You are presumed to be honest and responsible without evidence to the contrary beyond a reasonable doubt… on the balance of probablilties you are justified by 51 % likelyhood.
The fall equinox marks the end of summer, it can be anywhere from September 21st to 24th, there has not been a September 21st equinox for thousands of years. this highlights the weight of time that went in to the orbit cycles and its consistency
Twenty one past noon, British Columbia
At 3:21 PM Eastern time the earth will enjoy 12 hrs light and 12 hours dark as the days start to move to the Winter Solstice, then the northern hemisphere tips its full 23 degrees away from the sun making the shortest daylight in that 24 hour cycle on December 21st 2021, in 91 days.
Otter Nicola River Merritt a good indcator of health File photo KDG
The habitat is not ours to waste.
File photo KDG
Mallard ducks at Nicola River in Merritt BC
File Photo KDG
Broken leg
Cold weather can hurt birds caught behind
File Photo KDG
700 rivers/ creeks on the trans mountain, expansion., consultation was made to address them.
KDG
Kingfisher
Photo KDG
A returning Salmon rises out of the water Nicola river Hyway 8 train bridge walking trail, Merritt BC August 12th/16
Photo KDG
Ducks in a row,on the Nicola river , December 3rd 2013
File photo KDG
This hawk seems relaxed around electrical fixtures.
File Photo KDG
Urban living: this Marmot takes advantage of a concrete pad for shelter.
The ides of March , ground hog day, Equinox, makes for a pinning for spring.
File Photo KDG
Adult Black Bear Canada October 31 2013
Deer crossing roads other then freeway watch for deer!
File photo: KDG
Eagle starved to death, a source says its worth 2000 dollars on black market. now in hands of CO
Things to come this spring
On this Day: June 15 763 BC
A solar eclipse is recorded by the Assyrians, the record is used later to adjust their timeline in history.
Alan Burger and a speaker discuss a presentation, Nicola Naturalists, Merritt BC ,Ca
File Photo KDG
Leafing Through History: Exploring Fossil Plant Deposits in Western Canada.
The Nicola Naturalists Society is hosting the Kamloops Exploration Group and giving the meeting over to them evening.
[Note the change in dates – not theusual third Thursday of the month.]
Dr. Christopher West is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He has degrees in Earth Sciences and Paleobiology, including a PhD from the University of Saskatchewan. He has published research on late Paleocene and early Eocene fossil floras from the Canadian High Arctic, British Columbia, and Alberta. Dr. West’s research interests are focused on reconstructing ancient climates and ecosystems using plant fossils in order to better understand ancient forest ecosystems, and how these ancient ecosystems gave rise to the modern forest biome in North America.
NNS
Doors open at 6 lecture at 7PM
In the lecture theater NVIT top of the hill Belshaw avenue in Merritt. The naturalists say all welcome membership or donation requested. Free parking.
Spring time sees Ospreys return from where they go in the winter File Photo KDG
The Christmas bird count has 120 years of world wide data at the Audubon Society . Good to our feathered friends and be especially mindful of migratory birds as they are protected.
Here are some highlights of the bird count conducted by the Nicola Naturalists Society this winter in the Merritt BC area.
American Wigeon 74 up from 50 high
Northern Pintail 17 up from a high of 2
Greater White fronted Goose 1
Northern Shoveler 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
American Kestrels 6 up from a high of 3
Brown Creeper 4 up from a high of 2
Black Capped Chickadees 96 up from a high of 58
Steller’s Jay 38 up from a high of 37
7 teams of counters were out and had what the club called a pleasant day of counting . A notation that species counts are often effected by food supply an exceptional Douglas Fir cone drop made for a high count in Pine Siskins last year. Siskins were missed this year and joined 2 other species well below average: American Gold finch 9 ( average of 48) and Robins 1 ( average 23).
Alan Burger and a speaker discuss a presentation, Nicola Naturalists, Merritt BC ,Ca
File Photo KDG
The February meeting of the Nicola Naturalist will be a presentation on Big Horn Sheep. Edyta Myrcisz.
Originally from Poland, Edyta was drawn to Canada by its vastness, nature and wildlife. She is currently a graduate student at Thompson Rivers University and works in collaboration with Gerad Hales of FLNRORD (Wildlife Management). Using massive data sets collected from Bighorns fitted with satellite-tracking collars, she is looking at long-distance forays by rams in several Bighorn herds, and also the general distribution of these herds. Contact with domestic sheep is of particular interest, because recent declines in one Thompson Region population is thought to result from disease linked with domestic sheep.
Source Nicola Naturalists
The meetings start at 7PM at he Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, free parking no food or drink in the lecture theater, membership or donation requested.
Dr Kerridge gives a talk on bats at local college
File photo KDG
Thursday January 16th 2019 the Nicola Naturalists start off their 2020 schedule with a presentation on bats by Paul Mozin.
Paul Mozin is a biologist with the Nicola Watershed Stewardship and Fisheries Authority (Scw’exmx Tribal Council). This group has undertaken an ambitious project to inventory and monitor the bat species in the Nicola Valley. Paul will be presenting the results from last year’s bat inventory, some background on endangered bat species in the Nicola Valley and some actions their group has taken this year. Come and learn more about these important but poorly understood citizens of the night.
A returning Salmon rises out of the water at the Nicola river Hyway 8 train bridge walking trail, Merritt BC August 12th/16 Photo KDG
There is a speaker and topic change at this months Nicola Naturalists Society meeting. Tom Willms will present on the thermal disparities of the Nicola river.
Tom Willms is a PhD candidate with UNBC, an Instructor at NVIT, and an active member of the Nicola Naturalist Society. He will share some of his research in characterization of thermal refuge habitat in the Nicola River and the importance of these refugia to salmonid fish. His work explores groundwater-surface water interactions in streams and uses some new technologies, including drone-based thermal imagery.
Free parking membership or donation requested.
There is free parking and an opportunity for membership in the society at the meeting. No food or beverage in the lecture theater.
On this Day: November 19th 1998
Van Gogh ‘s Artist wiith out a beard sells for over 70 million dollars US.
Nicola Naturalist Society November meeting 20th at 7PM NVIT lecture theater.
[NOTE – this meeting is on Wednesday and not our usual Thursday]
An active member of our club, Loretta has been involved in the Burrowing Owl Recovery Program for several years. The goal is to re-establish these tiny owls as a viable breeding population on their past range in the interior grasslands. There are several sites in the Nicola Valley where captive-bred owls are released and breed successfully. Loretta will explain the difficulties and successes of this worthy program.
A borrowing owl up close
File photo KDG
The Naturalists always say all welcome, membership or donation requested. NO food or drinks in lecture theater.
Alan Burger and a speaker discuss a presentation, Nicola Naturalists, Merritt BC ,Ca
File Photo KDG
The Nicola Naturalists are having their annual members meeting tonight at 7: PM. The
As usual, we kick off the fall with our popular Photo Night – always an amazing collection of local nature pics taken by our members during the summer. We keep the required AGM business meeting short – but this is a good time to discuss any options or new directions for our club. The club always needs members to volunteer as directors, field outing leaders and much more, so please contact one of the directors to volunteer to help run the club
Source NNS
The club meets on Belshaw road in Merritt’s NVIT campus , top of the hill, the fall sessions are on Wednesdays as a change from the regular third Thursday of the month.
These trees didn’t grow.. Voght park, Merritt BC File photo.
Carbon planet
All that is planted does not grow. However look at this from TD Bank.
Continuing to grow and enhance green spaces for everyone to enjoy. Supporting the transition to a low carbon economy – with a CAD $100 billion target in low-carbon lending, financing, asset management and other programs by 2030.
Vibrant Planet
Carbon neutral bank
TD claims carbon neutral since 2010 in its operations. One of its mission statements is to ” develop colleagues and act with resect” Something that seems missing in the present social political climate.
Trying not failure
Even though the trees above failed to take effort always leaves a legacy of knowledge!
Canadian Chartered banks excellent.
The chartered bank system in Canada was in the forefront of the survival of the world banking system in the collapse of many large investment banks at the start of the great recession in the decade after the millennium turning. Lets hope they can be as productive in the carbon conflict.
Good luck.
Ethiopa Plants 350 million trees.
Ethiopians planted more than 350,000 trees in just 12 hours on Monday, the country’s minister of innovation and technology announced on Twitter. The mass-tree planting not only helps the environment, it sets a world record, the Associated Press reported.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed created the initiative to help restore Ethiopia’s landscape, which experts say is being eroded by deforestation and climate change, the AP reported.
CBS News
They had help from UN and government but its a good start.
Kevin Griffiths
percypaschal
The Proprietor Review 