New Year's Eve

I am celebrating New Year's Eve by having a sleepover at my friend Zack's house. I will write about it tomorrow. How do you celebrate New Year's Eve and what are your New Year's Resolutions?

Goodbye,

Birdman

Technical Difficulties

If any of you have a blogger page and know how to fix the problems with signing in? Please, leave any suggestins in the comments.
Goodbye,
Birdman

Christmas Day

Today is Christmas, here is how my day went. This morning I woke up at 8:00am then I woke up the rest of my family. We went downstairs and Jesse and I opened our presents, at 10:30am all the presents under the tree were opened so mom and dad surprised us with the best presents, Jesse got a mini snowmobile and I got a video camera. We had a big family breakfast then at 1:00pm we went to Aunt Lori's and Uncle Bruce's house. We had a great party, then we had another big family meal and partied until late. Then we drove back home and its 11:00pm. How did your Christmas Day go?
Goodbye,
Birdman

Christmas Eve

Today is Christmas Eve, Christmas is a celebration of Jesus. It took place from December 25-January 7. That's how the 12 days of Christmas came to be known. It started when Mary and Joseph were engaged, the Lord gave Mary a child without Joseph knowing she had a baby this way. Joseph didn't want to get married anymore but that night he had a dream. The dream was about a angel telling him that the Lord gave Mary the child spiritually and told him to name the child Jesus, meaning God saves. Mary was about to have the child so God told them to go to Bethlehem to have the baby. They did, but they could not find a place for the baby to be born so they went to a stable. Meanwhile 3 wise men saw the Christmas Star, they knew this meant Jesus was born so they went around Bethlehem asking people where Jesus was born. King Herod heard about this so he sent people out to kill him. The 3 wise men realized the Christmas Star would guide them to where Jesus was born so they followed it and found him. The first wise man gave Jesus, Gold. The second wise man gave Jesus, Frankincense. The third wise man gave Jesus Mirth. Then Joseph had a dream about another angel telling him to get out of Bethlehem because King Herod sent people out to kill the child. They did and that's the true meaning of Christmas.
Goodbye,
Birdman

Hike At Homer Watson Park

Today at 9:00am my dad and I did some Erinn's then we went to Homer Watson Park. We arrived there at 11:00am we started walking in the trail I heard a very quiet bro. I heard it continually until I heard chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and other forest birds. Then the bro started to get louder and finally my dad heard it. Everything went quiet for about ten minutes then all the birds started singing again. This was obviously a male Snowy Owl, I was very excited because I have never seen or heard a Snowy Owl before. Now I can finally say I've seen or heard all the owls in southern Ontario, even the rarest ones! This day will be very remember able for me! Have you seen all the local owls in your area? If no, I hope you do sometime. If your a intermediate birder like me you'll know how great it feels to accomplish this. To find out what level of a birder you are go on the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (http://birds.cornell.edu/), go on All About Birds and take the Bird Brain Challenge. I will be posting pictures again once the temperature rises to at least 0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit in Kitchener.
Goodbye,
Birdman

New Winter Birds!

Some of you who live in southern Ontario may have seen Common Goldeneyes and Snow Buntings recently. If you have seen these birds or any other birds please make an account on eBird (http://ebird.org.) It is a website where you report your observations and helps orthinologists study birds. These birds have arrived a little late due to the recent fierce storms in southern Ontario, also they had to take a different route due to the storms in New York and other northern states. Anyway, some of you may have neve heard of these birds so here is a few facts about them. Goldeneyes nest in tree cavities near water. They winter in small flocks by water. Best indentified by bill and head. The Common Goldeneye or Bucephala clangula has a length of 18.5 inches. It has a wingspan of 26 inches and a weight of 1.9 pounds. Flies with deep wingbeats. The Snow Bunting

Hanukkah Begins

Today Hanukkah begins, Hanukkah is a Jewish ceremony which is eight days. It all started when Jews were on a journey to see a great lord, they went in a temple and only had canvas olive oil for one day. They needed this for something important, although it lasted for eight days, therefore Hanukkah is eight days long. For more information about this, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hanukkah/.

Goodbye,

Birdman

Solstice

As some of you may know, today is Solstice. Solstice is also the first day of winter. It happens twice a year, once on the first day of summer and once on the first day of winter. In summer it would be a northern solstice, this means the sun reaches its highest arch and the sun is the most high on that day also this is the longest day of the year. In winter it would be a southern solstice, this means the sun reaches its lowest arch and the sun is at its lowest, also its the shortest day of the year. That's about all I learned from research, so I'll move on to a different subject. The bird of the day or in this case the bird of the weekend is the Bald Eagle or Haliaeetus leucocephalus. The fierce aspect of the grand North American raptor, so clearly on display here as it swoops in on an icebound fish, makes this bird a fitting choice for our national symbol. After spending many decades on the endangered species list, it has made a welcome comback in the lower 48 states in the past 20 years. It has always been abundant in Alaska, where this photo was taken. Bald Eagles acquire their adult white-headed plumage after four years. Arthur Morris, USA
Goodbye,
Birdman

Carnival Glory Cruise Liner Trip (Part 8)

On Friday, December 5, 2008 the cruise ship docked at Freeport, Bahamas. We spent about an hour there trying to get a good deal on a tour, but eventually we did. He was an excellent tour guide, he took us wherever we wanted to go and for only $80.00. Of course we gave him a 25 percent tip! First we went to a nature center but it was closed so we went to a park. Dad and I spotted so many birds and butterflies that we couldn't identify. Then we went to the beach with Mom and Jesse, it was beautiful! Unfortunately it can't show you a picture of it because I deleted my photos from my camera as I thought I was done with them and it filled up my memory card. Anyway, we didn't stay in the beautiful paradise long because the under toe was very, very strong and could pull us in 4 feet of water within seconds in just one wave. Next he brought us to a dolphin conservation, where they were free to swim back out to sea although they didn't because they were feed. That was the end of the tour and there is my cruise trip in eight posts! Hope you enjoyed how I told you it!

Birdman

P.S. I will try to get those beach pictures from Freeport.

Carnival Glory Cruise Liner Trip (Part 7)

On Thursday, December 4, 2008 I went to a late night and early morning party for kids on the cruise. It started at 10:30pm and went to 3:30am, I came in early when the normal kids program was going on and they were watching the end of Fried Worms. A few kids left and then we began the party. It started by dancing games then we did face painting. There was two teams, with two designs they were Team Red and Team Blue. After we were done, we played capture the flag and Team Blue won 2 0. Then we went to play video games, I played the wii for a while then I went back to my stateroom.

Goodbye,

Birdman

Carnival Glory Cruise Liner Trip (Part 6)

Drabber adult Violet-crowned Hummingbird sitting on nest

On Wednesday, December 3, 2008 the cruise ship docked at Isla Ronda, Honduras; a island off the cost of Honduras that Hondurans claimed. We got of the boat and met with the Pirates, Birds and Monkeys group of the Caribbean as with booked a spot for it. They took us on a tour bus to there conservation area. Lets just say it wasn't a pleasant ride! After it was over, our tour guide let us have a washroom break, then we began our tour. First she brought us to a special, endangered tree that had roots that could spread 3-5 miles! Then she brought us to a plant, if you touched it's leaves they would close up and open again a few minutes later. Next she brought us past a cacti garden and in an artificial cave. She teached us about pirates that used to live in Isla Ronda. Then we had to cross a bridge to interact with the birds and monkeys. First we did the birds, all of us had fun, there was lots of parrots that had probably been rescued as though some of them had damaged beaks, faces and feet. We could only hold the healthiest ones which were the Military Macaw and the Scarlet Macaw. Everyone got to hold them and they tasted my hair when I was. See my profile picture for them. Then we went to hold the monkeys, as we walked there I noticed some of the parrots had followed the group and the White Rats that lived in Honduras had no ears or tail and appeared to be large rats. Most people were a little scared of holding the monkeys because they can make you feel uncomfortable the way they sit on your shoulder. After that we went to the beach, although everyone else went in the pool. We had lots of fun although I forgot to bring a towel. Then it started raining so we went back to cruise ship. Of course the rest of the day we relaxed.

Goodbye,

Birdman

Carnival Glory Cruise Liner Trip (Part 5)

Adult Nonbreeding Elegant Tern Diving

On Tuesday, December 2, 2008 the cruise liner anchored a few miles from Belize City, Belize. First we had breakfast, then we took a boat to Belize City and shopped. I also birded, and saw many gulls, terns and other Diomedeidae, Procellariidae and Laride birds. Including the Elegant Tern which I posted a video of (above.) Anyway we didn't do much because it was dangerous out of the city and tourists weren't recommended to go out of it. Although mom and dad bought me a collection of butterflies and Jesse got a drum made from Bolivians. I think mom regretted it though because he drove us crazy trying to play it! After that we had lunch and went back to the cruise liner. It had to anchor far from Belize because the government of Belize protects the reef by Belize which is the second largest in the world! Uncle Bruce and Aunt Lori went away from the city and had a tour of the the island. By the way they told us it sounded like they had a great time, they saw Herons, Iguanas, Insects and other interesting and rare animals. But I'm glad I didn't go because it was to big of a risk, I really wish Belize and Guatemala could be peaceful. When we got back we just swam for the rest of the day.

Goodbye,

Birdman

Carnival Glory Cruise Liner Trip (Part 4)

Adult Female Magnificent Hummingbird

On Monday, December 1, 2008 the ship docked at Cozumel, Mexico. We had breakfast then we went into Cozumel and took a tour around the island. First our tour guide stopped at the Mayan Ruins so we could walk around for 30 minutes and explore. Before we entered we had to pay to see the Mayan Ruins, then we started our hike. There was lots of birds, butterflies and nature everywhere. Although, no animal could stay in sight long enough for a picture except a hummingbird that I took a picture of (above.) But we still had a good time exploring all the ancient Ruins that were build by Mayan Cultures. Although some of them seemed pointless like large, deep holes without signs beside them to explain the purpose of them. Anyway, our grandparents were getting tired so I quickly took some pictures of flowers and we walked back to the tour van. Next he took us to a place which was like a plaza or something. As we walked in on the stepping stones, a 10 foot snake was there to greet us! Mom of course was frightened so she left but they asked if I wanted to pet their iguana. I did, although I may have regretted it as I forgot to wash my hands after. I wanted to take a picture of all their animals but they wanted about $10.00 for a single picture! So mom pretended to take a picture of us but she was trying to take a picture of the snake. They caught her and moved the snake. Then we went down to have some fun at the beach but salt was splashing on my camera. Luckily it didn't damage it, mom bought us some fries and we left. On our way to the tour van we saw some grackles and a crab which I got a picture of, it quickly ran away so everyone got back in the van and he drove us to the ship and we just relaxed for the rest of the day.

Goodbye,

Birdman

Birding at Riverside Park and Linear Trail

House Finches
Black-capped Chickadee

Grey Squirrel

Herring Gull

Black Scoters (left) and Buffleheads (right)

Red-tailed Hawk

Northern Shrike

Cedar Waxwings

Cedar Waxwings

At 10:00am, Ruth picked me up and we went to Riverside Park and went birding. We only walked for about 10 minutes because of Ruth's knee having an infection as you know from her blog. Although we saw, American Crows, Northern Cardinals, House Finches, European Starlings, Rock Doves, Mourning Doves, we got to hand feed Black-capped Chickadees and Grey and Black Squirrels. Then we went to Linear Trail to try to spot the recent Juvenile Bald Eagle sighting. Unfortunately we didn't, although we saw Herring Gulls, Black-capped Chickadees, Black Scoters, Buffleheads, Canada, Geese, Mallards and a Red-tailed Hawk. So we went to a place someone else had spotted an eagle but the river there was frozen so we had no chance of seeing one. Next we went to a road with many Pine Trees because someone spotted White-winged Crossbills there recently. We may have seen them there but I don't have any prof. Anyway we did see Northern Shrikes and Cedar Waxwings roosting and feeding their young. Then we went to Tim Hortons for lunch I had the Chili Combo a Ruth had a Steeped Tea. After having lunch we went to Ruth's house to pick up Becka and drop her off at a friend's birthday party. Then we drove me home at about 3:00pm...seeing more crows! We saw a total of 21 species of birds! Although we didn't see White-winged Crossbills or Bald Eagles I still had a good time, thank you Ruth for taking me birding with you!

Goodbye,

Birdman

Carnival Glory Cruise Liner Trip (Part 3)

On Sunday, November 30, 2008 we wen to a karioke show a dinner. I can't write much because I only stayed for a bit.
Goodbye,
Birdman

Carnival Glory Cruise Liner Trip (Part 2)

Atlantic Adult Nonbreeding Brown Pelican Gliding

On Saturday, November 29, 2008 my dad and I went birding again and saw lots Pelicaniformes (pelicans, tropicbirds, cormorants, etc.) In fact that's almost all we saw that day. Here is how it began; after having breakfast and getting ready we took a shuttle to Port Canaveral, Florida where the cruise liner would be setting sail. As soon as we arrived there, I saw albatrosses, frigatebirds, gulls, terns, grackles etc. and the line for the cruise was about a kilometer long! Fortunately my grandparents had a VIP from the suite they booked in the Marriot Hotel so we could cut the line. When we got in, our passports had a B2 stamp on them and they thought that we didn't live in North America. After a while they let us board the ship. We got on the 3rd Deck and we all got our picture taken for an ID for our Sail & Sign Cards. We went to our room, unpacked and explored the ship. On the 10th Deck we decided to stop to go birding. I saw a variety of gulls, gannets, albatrosses, terns, pelicans, anhingas, cormorants, vultures and lots more. Then we set sail out into the Atlantic Ocean. When we had dinner the waiters were excellent and funny. After dinner we had a great time but then we went to bed.

Goodbye,

Birdman

Carnival Glory Cruise Liner Trip (Part 1)

On Thursday November 27, 2008 we drove to the the Toronto Airport and flew to Orlando, Florida then we stayed at the Marriot Hotel. The next morning we had a big breakfast at the hotel while we were eating I spotted many birds out the window, including; bitterns, anis and warblers. After breakfast we went birding at a pond by the hotel and the were domestic and wild waterfowl foraging in the shallow water. Also I spotted a school of large cichlids in the water resting at the surface. Next I saw a Anhinga far in the water swimming in a way that made it look like a snake, this is why its nicknamed the "snakebird". Although everytime I tried to take a picture of it, it would dive underwater for a couple of minutes and come back up in another place so I gave up. Then we went to the mall for Black Friday but it was very busy and we all regreted going there all day but I did see a lizard in the flowers outside the mall. Then we had lunch and we back to the Marriot Hotel and I went birding again in another pond with my dad. We saw egrets, anis and lots of other birds. Unfortunately I accidentaly deleted most of my pictures so we had dinner and went to bed.

Goodbye,

Birdman

4 Days Until Cruise!

Cambridge Pound/Wild Turkey

Adult Nonbreeding Male Wild Turkey

Today we took the cat to the pound but they wouldn't accept it because we lived in Breslau (out of the Cambridge region.) So we made a deal, my mom gave them $5 to drop off the cat. They said he would find a home quickly because of how playful, cute and nice it was. Later, on the way home from Cambridge we noticed a large bird standing by a harvested corn field. We parked by it and my mom took some pictures of it with her iPhone. When we came home I identified it and it was a Adult Nonbreeding Male Wild Turkey.

Goodbye,

Birdman

Stray Cat

Lately, a stray cat has been coming to our deck begging for attention, so now were caring for it until we get a call back from the Camridge Humane Society.
Goodbye,
Birdman

Max

Today after school we visited the vet, for a check-up for Max. Unfortunately he has the same problems but worse

Lazer Quest

Yesterday Scouts was having a party at Lazer Quest from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. My dad and I started driving at 6:30pm and it wasn't until 7:10pm when we found it. When we came in Scout Leader Phil gave me a Lazer Quest Card so I handed it in for a Lazer Quest Gun Activator. Eventually I found my scout group and one of my friend's friend was there with her sister. Her mouth was as wide as a human mouth could open when she saw me! I wasn't that surprised! Anyway the Lazer Quest Mission was just beginning so we followed the Lazer Quest Marshal for instructions, he explained to us how to play Lazer Quest and all the rules. We entered the room and he gave us all vests and a gun. Then we had 30 seconds to hide until we could begin. Then everyone went crazy, every corner I passed about 10 people shot me about 50 times. That put me in 26th place. The next round I made a team to make it easier (although every individual is suppost to be on their own team. Anyway this time was a lot better, we took corner shots at everyone! Until I turned my back, they ditched me. I went looking for them and a lot creepy things happened then but I won't mention them. But as soon as I found them they shot me about 100 times each! It put my score wwwaaayyy dddooowwwnnn!!! In fact I came in 19th place that time. Although it was fun, I don't trust my friends as much. I was sweating like crazy when we were done because they had no AC in there! Neither did I on the way home...Dad!
Goodbye,
Birdman

Re-Fish Feeding Time

A few days ago I failed to publish a video called "Fish Feeding Time". It wouldn't download because it was over 20 seconds long. So here is a shorter, more edited version of "Fish Feeding Time". I hope it will publish this time.

Goodbye,

Birdman

Max

I bet some of you are thinking I haven't done a blog post on Max in a long time so here is an update about him. He has a few miner health issues; he is having a allergic reaction on his ear and belly but we are taking him for surgery on Thursday, he is 1 pound over the maximum weight for his age but we are feeding him special food and walking him everyday. Also we have to risk him running away when we walk him because his collar doesn't fit over his coat but we only walk him around the back of the house and we are keeping close watch on him. Of course once Spring begins he can go for larger walks with a collar and leash.
Goodbye,
Birdman

Snowy Day

SNOWY DAY

http://birdman-nature.blogspot.com/

Share my blog with all your friends and family.

Also. check out these blogs:

http://bodysoulandspirit.blogspot.com/

http://the-becka.blogspot.com/

http://sibleyguides.blogspot.com/

http://monarchbfly.com/

Bye,

Birdman

My Day

Rainy Day
Rainy Day

Rainy Day

Fish Feeding Time

Unfortunately the weather today was bad so we canceled the scout trip and I couldn't visit Ruth because she is feeling sick. So I had to find some other ways to keep myself entertained. Here is how my day went so far. I slept in until 10:00am then I looked after the fish and watched Family for 30 minutes then I watched WFN (World Fishing Network.) At 11:00am I went downstairs and had something to eat then I went over to the church to help Grandpa. I went over there and moped the floor, changed the dirty garbage bags with clean ones, took the garbage out of the sanctuary. By 2:00pm I was done so I went on Club Penguin for a bit and there are having a party at the dojo. I came back at 3:00pm and tried to get a video of me cleaning the aquarium but as I finished I realised I forgot to press the record button. Oops, that was a waste of time. Anyway I tried again and this time I did one called Fish Feeding Time (I posted it above.) Anyway now I'm working on a project, read about it tomorrow.

Goodbye,

Birdman

Scout Hike

Tomorrow at noon I am meeting at Scout Leader Phil's house to go on a hike. We will be walking in a trail for a while then we will come back at 6:00pm to his house again, then of course I'll come home and do a blog post about it.
Goodbye,
Birdman

Family Cruise Trip to the Caribbean

On Thursday November 27, 2008 somebody will be driving us to an airport in Toronto and the plane will take us to Florida. For a day, we plan to get a tour guide and go fishing. The next day we are going on a cruise and it will take us to the Caribbean for a week, stopping every day for a couple of hours at an island. Then it will take us back to Florida and we will be driven to the airport, flown to Toronto and will be driven to our house. Wow, that day will be tiring but it will be worth it. And we will be back late on Saturday December 6, 2008 and rested by the next day. Anyway here is everyone who is coming with us; Aunt Lori, Uncle Bruce, Aunt Ruth, Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, Jesse and me, all nine of us!
Goodbye,
Birdman

Special Guest

Today at Breslau Public School a scientist and engineer came in our portable after recess. She explained to us about space and nearly everyone asked questions 10 times! She really made my classmates like space when she teached (no offense Ms. Walder.) Anyway after an hour she left and we continued with our next school period. I'll have more time to write about it tomorrow.
Goodbye,
Birdman

Remembrance Day

As you all know today is Remembrance Day. We had a assembly at our gymnasium about it, here is my story of it. At Period 4 our class was called down to the gymnasium for the assembly. We sat down there and waited for the other classes to show up. Once they did we began the assembly. Two people from each class and Mr. Grobe (our principal) carried a reef filled with Poppies. Then the Grade 7's read the poem "In Flanders Fields". Then Ms. Pealcha gave us ideas on what to think about in the two minute moment of silence. Then they played the advertisement about Remembrance Day shown on Television 2006 and 2007. Then we did our moment of silence and Mr. Grobe did a speech and we left. It was Period 5 by the time it was over.
Goodbye,
Birdman

My Weekend (posted on monday)

Major Aquarium Clean-Up

Today I cleaned my aquarium, I did the following changed 20% of the wwater, cleaned the cover and filter. and more.

Stunning Sighting

Today as I was walking Max I saw a snake eating a frog. Read more about it tomorrow.

Centre Island Trip

Yesterday after church we went to Centre Island, Toronto. At the parking lot there, we meet the Panterllesco family (we had planed to meet them there.) I asked them if they brought there DS's because I was hoping to go on via Bark Mode with them on our nintendogs game. Unfortunately, Lucus had broke his and Jacob wasn't interested in it anymore so they didn't bring them. Lucus brought his skateboard and Jacob brought his scooter. We walked while Lucus and Jacob rode their skateboards and scooters. On the way to the fairy our parents talked with Lucus' and Jacob's parents Joe and Heather. There was a long line up to the fairy but we didn't have to wait that long after we got our tickets.

Spectacular Fishing Day

This morning we went to the St. Jacob's Market. Like always it was very hot but the first few minutes we arrived there we spotted Michael, Lacy and Lacy's parents. We went shopping for a while and then grabbed something to eat. After that we went fishing at ______ _____ ___________ ____. It was amazing we got fish from bass to catfish and from sunnies to chubs. It was an amazing day on how many fish we caught. First Jesse caught a small catfish, then a small sunnie but after that we all started catching tons of fish! In fact the biggest fish weighed almost 5 pounds. That's a record for us! At about 7pm we left to go to a Grand River Trail. There the sign said there was pike and crappie and a guy told us there was bass. So we dropped our fishing rods in and my mom caught a bass and I almost caught a very strong fish and I think it was a trout. Anyway it was getting late so we left. All the species we caught were, Mudpud Catfish, Channel Catfish, Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Bluegill Sunfish, Pumkinseed Sunfish and... you'll have to read tomorrow to find out. For the full inside story read my blog tomorrow. But for now, yawn! I got to get some sleep. Its almost 9:30pm! Anyway, Goodbye until tomorrow.

Fishing

Today we went fishing to the backwater pond again, although this time there was very little fish biting. Possibly it was because we fished in the early afternoon, but I don't know. Anyway here is our story. At 3:45pm we went fishing to a backwater pond. Soon there was a lily pad moving across the pond as if it was doing it by itself. We didn't see anything pushing it so I was a little spooked but curious on what was causing it to do that. About 20 minutes later it happened again but that time I noticed a brown thing pushing it. Few, that's a relief! Ahh, my mom just spoke and I didn't know she was there. Man, bad day for me because I'm getting scared and startled a lot. Anyway back to the story. Lily pads had moved for the second time but that time we knew a otter, beaver or muskrat did it. Then all of a sudden a fish jumped leaving ripples in the water. So, I tried to cast there but it didn't turn out so well. Neither did it when my mom casted there. Oh well, after that my mom caught a sunfish and small bass. Of course we let them go but I wanted to keep the sunfish but my mom says we can't eat sunfish...I know you can its just my mom won't believe me...isn't that right mom? Ha ha. Oops, my mom me type that. Ahh, stop tickling me mom! Sorry, but I still ain't deleting that sentence. You know what why don't you tell your side of the fishing story for once. No? OK. Anyway I had a good time which would have been better without the mosquitos though. Thanks anyway mom! Goodbye, Birdman.

Gone Fishin' ... Again!

Yesterday night my mom and I went fishing to a logal backwater pond off the Grand River. I had put a Grasshopper on my hook and my mom put a Nightcrawler on her hook. The fish kept nibbling the Grasshoppers off the hook so eventually I switched to Nightcrawlers. Then I caught a Pumkinseed Sunfish. Then my mom caught many small White Suckers, again I caught a fish but this time it was a small Largemouth Bass. After that my mom caught large White Suckers. Finally after an hour and a half we caught a fish we could eat. Its weird that everytime we go there at 8:30pm we start catching Rock Bass. Wait, at about 7:30pm a heron goes to the exact place and so do the geese. With the Rock Bass at 8:30 comes a night-heron and at 9:00pm bats come. Its like animals have a routine or can tell what time it is by how dark it is...Weird! Anyway, back to the story. Where was I, oh ya my mom finally cau

More Fishing

Yesterday night at 8:00pm we went fishing at a backwater pond. First I caught a sunfish, then my mom caught some suckers but around 8:30pm, everyone accept me caught many bass. Although we only kept 3 because most of what they caught were small. We came home at 9:20pm and I filled our laundry sink with cold water and placed the fish in it. By the next morning they were dead so I weighed and measured them and the largest Rock Bass (the one my mom caught) was 1 kg. and 21 cm. long. Then I cleaned them and placed them in the freezer. Now its evening and I'm typing this post. Even though everyone accept me caught "good fish" I still had a good time helping by putting worms on and taking fish off the hook. Thanks mom and dad!
Goodbye,
Birdman

Fishing, Fishing, Lots of Fishing!

Lately we have been catching lots of catfish, suckers, sunfish, bass and more but I will write about that tomorrow.

Praying Mantis (Video)

Praying Mantis Attacking Camera

Birding With My Mom (Pictures)

7 new species

Two days ago I saw 7 new species including the Northern Rough-winged Swallow and the Eastern Kingbird but I'm still not sure what the exact species of the rest are, all I know is that I've never seen them before.

Harold & Lois Chamberlain's 50th Anniversary: Family Reunion

Chipping Sparrow and Mourning Dove Feeding on Mixed Seed on a Platform Feeder
Jesse Jumping on the Trampoline

Our Family

Tom, Tim and Ruth Taking

Max being silly

Max playing with Tim

Tom playing horseshoes with my mom Michele

Uncle Bruce playing horseshoes with Aunt Ruth

My dad and Uncle Bruce at the BBQ

Becka and Mellisa being silly

This morning I woke to find Chipping Sparrows feeding young Brown-headed Cowbirds. Unfortunately, its just another bird that's been fooled by the cowbird. Anyway at 1:00pm people started coming and everybody got to meet each other and get some pics of each other. Around 6:00pm we started racing our ATVs and Dirt Bugs which was also very fun. We all had a fabulous time! It was a great day but now my dad wants to go birding with me so I got to go.

Goodbye,

Birdman

eBird

Today I have joined ebird to see what its like. Ofcourse it will not show my complete list of birds I've seen because I've been birding for over six years.

Cirque Du Soleil

Yesterday at 4:30pm we left to go to Toronto, while Jesse traveled with our parents I traveled with our grandparents reading books. At 6:00pm we arrived in Toronto and I then found out by my grandpa that people aren't allowed to take cameras inside because it may distract the artists at the Cirque Du Soleil. At the entrance of the Air Canada Center, security guards also didn't let us bring water for safety reasons. Our dad then took the water bottles back in the car and as soon as he came back we went inside showing the security guards our tickets. When we went inside we used the washroom and bought some popcorn, hot dogs, etc. At 7:00pm we went inside the room where the the artists would be preforming and waited until 7:30pm when the show started. The artists were amazing acrobatics and the clowns were hilarious. It was a very good circus although it was in french. They preformed until 9:00pm for a "intermission". During those 10 minutes we went to the washroom until 9:10pm. Then the show started again and they were very funny and agile. Then at 10:30pm the show ended and we drove back to Breslau. By the time we were home it was 12:00am so we all went to bed. Although Cirque Du Soleil was in french I would recommend anyone watching it! Thank you grandpa for buying those tickets!

Goodbye,

Birdman

Circus Du Soleil

Today at 4:00pm we're going to the Circus Du Soleil at the Air Canada Center (ACC.) We are coming back at 12:00am so I will do at blog about it tomorrow. My grandparents bought the tickets and they were very expensive. At the ACC there is thousands of rows or seats, and we got tickets for six (Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, Jesse and I.) Even better still we got tickets for the seventh row! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa! I've never been to a circus before and this is one of the best circuses in the world! Although I'm going to be very tired because we are going to be back around 1:15am. We are going to be gone for over 10 hours! We are leaving at 3:45pm and coming back at at 12:00am. It also takes an hour and 15 minutes to get there and on the way back. Although I'm going to be very tired its going to be very exciting to go to the Circus Du Soleil. Anyway I will write a blog about tomorrow.

Goodbye,

Birdman

Very Quick Post

Yesterday, I saw a Eastern Cottontail (Check for 2008). Today I saw a Eastern Bluebird (Check for life list).

Working With My Dad

This morning as I was taking Max for a walk I spotted many birds and insects. Including robins, blue jays and monarchs. Around lunch time I went to work with my dad.

Today's Adventures

This morning as a awoke I found myself on Max's side of my bed and Max on my side. Unfortunately he had sneezed and scratched leaving hairs and mucus on my pillow! So I traded pillows, there problem solved. So I got dressed and cared for my fish and my crab. Then went downstairs and fed Max. He wanted outside so I let him out and got myself breakfast. I had Frosted Flakes and Max had dog kibble or chow, whatever you call it. So I let him back in and brushed my teeth and cleaned my face. Then Max and I had free time until 10:30am. I walked to church (its right beside our house) and sat with Grandma until my parents came. They did and the singers began our first morning Praise & Worship. Then they did the thing with thing with the bread and blood (which is really a cracker and grape juice.) Then my Grandpa the leader of the church began preaching until the second morning Praise & Worship. Then my Grandpa dismissed the kids and we walked to the upstairs Connect Kids room. My cousins Lacy and Michael began teaching the story until noon. After church I played with Jamie, Mark and Dave. They went home and I walked back over to our house. I then made Jesse a blog which is http://dogsuperhero.blogspot.com . Check it out. We then had lunch and I wrote for Jesse on his first post. If he could type he would be a pretty good writer. After that we went on the trampoline and then I started taking Max for a walk. My mom followed and all of a sudden the sky got dark. So we had to walk back to the house. Then hundreds of Monarchs surrounded our Spruce trees but it just started hailing and a thunderstorm came. Unfortunately I watched the unsightly sight of hundreds of Monarchs falling to the ground. I could not bare watching the death of these beautiful creatures. After the hail-storm ended, I went on the computer and here I am writing this blog. Anyway, be sure to check out Jesse's blog at http://dogsuperhero.blogspot.com .

Goodbye,

Birdman

Homer Watson Park

Spotted Touch-me-not
Bank Swallows
American Goldfinch and Northern Flicker

Belted Kingfisher

Bumblebee on Bull Thistle

Least Sandpiper

Painted Turtles

Canada Geese

Song Sparrow

Today at 10:00am, Ruth picked me up and drove to Homer Watson Park. First, as we got out we put on bug spray and started walking. As soon as we did Ruth met one of her birding friends with her dog. She said she saw a Great Blue Heron so Ruth took me to where it was. We ended up seeing two herons and one of them was a juvenile. We continued walking and came across many touch-me-nots and Giant Ragweed. She said her daughter Becka was allergic to these when they were in bloom and so am I. Although they weren't in bloom I was sneezing repeatedly. So Ruth took me away from that area and...that felt much better. Next we saw many House Wrens fluttering about in the dense bush. Then we saw juvenile Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. OK, lets skip to the part where we saw the flicker because I can't remember what happened before that. OK, so we saw the flicker then a goldfinch came in the tree. Next we saw many Bank Swallows. There was lots of grackles, jays, crows, hawks, etc. the whole time. I can't seem to remember what happened after that, but anyway after a while we left at 11:00am to go to the swamp. We did and as we arrived there, the shrubs were very tall making it hard to bird watch. But in that area of the swamp we spotted two Great Blue Herons, a Belted Kingfisher and a Song Sparrow singing and chirping his little heart out. We moved to another area of the swamp and we saw a kingfisher there too. Including sandpipers, herons, turtles, etc. Then all of a sudden a line of Canada Geese swam towards us looking for food. Anyway hopefully I remember the whole story tomorrow but if want to best version of the story, visit Ruth's blog at http://bodysoulandspirit.blogspot.com/ .

Goodbye,

Birdman

My Day

Today at 8:00am I woke up and cared for the fish and the Hermit Crab. Then made my bed, had a shower, got dressed and went downstairs. There I feed Max and took him outside. Next I had breakfast and watched the Olympics. Then at around 10:00am I went outside again to bird watch. I saw 4 Black-capped Chickadees and 1 Dark-eyed Junco. After they left I went on the trampoline. By 11:00am my friends James and Harry came over to play. So Jesse came out and we played for an hour and it was lunch time and it started to rain. So they left and I went shopping with my grandparents. They took me to have lunch and I had the Angus Burger and we did various shopping. We came back at about 3:00pm and I took Max for a walk. But all of a sudden Max just stopped, I figured something was wrong so I turned back and Max ran to the house! Then it started pouring! Wow, dogs are really smart. So after that I cared for the fish and Hermit Crab again and watched some TV. You should have seen Max on the lazy-boy chair, it was hilarious! That dog follows me everywhere! Then I went outside to exercise a bit more. So I did 100 jumps on the trampoline then helped my mother cook and now its about 5:30pm so that means it super time.
Goodbye,
Birdman

New Dog?

My family is looking on getting another family dog. But we are not sure what breed to get. We need a small dog that has a similar personality to a Pug. Or maybe we should get a Pug. So far we have done a test to see what dog we should get. But the problem is that all of us came with different results. My mom came up with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. My dad came up with a Flat-coated Retriever. My brother came up with a Giant Schnauzer. Now I have to take it, or we could all do it together. Anyway, if anyone has any ideas on a good, small, family dog please let me know either by emailing or calling me, or you could leave the breed name in the comments. My email is samwpsnook@hotmail.com and my phone number is _____________.
Goodbye,
Bird man

Stuff

Last week we went on vacation to New Brunswick. We had lots of fun! We did lots of activities including, visting friends, going to the rocks, going to the beach in Shediac to catch critters. Also, when we came back I noticed some of my fish missing. The following species are missing 1 Columian Tetra, 1 Red Swordtail and our Betta. Unfortunately this means they must be dead, but after years of fishkeeping experience I learned that Bettas can hide in my castle ornament for a week or more. So I'll just have to wait a week to be sure that it is dead. The Tetra that is missing must of been the one that sulks away from the other Tetras. Because all of my Tetras seem to stay in the group. Or it could have been eaten by the lobster, but I would doubt that it died because of poor tank conditions because it seems to be at good water quality. The Swordtail that's missing could have died or eaten alive by my lobster. Altogether I am missing 6 fish including the Zebra Danio and my Mystery Snails, but I know how they died...Lobster!
Goodbye,
Birdman

Back From Vacation In New Brunswick

Sorry, no pictures but here is the story.

Back From Vacation In New Brunswick

Sorry, no pictures but here is the story. We had just finished packing and we were on our way . Jesse and I watched a few movies then played nintendogs on our Nintendo DS's. It was a long drive to the hotel and it was getting late after a whole day of driving. So we unpacked and checked in to the hotel and stayed there for the night. The next morning we started driving and arrived at one of my mom's friend's house. Her name was Leah (previous commenter on my blog). We unpacked there and slept in there upstair spare rooms. The next morning

Plecostomus

The Plec, Pleco or Plecostomus is a fish in the loricariidae (catfish) family. It comes in many diffrent specimens including, Golden Nugget, Zebra and Rhino. It is from South America and some specimens can get 3 feet long! They are very hardy fish which can stand temperatures from 0-30 Celsius but they prefer tropical temperatures from 23-27 Celsius. Also they will eat almost anything including algae. Which is why they are commonly kept in aquariums today. Despite their hardiness, if you want them at best they are not easy to care for. ph=6.5 Temperature=25 Celsius Food=They are omnivores so provide a varied diet, including, zuchini, meat and catfish pellets, etc. How many=Many aquarists say you can get more than one, but with my experience I prefer only getting one. Its best to have 20-50 gallons per pleco (depending on the specimen) Tank size=20 to 100 gallons (depending on the specimen). Tank region=Bottom and sides. Habitat=Provide a large aquarium with lots of caves, driftwood, plants, etc. For more information read my blog tomorrow.
Goodbye,
Birdman

Recent Activities

Two days ago Anette and Eric came over for lunch then Richard came over. When they left my mom went to the hair cutters and my grandparents went out for dinner. While my dad, Jesse and I stayed home to build the trampoline. When my mom and grandparents came back, I didn't know who my mom was with different hair and my grandparents said they saw fish for 99 cents. So, my grandpa took me to the store and we got 1 Pleco and 3 Zebra Danios for $7.19. I introduced them to my aquarium and my Purple Passion Danios were fighting with the Zebra Danios and the Lobster was fighting with the Pleco. Also, Jesse gave me his Crowntail Betta. By the next morning, the quarreling stoped. That evening Zack and Josh came over to race us on the ATV's. After a few laps around the field Noah and Lydia came over and we had lunch. Zack and I had a ketchup contest of who could have the most ketchup. Then we played the Wii and continued racing. We had lots of fun and soon my mom prepared a dessert. We all enjoyed it and we all did different things. Including playing our DS's, staring at my aquarium and holding my Hermit Crab. Then we went on YouTube. After that we gathered around the campfire and told stories. Soon everyone left and we went to bed. But the lobster wounded our Zebra Danio and it died.
Goodbye,
Birdman

Catching Up On Activities, etc.

My Aquarium
Hermy The Crab
Max
Max

Chipping Sparrow

Our Garden

Leah & Jesse

Fred & Leah

My Aquarium

Goodbye,

Birdman

Newborn Eggs

Today at 11:39am a pair of my Purple Passion Danios laid eggs. I put them into another tank with an air pump and some gravel and fairly warm water. They are so small I can barely see if the're reallly there! What do I do with nearly 400 Purple Passion Danio eggs?

More Fish

Today my mom, Jesse and I went to Wal-Mart to go grocery shopping but my mom also bought me 3 Purple Passion Danios and 1 Otocinclus. My tetras seem to be very territorial to the Otocinclus, causing him to sulk in the corners. If this continues over the next few days, I will consider returning the Otocinclus to Wal-Mart. Although they have not given to much of a warm welcome to the algae eater, all the fish seem to want to school with my Purple Passions. These danios are very fast and eat any leftover foods. While the alage eater, obviously...eats algae and does it very well. For any more news about how the fish react to eachother and more stuff, continue reading Nature with Birdman.
Goodbye

Orange Lobster?

As you know I bought a Blue Lobster about a month ago and mysterously he is turning or should I say completely orange. Anyone know what caused this?

Problems/Birding Trip/Hermit Crab

Problems
Thank you to the people who have offered me help about the aquarium. But I can't change all my tank water because where would I put my fish while I'm doing it? Also I can't reduce the number of fish I have because the guarantee is over and because I don't and can't get more aquariums. Oh well!

Birding Trip
Today I went birding with my dad at Columbia Lake. We saw my first female Belted Kingfisher for 2008 and my very first female Bullock's Oriole!

Hermit Crab
Yesterday I got a pet Hermit Crab. The cage includes a 4 liter terrarium, Sea Sponge, Water Dish, Food Dish, Coconut Hiding Place, Artificial Palm Tree and Sand. He is still getting familiar with his or her cage. I will post more information about him or her tomorrow. Any ideas on what to name him or her.
Goodbye,
Birdman

Upcoming Events

Jul.10th-Getting a pet Hermit Crab
11th-Vacation Bible Camp Ends
13th-Vacation Bilble Camp Barbeque
14th-Going Birding With Ruth
18th-Friends over for barbeque and bonfire
25th-Camping
26st-Church Barbeque
Aug.1st to 6th-New Brunswick Trip
16th-Family Barbeque Party
17th-Church Picnic
22nd-Camping
29th-Trip to Ottawa
Goodbye,
Birdman

Aquarium in Low Conditions

Unfortunately my aquarium is encountering some even more serious problems. It has levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate which is very bad. Ammonia is fish waste but I think nitrite and nitrate is a harmful chemical. Anyway, any level of ammonia and/or nitrite can be lethal to the fish. I have tried many solutions for curing this but none of them worked, in fact its getting even higher levels. Maybe I used the wrong solution, maybe I overcrowded the tank, I don't know. All I do know is I think this caused some of my fish to have fin rot and I can't find a proper solution for it. Only to add on to the problems, my pH level is 8.2 and every week it gets higher by 1.2. So in just one week my fish developed fin rot, it has moderate levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and my pH is 8.2! It should be 7. Again, any help is needed and would be greatly appreciated. So, whether your a novice or pro at the hobby I ask you for help with this.
Goodbye,
Birdman

Pregnant Fish

My plan for breeding is working out perfectly, the fish I plan to breed is showing signs that in "breeding mode" and as soon as she develops a dark gravid spot near her vent. I can put her in the breeding trap. I would suspect her to be more territorial and quiet, although shes even territorial to her own mate. But with good news comes bad news, several of my fish are showings symptoms of "fin rot" which can erode the fins into the fish's body causing death. It is a very serious disease and not even PetSmart, Big Al's or Wal-Mart has a cure for it. So I could lose four of my fish! Very unfortunately the pregnant fish's mate is showing symptoms of this disease. So if that fish dies, it will cause both the female and their young to die. So altogether I could lose 5 adult swordtails and hundreds of fry swordtails!!! Unless I can find the cure for this, I could lose all of my fish because its contagious! So if anyone who's reading this blog can give me another way to cure this deadly disease, please do. I don't want to lose all my fish.

Goodbye,

Birdman

The Charles J. Whitney Nature Interpretation Trail

I have many other pictures of this trip from Cedar Waxwings to unidentified birds but there is some problems with the computer so I am unable to download them. Although it was a fairly short trip, I still had fun with my dad...Excuse me a moment

Max get of the rocking chair!

"It's his favourite chair to sleep on although he sheds like CRAZY so I don't let him on it"

"He won't get off, oh well back to our morning trip story"

Well, where was I. Oh ya, it was kinda short so expect the story to be short. My dad and I woke up at 6:30 and got in the Volkswagen. First we went to Tim Horton's, my dad had a X-Large cup of coffee and I had 10 Sour Cream Glazed Timbits. By the time we were finished eating our breakfast it was 7 o'clock so that limited our time for birding. First we drove in at the trail and started walking, we saw a large pond full of mosquito's and lily pads. We talked about how mosquito larvae would make a good supplement fish food. Then we moved on to the meadow and saw goldfinches, etc. Then the boardwalk which lead into a semi-dead woods. This had cedar waxwings, herons etc. On the way back we saw Mallards and an unrecognizable bird which was soon scared away by bicycle riders. So we could not gather any valuable information from the bird. But I got one poor picture of it but I'm unable to download it due to computer problems.

Goodbye,

Birdman

My Pets

My Aquarium
My Terrarium
My Little Crab Shack
My Dog
My Aquarium has been setup for two weeks and currently has 6 Columbian Tetras, 6 Red Swordtails, 2 Mystery Snails and 1 Blue Lobster. I look after this by:

Daily: Turn lights on for 12 hrs.

Check temperature

Feed fish flakes and lobster pellets

Check that all fish and invertebrates are present and healthy

Weekly: Wipe algae off front glass

Test aquarium water

Change 10% of the water

Feed plants plant food and fish bloodworms

Monthly: Maintain and replace carbon in filter

Clean hood and light tubes

Vacuum gravel

Prune plants

My terrarium has been setup for three weeks and currently has 3 Garden Snails. I look after this by:

Daily: Mist cage

Feed

Monthly: Change substrate

My little crab shack has been setup for one week and will be getting a hermit crab.

When I get the crab I will look after it by:

Daily: Mist crab

Feed and change water

Interact

Weekly: Bath crab

Monthly: Change substrate

My dog has been with me for a year and 5 months. I look after him by:

Daily: Feed and give water

Walk

Brush

Weekly: Clean face and ears

Monthly: Go to PetSmart and get them to groom him

Buy Max a new toy

Goodbye,

Birdman