Hey there reptile fans!
Since our last blog entry we have been very busy with programs but have had a great couple of days overall! On August 19th, we did three shows at the Essex library, Dutton library, and Rodney library. They were all a great success with an intrigued audience that wanted to learn everything there is to know about reptiles. On August 20th, we stayed at Fanshawe Cons. Area and had the day off to do some exploring. There was a large group of us that got to go out to search for reptiles that could be found in the area. It took a a lot of effort and patience but it paid off by the end of the day when we found some really cool animals! We found some garter snakes and a few baby milk snakes which made the day an overall great success!
On August 21st, we did programs at the Highgate Public Library, the Blenhiem Library and then we were soon on the road again to Rondeau Provincial Park, which is where we are staying now. Yesterday, we did a program at the visitors centre which was a fantastic turn out!
At the visitors centre, you can learn all sorts of information about the park and can learn some great facts about the types of animals that you can find at the park.
We have met some great people, telling us stories about their experiences with snakes and turtles. As part of our program, we try to encourage people to watch the roads for turtles and help them on their journey to find a new location to lay their eggs. At the program yesterday, I heard a couple of stories from people telling me that they have actually helped turtles cross the roads! These are always great to hear!
This trip has been long and crazy busy but overall, fantastic. It has been a pleasure meeting new people and also getting to know people that I am already acquainted with. As we go through various towns along southern Ontario, it has been really interesting to see what each town is like and to see what makes them so unique. It has been a fun journey so far and I can't wait to see what will happen next!
- Michelle
Hey there Scales fans!
It's time for our next travel update! Things have (fingers crossed) been going smoothly so far. We arrived in Wheatley on the 16th of August and have been busy with shows and displays since then.
All four members of our RAR team were very excited to visit Point Pelee since it was a first for us except for our RAR veteran Brittany. Having been there for last year's trip, she was able to point out the best turtle watching spots, and a pair of Great Horned Owl nesting sites. The park itself was beautiful, well kept, and surprisingly tranquil considering what a tourist destination it is. And wow! What a visitors' center! The displays were very informative and we learned a lot about the national park's history. However, being the responsible and mature people that we are, the RAR staff was quickly distracted by the children's play area. While some of this interest was professional as we were able to compare the games to the ones we used on the Northern RAR trip, much of it stemmed from a deep desire to play dress up...which we did! I'd like to thank the Point Pele staff who took, what may go down in history as the greatest staff picture EVER. What on earth beats dressing up as animals found in the park? In a matter of minutes our travel worn, yet enthusiastic RAR team was transformed into a medley of wildlife found on Point Pele including a fabulous flying squirrel, a hooting great horned owl, a rascally racoon, and the ever fascinating juvenile five lined skink.
On Thursday morning we took a break from our usual venue of libraries and parks and visited Leamington, the tomato capital of Canada. We set up a display where we were able to witness the annual Tomato Juice Keg Tap which starts off their Tomato Festival. The audience we attracted was sometimes hesitant at first, but quickly warmed to having a more personal encounter with some of the wildlife in their area. I was blown away by how many people had seen an eastern fox snake in the wild and am more determined than ever to see one before we leave the area. One very receptive gentleman phrased our project mission as getting people to "run for their cameras instead of their shovels". I'd never thought of it this way but I feel that it suits RAR perfectly.
- Amanda
Good day all you blog readers!
4 days have come and gone and here we are at Fanshawe Conservation Area cleaning up after a fairly breezy day at Pittock Conservation displaying our scaly travel buddies. Our programs, displays and van have thankfully been running smoothly up till this point which has been due to a stellar effort on everyone's part.
HOWEVER
Sometimes things don't go as planned and we have to learn from our mistakes after the fact; and boy did I do some learning yesterday morning.
Things seemed nice enough when I poked my head out of the tent and made my way to the van to have my early morning caffeine dose, I was wrong. I opened the van and found it a MESS, since Brittany has been adament about keeping it tidy this trip a rule, which if broken, is punishable by death (not really, but you get it) I was a little confused in my grogginess.
To my gasping, head slapping dismay I soon realized what had happened...INVADERS!
After our program the night before I had left the driver's side window open and had inadvertantly let some woodland creatures have a crack at the meager amount of food that had been left in the van (oops!). I cleaned up all I could and told the others about my blunder.
Then it dawned on me.
Check the rest of the van.
I swung open the back doors and took a quick look around, nothing seemed out of place but then I looked Under the storage shelf. Two big yellow eyes stared back at me. I slapped my head again. After opening the side door the mystery creature emerged so we could see he was a raccoon twice as big as any normal furry bandit we had ever seen, probably due to his high diet of camping leftovers.
I opened the side door for him and he quickly decided he didnt like our van anymore and left, only pausing long enough to look back at us ( I swear he grinned). Our excitement died down... but not for long. I watched as Amanda walked to the now open side door, jumped a foot in the air and screamed "There's another one!" (head slap), he obviously didn't like the screaming so much so he jumped up on the drivers seat (looked rather funny actually) and then scurried out the open window hot on the trail of his companion.
Unfortunately, we took some losses including 1 apple, 3 granola bars and one aero bar that Amanda had stashed at the bottom of her zipped up knapsack.
Moral of the story: DONT LEAVE THE VAN OPEN IN ANY WAY. RACCOONS ARE VERY GOOD AT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF YOUR MISTAKES!
Cheers everyone we will be seeing you soon!
Bryan
One week after returning from Northern Ontario, the RAR crew is off again to travel through the southern half of the province. As we have gone as far north as Moose Factory and will be going as far south as Point Pelee during this trip, the distance between our two farthest programs this year is a staggering 1078 kilometres. We have some well traveled reptiles, who have now been in vans, trains, and yes... even airplanes in previous summers (the jokes about snakes on a plane are almost old, but we will likely continue to use them past their expiration date regardless).
One reptile that is deserving of attention here is southern Ontario is the Northern Water Snake. Although this species can be found as far north as Sudbury, their tendency to be found near rivers and streams makes this area a great place to easily see these creatures. Northern Water snakes can be identified by their triangular-shaped head, and come in a range of colours. Some are brown, others are gray, and some appear to be completely black. Closer inspection will also reveal that this snake has bands along the length of its body. This differentiates Northern Water Snakes from the Lake Erie Water Snake, which are a generally pale and often less banded subspecies that occurs on Pelee Island and sometimes along the shores of Lake Erie. Both the Northern and Lake Erie Water Snake are perfectly harmless; however, they are often confused with the venomous Water Moccasin. Although these snakes are all very similar in appearance, Water Moccasins do not live in Ontario! Their range is limited to the southern United States, as the winters here in Canada are too cold for them to survive.
- Brittany
Our Northern Crew made a triumphant return from Moose Factory and Moosonee last week! We had a great time at the John R. Delany Youth Centre while on the island, and we also enjoyed our visit to Wagoshig First Nation on our way home. There were some minor complications on the drive back (including a van door that refused to open and a touchy diesel pump) but we made it to home base with some great stories to tell!
Now, after a few days to recover, we are preparing our next team to head south. Brittany, Bryan, Amanda and Michelle will be back on the road starting in London on Thursday, and will be traveling through the Windsor, Chatham, and Long Point areas over the next few weeks.
The change in climate and environment, though it may seem small, should make quite a difference in the coming trip. There is a wider diversity of reptile species in Southern Ontario, including (in various places) Black Rat Snakes, Fox Snakes, Massassauga Rattlesnakes, and Five Lined Skinks. It should make for another exciting trip!
- Robin
Today we ventured to the most northern point of our tour - Moose Factory! Moose Factory is an island just east of Moosonee, which can only be accessed by train or plane. Early this morning we boarded the Polar Bear Express heading north. The five hour ride had beautiful scenery of spruce forest broken up by small lakes and creeks. Bryan even spotted a bear out the window!
We arrived in Moosonee around three in the afternoon, and after gathering up the animals and program supplies hailed a cab to the local docks. From here we took a water taxi across the river to Moose Factory. At the docks we met Jay, our contact for the community, who cheerfully directed us to our accomodations for the night. Tomorrow we will be running our day program in the Moose Cree Community, and we hope to see people from both sides of the river!
We quickly getting to the end of our northern travels, and it's hard to believe that it is already August! This may be our last chance to post before we reach home, but I look forward to telling you about our last couple programs when we get there.
Until then!
- Robin