***

***

Click on photos to enlarge

At the annual picnic at the edge of the forest, behind unit 15, there was a very unusual announcement. One of the couples gathered there to socialize, fill their bellies and play  games, is expecting the miraculous arrival of a child in early 2026.

Why miraculous? Well, on closer inspection of the people seated in the picnic area, the expression miracle of birth is either a long forgotten reality or a cliché of language. There were 2 people over 90 years of age, 2 people over 85, 3 people over 80 and a smattering of others between 65 and 80. One couple stood out, as much for their youth as for their obvious possibilities for accomplishing things which the rest of the gathering could only imagine, if we can still remember the recipe for procreating.

Congratulations to the expectant couple and Best Wishes for an uncomplicated pregnancy and for a healthy, baby. The child will undoubtedly be the recipient of all the pent up affection of the oldsters. Of course some of us may trot out some of the repertoire of cantankerous behavior which comes along with graying, balding, sagging, spreading and plumping at the latter stages of the human condition. At this point we must say thanks to Maria and Tony for reminding the rest of us what fascinating, delightful and beautiful creatures are these little versions of ourselves! 

***

The day after our annual picnic, some 50 metres or so from the picnic behind unit 15, another reproductive process was creating another miracle. Another birth was announcing itself. With a shriek, 2 baby Cooper’s Hawks landed on the other side of the hedge between Unit 16 and the open, as yet undeveloped land still in the possession of a Mr. Marson. We had been observing over the last couple of months the careful construction of a nest by a couple of adult birds doing as many as 20 trips back and forth daily between trees on the Marsett Place side of Royal Pines and the frontage on Elk Lake Drive. From our deck, although we were never able to see the nest, we could hear the voices of the adults chatting to their babies instructing them while still incubating the eggs and before they left the nest.

What a thrill it was to see the results of procreation in action. The day after our picnic one of the chicks landed at the foot of Cyrille’s, (Montailler Landscaping) foot bridge to the forest. We were shocked at its size and its beauty. We have officially adopted the 2 chicks as our great grand children, but we have left the choice of their names to their parents.

***

Location! Location! Location! 

Real Estate:

The open land next door on the Elk Lake Drive has been the territory of an opportunistic variety of rabbits for a couple of years. Bunnistan is the name of the territory that we assign to that open land currently owned by a man named Marson. Bunnistan is peopled. or rather rabbited, by a variety of rabbits, another invasive species which proliferates abundantly at the drop of a hat, much like the human species which proliferates abundantly, but in the case of humans, with the drop of a panty. The rabbit niche is occupied sometimes with black bunnies, sometimes with gray bunnies and recently a brown variety, which may be properly called ‘hares’, may be seeking membership in the territory of Bunnistan. Some days the territory can be called ‘Black Bunnistan’, some days ‘Gray Bunnistan’, and very rarely ‘Brown Bunnistan’.

Of course all this rabbit proliferation will end when a new sheriff comes to town to develop Bunnistan; when the price is right for the human animal to impose its order on the land. At that time the little niches which have been occupied by rabbits and birds, great and small, will give way to residential buildings to accommodate the proliferating human species of animals, nested in stacked, vertically oriented hives stretching ever upwards.

We occupants of Royal Pines at the block at the edge of the forest nearest to Bunnistsan have been fortunate. There should have been buildings being erected on that land by now. Market forces have stalled the exploitation of that property and given hawks and rabbits and other creatures, great and not so great, an opportunity to make a living, find friends, hunt for prey and have a good time at a picnic of their own, tearing apart and devouring the unfortunate victims of their predatory instincts. 

***

The Circle of Life

The miracle of life is sustainable for the individual for just a moment in the grand sweep of time. Life is sustainable for just a lifetime. We fortunate residents of the neighbourhood have experienced some of our moment in one of the best of all possible times in one of the best of all possible places. 

The creatures in our neighbourhood are, of course, also subject to limitations of their lifetime. A couple of years ago, Deanne had a lasting relationship with a Barred Owl which had a family in one of the tall trees above our unit. Being bilingual, English and Owlish, Deanne was able to communicate quite successfully with the Owl family. She encouraged the carnivorous Owl family to help themselves to the then burgeoning family of rabbits. The owl family obliged and did a great job of thinning the rabbit population quite dramatically. But although many were taken, many still remain.

The relationship with her owl friend came to an abrupt end when madame looked out of her bedroom window one morning to see the corpse of one of the adult owls on the ground below. At that time there were many reports of owls in the area falling out of the sky for no apparent reason, except of course, on account of gravity. We arranged for a pickup of the carcass by employees of Fish and Wildlife department of the Province of B.C. The suspicion that the owl was a victim of poison was confirmed by autopsy. To control the population of rodents, mice voles and rats, some people leave poisoned baits, rodenticides, which kill the rodents. The populations of carnivorous birds, owls, hawks and eagles which hunt and eat rodents are then poisoned by the prey that they consume. Of course, the ‘rat poison’ does not discriminate and also kills squirrels and chipmunks. 

Deanne’s discussions in the Owlish language came to an end with the death of her interlocutor and friend, the Barred Owl.

***

Deanne’s Barred Owl

2024

Propped up Beside a Milk Jug

For

Perspective

***

P.S. About creatures great and small, I would be remiss if i did not mention the little olive green lizards which scurry about the yard, going about their business, ducking, darting and diving under any and all objects to escape attention. But as small as they are, they still command attention for their quick and decisive motions. My anonymous neighbour, Witness to the 1964 Tsunami in Port Alberni of a previous post, satisfied my curiosity when I first established residence at Royal Pines by informing me that they are Italian Wall Lizards which  were transplanted in this vicinity by some human or the other, some time ago. The lizards apparently found the vicinity to their liking and decided to stick around a while, as did we, n’est-ce pas?

P.S. The 3 beautiful photos of Cooper’s Hawks were grabbed from the internet. It is otherwise Impossible to get that close to our 2 great grand children to get those spectacular photos. These 2 great grand kids are wild, wild children. They refused to stay still for Deanne’s camera.

 Late breaking news: We now have dueling predators! The owls are still here, behind the townhouses in the forest. Reliable witnesses, Deanne and Anne W, have reported that hikers have seen an adult owl and that there are now 3 baby owls. Isn’t life grand! Yes indeed, but not so much if you are the prey, hunted by our great grand children and their owlish friends!

The bilingual dialogue between Deanne and her Owlish speaking friends can now continue. 

***