Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Wildlife List

Last weekend, I found this little list that someone dropped on the pathway.

June 14 – 16

Pileated woodpecker
loon
Herring gull
Red-eyed vireo
Goldfinch
Cedar wascwing
Purple grackle
Hummingbirds
Tree frogs
Green Frogs
Bullfrog
Painted Midland Turtle # 647
Wood thrush
Song sparrow
Robin
Citipping sparrow

Summer has Arrived!

Summer has Arrived!

Today’s temperature reached 28 degrees. Tomorrow and the next day we're expecting 30 degrees. We’re grateful to not be sweating in the city. Here we cool off any time with a fresh swim in the lake!

Besides moose, deer and fox sighting, our guests have seen turtles as well. The 'Painted Turtle" is the subject of one of the longest running turtle research projects in the world, according to the Park website. We recently met some university students (along the railway track) collecting data on turtle egg sizes and quantities. For more information on the turtle project, visit:
http://www.sbaa.ca/projects.asp?cn=316

Our snapping turtles are out of the water and laying eggs in the sand. We’ve seen a few around the grounds and by the docks. They’re quite large and its no secret how they got their name. Stay back if you see one!

Monday, June 8, 2009

Kitchen Update

Whew! We're open! It’s a relief to have all the normal cycles of running the kitchen in place.

The first batches of our own strawberry and rhubarb jams are delicious! While making them, we realized that the morning jams should follow the same seasonal cycle as everything else that we do. Watch out for strawberry/rhubarb jam, raspberry jam, apple jelly. It all sounds like tasty fun to me!

David Cooke
Chef

Fishing




The underwater spawning beds that the Small Mouth Bass use annually are still empty. We’re expecting the females soon to be laying her eggs and guarding them with vigilance. Remind us to show you the hole that they have made – it’s just outside of Tanglewood.

Bass fishing season reopens June 27th. You’ll see several of our cooks out on the lake before breakfast shift, trying to catch the first big one of the season.

Speaking of fish, we’re delighted to welcome the winners of our CFRA (Ottawa radio station) giveaway to Arowhon Pines this weekend. On top of a great prize package and complimentary weekend here, Ann Brady and her friend Sharon were also treated to a day of fishing with Frank Kuiack. Frank is the Park’s true last fishing guide, a legend in his time, a great fisherman and gentleman. Ann caught a 5.5 pound trout – we have the photos to prove it!

Anyone wanting a memorable experience in the wilderness – whether it’s fishing, canoeing or hiking – we can recommend Frank. It’ll be one of the highlights of your trip!

Sailing on Little Joe Lake







Our Hobie sailboats got their first good workout of the season today. The sun shone all day with good gusts on the lake – a perfect day for a sail!

Open for the Season!

Spring is definitely the best time to see moose! We’ve received almost daily reports from our guests of 2, 3 - 5 moose sightings along Highway 60. When we checked with the Park website, we read that moose are attracted to the slightly salted puddles left in roadside ditches from winter sanding.

The "Humming Bird Air Force" have also arrived and have been attacking the feeders on the veranda. It’s amazing to watch them zoom forward and backward, chase each other and then disappear to their secret nests. We’ll attempt to post some pictures soon if we can get one to stay still for more than a second or two! PS If you’ve already attracted hummingbirds, don't press the panic button if they leave for a while. They’ve most likely found some sweet flowers in the garden to feed on.

We’re trying to attract more birds to the resort and have hung some seed feeders in the trees. We’d be grateful to hear from anyone who might have some tips on how to attract birds.

The local black flies are in season too, but, believe it or not, we’ve already seen a decline probably due to the cool evening and morning temperatures and the arrival of a large number of dragon flies that hoover them up in massive quantities. If you are planning a visit this time of year, the Park has some good reading – www.algonquinpark.on.ca.