This article gives you something to do with the children or grandchildren over the next few weeks of whatever sort of winter we are to get. These birdhouses are simple to construct using ends of boards. There are many other elaborate designs but I like the KISS principle. Just keep in mind boxes should be strong, weatherproof, and securely fastened.

In Muskoka, ten or more species of birds nest in cavities. Natural nest sites disappear as dying trees are removed from the bush causing competition for nest holes. Local populations of cavity-nesting species have declined in recent years. By providing nest boxes in appropriate areas, we can help reverse this trend.
Most birds prefer the single compartment nest box, although swallows are happy in condos.

Do build the box to allow for annual cleaning.

Do be sure to clean the boxes and discard used nesting material after the birds have left to eliminate parasites. You do not need to put clean material back into the boxes as most birds prefer to do it themselves. For woodpeckers, owls, chickadees, and ducks put in a layer of wood chips or shavings (not sawdust) about 2.5 cm (1 inch) deep.

Do help to control parasites by sprinkling diatomaceous earth in the nest box. It’s nontoxic and scratches the outer covering of many parasites, causing them to die of dehydration. It is completely harmless to other life-forms.
Do drill a few small holes just below the roof overhang for ventilation and a few in the floor near the walls for drainage.

Your box will last longer if sections are glued first with bond-fast glue and are then nailed with 5 cm coated nails. Paint the outside, if you wish ~ but not the inside. The interior walls should have a rough surface to aid the bird in climbing up to the entrance hole.

Do place duck boxes on a pole in water near the shore to help keep the raccoons away.

You may wish to put a predator guard, such as a large inverted cone or a 60 cm strip of metal wrapped around the pole. A large clean plastic bottle (e.g., a bleach container) with the bottom cut out and nailed to the pole at the neck would also work.

Do make the entrance hole the correct size to attract the species you want. You may suspend the nest box from a tree, mount it on a pole, or attach it to a building under the eave. Do find a location that is protected from the sun for part of the day, and turn the entrance away from the usual direction of wind and rain.

Wrens like to build “dummy” nests before they choose one to lay eggs in. Provide more than one box to improve the chances of attracting a nesting pair.
Tree Swallows are gregarious and will nest in boxes within 3m of each other. They prefer in open areas.

Chickadees prefer their nest boxes set close to shrubs or bushes but well separated from each other.
Bluebirds, robins, and other species may attempt a second nesting. These are species that would benefit from the chance to lay their next clutch in a second box.

Wood Ducks, Bufflehead, Goldeneye, and mergansers prefer a nest box near (or standing in) water. The young leave the nest within 48 hours of hatching by climbing up from the floor to the entrance hole and tumbling to the ground. Horizontal sawcuts or a piece of wire screen attached to the inside wall between the floor and the entrance are essential for these species.
Nesting platforms can simply be a board nailed to a rafter or hung under an eave.

Dimensions for boxes for various species of birds

Happy February ~ That kitchen sink of months where you get a bit of every type of weather….. The name was derived from the Latin februo, “to purify through sacrifice,” February was a time of atonement for the ancient Romans.
February 2—Candlemas
Candlemas, a Christian feast day that got its name from the candlelit processions that accompanied it, was an overlay on Celtic celebrations marking the astronomical midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.
• It was not held as a good omen if the day itself was bright and sunny, for that betokened snow and frost to continue to the hiring of the labourers 6 weeks later on Lady Day.
• If it was cloudy and dark, warmth and rain would thaw out the fields and have them ready for planting. Our Groundhog Day is a remote survivor of that belief.
If Candlemas be mild and gay,
Go saddle your horses and buy them hay;
But if Candlemas be stormy and black,
It carries the winter away on its back. –proverb
Planets:
Mercury can not be seen until very late in February. Look very low in the west just after sunset.
Venus is our evening ‘star’ now rising in the southwest. Watch for the crescent moon near Venus on February 25.
Mars may been seen rising in the east after 2000. It will seem to grow larger until March 5 when it will be closest to Earth.
Jupiter may been seen high in the evening sky. It will be above Venus by late February.
Saturn may be best seen with the waning moon and Spica on February 12.
Full Moon February7
February 28 look for the Waxing moon just below the Pleiades in the evening sky
- Bits from the Old Farmer’s Almanac and SkyNews
Aurora Borealis
The aurora (goddess of the dawn) borealis is formed by solar flares of ions (coronal mass ejection, CME) from the Sun, which by virtue of their own magnetic field, interfere with every planets own field by causing geomagnetic storms, or at least a disturbance, creating coloured light effects around the planets’ poles.
In the case of the earth, oxygen and nitrogen at varying distances from the surface cause the light to be blue, violet, green or red. Their ions light up as electrons bombard them in the same way as in a cathode ray tube (TV). In 1859, London was lit up at one o’clock in the morning, along with Sydney, Tokyo and Boston, by one of the most aggressive spurts of solar energy ever heard of.
The sunspot cycle is a rough guide to solar energy output. Every eleven years, the auroras become more prevalent, but the three years following sunspot peaks also seem to have peaks of auroral activity. Our present cycle should peak next year, but following major solar explosions the aurora has recently been giving us low latitude displays in anticipation of more to come. Digital cameras tend to distort the colours, often exaggerating the colours. Check out spaceweather.com

By Nancy Thompson

 The beauty and majesty of the night sky is a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, for most of us the dark skies of our ancestors has disappeared. Light pollution exists everywhere, and it’s growing rapidly.

Light pollution refers to the glow of light we see at night above cities and towns. This urban glow comes from improperly designed street and parking lot lighting which spills the light to the side and upwards to the sky. Additional light pollution is caused by lit signs, commercial building lights, sports facilities, and outdoor residential lights.

Artificial lighting helps us see better at night ~ for security, safety, utility, and for an attractive nighttime environment. There is no way that nighttime lighting is going to disappear ~ even if there is another energy crisis. But not all lighting is good lighting.

Far too much of our present nighttime lighting does not meet its objectives ~ It is bad lighting.

• Urban sky glow destroys our view of the universe. We don’t live up in the sky ~ we don’t need all that light up there. It is a problem all of us, most of whom would really enjoy the beauty of the night sky ~ if we could see it.
• Glare never helps visibility but does limit star gazing.
• Light trespass. Many present lighting installations bother us as much or more than they help. The wasted light shines into our yards and our windows. As with noise pollution, we don’t need this intrusion. 
• Too much, too bright light makes for a trashy looking, confusing nighttime environment. We should be striving for an attractive environment day and night.
• Energy waste. Depending on the specific type of street light fixture, as much as 25% of its light may be wasted. Consider the energy costs in dollars when municipalities in Ontariospend approximately $35 million per year on street lighting.(1992 figures).

The key is quality nighttime lighting. Shine your lights down, where it is needed. Control the light output to locations where it is needed; don’t waste it.

Use quality lighting fixtures.

Use time controls, dimmers or timers to insure that light is there when needed, and not there when not. Motion sensors are great. They focus your attention to the site when motion is detected but leave the world dark when not needed.

Design and install lighting to insure that glare is minimized.

Use the right amount of light for the task

Use energy efficient light sources. Consider especially the use of low pressure sodium (LPS) lamps; they are the most efficient of all. LPS is excellent for street lighting, parking lots, and security lighting. 

The biggest problem with light pollution seems to be a lack of awareness of the issues, the problems and the common sense solutions. The second biggest problem is apathy. Let’s all help preserve the dark skies. With good lighting, we all win.

For more information check out www.muskokaheritage.org

Happy Stargazing, Nancy

 Just imagine, the Muskoka Heritage Foundation is 25 years old this year! For a quarter of a century this fine foundation has helped protect, conserve and nurture Muskoka’s natural and cultural environment for the benefit of future generations. You can help us conserve Muskoka’s environment: become a member, make a donation or leave a legacy. For more info contact 705-645-7393 ext. 201 or visit www.muskokaheritage.org.

The 2012 Muskoka Stewardship Conference will take place April 28, 2012 at Nipissing University in Bracebridge.

Registration opens soon.

• It does not occur because of frost. But, frost can disrupt the speed at which the leaves turn and halt colour transformation. Frost call kill the leaf and turn it brown.

Spring & Summer: trees are growing and turning green.

Fall: growth slows because of moisture levels, temperature, amount of stored energy in the roots, genetics. Systems begin to shut down as the tree prepares for winter dormancy

September 23rd (autumnal equinox): Days and nights are of equal length and thereafter the days are shorter and shorter. The sun’s rays also become less direct and the air is cooler.

Autumn colour is a phenomenon that takes place within the leaves of a tree. Here’s what happens:

• The lifelines between the leaves and the tree become blocked and the production of chlorophyll stops. The existing chlorophyll in the leaves slowly disappears as it is destroyed by sunlight.
• Throughout the summer, the green chlorophyll has been dormant, blocking out the other pigments, thus giving the leaves their green colour. Once the production of chlorophyll is halted, the leaves begin to show their true colours.
• As chlorophyll production ceases, other pigments become more dominant. Carotin helps with the orange colours and xanthrophyll is the yellow pigment.
• The leaves continue to change colour and reach their peak until the time just before the leaves fall. At the location where the leaf stem joins the branchof the tree, there is a separation layer. This is a layer of cells which gradually weaken, eventually causing the leaf to break off and fall.
• 

Quick facts of leaf change:

• Colour change occurs on broad-leaved trees such as maple, oak, ash, and birch.
• These trees are also called “hardwoods” because most of them have wood which is quite hard, and “deciduous” because their leaves are shed each autumn.
• Trees that stay green all winter are “evergreen” or “coniferous” trees such as pine, spruce, hemlock, balsam, and cedar.
• Shedding their leaves actually protects the tree during winter. The leaves don’t give off water (or transpire) when they are not on the tree, thus saving the tree from having the replace that water to keep the leaf alive.

Where in Muskoka is your favourite display of colour this year?

Let the Province know that you don’t want Ontario’s wildlife to disappear!

On September 21, you can speak up for nature. Join Ontario Nature and tell all the political candidates running in the upcoming election that protecting plants, animals and ecosystems is one of the most important issues facing us today.

Meet friends of Ontario Nature at 11:00am at Queen’s Park on Wednesday, September 21, 2011.