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Friday, June 23, 2017
Critters
We only saw a few critters on our trip up the Bruce, but one was a very friendly Garter Snake. I'll get to the man-eating seagull in a day or two.
This gull was friendly, but didn't quite attack us. As soon as we sat down on a bench and got out our lunch, there it was, with two or three of its friends, ready to scream a little for crumbs.
We sat there relaxing and enjoying lunch, and I happened to look down at my boots. A nice little snake! Rising up from beneath the boardwalk, also presumably to see if there were any crumbs.
It didn't stop coming toward me either, as I sat still watching.
But then it must have seen or sensed my presence and backed off a little.
It certainly wasn't afraid of us, and we showed several kids in a family eating lunch on the next bench over. The kids were thrilled.
My third critter to share is the largest groundhog we've ever seen! This is the sculpture of 'Wiarton Willie', by the beach in Wiarton where he lives. Wiarton Willie emerges on Groundhog Day to offer his prognostications on the coming spring weather, the most famous weather prognosticator in Canada. He's our 'Punxsutawney Phil'.
A larger view puts it in context. Quite a nice place to stop for lunch - except for those seagulls!
It's not known how many Wiarton Willies have passed on, but it's several! The original prognosticators were a trio, Grundoon, Muldoon and Sand Dune. The first Willie, an albino groundhog, appeared in the 1980's and lived an incredible 22 years. At least two other 'Wee Willies' have served the town since the original died in 1999. As you can imagine, Groundhog Day in Wiarton is a MAJOR celebration!
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Interesting encounters with gulls and snakes. Great statue, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteNever seen ground hog that big!
ReplyDeleteWiarton Willie lives on the 45th Parallel,( according to Mr Google) and the 45th also passes through the South Island of New Zealand. We have Sand Dunes, we had a Prime Minister, Muldoon ( Rob Muldoon) No Grundoon, but there is Duntroon, also in the S.I. Love that statue ,and after a wet cold winter, we have turned the corner into springtime coming later on. Maybe he can predict our weather down here too. As long as it is fine for the day you move to new quarters!!!
ReplyDeleteNeat! Now some of thee critters I can relate to, and others not so much. I'm a fan of snakes only if I know they are harmless. What a cool statue! Thanks for telling me about your prognosticating groundhogs. :-)
ReplyDeletei have seen gulls steal food right from peoples hands while they are eating it!! eeeek on the snake, great shots!!
ReplyDeleteyou will find those scavenger hunts here: http://www.amomstake.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/On-the-Road-Scavenger-Hunt.pdf
I've never seen a snake begging for food before! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat shots of the snake!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots. And I love Wiarton Willie! Hmm - seagulls; ugly, greedy, creatures. Generally.
ReplyDeleteHello, great closeup of the gull. I like the snake too, neat photos. The statue is huge, love it. Great post and photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteI don't like snakes, but I can tolerate the non-poisonous ones.
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
What a great close up of the snake and the gull too.
ReplyDeleteThat is some huge ground hog!!
What fun - great pix of the lovely snake - and what a groundhog!!!
ReplyDeleteNever knew they had built a monument to Wiarton Willie but it is truly fitting they did so. Good for Wiarton.
ReplyDelete