Wild Turkeys

It seems like the population of wild turkeys is flourishing and increasing on Gabriola Island.  At night the wild turkeys roost up on the power lines and in trees as they can fly short distances.

Tom turkeys show courting behaviors much like the peacock with displays of their tail feathers.  The male turkeys have a red wattle (piece of skin that hangs down under their chin) and a knob on their foreheads.

Male wild turkeys are called gobblers. One male mates with many females.  We have seen the males strutting down the road with their tails fanned out while trying to attract the females.  Females are called hens.

A group of turkeys may be called a crop, or posse or a gang.  Here is the new crop of wild turkeys on Gabriola.

Here is Geo and is posse of wild turkeys going for their walk.

...and for Thanksgiving I wonder how many will be eating wild turkey for supper on Gabriola Island.

Swiss Chard - 2015

Swiss chard is easy to grow and is very nutritious.  Last year I planted 4 non bolting Swiss chard plants and barely watered them as we were gone most of the summer.  I read somewhere that you could just trim this type of chard down and it would grow back.  Indeed it does and we had Swiss chard growing from the same roots all this summer.  Nice!  The plants are very hardy and the chard is delicious.  Pinch off the tops of the plants to encourage new growth.

Just pick it, wash it, chop it and put it in a pan with a drop of olive oil and just a drop of water.  Cook till tender.  Do not boil it the old fashion way and loose all the nutrients.

Tomatoes- 2015

I decided to plant my tomato plants in big pots this year.  This way I could try a different part of our yard without building raised beds so that I could see if there would be enough sunlight for them.
Last year the back yard was shaded most of the afternoon and did not seem to get enough light.

Planting the young plants in pots also got rid of the problem of slugs eating them.  The problem that did show up in one plant was blossom end rot which was fixed with the quick addition of lime for the calcium deficiency.

Considering that we were away in May and I did not get them planted until the beginning of June they have done not to bad.  I planted four different varieties in pots.

Dahlias

My dahlia plants have struggled all summer.  First it was slugs eating the new shoots and then the hot dry weather came.  Now that it is nearing the end of September they have started to perk up with the recent rains that we have been having.

Entrance Island

It doesn't matter what time of the year it is, or the time of the day.  Olebar Point is a good place to go for a walk and to take pictures of Entrance Island.  There is always a beautiful view from here.

Drought on Gabriola Island - 2015

Most of our concerns on Gabriola Island this summer have been focused on the drought and the implications from it.  In most of BC, 2015 has been a summer of record-breaking temperatures, droughts, water restrictions and forest fires.

On the main island of Vancouver, there was an absence of snow pack resulting in river flows dropping dramatically between April and September.  Water restrictions were put in place.  Water temperatures in rivers and streams then rose putting many salmon and fish at risk.

Gabriola is dependent on rain to supply us with water.  Without rain we can not fill our collection tanks or refurbish our groundwater.  People that do have wells are having to be very careful not to stress them by using to much water.  We have no river system on this small island.  

Shifting environmental conditions have depleted our groundwater supply and water is now being hauled in by truck to fill the cisterns and rain water collection tanks.  We are lucky that our property has a good well and we have always been very water conscious.

Degnan Bay, Gabriola Island

Degnan Bay

Blue Heron

We started out with 5 goldfish in our small garden pond last year and this summer we are down to 4. We were never sure what happened to one of them.  Possibly didn't make it through the winter or a raccoon got it.  Or that is what we thought until Geo spotted a Blue Heron sitting 60 feet up in one of our cedar trees looking down into the pond scouting out his snack.


We quickly added a layer of small screen wire to the top of the pond.  The plants have also filled in this summer to give the fish protection from the sun and flying predators.

Drought on Gabriola Island

Water, water everywhere...  It is a common perception that B.C. has an abundance of water and rain.

Drought is a recurrent feature of climate involving a deficiency of percipitation over an extended period of time, resulting in a water shortage.

On the mainland drought can affect the growth of agricultural crops and limit the amount of water available for irrigation.  Low stream flows and little rain impacts the groundwater level.  Lower stream flows can also cause warmer river temperatures which impacts fish and marine life.

On the Gulf Islands, drought season coincides with the summer tourist season and the associated increase on the demand for water.  Reduced water availability during the summer can have a significant impact on the aquifers as there may not be enough water to allow for the refilling of them.

Gabriola Island is approximately 53 square kilometres of low altitude terrain.  Overall, precipitation is low because it lies in the rain shadow of Vancouver Island and it's mountain ranges.  Our ecosystem is unique.  The aquifer system is complex and delicate.  Our groundwater is derived solely from rainwater. The ground water is stored in small aquifers in the shale or sandstone in the ground solely by rain.  The only real natural water storage is underground in the cracks, fractures and open spaces in the rocks.  There are no other large deposits of water-bearing sand or gravel as there are in other aquifers on this continent.  Winter snow is seldom seen here.  There are no rivers and there are just a few small ponds/swamps/dugouts which are filled with the excess runoff in the rainy season from October to March.  The soil is rarely thick enough to retain significant amounts of groundwater.

As precipitation declines in the summer months, the water tables become lower, resulting in wells being intruded by saltwater or drying up.

Being prepared to respond to droughts when they occur will help protect our water in the future. Managing and preparing for future drought is needed as there can be a decrease in our available potable water.  If our ground wells are used too much it could result in a change of water quality as salt water intrusion into the coastal aquifers is possible.

The BC government is providing incentives to be water efficient by giving grants for the purchase of tanks for rain harvesting.  We will need new approaches to water management as climate changes and continues to impact our water and aquatic ecosystems.