The Beckoning North

Once or twice a year we take a trip to North Bay to visit our daughter and her hubby. Our most recent trip was this past weekend. For those of us living in the very flat and largely denuded landscape of southwestern Ontario, it is a delight to travel to parts of this province where forests, hills, rocks, and lakes predominate! Not that we are contemplating moving to that more northern landscape any time soon. The biological diversity of our extreme southwestern landscape, as limited as it is, is far greater. So here we stay, at least for now.

We really feel that once we get north of Barrie, and better yet, north of Orillia, we can start to enjoy the north, getting farther and farther away from the hustle and bustle of the south and especially the GTA. We usually make a stop at a little place called Novar, where there is a spring that provides delicious, cold water, and we fill up several jugs. These first two photos are taken at the point where we exit off of Hwy 11 to get to the Novar spring.

While the main purpose of our trip is to visit family, there are a few quite accessible spots that I try and make a point of exploring. For example right within the city limits of North Bay is a 97 hectare (240 acre) conservation area known as Laurier Woods. There are several kilometres of trails that go through forest, across rocky outcrops and across or adjacent to wetlands. Most of the trails are quite easy going, as shown in the next two photos, but there are steeper and rockier sections.

There are quite a few multi-stemmed trees, such as the White Birch in the next photo, an indication of the historical timber cutting that went on here many decades ago.

 Some parts of the forested section are relatively open at ground level, as the previous two photos show. Other sections are covered with ferns or other vegetation.

Bracken Fern

Cinnamon Fern

 There were a lot of Bunchberry plants...

...and we noticed a single Pink Lady's-slipper, a.k.a. Moccasin Flower.

 We were serenaded by territorial Chestnut-sided Warblers.....

 ....and Veerys, as well as various other species.

Some sections were quite open with lots of stunted trees on the bare or moss-covered rock.

 It was in these more open areas where we saw Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, shown below, as well as a few skippers. From what I could tell, all of the skippers were Hobomoks.

There are many wetland areas.

 Of course the presence of Beavers are frequently noted, although the Beavers themselves are seldom seen in daylight hours.

 To control the water levels behind one of the beaver dams, a large pipe was put in place well behind the dam, and going through the top to allow an escape of high water so as to not take out the bridge I am standing on to take this photo.

 One of the most attractive wetland flowers on this excursion was Wild Calla.

The Laurier Woods Conservation Area, as wonderful an asset it is to the community of North Bay, is not pristine. There is a scrap metal recycling depot visible across one wetland area. Another section of the trail system shows a car dealership across the way.

Nevertheless some of the wildlife don't seem to mind, as this log in the middle of the previous photo is being well used by more than a dozen Painted Turtles.

Another section of the trail system has the Trans Canada highway in the background, although it often is not very busy and is far enough away that the traffic noise is not all that bothersome.

Another very accessible location I typically check out is Champlain Park, at the extreme southern extent of North Bay and along the waterfront of Lake Nipissing. There aren't many accessible trails, but a fair bit of water front to explore. This park has historical significance, as the La Vase River empties into Lake Nipissing here. This river connects Trout Lake and Lake Nipissing and was an important part of the route for the voyageurs travelling from Montreal through the various rivers such as the St. Lawrence and Ottawa on their way to points farther west. It was used by First Nations of the area for many years, and it was those First Nations guides that brought it to the attention of early European explorers such as Samuel de Champlain and Etienne Brule. This next photo, which I took on a previous trip in April of 2016, shows the river as it empties into Lake Nipissing.

The water was much higher this year, as is the case for many lakes and rivers in Ontario. The boat launch and adjacent dock were under water, and the shoreline of the river was flooded. Of course that meant a more extensive feeding ground for water birds, such as this Great Blue Heron.

 I didn't see exactly what the heron captured, but this next photo shows it being swallowed.

There is always something to explore and enjoy in the greater North Bay area.

Northern Landscapes for a change

I spend most of my time here in southwestern Ontario, naturally, so it is a very pleasant change to see what other parts of the province look like. Our daughter and her husband live in North Bay. The 600+ kilometre trip from our house to theirs, takes us through vastly different landscapes. Recently we timed a visit to (hopefully) coincide with some impressive autumn colours.

The first leg of the trip is pretty boring.....from Chatham, through Toronto and then heading straight north. Once we get into the Barrie/Orillia area, we really start to feel we are getting there and by the time we get north of Huntsville it is the land dominated by rocks, hills, lakes and trees. This first image is just a short distance north of Huntsville, right along Hwy 11. The lake probably has a name, but I haven't investigated to find out what it is. Regardless of its name, or lack of one, it is a place I stop at briefly, sometimes venturing across 4 lanes of traffic, just to enjoy the view while numerous vehicles are impatiently heading to their respective destinations.

We like fresh spring water---a welcome treat from the municipal water---and there is an accessible spring a short distance off the highway at Novar where we stop and fill up several water jugs. However as soon as one gets off the highway and prepares to travel down this paved side road towards the spring, one sees this next scene.

This image was actually taken a couple of years ago. I was particularly pleased on that occasion to see a bright red kayak with two paddlers approaching, so I waited and got a few shots of them in action. The scene this year was similar, but without the kayak.

A little farther north again is a place that I discovered several years ago, and is one of my favourite places to take a break. It is Brooks Falls, and I have stopped numerous times over the years, in all seasons. The Magnetawan River flows here, and depending on the water flow, can look impressively powerful at least close-up. The access is via a municipal park by the name of the falls, and one can park just a few metres from the trail that takes you to several vantage points.

The day we visited this year was bright and sunny, not conducive for the best photography here. These first two images are a couple of my favourites from a previous time, one in mid-September and the other two weeks later.

Owing to the bright, contrasty conditions, I focussed on areas that were in shadow where I could capture more intimate scenes.

We made it to North Bay. In reality it isn't all that far north, being at a latitude well south of the 49th parallel, the typical southern boundary of Canada across much of this vast country. But relative to where we live in the extreme southwest, which is more or less at the same latitude of the northern California boundary, it is north! (Aside: I remember many years ago travelling through the USA, and explaining to an American traveller where we were from. His comment was quite revealing: "Oh, that is the part we didn't get from the British!")

One of my favourite places to explore while at North Bay is Laurier Woods Conservation Area. It is almost 100 hectares of natural area within the city limits of North Bay....what a concept, and what a treat! There are several kilometres of trails.

 Somewhat surprisingly, the colours this year were not as vibrant as a year ago, even though this year was a few days later. There was generally more green than I expected.

Without being all that familiar with birding hotspots of the area, I contacted a birder friend who spent several years living just south of North Bay. He recommended several spots, and so on this visit I checked out places like Sunset Point, an area protruding well out into Lake Nipissing, giving a 270 degree view of the lake.

Sunset Point Park

Sunset Point

 This next photo is also of Sunset Point, but looking northward towards the city centre. The shallow water and extensive sandy shoreline looks great for a few shorebirds and of course gulls. But it also lends itself to numerous people out walking their dogs, so maybe such birds give it a wide berth.

I also checked out the Callander Sewage Lagoon for birds, and of course Laurier Woods. Another spot at the south end of North Bay was Champlain Park, right along the lake and with a small river passing through it.

Given the time of year (second week of October) and limited time spent birding (it was primarily a family-oriented trip), I didn't see any really unexpected birds, but had a good array. Most were waterbirds, and included Common Loon, White-winged Scoter, Horned Grebe and various duck species. I think my total was about 30 species, and I dutifully entered my observations on ebird. At least now I have a better idea of where to spend birding time in the future, and have some other ideas of places to visit such as the Cranberry Trail, which goes about 2.5 km through the forest and includes marsh and lake viewing. It is nice having such extensive natural habitat within minutes of where we were staying.

While in North Bay, a visit to Duchesnay Falls is always a treat. It is located right along the highway leading out of the northwest side of the city.

Duchesnay Falls, the overview look

Duchesnay Falls, the close-up view

And just to wind things up, here is High Falls, just north of Bracebridge, located between a small roadside picnic park and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources office on the west side of Hwy 11. It is an impressive sight, but one has to pick the vantage point carefully to eliminate the bright red signs warning of danger, and the metal walkway going across the falls on the upstream side.

For many of my waterfall photos, I like slow shutter speeds (typically 0.5-6 seconds or more) to highlight the silky smooth look. However for High Falls, I chose a faster shutter speed to try to stop the action and capture the feeling of raw power of the water. It is even more effective when there is more water flowing over, as I have sometimes seen here. In this case, the shutter speed was about 1/1000 sec.

A Northern Diversion

A few days ago Marie and I went to North Bay, to visit our daughter and her new hubby. We hadn't been to North Bay since last October.

There is no question that the biodiversity of southern Ontario is fantastic, in spite of the relative lack of natural area, but the landscape of north-central Ontario is even more fabulous for different reasons. Rocks, hills, trees, lakes....what a treat to have about 95% of the landscape as natural compared to the 5% in Chatham-Kent!

Once we get north of Orillia, I seem to connect with the expanse of natural area. And one of the first stops I like to make is Brooks Falls, about half an hour north of Huntsville and just a bit east of Hwy 11. Spring, summer, fall and even winter....there is always something magical and inviting about this spot.

May 2014

One can drive to a small municipal park and hear the cascade as soon as you stop the car. Only a few metres away is the Magnetawan River, which tumbles several metres over the rocks. Normally when I photograph this place, I use a very slow shutter speed to capture the smoothness of the water, but I hadn't seen this much water flowing before, so I decided to stop some of the action with a faster shutter speed. The next photo shows what it looked like almost exactly two years ago and taken with a slow shutter speed.....much less water and more rocks showing. By autumn, there is even less water and more rocks.

May 2012

One of the highlights of the immediate North Bay area is the Laurier Woods Conservation Area, a parcel of land totalling about 97 hectares (240 acres) right within the city limits, made up of rocks, hills, trees, wetlands and small lakes. What a concept! And a real treat, with several kilometres of well-designed trails to explore, and a trail guide to follow along with.

Kudos to the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority and The Friends of Laurier Woods for establishing and maintaining this delightful place!

The forest isn't full of large trees.....undoubtedly much of the wooded area was cut at some point in the past and what is present now seems to be mostly second growth.

Being in the city, there is industry around the edges of this natural area, and some of it shows up in the upper right hand corner of the photo above. Adjacent to one of the other wetland areas is an auto recycling plant, so there is lots of noise and poor views to contend with.......I won't show it here. I suspect it is less distracting in the evening hours or on weekends.

The photo below shows a rock outcrop with a trail in the foreground and marshy habitat before getting to another upland area and rocks.

This is beaver country, and most of the small lakes and ponds are the result of the engineering skills of those large rodents. The next photo shows a small dam on the right, holding back the water to create the pond.

Painted Turtles are commonplace, and apparently Snapping and Blanding's Turtles also occur, but I didn't see them on this trip.

Being the latter half of May, bird migration was well underway. It isn't a hotspot like Rondeau is, but there was a fair diversity of birds. I noted Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Yellow Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat and Ovenbird of the warbler family, as well as Gray-cheeked Thrush, Veery, Brown Thrasher, Savannah Sparrow and that flagship vocalist of the north...the White-throated Sparrow.

White-throated Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

It seemed odd to see this Savannah Sparrow foraging on the shaded rocky outcrops.....a far different habitat compared to where they are found nesting in southern Ontario or in the Hudson Bay Lowlands!

American Redstart

Common Mergansers

The Common Mergansers were hanging out on this beaver made lake near the beginning of the trail.

Being that it was the Victoria Day weekend, the night skies around North Bay were bright with the display of fireworks. I don't normally spend much time photographing fireworks, but I took the opportunity on this trip as our son-in-law Alex had procured quite a selection and was happily setting them off at Sunset Park on the shores of Lake Nipissing. I will close this post with a handful of my more successful photos.