This is the first Monarch I've seen this year. It was so still while I walked towards it, and looked so perfect, I was wondering if it was real! I no sooner snapped the picture and it flew off...In late winter I saw a newsclip about them. They winter in Mexico and had been almost wiped out by strong rainstorms and cold; they were just falling to the ground. So, I've really been hoping and looking for them, and perhaps we will be lucky and find they are doing well this year and make a comback.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Monarch Butterflies
This is the first Monarch I've seen this year. It was so still while I walked towards it, and looked so perfect, I was wondering if it was real! I no sooner snapped the picture and it flew off...In late winter I saw a newsclip about them. They winter in Mexico and had been almost wiped out by strong rainstorms and cold; they were just falling to the ground. So, I've really been hoping and looking for them, and perhaps we will be lucky and find they are doing well this year and make a comback.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
June 29th - Trust Tracks
I guess living in Northern Ontario means Google Earth doesn't bother to update us very often. Most of our area maps were from the end of winter of 2008, hence, snow covering most everything you want to see! Trusts' start is at the very bottom under the hockey rink and the pictures will take you through her track.
School's out!!!! Yay!!! This means I can use some areas around and in school grounds without anything thinking I'm dropping poison or kidnapping kids! What a relief!!! We began this track around a winter hockey rink, and across a running track, then up the adjoining road onto the school property. It had rained the night before, and was cool, but very, very windy. Good conditions. At times, the wind was blowing Trusts' line so hard, I would let it lie, so not to pull on her..she's sensitive to the slightest tension.
She just turned the corner onto the second leg. She had a beautiful, sure and quick start along the first leg and right 'on' at the corner.
Working along the second leg and heading towards the running track. She will cross this track in two different places with her first article out in the middle of the grass.
When I was parking to lay the track, a lady just got out of her vehicle and was beginning some 'serious' walking around and around and around the running track. The blue stick figure above is what she is aiming for! So one of those "interesting" things you don't often get to see in urban...she was walking many times over the two places across the track I was laying for Trust. Stick in my mind for later and see if there is any reaction from Trust (there was not). In the background is part of the school we will head to.
Trust appeared 'surprised' when she came across the sock, the first article (arrow). Very strong winds through here pushing scent well to the right. The pole ahead was my marker.
This was a narrow grass strip after the track and before a ditch and the road. I turned left just before reaching the ditch. This was a 'training' only turn for a more experienced dog as it is tricky. And I'm pleased to say she took it perfectly.
She tracks dead on this leg, the 4th, a very short distance on the grass to the next turn. She will turn right, cross the ditch and the road, close to the far side of the gravel road, staying on the edge of it.
Trust is at the corner and will turn right now. The red X is her next article, a plastic lid.
She is moving really nicely along here. I had expected her to perhaps moving into the grass along the edge, but she stuck, nose down, along the road
And here is the red plastic lid. She indicated with a quick nose down on it, and went to continue on before looking at me and stopping. You can clearly see her open mouth here, as she so often has while tracking.
We are crossing the asphalt driveway over to the cement sidewalk. Scent was sucked into, or blown into, the shady area around the corner of the building. The broken yellow lines show how she followed it in, checked it out, and then came back to the track. In urban tracking it is important to let the dog "go" in areas like this, and to figure it out for themselves....assuming you understand what they are doing. She will head to the right to follow 'our' track on the sidewalk.
This was a long stretch of sidewalk before her next turn past the building. When I laid the track, there were 3 other vehicles parked to the right, so people had walked out across our track to their cars, leaving while it was aging. She did veer off to the left and smelled the corner grass area near the entranceway, but right back onto the track. I was really happy with how she worked here. You can see our next turn, left, behind the building, back onto a short asphalt drive.
She's cross the drive, and taken an open right turn across a short grass area. She had to pause here for a bit and watch some kids in daycare area playing, no doubt hoping they'd come to visit. We did have a ball bounce over, but luckily, this was Trust, not Blast, so the ball was of no interest! She will move into the parking area next.
She has moved off the track here to check out a piece of garbage that she 'saw', says 'nope, not ours' and goes back to the track. Her next article is way down, a tiny plastic tube. And to point out, perspective is off here, and the track after that article carries on for a ways before turning to her final article....not close as it appears.
She's so cute and coy! She appears to be saying "Did you really think I wouldn't find this dinky little thing?" And then we went on to the last turn over the final article, a glove, just inside the cross-over to grass. An excellent track for her, she was enthused and worked lovely all the way.
School's out!!!! Yay!!! This means I can use some areas around and in school grounds without anything thinking I'm dropping poison or kidnapping kids! What a relief!!! We began this track around a winter hockey rink, and across a running track, then up the adjoining road onto the school property. It had rained the night before, and was cool, but very, very windy. Good conditions. At times, the wind was blowing Trusts' line so hard, I would let it lie, so not to pull on her..she's sensitive to the slightest tension.
She just turned the corner onto the second leg. She had a beautiful, sure and quick start along the first leg and right 'on' at the corner.
Working along the second leg and heading towards the running track. She will cross this track in two different places with her first article out in the middle of the grass.
When I was parking to lay the track, a lady just got out of her vehicle and was beginning some 'serious' walking around and around and around the running track. The blue stick figure above is what she is aiming for! So one of those "interesting" things you don't often get to see in urban...she was walking many times over the two places across the track I was laying for Trust. Stick in my mind for later and see if there is any reaction from Trust (there was not). In the background is part of the school we will head to.
Trust appeared 'surprised' when she came across the sock, the first article (arrow). Very strong winds through here pushing scent well to the right. The pole ahead was my marker.
This was a narrow grass strip after the track and before a ditch and the road. I turned left just before reaching the ditch. This was a 'training' only turn for a more experienced dog as it is tricky. And I'm pleased to say she took it perfectly.
She tracks dead on this leg, the 4th, a very short distance on the grass to the next turn. She will turn right, cross the ditch and the road, close to the far side of the gravel road, staying on the edge of it.
Trust is at the corner and will turn right now. The red X is her next article, a plastic lid.
She is moving really nicely along here. I had expected her to perhaps moving into the grass along the edge, but she stuck, nose down, along the road
And here is the red plastic lid. She indicated with a quick nose down on it, and went to continue on before looking at me and stopping. You can clearly see her open mouth here, as she so often has while tracking.
We are crossing the asphalt driveway over to the cement sidewalk. Scent was sucked into, or blown into, the shady area around the corner of the building. The broken yellow lines show how she followed it in, checked it out, and then came back to the track. In urban tracking it is important to let the dog "go" in areas like this, and to figure it out for themselves....assuming you understand what they are doing. She will head to the right to follow 'our' track on the sidewalk.
This was a long stretch of sidewalk before her next turn past the building. When I laid the track, there were 3 other vehicles parked to the right, so people had walked out across our track to their cars, leaving while it was aging. She did veer off to the left and smelled the corner grass area near the entranceway, but right back onto the track. I was really happy with how she worked here. You can see our next turn, left, behind the building, back onto a short asphalt drive.
She's cross the drive, and taken an open right turn across a short grass area. She had to pause here for a bit and watch some kids in daycare area playing, no doubt hoping they'd come to visit. We did have a ball bounce over, but luckily, this was Trust, not Blast, so the ball was of no interest! She will move into the parking area next.
She has moved off the track here to check out a piece of garbage that she 'saw', says 'nope, not ours' and goes back to the track. Her next article is way down, a tiny plastic tube. And to point out, perspective is off here, and the track after that article carries on for a ways before turning to her final article....not close as it appears.
She's so cute and coy! She appears to be saying "Did you really think I wouldn't find this dinky little thing?" And then we went on to the last turn over the final article, a glove, just inside the cross-over to grass. An excellent track for her, she was enthused and worked lovely all the way.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The Two Faces of Blast..
After a short run and returning to the house, Blast takes a detour through a tunnel.....look at the calm, happy face!
And here's the determined face, full speed, whizzing around a corner finding the "prey" - me - trying to hide in some trees.
Interesting Dog Walking...
I often see the lady on the right walking her dogs when I drive through a local town. I'm always impressed at how well they all walk together along a busy road. I've talked to her a few times, the dogs are really friendly, and obviously just adore her. Most are rescued dogs. This day she had a friend walking along with two more dogs. Very nice.
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