British Columbia has banned rodenticides. Can Nova Scotia follow suit?

Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide (SGAR) use in British Columbia was banned in 2023.

Melissa Hafting says, “We can’t stop fighting until there is a federal ban and the province removes or heavily restricts more of these exceptions.”

You can read up about how British Columbia birders won the fight one city as a time on her blog, Dare to Dream.

Halifax is the biggest city in Nova Scotia and happens to be where I live so makes sense to start here.

I don’t think rats are inherently bad, but certainly having them breeding out of control and getting indoors is a problem

The Norway Rat are intelligent and friendly critters. In fact, the rats they sell at pet stores are simply a domesticated version. Nevertheless, you don’t want a rat problem on your property and certainly not in your house. Also, they don’t deserve to endure cruelty. Poison is very cruel and kills other wildlife who eat the rats who have ingested poison. This is not limited to Owls, but they are hit hard by this problem. And Owls are excellent rodent control so why not let them deal with the problem?

The photo above was taken in my garden in the subdivision where I used to live. I had always seen the odd rat scurrying across the street late at night but never sitting in my garden. But during the pandemic everyone was backyard gardening, and the photo was taken when there were ripe fruit and berries in every yard. You can’t blame them for showing up for something to eat. Solution, pick things as they ripen or just before and be vigilant about it.

I never hat a rat in my house in all the years I lived there and never saw them in the garden again. But the house I moved to had rats in the crawl space. The inspector missed this and I was not present for the inspection. When I moved in, I noticed a bad smell coming from the vents in the part of the house that is over the crawl space. I removed the panel to investigate for myself and discovered there was lots of rat crap and pee. Yuck. They were tunneling up through the ground and into the crawl space. And they had a constant source of food from the apple tree next to it.

I worked on the problem in stages and two years later no problems. First, all ripe fruit must be picked. No leaving any apples on the ground. The deer used to clean them up, but the apple tree is fenced in now for my dogs, so this creates a new job for me to keep on top of. Next step sadly was to kill the rats there were inside. I tried to discourage them out but four of them remained and I used heavy duty snap traps to get them. They were more expensive than the cheap wooden ones but very effective. Instant death and they died with a peanut butter grin on their face so assuming died happy. I hate for anything to suffer and hated to do this, but they cannot live in my home. Next, I bought some heavy-duty steel wool at the hardware store that is designed for rodent control and filled the holes they were coming in through. Then I disrupted the area by making it unattractive to them. So, the area I thought they were tunneling through I dug around and removed hiding places. We also got heavy wire mesh to rodent proof any areas in the basement we thought they could come through if they ever did make it back into the crawl space on the other side of the foundation.

The thing they loved the most about the crawl space was the pink insulation. Just tons of square footage of comfy nesting material. They had been in there for years. I phoned several companies who deal with biohazard materials, and they all quoted 5 grand just to remove the insulation. Sorry I don’t have that kind of money. I was researching protective gear to do the job myself. I figured for a few hundred dollars I could wear a respirator and biohazard suit and do the deed. But then on top of it there would be no insulation. And the insulation was not accomplishing anything anyway as the floor was freezing to my feet and the room always cold. So I phoned a few insulation companies and found one that would remove all the old insulation for me and then spray foam the walls and put a heavy vapor barrier on the dirt floor for 3k. Sold!

About 6 months after that had been completed and I confirmed no more rats had entered the space I had a heat lead run from the heat pump into the crawl space through the foundation wall of the basement. So now the space is conditioned, and the heat rises. The room is much warmer, and the heating bill didn’t even rise.

There is a resident Barred Owl who I assume keeps the population of rats in my yard under control because we rarely see any evidence of them. We do see Deer Mice from time to time and I’m sure that is another reason the Barred Owl hands around. We’ve also had a Short-tailed Weasel come through, as well the neighbours have seen Bobcat. Assuming Coyotes would also come through occasionally as there are many in my area who are currently well behaved as they have a lot of existing corridors, sadly they are losing that over time, but I won’t go down that rabbit hole now. We also have many Red Fox in the area and many Raptors such as Northern Goshawk, Northern Harrier, Merlin, and many others. All these mammals and birds who ingest poisoned rodents would get sick and die as well.

So why not let the animal kingdom look after itself? The food chain works well in the wild. We just need to keep our outdoor spaces tidy and not attract rodents. So don’t provide food sources, be aware of water sources that may attract them, and be sure to keep an eye on spaces they could hide or make dens.

I think with poison you are never really addressing the key issues, and you need to continually use poison, and the problem is never resolved. And all the critters who would do the work for you are now dead so it will definitely not get resolved on its own now. Why would anyone want that?

I’m going to get in touch with Melissa Hafting or someone in her group to find out if their Owl populations are showing signs of recovery and ask for some advocacy tips. There is no reason we can’t get rodenticides banned in Halifax, then Nova Scotia, and then the rest of Canada. Who wants to help?

Dipping on mega rarities is my Newfoundland kryptonite

Atlantic Canada, BEYOND, Birds, Canada, Travel

So last year and the year before, I narrowly missed the Steller’s Sea Eagle while visiting Newfoundland.

I thought I might give it a shot again this year but there have been no sightings yet this spring, so I decided to finally make a more concentrated effort to find a Willow Ptarmigan.

Chasing birds brings me to some super off the beaten path places, and this time I spent the night in Portugal Cove South. It is at the bottom of the Irish Loop and pretty much the middle of nowhere and at this time of the year the one restaurant in town is closed until May, so I had to bring some food for the cottage. Totally worth it just for the morning view of the ocean through the window while drinking coffee in my humble abode. And the community is surrounded by the South Avalon–Burin oceanic barrens, so perfect terrain for Ptarmigan and Caribou.

I almost didn’t make it because I had one of the worst drives of my life. For some unknown reason, the car rental agencies don’t think snow tires are necessary in Newfoundland. They are wrong. I woke up in the morning to get ready for a sales call and looked out the window to an unexpected dump of snow that was still in progress. I got stuck trying to get out of the driveway in fact but, since I’m a Cape Bretoner, I know how to drive in bad weather and got myself loose and on my way quickly. The roads weren’t plowed, and I had to drive 4 highway hours just in between sales calls that day! It took a while with my hazard lights on, white-knuckled all the way but I was determined not to change my plans and the weather reports said weather would improve as I went East so powered through.

Finally made it to the south of the Avalon peninsula, and I went immediately to bed. I couldn’t really open the cottage door due to the wind anyway…she was blowing a gale!

Now about that kryptonite. So, two days after I booked the accommodations, one of the rarest birds ever showed up 6km away from where I was to be staying. And it stayed for 8 days. And left the day before I flew onto the island. Yup. So I got to stand on the very beach where just 48 hours earlier a Greater Sand-plover was feeding. I now crown myself the queen of Newfoundland dips. But it’s okay because I was after a Willow Ptarmigan anyway, and actually enjoy ticking off endemics best.

I got up early and drove the gravel road quietly where they were expected to be found. No luck but I had an idea of where they might be for the reverse direction. So got out my sandwich and drove even slower and finished up just before one flushed. It was molting out of breeding plumage so looked a bit like a patchwork Pinto horse. Very cool to see it standing and it flew up immediately and I managed to snap this shot.

It landed in the grass and disappeared immediately not to be seen again.

I had spotted two Caribou quite far in the distance on the drive in through my bins on the next road over so decided to drive around and up the other road where I expected them to be. To my delight there was a family of seven, one with antlers. I’m not sure if it was the mama or the papa as both sexes grow antlers but it was watching its family very closely and a little spooked, so I kept a good distance as I walked in a bit on foot off the road. It’s always a balance with wildlife photography of your safety and the animal’s comfort level. Caribou are quite tame, and I could have likely pushed the envelope more, but they did not want me to and I chose to respect that. It’s their home and there are so few places wildlife can be wild so it’s important to me to be conscious of that.

I made one more pass of the gravel road before I left to see if I might get another Ptarmigan sighting, but the universe had ended the show for the day. So, I headed off to St. John’s, and did a sales call before heading out to dinner with some of the finest kind.

Sure, it would have been great to see a mega rarity, but I’m pretty pleased at how my little birding detour turned out. Interestingly the first time I saw Caribou in Newfoundland was on the Summer Solstice this time it was on Earth Day so perhaps they are my spirit animal?

My 2024 Veggie Garden

Gardens

It was the year of Tomatoes.

Well, we won’t start there.

Spring of 2024 I planted 3 types of Tomatoes, Pot-a-Peno Peppers, 2 kinds of Lettuce, Green Onions, Bean, Peas, Cucumbers, and harvested my best Garlic yet.

*Getting ready to make fresh Salsa. Lemonboy Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, Pot-a-peno Peppers, Garlic, all from the garden.*

My Beans and Peas were complete failures, so strange. Been growing both successfully for about 10 years. I did try new varieties, but I think in the end maybe just too much sun in their new location.

*Pot-a-peno Peppers go outside a little later when the nights are warm so had to get creative about finding sunny indoor spaces. Had to hand polinate the plants since no bees in the house.*

Cucumbers I’ve never done well with but managed to get a few decent specimens this year. Also, a new variety.

*One of the indoor spaces for seedlings.*

The Peppers did fantastic so I think next year I will add a second variety. My Dad has put in a request for Hungarian Peppers so will see what I can do. Found a new favorite Lettuce, Buttercrunch. I think it’s the same as the Boston Lettuce you get at the supermarket. Anyway, a winner. Spinach I’ve had no success with at any point so just won’t try again. Green Onions are so easy and great for salsa. Definite keeper.

*I raise things up so the dogs won’t pee on them and the rabbits who sneak under the fence don’t eat my green*s.

There are so many awesome local farmers to buy from in the summer (check out my friend Noah at New Caledonia Farm) there is no sense fooling around with things that don’t work in your own garden. I’m not a farmer as much as I joke around so for me, I just want to plant a few things that require little effort and produce well in my plot.

*First time I covered the Garlic with straw and it worked great.*

So, Tomatoes, oh my. For some reason I decided to try Roma. Well, they sure were eager to please! One packet of seeds turned into hundreds of Tomatoes for me, as well as healthy producing plants for about 6 friends and neighbours.

*I underestimated how much support indeterminate tomatoes would need. Kept trying to add more stakes and tying plants up with string. It really was like a part time job this year! But so fun.*

When they first started to sprout, I figured if I had too many plants, I would just sell a few plants.

*This is a very small sampling of my seedlings. Totally lost control of my plantings.*

People don’t want their plants until the first full moon in June when they can put them in the garden it turns out.

So started to desperately turn people into gardeners, whether they were willing or not.

Then I realized I did not have enough containers for the plants I was keeping. Oh yeah, remember I also had two other varieties to find space for.

Decided I needed a box planter built but was short on cash.

*The planter box is fantastic. I lined the bottom with dead branches that were starting to soften up and some topsoil from the yard and then used good potting soil and compost for the top layers.*

Since I ended up with about 400 tomatoes, the cost of lumber and soil has paid off already!

*Tiger Lilies and Tomatoes. Love mixing veggies into my flowers.*

I learned a lot about Tomatoes. I had only grown determinate varieties in the past, mostly Cherry tomatoes, and this time I planted two indeterminate varieties from seed. They sure do grow big! One of the things I learned is to plant them a little later, and when they are ready to put in the soil they have to be planted very deep. These are basically all roots that I left exposed. It all turned out just fine but will be great to refine the process next time.

*All these little sprouts at the bottom are basically roots and should have been planted deeper.*

I ripened a lot of them in the window to keep a step ahead of the earwigs. My first ripe tomato had an earwig inside it so I immediately pruned them back and every morning did an earwig check. I figured out what it looked like when they had laid eggs and picked them off every morning. Worked like a charm!

Lots of Tomatoes ripening at once I had friends who wanted green tomatoes too so that helped. Was constantly trying to decide what to keep and what to give away. Some even went to our local Community Fridge which really made me happy.

*When the Earwigs lay eggs they cover them with a bit of leafy material so you know where to pick the eggs off.*

I’m writing this post in January 2025 because I spend so much time gardening there is no time for blogs…haha…and it’s almost time to buy seeds again and start all over.

Can’t wait to have fresh veggies from the garden again…yummmmm.

*Salsa complete with green onions from the garden.*

*First time cooking with fresh Tomatoes. Life changing!*

*Tomatoes, lettuce, cukes all from my garden.*

One of the primary reasons my garden was so successful this year (in addition to the awesome weather), was the huge population of bees on my property. I leave a lot of my property wild and have tons of pollinator plants. We do get bees who visit from a local beekeepers hive, and also many varieties of native bees. I’ve started identifying them and learning a lot, but that’s a whole other blog I will have to find time to write one day.

Next month is February and the crocuses will be up. The days are getting longer. I’m getting excited, hope you are too.

Puffins, Whales, and Caribou (and still no Steller’s Sea Eagle)

BEYOND, Travel, Wildlife

It’s June 22nd and I’m leaving Newfoundland today. I have not had a chance to write my blog but will do it in the next few days (update just getting to it on June 26th).

A nemesis bird can be very challenging mentally, but as well may take you to fabulous places.

The Steller’s Sea Eagle continues to evade me, but I had awesome encounters with Puffins, Humpback Whales, and Caribou during my free time in Newfoundland. Also met some great people, both tourists and locals. (Great to meet you Caroline, Andrea, and Tracy. I have some great photos for you Caroline if you get in touch btw.)

Anyway, my work took me across the entire island and because the days were very long I was able to squeeze in some nature time. I also took one day off in Trinity.

My goal for wildlife encounters were the same as last May. To see Caribou, Puffins, and the Steller’s Sea Eagle. I blogged about that too, massive dip trip. But never a bad time on the rock, and for me work takes priority so I miss things. It’s a dream that one day I can go to Newfoundland strictly as a tourist. Newfoundland and Greece are my two favorite places in the world. Fortunately, in Greece I was just a tourist. Perhaps I’ll retire there one day. Anyway before this becomes a whale of a tale…

*Amazing to get a view of the baleen on this amazing Humpback Whale.*

Before I did any work on the island I took my day off. I had booked a boat tour in Trinity for the morning and figured it was a slam dunk for me to see Stella. The giant Sea Eagle had been spotted every day for 2 weeks previous to my trip. But that was the one day she/he was not spotted. And of course, this beautiful Steller’s Sea Eagle was spotted the next day and many times since. And so to you Trinity, I say we will meet again! Stella must think I have more to see before we meet.

I did manage to get a little bit of time with the Puffins in Elliston the evening before. Not as close of an encounter as I had hoped, but really you are always battling time in Newfoundland as it’s such a vast province and so much to see. You just need to enjoy and try to go with the flow. I enjoy it all, even if it seems as though I’m disappointed, I’m always left wanting more, and always return.

Even though I didn’t see Stella, I had a great tour of Trinity Harbour with Captain Steve from Trinity Eco Tours. Beautiful spot, great tour company.

So off to work across the island. All the way to the West Coast. I decided to spend the night in Rocky Harbour instead of Cornerbrook since it would take me the same amount of time to drive back to St. John’s to see clients. The morning of the Solstice I had a 7 hour drive ahead of me so that I could see stores on the following morning.

I had a hunch, and also knew it would be the longest day of the year, so took a detour up the Viking Trail to look for Caribou.

In my wildest dreams I would not have imagined such a wonderful sighting.

The Caribou babies almost melted my heart on the Summer Solstice on the Viking Trail. One of my favorite wildlife encounters of all time for sure.

Mother Nature sure delivered on my favorite day of the year. I have never been away from Nova Scotia on the Solstice. For about 30 years I’ve been celebrating the Solstice at home with day trips and nature. Always drinking in the beauty. Always a beautiful day. This day in Newfoundland I felt like a vampire the beauty was so palpable. My heart got filled to the brim and I will remember it always. The wonderful thing about travel is you can dial up a memory anytime you need a little boost. This one will work wonders for melancholy days and insomnia!

Back to work I went in St. John’s the next morning. When I finished up in the afternoon I was rewarded with enough time to drive down to St. Vincent’s to see Humpback Whales that were close to shore chasing Capelin. This is something I have hoped to do for about 5 years now but it never lines up, and did not disappoint!

When I arrived the sand was hot and so I took off my shoes and walked in my bare feet. As soon as I was far enough away from my car that it didn’t make sense to backtrack I realized the error of my judgement. Capelin like a pebble beach. Ouch and hot…LOL. I thought I could cool my feet in the water. Once I got close to the water I looked at the tide and thought that it looked very dangerous. I did let the waves that were coming up to the sand touch my feet but was very careful and glad I could sense the danger. I’ve found out since that the drop off is 60+ feet deep right by the shore, which makes perfect sense as there are giant sea creatures swimming right up. Also, brrrrrrr! Even the wet sand and tiny contact with water was sooooo much colder than the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It’s since been pointed out to me it’s the North Atlantic.

Mother Nature is wild and wooly sometimes and gentle and forgiving at other times. Keeps me on my toes.

Thank you to the hospitality of many wonderful Newfoundlanders during my visit. Special thanks to the lady from Fogo Island who offered me home made fish and brewis while we were chatting at breakfast in Grand Falls.

Everything about Newfoundland is completely different than anywhere in the world.

*A little reminder that wildlife does as it wishes.*

Visit if you can, it will change your life.

With love to “the rock” and all your creatures, 2 footed, 4 footed, winged, and finned.

Early June update on my plantings

BEYOND, Gardens

Year 3 is really the year a garden starts to take root. Of course I’m already dreaming of dividing perennials next summer!

I did a lot of planting in 2022 when I bought the house, and then a lot more planting last year in 2023.

Fast forward to the 3rd spring and things are really coming together.

One of the best things yet is that my Percy Wiseman Rhododendron finally bloomed. I bought it as a sad little sale plant in the fall of 2022 and didn’t know if it would make it. As well it’s not for our gardening zone so little hope for it really. But it made an appearance in late May and it is just gorgeous! Yeah, my Border Collie is too I know…