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Outdoor Ontario

Recent Posts

21
Anything Goes / Re: A Birders' Cafe
« Last post by Shortsighted on June 23, 2025, 08:59:10 AM »
Ah well, I hadn't even thought about a bird cafe featuring caged birds.  I was thinking more along the lines of a birders' cafe, unless people who collect exotic birds are also called birders, which I doubt.  I was envisioning more like a birders' bar, sans alcohol, located at the foot of a birders' hot spot.  I just wanted to know if the general consensus viewed this idea a nuts, or likely acceptable.  My inquiry is not a formal survey ... I'm just curious.
As I am also curious why there have been no forum posts of the spring migration from far-flung hot spots like Rondeau, Pelee peninsula or Presqu'ile as offered by members in previous years.  I must assume that the member pool has drained to wet spots and in the heat of this climate we, who remain, may hit bare dry terrazzo soon enough.
22
Anything Goes / Re: A Birders' Cafe
« Last post by cabz on June 23, 2025, 05:45:23 AM »
When my husband and I were in Japan last year, we visited an Owl Cafe in Tokyo.  Not exactly the same as you are thinking, but was a mixture of an interesting and for me, sad experience, to see these majestic birds confined.  They all seemed to be well taken care and you could pay to feed them.  You could also have a drink and snack.
There was also a couple of small falcons. 



23
Anything Goes / A Birders' Cafe
« Last post by Shortsighted on June 22, 2025, 01:01:56 PM »
 I recall seeing a bird-theme coffee shop a few years ago.  It was/is located on Lakeshore Road, West.  At the time I thought ‘what a great idea’  and then almost immediately remembered that the same idea had come to me years before during one of my visits with epiphany.  We seldom see each other anymore, at least not since I’ve let myself depreciate.
 
 Upon discovering this cafe I pulled over and parallel parked my car.  Having accomplished that feat without incident after so many years of not having to insinuate myself, at least outside the realm of this forum, I strolled over to the Bird & Bean and promptly ordered a cafe-au-lait and then enjoyed it while assessing the cafe’s grasp of the birding theme. Unfortunately, I cannot recall how I rated it despite being fundamentally judgmental, at least up until I got help for this affliction.  I never saw another Birds & Beans anywhere else in the city.
 
 This doesn’t surprise me.  I wonder how successful and how accepted such a cafe might be at the foot of Tommy Thompson Park considering the popularity of this site among real birders.  More people visit other parks, some of which already feature a restaurant, or a cafe, such as Sam Smith, High Park or Ashbridges, but those areas are not primarily a birders’ retreat.  Indeed, birders are barely tolerated by the dogs, joggers and cyclist that own the place.  Then again, coffee via a cafe might be viewed as a gateway libation that could lead to harder stuff and the last thing birders need is blurred perspective.  You know what that could lead to: bikes colliding with one another, ebird reports of flocks of flamingo or legions of Whimbel storming the shoreline.
 
 It’s just a musing, so don’t think that I’m on the verge of establishing a cafe where indicated.  Running a cafe is too much work and my investment limit is about a hundred bucks.  Nonetheless, does anyone think that a Birders’ Cafe is a good idea?  I imagine that most birders hike the spit with coffee in a thermos so they might thumb their nose at the idea of a cafe.  Might birders confined to a small appropriate venue become like bikers at a bikers’ bar ... altercations about who saw what?  Would bird photographers vie for inclusion of their pics to adorn the walls of the establishment?  Would E.M. break into the cafe at midnight and swap all the displayed pics for his own photos taken when Trump was president the first time ?
 
 
 
24
Anything Goes / Re: The research on plant intelligence
« Last post by Shortsighted on June 21, 2025, 04:46:16 PM »
 What strikes me as emergent in these relatively contemporary nature books is not the acceptance of the continuing concept of the interconnections between all synthetic echelons of nature, heralded in the writings of previous decades, but by the newer notion that our need to compartmentalize as a tenant of scientific inquiry and experimentation in order to publish findings, obtain funding and achieve peer acceptance interferes with establishing a unified theory of how life really works. 
 
Indeed, trying to understand the entangled world (Entangled Life), from the unseen to the more tangible weight of giants, is virtually impossible when the organ of intelligence is under incarceration by the enchantment of boundaries themselves, in all their forms. The idea (from the book) that LSD, or any other mind-altering compound could somehow knock-down those boundaries and in so doing reveal a sweet global comprehension of how life has sanctioned a fluid continuity between species just underscores the desperation scientists must endure to continue their investigations. We safely grasp cause-and-effect as a linear equation when life may not function in a Newtonian fashion and may more closely resemble a mobius strip with inherent plasticity to boot. Since a study of the universe, from quantum mechanics to space time (which may ultimately erase the needed theory of dark energy and dark matter), also seems to function by magical rules and incomprehensible forays that similarly boogie outside the boundaries of our understanding, why can’t life be as intricate, as “not-as-we-know-it” and may therefore continue to confound man’s attempt to grasp the meaning of life.  Heck, if the Monty Python team couldn’t come to a satisfactory answer to that question then, under rising Fascism and Donald Trump, we may certainly not realize natural enlightenment by the next long weekend.
I just started Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake.  Must be a stage name ... so cool.
 
 
25
Toronto Wildlife / Squirrel: Blondie's Baby Is Out
« Last post by Charline on June 18, 2025, 12:14:49 PM »
Remember the blonde squirrel mom I filmed a month ago? https://youtu.be/xetGrgXi-Bs

Well, her little one has ventured out and is already a skilled forager! You can really see the family resemblance, though the baby's tail is a shade darker than its mama's.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0kPjj_p7Q4Y
26
Nature / Hickory Tussock moth
« Last post by Shortsighted on June 17, 2025, 02:09:03 PM »
Picture of one moth (taken yesterday) among several more moths of the same species all clinging to a wall.  I wish I could claim that their collective positions signified a cryptic message of some sort so that I could ask TransAtlanticGoose to create a new folder:  The X-Files.  Wouldn't that be cool?


Hickory Tussock moth
27
Anything Goes / Re: The research on plant intelligence
« Last post by Shortsighted on June 16, 2025, 05:44:21 PM »
OMG!  Nobody told me that there will be test.  Based upon the book titles I didn't expect it to be a bird course but an actual test, I may need to really pay attention now.  The Light Eaters has some mind-blowing theories and experimental results that support those theories.  I'm not into emoticons but there should definitely be one for an exploding head.
28
Anything Goes / Re: The research on plant intelligence
« Last post by Dr. John on June 16, 2025, 11:10:56 AM »
Great.  Will be interested to hear what you think.
29
Anything Goes / Re: The research on plant intelligence
« Last post by Shortsighted on June 15, 2025, 12:02:47 PM »
I managed to find the two books that you suggested.  It was easier than I thought.  No need to order online.  No need for that itchy ski-mask, written instructions or even that get-a-way car.  Thanks again for the referral.
30
Anything Goes / Lake Simcoe: Beach, Restaurants, and Northern Lights
« Last post by Charline on June 13, 2025, 10:37:31 PM »
Take a scenic journey through Georgina, Ontario in this 5-part video showcasing the natural beauty, history, and charm of this Lake Simcoe destination.

https://youtu.be/V6VWcyQAhnw

Part 1 features De La Salle Park, known for its sandy beach and crystal-clear waters.
Part 2 explores the historic Spring House, also called the Courting House.
Part 3 highlights local eateries on the main strip of Jackson's Point.
Part 4 captures the picturesque views of Jackson's Point Harbour and Marina.
Part 5 presents a stunning display of the aurora borealis over Lake Simcoe in real-time, slideshow, and time-lapse formats. Perfect for travelers, photographers, and nature lovers looking to explore Ontario’s hidden gems.

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