and maybe even try your hand at one of the targets at the Resort.

It is a great day, for all ages.