Author Archives: maryannsteggles

I went to the UK as a Commonwealth Scholar in 1990 and received my PhD from the University of Leicester in 1993. After three decades of university teaching, I retired to devote my time to the study of raptor behaviour. I am particularly interested in Ospreys and am working on a long term project on third hatch survival and siblicide in these raptors. My blog is a result of a fascination with my local wildlife and the desire to encourage others to love and care for birds! I live on the Canadian Prairies and prior to the pandemic travelled a lot. I am questioning the use of aviation fuel at the moment as we all strive to help our planet. My early research was in politics and art including British public statues exported to Southeast Asia and Vietnam Resistors that contributed much to Canadian ceramics. Books and articles were published on those subjects over a period of 3 decades. Now I am working on books for children so they can learn about the challenges our raptors face.

June 13 Fledge Watch continues

There are several ways used to determine the age of a red tail hawk chick. Using the Cornell method both J1 and J2 were born in the same 24 hour period; they are both 49 days old today and Little J3 is 45 days old. The average age that a chick has fledged in the last three years is 46.1 days. Of the Js, only one has fledged, J2 who fledged yesterday at age 48 days. As you might then imagine, Cornell RTH watchers were on pins and needles today expecting J1 and J3 to both fledge at the same time. They are buddies – Big Sis taking care of Little Brother.

J1 allopreening J3. Preening is when a bird cleans their own feathers. Allopreening is when a bird preens another bird. Some hawkaholics call it kissing. Arthur is often seen allopreening Big Red when they are resting.
Arthur allopreening Big Red on the Bradfield Building ledge.

So what happened today? J2, having spent the night sleeping in a pine tree across the road, returns to the nest for breakfast.

J2 has really mastered hovering, flying, and landing on rails and branches. Here he is sitting on the rail before jumping down to join J1 and J3 for a chippy breakfast.
This is Arthur bring prey to the nest. Note how high the nest is on the grating. You can see one of the chicks clearly in the nest bowl looking at their dad bring food.
Arthur delivering a squirrel to the nest in early April. Notice the pine needles. These are thought to keep insects from the nest.

Parents will continue to provide most of the food for the chicks until they are fully able to hun themselves. Even then it is not unusual for chicks to chase their parents begging for food.

Ever though about what a young nestling might eat? Ah, probably not! Unless you are a hawkaholic and joke about making chocolate chippie cupcakes with a squirrel glaze? All kidding aside, food is essential to the well being of these red tail hawks.

Prey is delivered to the nest beginning at just before sunrise and just after sunset. On average, in this prey rich area, food items are delivered ten to fifteen times a day. This provides each nestling with an average of 410-730 grams of food per day. The Cornell Labs keep a daily log of which parent delivers prey and when and what it was. There have been more than 300 deliveries so far since the chicks hatched in late April. The male – in this case Arthur – is the main hunter. He has brought in a snake, cottontail bunnies, goslings, pigeons, mature grey squirrels (didn’t like them so much because they have tough skins), smaller squirrels, voles, Starlings, other small birds, and a whole lot of chipmunks. In fact, chipmunks comprise approximately 77% of the chick’s diet this year according to the prey log. In 1990 a study was done and at that time, the red tail hawk diet consisted of 68% mammals, 17.5% other birds, 7% reptiles and amphibians, and 3.2% invertebrates. The list of possible prey items (food) depends on the geographical location of the nest and the amount of prey available. Hawks have 20/2 vision which means that they can see something at 20 feet as if it were only 2 feet away. This is a tremendous help in hunting for food as you can well imagine. The survival of the red tail hawks depends on their prey base.

Big Red and Arthur have a territory of 1.5-2 square miles. The area that Big Red and Arthur have on the Cornell campus is abundant with prey. When the chicks were little the chat group used to joke that only people who love hawks talk about and try to identify dead animals. This year we decided that Arthur belonged to “Over Providers Anonymous.” There was so much food that at one time chippies and squirrels almost completely carpeted the nest area.

The three Js in their fur lined nest in early April. J2 is in the front. J3 (back right) leans on his buddy, J1.

Chicks need a lot of food to aid in their tremendous growth. From the time they hatch to an average of six weeks remember, they go from being a bobble headed newborn growing almost as large as their parents. In fact, their wing and tail feathers are longer than their parents to aid in their flight training. During their first molt, these feathers will return to a normal size. They also need a lot of calories to grow so fast.

The three Js being fed by their mother, Big Red. Big Red is the one on the far side at the left. Notice how large the chicks are. They do not have their distinctive red tail feathers yet. These will come in their second year. The two oldest chicks are 41 days old in this picture.

So tomorrow is June 14. To encourage J1 and J3 to fledge, Big Red resorted to bringing thorn branches to the nest around 7pm! Stay tuned.

I am grateful to Barb Michel Matthews, Karel Sedlasek, and the Cornell Lab for the images in this blog.

7:46, June 12. J2 fledges.

It is the day that everyone has been waiting for – the first fledge off the Fernow light tower at the Cornell Campus in Ithaca, New York. The winner of the honour was J2.

J is the designation for the year, 2020. The camera began recording the activities at the nest in 2012. Knowing that Big Red had, at least, two earlier years raising successful chicks prior to the cameras, they began with the letter C in 2012. The ‘2’ is because this hawklet was the second to hatch but was, ironically, the first egg to be laid. Which if you are good at math and understand the counting indicates that this chick is actually the oldest.

J2 has beautiful blue eyes which will eventually turn darker and a wide white terminal band. Notice how the breast (or crop area) is covered with the typical peach colour for these hawks. At fledge it also had a line of ‘dandelions’ remaining on the top of its head, like a mohawk hair-cut.

J2 sitting in a pine tree across the street from the nest but within view of his mum, Big Red. Notice the little dandelions on his head. How cute! Their talons have tendons that enable them to sleep or sit standing up without fear of falling over.

J2 set a first in the recording of fledges from the Fernow Tower nest. He fledged off the back of a light box. It was, actually, more of a fludge. He/she spent some wonderful time sitting on top of the light box balancing nicely and then slipped but recovered beautifully flying under the tower, across the street, landing by its talons on Bradfield to steady itself in a nearby Ginko tree.

For nearly twelve hours, until the camera stopped rolling, J2 kept us on the edge of our chairs. I tell you it was better than a good thriller on Netflix!

He/she flew keeping the legs tucked tight like a pro. J2 spent some time on top of the Rice Building, flew back near Bradfield and played around on the steps and railings to the entrance, flew off again to another building, and finally wound up near to where it started, back in the tree. Throughout Big Red was watching from the southeast corner at the top of Bradfield while Arthur soared whenever J2 got out of sight so that the chick could be located. Nothing gets by these two parents. Parenting is a well orchestrated sharing of duties.

Big Red on the left (17 years old) and Arthur on the right (4 years old)

When I first began watching the hawks on the ledge at NY University, I naively asked the chat group what kind of dangers hawks experienced. The Washington Square group were very patient with me describing the use of rodentcides that cause blood not to coagulate as a prime poison for the hawks in the parks of NYC. This is because their primary prey are the rats of the city. And then there are cars, buses, trucks, windows, air vents between buildings -. The list was extensive.

This morning J2 flew over a street with little traffic but still the cars and buses were moving at a clip and well, who knew that he could steer itself to the safety of a tree away from the road? He/she could have also, just as easily, flown into a window. There is a box of worry beads in the chat room and I suspect most of us were helping ourselves today. The sad truth is that 1 in 3 red-tail fledglings do not live to see their first year. I hope, for these in rural New York, that is not the case.

So tomorrow will be another nail biter as we wait to see what J1 and J3 will do. Will they both fledge at the same time? on the same day but at different times? will either of them try to go over the light box like J2 or will they find some new entry way to this next stage in their life?

Stay tuned! I am now officially a hawkaholic.

Teaching nestlings the value of food

By the time the three Red-tail hawks have fledged off the light stand at Cornell University, many of you might well be tired of listening to my natterings about the good parenting of these amazing raptors. Every day there are new lessons or repeated ones for the eyasses so that they can live a full and healthy life without relying on their parents. Isn’t that what all of us really want for our children? To sit back and smile knowing that they can take care of themselves if we are not there?

Today’s lesson involved a pigeon.

Just before the nestlings bedtime (around sunset), Arthur, the tercel (male/father) delivered a pigeon right in the middle of the nest and fledge area.

Arthur delivering the plucked pigeon.

Food to the nest has been dispersed sparingly as the nestlings approach the time they will fly off the natal nest. From morning til about 6pm, each had something to eat. And now it is right before bedtime. This is an easy snack! Their dad even plucked it for them. But the nestlings go about playing and picking up sticks and dreaming of flying and ignore the prey.

One of the nestlings near the prey but it shows no indication of being hungry or ready to eat.

Big Red (the mother/formel) comes to check on the state of the pigeon about ten minutes after it has been delivered. Ten minutes after this she comes with a branch and does some nest reconstruction. The youngest chick starts chirping wanting to be fed and the other two approach her as if she will fed them. Big Red has other ideas.

In the real world of hawks off the nest, prey can be scarce and young fledglings have to learn to eat when food is available, not ignore it. That was the lesson for today. Big Red looked around for a bit, picked up the pigeon with her talon and with nestlings chirping, she left with it. She does not bring it back even if they beg. It is gone. Too late. Too bad. Adios.

The Js have grown up.

It has been nearly a month since I wrote my last blog. On May 6, I made the argument that a Red tail hawk named Big Red should be ‘Mother of the Year 2020.’ I am still entranced with the antics of Big Red, her mate Arthur, and their three eyasses (baby hawks) living on top of an 80 foot light tower at the University of Ithaca. Those fuzzy little nestlings, all cute and bonking one another, are now approaching the ‘fledge’ window.

The Js during their first week all lined up to be fed by Big Red. Hawks need a variety of food for their health and the territory of Big Red and Arthur is rich in prey. 77% of their diet is chipmunk with pigeons, squirrels, snakes, and other birds making up the remainder.
The hawklet at the back is J3 self feeding on a chipmunk. J3 was born four days after J1 and J2 and is the smallest of the three. Due to its small size, many believe that this bird is a male. The only way to know gender for certain is through DNA testing or seeing an egg laid.

Fledging is the term used for when the eyasses fly off the natal nest and begin their journey towards being independent of their parents. The average age is approximately forty-two days after hatching for this nest. The eyasses need their flight feathers to have grown in with approximately five but better six dark stripes, not including the white terminal band at the end, in their tail feathers.

The hawklet on the left is the youngest, J3. Notice that he has 2 clear black stripes with a hint of a third while the one on the right clearly has four.

They should be able to sleep standing up, and must be able to self-feed. At the time of fledging, the eyasses’ wing span will actually be larger than their parents. The length of the wings will return to a normal size for juvenile hawks during their first molt. The larger wingspan and tail feathers really helps them to achieve success during fledging. They will not get their beautiful red tails until the second year. The ‘fledge window’ for 2020 is between June 4-13. Sometimes a eyass fludges. Fludging is when a chick accidentally flies off the nest. There will be hundreds of eyes on the Cornell Hawk cam as the Js hop, jump, and flap their way to independence.

One of the Js jumping on the nest (above and below). Eventually they will run and jump on the metal grating of the light stand.

During the first three to six weeks after fledging, the parents continue to provide food for the young ones while they learn to capture prey on their own, going for ground forays from their perch. They are learning how to control their flight before they can catch things that run away. Their parents will continue to give aerial and soaring demonstrations and help the hawklets well into the end of summer. By the time that Big Red and Arthur are decided which nest of theirs to use for raising their next batch of chicks, the Js will be out finding their own territory. They will not get their beautiful red tail feathers until they are a year old. And, most of the time, they will be two or three before breeding. Arthur seems to be an exception as he was one when he became big Red’s mate.

Big Red has been doing aerial displays for the Js for the past several days. You can tell she is soaring as the Js twist and turn to get a good look at her. Yesterday she flew right up to the nest and pulled up disappearing into the sky as seen in the photograph below. Oh, the little ones so want to fly and soar. It won’t be long!

It’s Nearly Mother’s Day and I tip my hat to Big Red, a 17-year-old Red Tail Hawk for “Mother of the Year 2020”

If my mother were alive, I hope that she would understand why I am so adamant that a Raptor Formel should be nominated for Mother of the Year 2020.  It was, after all, my mother who carried the duck my father had given me to my grandmother’s every day on her way to work.  There the duck lived in a specially designed ‘cage’ or stayed in the hen house.  On occasion, the duck would join my grandmother and me for a swing on the porch. I know that my grandmother would approve as she had a fondness for all living creatures, as did my dad.

2020 is a very unusual year.  Since the end of 2019, the international community has been paralysed by COVID-19 that has killed nearly three million people as I type this.  Many are without jobs or health insurance.  Entire countries and cities have been under various levels and length of lockdown.  The funeral homes cannot handle the number of dead.  Hospitals have run out of protective gear for healthcare employees.  And there remains uncertainty from world leaders on how to continue to manage this virus.  Is it safe for people to be outside amongst one another?  or should we be locked down longer? When will a vaccine be available? When will people be able to travel? When will schools open? Will people have jobs? Will there be enough food?  The level of anxiety, coupled with the number of people working from home, has caused people to seek solace in cooking, reading, and learning.  Many have turned to nature with the number of individuals watching bird cams sometimes more than five times the norm.  I am one of those people.  I have a fondness for hawks ever since I first stood about a half metre away from a female Sharp-shinned hawk in our garden three years ago.  That moment had a transformative impact on my fondness for these regal birds of prey.

In early March I began following the exploits of a pair of Redtail hawks with their nest on the ledge outside the office of the President of New York University.  They were Aurora and her new mate, Orion.  Having laid three eggs, the pair took turns incubating them so the other could eat.  On the morning of March 26, Aurora did not return.  She did not return that evening nor the next day.  Everyone was in tears and devastated beyond belief.  That pair of hawks symbolised hope for the people watching who were living in the hardest-hit area of the United States at the time.  The virus was so harmful and so many people were dying that the parks were being turned into field hospitals and temporary burial grounds.  One of the members suggested that we switch our attention to the Bird Cams run by Cornell University.  And that is how I met “Big Red.”

Big Red is specifically a Buteo jamaicensis.  Technically this is the order Accipitriformes, and the family is the Accipitridae.  Leaving the fancy language aside, Big Red belongs to one of the most common hawk families in North America.  There are approximately two million.  The birds, along with their nests, eggs, and feathers are protected by treaties on migratory birds throughout the Americas.

Big Red was born in 2003 and was banded in Brooktondale, New York that fall.  When you look at pictures of her, you will notice that she has a large dark red head, nape, and throat and the most magnificent red tail feathers.  She currently resides on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York with her mate, Arthur.  Redtail hawks mate for life.  Arthur was born and fledged in 2016, making him a whole thirteen years younger than Big Red!  Arthur and Big Red completed their first breeding season in 2018; this is their third year for successfully raising chicks.  Arthur has a real pale head, chest and nape, not unlike the notorious Pale Male from Central Park in New York City.  For the last two months, this pair of hawks taught me so much and inspired so many others at a time when the world needed something beautiful.

Big Red is the epitome of dogged persistence and dedication to the task of taking care of her nest, incubating her eggs, brooding and feeding her chicks, and being a model for them for their successful life as raptors.  Since the first records at Cornell in 2012, Big Red has successfully raised twenty-one chicks!  There could be almost that many more uncounted – before the cameras – from 2006 (?) through 2011.

Big Red and Arthur are often seen in the late fall inspecting their nest which is eighty feet above the ground on a lighting tower on the campus of Cornell University.  Hawk nests can get very quiet high and wide as the couple continue to refurbish and redecorate annually. Typically, hawks have one nest, but Big Red and Ezra actually have two. For the last couple of years, they have favoured their current nest.

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Sticks and twigs ranging in size between eight inches and fourteen inches are carried from the ground to the site in anticipation of eggs being laid.  Redtail hawks lay between one to four eggs depending on the local food supply.  Typically, Big Red has a clutch of three eggs. Redtail hawks usually incubate their eggs from 28-35 days although in 2012 Big Red sat on her eggs for 35-38 days with the longest being 42 days in 2013.

Observing the weather in Ithaca, New York made me quite happy, actually, to be living in Winnipeg.  There were quite a few days where it was frosty with snow, but on April 17, Big Red found herself encased in ice and snow as she incubated her eggs, ensuring the survival of her chicks.

Below are the three eggs in the clutch. Big Red laid egg number 3 at 1: 23 pm on March 24.  She immediately “told Arthur” and began incubating the clutch.  Both Big Red and Arthur take turns sitting on the eggs until they hatch.

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There are several things to notice in this image.  The first is the nest bowl which is lined with soft materials.  Big Red and Arthur will continually maintain the nest bowl, making sure that it is big enough to hold the checks and that they cannot harm their tiny legs and talons.  Second, notice the pine.  The hawks bring these into the nest in preparation for the hatching of the chicks.  They help keep flies and their larvae away and protect the chicks from disease caused by flies.  And third, the bottom left egg has a pip, and the chick is beginning to use its body to crack the shell.  Pipping is when the chick first breaks through the shell with its “egg tooth”.  Sometimes it takes the chick up to twenty-four hours to completely break out of its shell.

pipping red tail hawk

It takes a lot of energy to hatch, and the newborn chicks are often tired for the first day of their lives.  Before long, however, their feathers will have dried off, and they will be covered with white fluff.

J1 hatching and J2 pipping

At first, the chick’s eyes do not focus well, and they do not quite understand what “food” really is and who is feeding them.  There is an awful lot of pecking and bonking that goes on with the siblings.  This settles down after about four or five days.

The chicks are not given names.  They are assigned letters of the alphabet.  In 2012, when Cornell University first installed its hawk cameras, the chicks were given the letter C after Cornell.  In 2013, the chicks were given D and so on until 2020 when the chicks have been given the letter J.

In the image below, the first hatched chick, J1, is trying to take a bite out of J2’s head!

Two chicks

J1 and J2 tiny fighting over a small piece of meat

3 chicks

It is up to Arthur to bring food for Big Red and the chicks.  Arthur’s territory is abundant.  Until the chicks fledge, he will bring chipmunks, squirrels, pigeons, Starlings, snakes, voles, and rabbits to the pantry.  There is never a shortage and viewers have been surprised – shocked even – at the plentiful supply of animals and at the talents of both Arthur and Big Red at hunting.  She has, in fact, brought some meals back with her when she has gone off the nest for a bit.

Arthur filling up pantry on May 1

These chicks have a lot of food security, thanks to the excellent hunting skills of Arthur and Big Red.  The rails to keep them in the natal nest are made out of their dinner.  Pine is scattered about to keep away the flies, and sometimes you could see the chicks sleeping with their head on a furry pelt.

all the food

Big Red fed and kept her chicks warm during a period of dangerous wind and heavy rain on May 1. I don’t think anyone slept that night and there was certainly a lot of emotion, even tears.

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And she has patiently made sure that each and every chick, from the first to hatch J1 to the tiny J3, is fed.

Here the three of them are lined up for an afternoon meal.  Little J3 is front and right with J2 front left.  J1 is behind both.  The trio managed to eat an entire chipmunk!  That was just one meal.  Big Red is feeding them a lot.  She still spends the night brooding, keeping those chicks toasty warm.  Soon they will sleep on their own at night.  Eventually, they will jump and flap their wings, preparing to fledge.  By then they will also be eating on their own, and Big Red and Arthur will courier food to the nest throughout the day.

3 lined up for a feeding

By the middle of June, all of the 2020 chicks will have fledged.  They will spend the summer learning how to hunt, and by fall they will be gone to find their own territory.  At the age of two, they will get their distinctive red tail feathers, and by three, they will have families of their own.

In the meantime, Big Red and Arthur will enjoy being empty nesters, and by late fall they will again repair their nest on the Cornell campus in preparation for 2021!

All of us who have gotten to know this hawk family and to learn a little about raptor behaviour have been inspired by the sheer dedication Big Red has maintained during the most horrid of weather.  We have watched J1 grow to be four times the size of “Little J3”. We have worried that the little one might be left out.  This was decidedly not the case!  J3 is right up there, and Big Red makes sure each is fed well, that they are safe and warm.  She is currently teaching them to preen their feathers and by observation, J1 today began flapping its wings.

 

Columbia Basin Culture Tour

If you live near the Columbia Basin or you are travelling to British Columbia, and you will be there for August 10 and 11, you really need to check out the 70 artists that are in the 11th annual culture tour.  Studios are open daily from 10-5, and there are maps, brochures, and postcards at the galleries, craft shops, information bureaus, and studios of the artists.  I have written about many of these creative people before, but it is time to wake everyone up again to get out and see what is new.  For specific information, you can find maps, information on each of the artists, event activities at http://www.cbculturetour.com. It is all free to charge.  Take a road trip and support the local artists in the Columbia Basin of British Columbia.

Standing in Gunda Stewart’s studio in Canyon, I looked down and saw a postcard and started laughing.  Good thing Gunda was out grinding a lid or she would have thought I had lost my mind.  The problem was I couldn’t stop.  Gunda gave me a smile, and I showed her what was causing all of the chaos:  a photo of a sheep under a hairdryer with those bristle rollers, red high heels with her utters spilling over the edge of the chair.  Gunda was quick to point out that that particular artist had managed to get an image of three different works on the three different types of publicity.  Within an hour, we were standing in Andrea Rovey’s studio in Creston, and that is where I came face to face with GlamChops!

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Andrea has this seditious sense of humour.  She made a sculpture in celebration of the Pink pussyhats, women marching against Trump in 2017.  It was her way of dealing with this outrageous situation.  Scattered about are award-winning sculptures, chicks dancing on cars, rabbits, beavers with the brightest red lipstick.  I should have paid more attention because this was a fantastic studio with one heck of an incredible artist.  Andrea studied at Red Deer College with Trudy Golley and also went to Penland- but the humour is all her.  Notice:  Glam Chops is reading a book on ‘Teets’.  Underneath each of these is something that relates to women.  Stop in and check out her work….there is much more on offer.

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The Kootenays are so green this year and hopefully with the rain maybe it will be a wildfire free year. Gunda fired her wood kiln, and her shelves are ready for the tour.  She loads everything up and takes it to Cameron Stewart’s studio up in Passmore.  You can catch her at the market in Creston on the weekends or in her studio when the ‘open’ sign is up.  The wood-fired functional ware of her, Cameron, Pamela Nagley-Stevenson, and Robin Dupont is exceptional and unique to each maker.  Check out their studios on the tour.  I hear the last wood firing for Nagley-Stevenson had quite surprising results.

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If you are not going to be in British Columbia, then check out what is happening with your local artisans and artists.  In Manitoba, the Winnipeg Folk Festival will have its annual handmade village and around all of the provinces are weekend markets where you can buy local.  And if you want to become more ecological, then consider something well made that will make a person happy for a long time that was created by someone local.

Canadian F1 Grand Prix Montreal

It is the one thing I cannot reconcile in my life – my worry over the environment and my love of F1 racing.  Cars going around at unthought of speeds burning up litres and litres of petrol for entertainment seems ridiculous when we talk about climate change.  And as much as I worry about the world I am leaving for my grandchildren, that much I also love about F1.  So, for now, I am going to have to live with it.  The SMART for Two that sits on our driveway and has been driven now for 13 years at the cost of only $2400 for tires and regular maintenance and gets 70 mpg – well, maybe that makes up for it.  On the other hand, that car is also a product of the testing done on F1 cars.  First, people look at the SMART and figure you can’t get anything in it.  Untrue.  There are only two seats, but they are full-size Mercedes sedan seats.  And it is safe…although no one believes that either.  Mercedes really needed to do a better PR campaign.  The car bounces if you get hit and it has a Kevlar cage like in F1.  If any vehicle is safe, it is just as reliable as the next.  Unfortunately, our family knows that cars are not safe…..

But back to the race.  Gosh, golly.  I think I have the same seats as I had in 1997.  Great view when they come down, slowing into the hairpin and getting ready to speed up for the straight.  It seems much too long ago that I was there with my son, Cris.  What fun we had that weekend.  James Brown was doing the entertaining and we even – how this happened remains a mystery – also got to sit at his table for a while when he was taking a break.  That year the race had to be stopped on lap 54 when Olivier Panis had an incredible crash breaking both of his legs if I remember correctly and the Canadian, Jacques Villeneuve crashed out early and walked entirely off the track in a bit of a pout.  Michael Schumacher won.  It was great to see him race.  I only wish I had seen Ayrton Senna and Alan Proust in competition.

The 1997 Suzuka Grand Prix at Suzuka, Japan was another win for Schumacher who, on this last race of the season, won the driver’s championship by one point over Jacques Villeneuve who actually was on pole but finished 5th.  It was a different story the following year when Mika Hakkinen won his first world’s championship at Suzuka driving for McLaren Mercedes West.  It’s my favourite track, and both times I was so lucky to sit on the start-finish line.  Suzuka is a bit like a big circus.  OK.  Everyone calls F1 a circus…but really, there is literally a Ferris wheel on the grounds during race weekend, and the most incredible Japanese fast food served in the stalls.  If you love F1, try and get to Suzuka one day.

Speaking of trying to get to a race…head’s up.  If you go to Gootickets.com, you can pay for tickets to any competition on their monthly payment plan.  Their offices are in Monaco.  Best to do your research on the stands and look at the layout of the track.  Sitting in a fast straight will cost you less, but you don’t get to see so much.   Personally, that is why I don’t like the start-finish lines…best to see them slowing down at a hairpin and then heading off to the straight.  And every track has huge monitors so you can see the leaders on all parts of the track.  Take a hat or your head will get scorched unless it is raining-.  Go for the weekend, take in the events, make it part of your holiday.  Enjoy the smell of high octane petrol!

 

Goodbye Grenada

Like every Canadian who takes a winter holiday in April, I had so hoped that spring would have arrived on the prairies.  Apparently, it is the opposite.  A big blizzard is whirling around intent on bringing lots of snow to about four million people.  Fingers crossed that Winnipeg is on the edge and only gets flurries!  It has been a fabulous holiday and we are looking forward to returning sooner rather than later.  Grenada has changed so much in the past three years and the resort that we are in, The Starfish, will evolve in the next few months from a 3.5 star to a 5-star resort with a name change.  I do hope that they keep the nature reserve area in the centre.  It has brought a lot of joy to a number of us.

This tri-colour heron spotted us walking over the bridges and within a blink, he was at the edge of the pond ready to catch his lunch.  They are very elegant standing on the rocks but when fishing, they pull down their neck and get into a striking pose.  Nothing much happens if they catch a small fish but if it is a bigger one, they quickly move away from the shore.  Sometimes they drop the fish but at least they won’t lose it.  It can take them a few minutes to get their catch into a size that will go down that long throat.  All of this is followed by gulps of water.  Then they are back into striking mode.

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Ready for action:

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Today a green heron aggravated the tri-colour who was not too keen to share its territory.

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The doves were satisfied just to get some of the crumbs of the crackers.  At one point there were eight of them.

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On the other side of the pond, the egrets were fussing about trying to get settled on the branches.

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It is hard to imagine how lush the vegetation will be in just a few months when the rains start.  There is a fire ban on the island but some are still burning.  There is no real fire department and it could be devastating if the wind caused some of those small fires to spread.

Grenada has been wonderful as it always is.  The people are friendly and the mini-van bus service is amazing.

So here are some tips to help make your next vacation in Grenada just that much better:

  1.  If you have a number of people travelling together, consider renting an Air BnB and doing some of your own cooking.  Make sure that you are close to a bus route so that you can get down to the beaches or get groceries with some ease.  Don’t even think about renting a car!  There are also short term apartment and house rentals managed by the local real estate agents.  Just Google ‘houses in Grenada for short term’.
  2. If you are independent, get one of the Grenada road maps.  Find the tourist attractions you want to do and see if there is a local mini-van to take you there.  You will save a bundle (and I do mean hundreds of Canadian dollars).
  3. Check out things to do and their ratings on Trip Advisor.
  4. Move a little bit out of your comfort zone.  For some of the best roti I have ever eaten, go to The Sugar Shack on True Blue Road.  And if you like East Indian food, the Punjabi near the airport brought in four cooks from India.  It is the best Indian food I have eaten in years.  The Malai Kofta had the creamiest cashew sauce ever.
  5. Remember that eating out is very expensive.  Groceries are expensive.  You might want to compare prices for all-inclusive hotels giving yourself the option to find some of the local restaurants (non-American or chain) every other day or so.
  6. Compare prices on tours.  They vary a whole lot for the same sites.
  7. You can get most anything you need on the island now.  You might want to bring some sunscreen just to start you off.  You will need a hat!  Even walking around for an hour without one will mean a sunburned head.  Not nice.  Remember that you burn quickly if you are in the water.  So take it easy.  You will get a tan to prove you had a winter holiday without much effort.  You don’t want to go home shedding like a snake!
  8. And last but never least, get on Grenada time.  Slow down.  ‘Chill out’.  Say hello to people, smile.  Have a great holiday.

I am looking forward to coming back. The plan will be to rent a house with a pool.  Turns out some of the most gorgeous properties are less than a 3.5-star hotel.  It should be fun and definitely something to look forward to.

The Day of the Iguana

The Green Iguana is the largest of the lizards found in Grenada.  Most of the time they live in the trees eating leaves, new shoots, and fruit.  Sometimes they are seen walking on the ground and today we saw two.  The large bright green one above as the featured image of this page and, later, a smaller one with a green body and turquoise head.  They can grow up to six feet long with at least half of that being their tail which they whip about when they walk.  They also appear to be excellent swimmers as both rushed into the pond once they were spotted and swam away easily.  Iguanas are actually endangered due to overhunting and also, like so many other of the animals, residential and commercial developments that wreck their habitats.

One of the nicest things about this resort is that they have maintained a large pond area that is full of birds and lizards.  I have also appreciated their labelling of the local flora and fauna.  Despite it being ever so dry here there are a few flowers that are still managing to bloom.
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It was 28 degrees with a UV Index of 10 today and 31 mph winds.  Despite the strong winds, everyone felt extremely blessed to be able to be outside.  There are so many Canadians here and the weather showed it snowing in Ottawa with snow showers in Winnipeg and temperatures of -4 C.  It is a wonder that we didn’t all rush the Air Canada office to extend our stay.

In the evening the perfume from the Frangipani flowers fills the air.

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Grenada is located near the Equator.  It has some of the most spectacular sunsets in the world.  Today I talked to a couple from England who said they had also witnessed the full moon rising up over the horizon.  What a sight that must have been!

This is a really short post but I wanted to just add some images for all of those stuck in a lingering Canadian winter.  The top one is the Caribbean Sea looking from Magazine Beach to St. George’s in the distance.

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Views from my son’s house in Egmont Bay.

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Everywhere you drive in Grenada, you will see goats tied at the side of the road eating the grass.  Today, in our ride back from Grand Anse in one of those wonderful minivans, the van backed up to let a man out by his house.  Little did we know till they stopped that the bag on the floor beside us held two baby goats!  Today, some people make the local goat cheese which is delicious.  Other goats find their way into the local dish, roti.  Roti can be filled with vegetables, fish, boneless chicken, or potatoes and peas.

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And speaking of roti, I apologize.  It was simply too good to stop at the beginning and take a photograph.  The Sugar Shack makes the BEST roti in St George’s.  They are located on True Blue Road.  Eating local is not only economical but can be delicious.  Three roti – 1 fish and 2 boneless chicken – a Monster drink, 2 Cokes, and a Sprite was 66 EC or about $29 CDN.  It was full of chicken, both dark and white meat and the seasoning was spot on.  They are moving from their temporary site into a permanent building with a new kitchen on True Blue Road shortly.  If you get to Grenada, take the minivan and ask the conductor to let you off.  They will surely know the place!

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Dusk over Magazine Beach, Grenada, West Indies

It’s the end of another warm, beautiful day during the dry season in Grenada.  It began with feeding the fish in the pond in the featured photo.  The egrets and herons watch you very carefully and have learned that if tourists feed the fish they can get in the action and have a great big meal.  At dusk, the herons and egrets settle in for the evening on the island.

One tourist area that could grow in Grenada is birding.  There are 160 different species of birds.  Just staying in one location, over a couple of days, there have been that spectacular little blue heron from yesterday, a great egret, many little egrets, a Caribbean Elaenia, a blue-black grassquit, a pair of Eurasian collared doves, a Zenaida dove, a royal tern, a tricolour heron, a Caribbean Grackel,  and a vast assortment of smaller hummingbirds that have been simply too fast to photograph and identify.  There is a stand over the mangroves in Woburn and if it is high tide, it is apparently filled with lots of various species.  I also noted that there is a walking tour through the rainforest that includes bird watching.

The Royal Tern is about the size of a seagull.  It wasn’t much interested in us as it had its eyes fixed on a fish in the pond.  These are common coastal birds in the West Indies.

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This pair of Eurasian Collared Doves were just sweet.  This medium-sized grey dove with its distinctive collar around the hindneck was introduced into Cuba in the 1970s and has now spread to all of the Lesser Antilles including Grenada.  This dove is a ground feeder but today it took a keen interest in the food that we were feeding to the fish making me believe that all of the animals and birds will be happy when the rainy season begins in June.

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This Carib Grackle made himself a bit of a pest today!  And in doing so he entertained me completely by the way he broke the crackers down in order to eat them with his beak and claws.  He is also the pesky creature that likes to steal food off the plates in the dining room.  No kidding.

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I know that most of you didn’t come to this blog to read about my new passion birding.  So here are some continuing tips on getting around the island of Grenada and being a ‘wise’ tourist.

One of the best ways to get around the island is by mini-van.  The driver normally owns the van and has a license for a certain route.  The route numbers appear on the windscreen.  Each license gives the owner a limited number of trips (daily) on their route.  This is precisely why the young man who opens and closes the door keeps his eyes out for anyone who might want a ride and is nearing a bus stop.  Don’t take offence as he will not chat with you.  It is up to him to fill that bus – the more passengers that can be crammed in, the more money that is made!  You might actually think not one more person could fit in that van but the conductor (that young man sliding the door and taking the money) knows precisely how many people he can fit in the bus.  Sometimes he might even shift people around in the seating after a stop.  Don’t fret, just go with the flow and enjoy Grenada time which is much slower than anywhere else in the world.  Fares vary on the length of the route you are travelling.  Typically, a ride from the Starfish up by Maurice Bishop Airport to Grand Anse or St George’s will cost you 10 EC.  Tell the conductor where you want to get off.  You will hear him knock on the roof or the door to tell the driver to stop.  Don’t do this yourself unless you are not wearing any rings – scratching the paint will get several people mad at you.

One of the things that many tourists do is sign up for tours, sometimes very, very expensive tours.  But for those who are curious and a little more adventurous at heart and who want to save a heap of money, I suggest you pick up one of the free Grenada Road Map guides.  Almost every shop we have been in has at least one copy.  What is so interesting is that the map highlights many of the tourist attractions you might be interested in and the number of the local bus to take to get there.  So tomorrow, instead of spending more than $300 CDN to go on a tour to Belmont Estates, I am going to take the bus to Grenville, switch at their bus station and head straight to Belmont Estates. You can have an amazing lunch there, check out the making of the goat cheese, there is also a gift shop, petting zoo and a look at what life was really like on a 17th-century plantation.  Check back with me in a couple of days but by my figuring, I will save approximately $275 CDN!

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The mini-vans are also great entertainment.  There is always reggae music playing and you will be surprised at how courteous these young men are to their customers.  I have seen elderly ladies transporting propane tanks and chickens.  The driver will pull as close as he can to their house and the conductor will help them unload.  This morning he helped a  woman and her daughter with eight bags of groceries.  This is great service – and respect.  Sure isn’t that good in Canada most of the time.  So don’t get in a rush.  Take the local mini-van.  Get lost in Grenada somewhere.  Sit back and enjoy the ride.

Shopping.  I have already mentioned Art Fabrik as one of the true local shops that employ local sewers.  But today, let’s talk a little bit about breakfast options, book stores, and ready-made clothes.

There are two malls near Grand Anse Beach.  There is the Spiceland Mall opposite the Coyaba Hotel.  It has doubled in size over the last couple of years.  There is an IGA, various clothing stores, a duty-free shop, a local art gallery and shop, and quite surprising an excellent bookshop, Art and Soul.  They had a large area for children and young readers, Caribbean cookbooks and a really good selection of Vegan, along with the New York Times bestsellers and ‘beach reading’.  I was looking for a book on birds as well as one on the history of the Grenadian Revolution that wasn’t slanted towards the US view of the world.  I came away very happy.

If you are looking for beer, wine, or spirits, head to the IGA (or any other grocery store).  They have a large selection priced in EC, much cheaper than the Duty-Free (Unless you are looking for something exotic).  Personally, I think the grocery stores are the place to buy local chocolate and cocoa.  There are now five chocolate producers and all of their products are organic. The Grenada Chocolate Company was the first.  The grocery stores also sometimes carry the local vanilla or the passionfruit honey which is to die for.

You will save approximately 50% by doing your shopping for these local items at these big grocery stores as opposed to the smaller tourist shops near the cruise ship port.

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The second mall is a short walk from Spiceland and is located across from the Raddison Hotel.  It is the Grande Anse Shopping Centre.  There is a grocery store and this is where you will find Mike’s Pizza.  He opens at 11am and he used to also have ice cream.  But there is also a little dress and gift shop tucked in right by the fountain.  Too-kachi Boutique and Craft Studio carry a nice selection of locally made gifts, cotton and beach clothing.  All prices are in EC.

BTW.  I am not a fan of malls anywhere but I am also not keen to spend 50% more for anything.

Eating out in Grenada can be very expensive if you go to restaurants (as opposed to the local stands).  We stopped for toast and sausages at Moch Spoke (you can also rent bicycles but you are taking your life into your hands on the Grenadian roads!), a cup of coffee, and a shared orange juice.  For two it came to $12 CDN.  The full English breakfast with toast, eggs, bacon or sausage, and beans is $33 EC or about $16.50 CDN each.  Note:  You can also get a great breakfast – some of the most amazing French toast – at The Papillion.  It is a short walk up the hill behind the Spiceland Mall.  They are open Wednesday through Sunday.

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KFC is spotlessly clean, large, and is freezing cold.  Early in the morning, you can see the locals heading in there for fried chicken for breakfast.  Here is a look at their Value Menu.  The best way to convert currency for Canadians is simply to divide the EC by 2 and you get the equivalent Candian dollars.  Despite what the currency exchange boards say, by the time you are finished that appears to be the most accurate conversion.

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Last tip of the day:  wear a hat!  The top of your head can get sunburned very quickly!  And if you forget your flip flops, you can purchase name brands and no name all over the island.