A View from the Ark

Male Baltimore Oriole

I saw the sun briefly yesterday morning, just before a thunderstorm darkened the sky to predawn levels of grey. Our normally hot, humid days of summer have been replaced by a wet, "maritime" weather pattern with frequent rain and moderate temperatures. The sun has been hidden for days on end making this the coolest July on record in this area. There are pros and cons to a cool wet summer. The lawn is lush and green, but butterflies and bees have been scarce. My tomatoes have flowers, but the fruit has been very slow to develop. Nights are great for sleeping and air conditioners are not needed, but summer campers and beach goers find it too chilly and wet.

Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow Warbler
Common Yellow Throat, American Redstart

Our summer birds are finding plenty of insects to eat and the colourful ones brighten the dullest days. These pictures were taken on Manitoulin Island this month. All the birds shown here are also found locally, but I had more time to seek them out while on vacation. Birds like the Indigo Bunting do not show their best colour unless they are in sunlight;- others like the Baltimore Oriole flash their bright feathers on any day.


Sometimes I think I should count and see if we have had forty days and nights of rain yet this season. What difference would it make? Let the weather experts count and analyze as I enjoy the view from the ark.

Another blogger from Southwestern Ontario, Elaine Dale, made reference to Noah in this post on Sunday. Her picture taken in Hamilton Ontario gives some idea of the amount of rain we have had.