Vacation photos, part 1 of ??
July 1st, 2009
The first thing to talk about is Le Metayer, in L'Isle-Verte (near Riviere-du-Loup). It was, in both our opinions, the best of the four B&B's we stayed at. Warm, relaxed, homey, beautifully furnished. Owners were bird enthusiasts, judging by all the feeders and the field guide sitting on the veranda. Breakfast consisted of eggs cooked to order (they tasted farm fresh) and the best hash browns I've ever had. This was in a very rural area with a faint smell of manure everywhere, but the smell was not overly unpleasant and we quickly got used to it.
It really felt less like a business and more like being welcomed into the home of a new friend (except, of course, for that little paying money part...) They were a retired couple. We got the impression that we were serving as temporary fillers for an empty nest. There were also two cats, one of whom was very long-haired (yet miraculously non-shedding) and very friendly.
Birds, particularly grassland and scrubland birds, were a common sight and sound. Goldfinches frequented the feeders. A pair of Barn Swallows often perched on a line near the house. They must have had a nest nearby, perhaps in the disused shed. (Barn Swallows nest in caves or in things that remind them of caves.) This was a pleasure, as while I can easily see Barn Swallows in Ottawa, I seldom get to see them perched.
Most excitingly, I discovered Bobolinks in the fields between the highway and the St. Lawrence. Bobolinks are grassland birds of the blackbird family. I'd never seen them before. They'd been on my wishlist for years--since I seldom bird rural areas (not having the driver's license needed to get to most rural areas), I've had a hard time spotting even common grassland species. Male bobolinks are handsome and kind of odd-looking, predominately light on top and black on bottom, with a furry cream-colored patch at the back of the head.
The most exciting part was their flight song. They sing a bubbly, exuberant, rather electronic-sounding song (think "chattering R2-D2") while hovering in the air, then drop back down into the grass. 10-15 seconds later the show repeats. This is their approach to catching the ladies' attention. The strategy of many male songbirds is "perch somewhere conspicuous and sing", but in a grassland, such perches are few.
I managed to get a few pictures of them just before we left:
July 1st, 2009
The first thing to talk about is Le Metayer, in L'Isle-Verte (near Riviere-du-Loup). It was, in both our opinions, the best of the four B&B's we stayed at. Warm, relaxed, homey, beautifully furnished. Owners were bird enthusiasts, judging by all the feeders and the field guide sitting on the veranda. Breakfast consisted of eggs cooked to order (they tasted farm fresh) and the best hash browns I've ever had. This was in a very rural area with a faint smell of manure everywhere, but the smell was not overly unpleasant and we quickly got used to it.
It really felt less like a business and more like being welcomed into the home of a new friend (except, of course, for that little paying money part...) They were a retired couple. We got the impression that we were serving as temporary fillers for an empty nest. There were also two cats, one of whom was very long-haired (yet miraculously non-shedding) and very friendly.
Birds, particularly grassland and scrubland birds, were a common sight and sound. Goldfinches frequented the feeders. A pair of Barn Swallows often perched on a line near the house. They must have had a nest nearby, perhaps in the disused shed. (Barn Swallows nest in caves or in things that remind them of caves.) This was a pleasure, as while I can easily see Barn Swallows in Ottawa, I seldom get to see them perched.
Most excitingly, I discovered Bobolinks in the fields between the highway and the St. Lawrence. Bobolinks are grassland birds of the blackbird family. I'd never seen them before. They'd been on my wishlist for years--since I seldom bird rural areas (not having the driver's license needed to get to most rural areas), I've had a hard time spotting even common grassland species. Male bobolinks are handsome and kind of odd-looking, predominately light on top and black on bottom, with a furry cream-colored patch at the back of the head.
The most exciting part was their flight song. They sing a bubbly, exuberant, rather electronic-sounding song (think "chattering R2-D2") while hovering in the air, then drop back down into the grass. 10-15 seconds later the show repeats. This is their approach to catching the ladies' attention. The strategy of many male songbirds is "perch somewhere conspicuous and sing", but in a grassland, such perches are few.
I managed to get a few pictures of them just before we left:
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