Welcome to November's issue of the Dereila Nature Inn newsletter.
You are welcomed this month by a stunning Pileated Woodpecker
as it chips away at an old branch on a snowy day. |
Greetings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi everyone! Welcome to another issue of Whispers, the newsletter of the Dereila Nature Inn - your virtual nature centre. This month we have some great photographs that have been sent in to us, as well as a joke
about some fast-shooting birds, some trivia, a bit of news and several tips. We hope you enjoy this issue and we thank you for celebrating nature and photography with us. We appreciate you subscribing and supporting this project.  Please join us on Facebook where we welcome your comments and feedback. |
|
Trivia Time
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Which animal of the wetlands closes its eyes to eat?
You'll find the answer at the end of the newsletter. |
What's This? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you know what this cropped close-up photograph is? Put your brain to the test before checking the answer at the end of the newsletter.
|
| New Features at the Inn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here are the latest additions at the Inn. Just click on the images and you'll be taken straight to the page. Bird Trivia 3
Here is an assorted bunch of illustrated interesting facts and trivia about birds.
Mammals Trivia
Check out these fascinating facts about mammals. 
Photo Tip #6 - Close-up Photography with a Loupe
Using a small hand-held magnifier you can get some super close-up photographs.
 |
|
Contributed by...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We have another great selection of nature images sent to us this month. This super image of an Eastern Kingbird was taken by Herman Veenendall of St. Mary's, Ontario. 
Marilyn Flanagan of Florida
submitted this pensive turtle.
Joyce Cahill of Winslow, Arkansas went out after
the rain and captured this lovely scene.
Joyce Cahill also thought we'd appreciate this
delightful photograph celebrating family life.
This Avocet was taken in Scotland and
contributed by Eileen, West Lothian, Scotland.
We just love the photographs you send in for this newsletter and we
know that our subscribers appreciate them as well, so many thanks
for taking the time to send them in for us to all enjoy!
If you would like to see your nature images in our members' section,
simply send us an e-mail. We'd love to hear from you!
|
| Monthly Selections
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here are this month's choices:
Bug - Giant Tachinid Fly; Wildflower - Yellow Rattle; Bird - Wild Turkey
Simply click on the images to visit the pages.
You can also check out the archives as they're just a click away:
Wildflower Archives | Bug Archives | Bird Archives
OUR MONTHLY PAGE
This month's selected page is called Understanding Mushrooms. You'll learn all about stipes and gills, pores and spores. You can visit the page by clicking here.
Fly Agaric Mushroom, Amanita muscaria |
| The Wandering Image
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This month we wandered down by the lagoon.  A juvenile Black Oystercatcher (centre) is strolling down the shore with its parents. You'll notice that it lacks the red ring around its eye and that its bill is not yet fully coloured red. |
| Caption This!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's our image ready for your humourous caption along with a couple of our ideas. This month we have an unusual picture of a Dark-eyed Junco and a Downy Woodpecker.
Number one: "What are you doing there? Number two: "Can I have a go after you?"
If this month's photo inspires you, please send us an e-mail. We'd love to hear from you and add your caption to our collection. You can visit the rest of the collections at the Inn: The Mammals| The Birds | The Insects |
|
Snippets in Nature
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This serene scene was taken at Woods Hollow Nature Preserve in Milton, New York. Claudia Gregoire of Glenville, New York, was kind enough to let us enjoy this special place with her. If you think you have a suitable nature photograph for this section please send us an e-mail along with a brief explanation. We look forward to your submissions. |
Behind the Name
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pale Comandra, Comandra umbellata, is also called Bastard Toadflax which underlines the importance of using scientific names when referring to organisms, as many have several common names. Its genus name, Comandra, comes from two Greek words: kome which means "hair" and andros, "man." This is most likely in reference to the flower's stamens which have a hairy base. The species name, umbellata, refers to the umbrella-like shape of the cluster of flowers. |
|
Joke of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many years ago when the west was wild, several birds were arguing about which of them had the fastest draw.
"I'm the fastest gun there is," said one. "When my gun comes out it's a-smoking."
"What's your name, then?" the others asked.
"They call me Billy the Kid."
"That's nothing," said one of the others. "When I draw my gun, I get two shots off before the other guy gets his out of the holster."
"And who are you?" they all asked.
"Just call me Wyatt."
A duck then joined in. "I'm the fastest 'cause my guns are firing before they clear the holsters!"
"Wow," said the others. "And what, may we ask, is your name?"
"Just call me Toeless Joe."
"That was my great-great-great grand daddy!" |
| Notes, News and Tips from Around the Inn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Facebook
 We invite you to post comments on our Facebook page. To visit, just click on the logo or here.
A Little Reminder
Don't forget to carry around a little mirror in your bag of tricks when out exploring and photographing. This works well for not only looking at the underside of things like mushrooms and other places that are difficult to see, but also helps you when taking a photograph.
Tips from the Inn
Now that the flowers are finished on your deck, you might want to start to decorate the empty flower pots and containers with some greenery. Come December, some pretty berry-laden branches will add lots of colour and also be a source of food for many birds.
Here an American Robin drops by and helps itself to a berry or two.
Celebrating Nature
Coming up in December is the annual Christmas Birdcount. Watch for more information about that next month!
Picture of the Week 
Be sure to drop by the Inn every week to see the latest Picture of the Week. You can also do so by clicking on the image to the left or by clicking here.
Past Issues
We upload past issues of Whispers as new ones are issued. You can view them all with a simple click here.
|
|
Great Rivers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In central Vancouver Island, British Columbia, the Qualicum River flows through wild forests as it makes its way northeast across the island before flowing into the Strait of Georgia near the town of Qualicum Beach. |
Did You Know...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Did you know that the daisy was commonly called Day's Eye since the yellow in the centre reminded people of the sun that rose each day? Over time, slang took over and it became known as Daisy. |
| State and Provincial Symbols
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The amazing Bristlecone Pine, which can live for thousands of years despite living in the the most severe environments, is the state tree of Nevada. You can see other state and provincial trees by clicking here. |
| Trivia Answer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Frogs and toads close their eyes to eat. |
| What's This?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Our mystery image is the underside of the cap of a
Sweet Tooth Mushroom, Hydnum umbilicatum. |
| Nature Notes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
Spread the Word ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We hope you've enjoyed our newsletter for this month and that you'll forward it on to your nature-loving friends.
Watch for the next issue of Whispers in your inbox during the first week of December. See you then!
|
|
