birds

The Oystercatchers of Gwaii Haanas
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The Oystercatchers of Gwaii Haanas

Hail Brave Hearts

The great wild is calling,  An adventures awaits.  Dutifully we don our apparel for yet another great holiday in Canada.  It’s summertime, and the sun shines gloriously on long days of warmth and outdoor activity. Canoes and kayaks entice us into the waters of lakes and rivers.  The iconic Canadian transportation system, lures us into the paths of our history.  Build your canoes, build your kayaks, follow in the steps of legendary people who navigated the waters this way.

The great wild calls us to develop the skills of history makers who charted the seas, mapped the coastlines and stamped the approval of the ownership of this land.  This is ours.

The great lands of the Haida, tucked away in the northern islands, north of Vancouver Island.  Isolated and rare, a gem of discovery.  This land is our land, protected by a great nation of peoples, the Haida people of Haida Gwaii and the Gwaii Haanas National Park.  It belongs to them and their stories fill the islands.

We arrive by plane, for the trip of a lifetime, into the land of the Haidas.  Remote and alive, the area fills with eagles.  The ocean is calm and the days are warm.  We’ve packed for a week long kayak adventure into Gwaii Haanas.  This area is a paradise of wilderness ocean adventure.

Seagulls meet us, reminding us that God is here.  In the call of the birds, we clearly hear Gods name.  Seals bask on the rocks and a river otter swims past.  An Oyster Catcher stops us.  His antics catch our attention as he jumps around on the rock in a aa unusual dance.  His five chicks huddle close together in the nest and his mate slumber close by.  He is a father and proudly shows off the nest.  A thirteen year old bird, whose making a noise that sounds like Barack.  We name him Barack then, pleased that he’s shown us his fine family

Black Oystercatcher Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Our luck with the weather holds for this trip.  There are seven of us on this  July excursion, with a guided kayaking and camping company.  The Pacific is mainly calm and peaceful towards us as humpback whales surface and feed in our sights.  One comes close to us.  It’s a pleasure.  The wildlife sightings are superb, with black bear, dolphins, orcas and sea lion to add to our list.  The bird life is unusual to us as well.  Ancient Murrelet,  seagulls, falcons, puffins, rhinoceros beaked birds and red footed pigeon guillemot to add to  our list.  It’s a list of some rare bird and animals  in an area filled with ocean life.

Then, there’s, the people.  We visit the Haida of the ancient totem poles.  to see for ourselves the carvings of great masters and to hear their stories.  A far flung people, out in islands in a remote Pacific location.  An area of impressive beauty molding a nation of seafaring people, who live from the sea.  The builders of ocean going canoes paddling the great seas.  A people of unique culture, surviving in an area of wildlife wealth.  The ocean provides.

This was a dream holiday in our great land.  So much to be proud of, so much to enjoy.  The land and the people, the ocean and the wildlife.  A place of unusual prosperity.

parks.canada.ca › pn-np › bcGwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine …

The sun shines brightly on Haida Gwaii and the warm summer breeze encourages outdoor adventure.  This was a wonderful, unique  holiday in Canada’s superb wilderness backyard.  We congratulate ourselves for this choice of adventure.    We’ll be back

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

August 27, 2023

Early Spring
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Early Spring

Hail, you brave almighty ones.

Praises, you awesome ones, praises to this great good Earth.  The warm spring days welcome us.  Come out of your houses and feel the warmth of those special sun shining rays.   The spring, with it’s special power, it’s newness, it’s creation, it’s splendor.  It is beauty that we crave and beauty surrounds us .  The joy of living, of life on the planet, of the simplicity of warm breezes, cool lakes, shelter from trees, magnificent flowers.  The joy in their hearts as the nesting birds sing, the fondness of animals as they gaze at their offspring, the brilliance of flowers as they burst from their buds.  The magic of the planet casts it’s wondrous spell and spring has captured us once more.

Glorious days of sun filled splendor, rays of shining gold sent to us from heaven.  The lights is with us for hours  now, the dark of winter is cast aside and the joy of spring fills the air.  Fragrant gardens, song filled skies, colorful meadows and deep secrets hiding in the forest.  It is the season of growth and birth.  A season of wonder and delight.  The Earth spreads the word to us, welcoming us into it’s great wonder.  It is the beauty of this great planet, that brings us so much joy. Joy and discovery.

Those same old trails change each day, a new bud, a  new animal track, viewpoints, water rushing, an early spring with so much to see.  The water entices us and we’re swimming in April.  So much goodness, so much sport and  so much fun.  It extends our lives by weeks this year, everything is early.

An escape from the bustling city to the quiet of the spring filled country, a dazzling day on a mountain bike, exertion and strenuous activity to liven the muscles and tone the body.  This great country’s past time of escaping to the beaches, the trails, the forest, the mountains, the campgrounds, the parks and the great wild.  Escape to the wonder of the natural world, the world filled with surprises and unexpected pleasures.  A roadside pull off with big horn sheep playing close by, a view of an eagle with egrets on its nest, that great  horned owl peering at us as we walk along the trail. The views of spring time meadows, of glaciers and mountain tops, of long endless grasslands and still pristine lakes.  We protect all of this.  This is ours to keep.  Our cherished escape to the great beyond, the fabulous parks , the wilderness and the joy of being.  That wholesome success of a day of play, of the unpolluted water and the clean, pure air.  Those days that take your worries away and fill your lives with that sense of wonder.   More, we want more. More of this life of athletic fun, of hikes and photos, of swimming and riding.  More of those rugged climbs to test our endurance and strength.  We want more.  More of this vast land with it’s unique species and more of the beauty of our scenic wonder.  More of the wonder of the natural world and more of the healing of this great divine. This is our awesomeness, these special, protected places, these is our secrets, that we quietly share.

We are old here, but we are still young.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

June 11, 2016

Old Crow Flats
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Old Crow Flats

Good morning Bravehearts!

A brilliant new day, for brilliant new minds.
Clever bravehearts, the adventure continues, deep into the depths of prehistory man. Deep into the brilliant life of life above the tundra, life in the great Arctic, above the Arctic circle.
A vast and exquisite land of migrating wildlife and of the peoples who have inhabited this place for thousands of years.
The unspoilt far north. A rugged and dangerous land filled with snowcaps and frigid waters, rough tundra and alpine flora. The mighty animal life of the far north, polar bear, caribou, walrus, whale and the people who still live in this remote and harsh part of the world.
Our sense of reality assumes the worst. Freezing cold, barren landscape, months of endless darkness, but thousands of years ago, the earth was a much different place. Here, up above the Arctic Circle was a land of warmer climate. As the rest of Canada lay covered under a sheet of glacial ice and snow, the high Arctic was home to many species of wildlife. Way up in the high Arctic, a vast preservation of lakes, ponds, marshes and land is now occupied by throngs of migrating birds, to the point that it is protected as a bird refuge. Here is the home of prehistory man as he enters the continent of North America and settles in Canada. A protected land that is now a vast land settlement area which includes government land, Vuntut National Park and the ancestral lands of the Vuntut Gwitchen people.

Click to access ice_age_old_crow.pdf

How long ago, for the great human, the almighty man, who conquers all. The carbon dating of the tools indicates thousands of years ago. The migration of people into continental America is earlier than what was once believed. An area called Old Crow flats and the fossil finds in the Blue Fish caves tell a story of this ancient world.

http://www.taiga.net/wetlands/oldcrow/oc_gen.html

The pre history shows a collection of unusual animals. Fossils galore, but not of this world, not of this continent. Hyenas. A scavenger who follows predators and injured animals, waiting for cast offs, or an easy kill. Camels, sloth. A far different world, in the far north. A land of lush vegetation, abundance of wildlife, safe habitation for dwellings, an easier life than now.

http://www.civilization.ca/research-and-collections/research/resources-for-scholars/essays-1/archaeology-1/jacques-cinq-mars/significance-of-the-bluefish-caves-in-beringian-prehistory3/

The brilliant bravehearts of that world inhabited a beautiful landscape of plenty. The people stayed.
The Old Crow flats and Blue Fish Caves are areas of significant archeological treasure and environmental protection. This protected area boasts some of the worlds most significant archeological findings. Discoveries that prove pre history man was a man of skills and that the planet is an ever changing world. The migration of man, at the dawn of our nations history is revealed in the unparalleled beauty of the majestic far north. In a collection of lakes, high in the mountains, where the summer days are continual daylight and the temperature is a warm 15C.
High above the Arctic Circle where no one dreams to believe, that here is the dawning of Canada. Here is the brave new world of ancient man.
Daring human, we hear your words. Come to the far north. Come to the adventure of your lives.
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
November 5,2013

Take Flight
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Take Flight

Good morning brave hearts.
The cooler fall air reminds the birds of the season of change. They call to each other to gather around. Come near! they sing. They clamour together and fill the trees, calling for each and every one of them to join the flock. It is fall. Time to move south.
The birds natural inclination to move to warmer climates, brings the masses of migrating birds together. The gregarious birds fly together for protection and flight paths. They keep each other in sight, the older ones, showing the way to the younger ones the way, the strong leading the weak. The birds will travel hundreds of kilometers in search of new food sources, shelter, homes and habitats.
The skies fill with the wonder of migration.
The long flight to ponds and forests in far off places. Will they still be there for the birds? Will those protected places that the wildlife need so badly for survival still exist? One more year of environmental protection, one more year of the survival of so many species.
Thousands fly south to warm climates, their small bodies too fragile for cold temperatures and as the leaves turn colour and fall, the protection of the trees vanishes. The winds are strong and the birds take flight to escape.
Will they return?
We protect our own forests for the salvation of the planet, air, weather, for us, for wildlife and for beauty. The forest provides a beautiful backdrop to our lives. The gracious trees, home to many animals, insects and birds provide homes, shelter from the elements, wind, sun and rain and food.
The brave birds fly on a course to the unknown. They will winter wherever they can find food and shelter. Wherever the compassionate human has protected them and the environments that they need for survival. Parklands, forests, back yards with shrubs and trees.
The migration is a marvel of distance and stamina.
How many will come back to us?
The quiet of autumn fills our ears as the chattering birds leave us behind.
The monarch butterflies have already gone on their long flight to Mexico.
http://www.monarch-butterfly.com/
Hibernating animals dig into the earth for their long winters sleep and ponds become quiet.
Trees shed their leaves in preparation for their own winters sleep.
The land is changing. The scattered seeds of summer plants find resting places in the soil. New life for next year.
Prepare for winter, it will come soon.
The peaceful land keeps us busy with fall harvest. Hay for the livestock, fall fruits and vegetables for us. The farmers markets swell with food and our own food baskets are heavy.
The earth saves us once again.
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
September 23,2013
http://www.bbcanada.com/10895.html
http://www.empowernetwork.com/?id=louisehayes

Come with me
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Come with me

Into the great wild.
Into an adventure of peaceful delight, where the gentle breezes warm your body and the sun filled meadows delight your senses. The playful butterfly drinking the last of the seasons nectar and the grasshoppers leaping in the tall grasses. The wild life leave only footprints to indicate their presence, the occasional scat of wolves and bear indicate a balance of life and the songs of birds, hawks and ducks fill the air with their calls. The berries are abundant, there are several signs of bears.
The great wild.
As usual, the wildlife are elusive and although our presence is known to them, they hide from us. We, like them, will leave only footprints. We, like them, will pass through the meadows disturbing as little as possible.
Lucky are we, to have the great wild.

Lucky are we to be the only humans in this vast landscape. A retreat for us. A welcome change in the daily routine. A back country trip of awesome wonder, fabulous scenery, a remote distance, a genuine pleasure.
Here, the mountain steams provide necessary water. Clear, clean water. We fill our cups to drink. The great Earth provides unpolluted water from numerous streams as we pass by. The great Earth provides and we, oh great human, have the great good fortune to inherit such wonder.
The protection of vast tracts of land for preservation, conservation and environmental security is a necessary gift to us.
The wildlife need their uninterrupted peace where the daily drama of their own lives can be fulfilled. We too, need uninterrupted peace, where our own minds rest and relax. We need the great wild. The calling birds, the swaying, dance of flowers, the brilliant colour, the songs of animals.
On these glorious fall days, the land was gentle to us. The sun warmed us and the streams cooled us. We could drink from the unpolluted waters of the Earth. In two glorious days, a lifetime passed. Gone were the worries of the world, the distant workplace vanished from the conscious mind into a void. No more thoughts of daily disturbances, no more the sounds of traffic. The silence greets us with restful, deep sleep and the meditative calm of nature soothes the soul.
Here, mankind, sighs the great Earth. This is a gift to you. Protect as much as you can. The great wild is a precious and fragile gift, it restores your soul, it sings to your heart and it relaxes your mind. There is no war in the great wild. There is only the daily interaction of nature as it plays out its own life. The nurturing wild. It calls us to protect it. Save us mankind. Save yourselves. Here is the land of plenty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTN8frhWOlA tranquility water music

The smells of juniper are strong and pleasing. The grasses smell sweet as we pass through them. The end of season flowers nod and wave. The sweet serenity of the far off place. The wild. So rich for us, a near at hand wonder of the great creation of the Earth.
written by Dr. Louise Hayes
September 11, 2013

National Oceans Day
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National Oceans Day

http://www.commerce.gov/blog/2013/06/07/june-8-marks-world-ocean-day-noaa%E2%80%99s-national-ocean-service-concludes-30-days-oceans–

Welcome, almighty human, to this day of salvation, memory and adventure.  Who are we, but the builder of ships, the sailor of the mighty seas, the adventurer of the ocean. To set sail, has been the adventure of our lives for thousands of years.  To set forth, to discover, to fish, to explore, to enjoy.  The oceans have always been a place for us and have always provided for us.

The vast seas with their immense variety of life forms, so many that we are still discovering them to this day.  The oceans, to their dark depths and to their far off horizon.  They compel mankind to discover.  They entice us.  What lies beneath the surface of these great waters.  Through our thousands of years of human history, the answer has always been, food!  Food for the hungry.  The oceans are plundered world wide for food.

The oceans give us plenty.  The fisherman casts his nets to save the starving world populace.  Food.

The ocean also gives us a play land of fun.  Large waves to surf in, warm beaches to lay upon, soft sand with interesting shells, warm water and curious creatures to watch.  The oceans, with their tides, the sunset, their beauty are another call to adventure for us.  Even if we are small, we still love the ocean.

There is another call to action, that the ocean brings to us.  The waste, the garbage, the  toxins, the pollution.

http://www.good.is/posts/end-plastic-pollution-pick-it-up-bin-it-take-three-for-the-sea

The garbage that ends up in the ocean, kills sealife world.  The oceans are becoming a dump of waste.  Plastics, which are recyclable and other waste are building up in the oceans and destroying water, the plant life, the reefs, the coral, the animal, the fish and the bird life.  The pristine beauty of the world, that we covet so much is vanishing to a view of discarded waste.   Plastic, paper, cans, bottles all being tossed into the water causes pollution that even this almighty planet Earth cannot control.

The awesome planet, with so much healing and creative power, can’t keep  up with the plunder, the reckless destruction, the habitat loss, the pollution, the oil spills.

Hail mankind!  As mighty as we are, we still turn to the planet to save us.  To save us from starvation, from cold, from poverty, even from despair.  We expect the awesome planet to regenerate itself, to heal and to cure itself, to replenish what we take and to repair the damage.  We assume that the awesome planet can recover and give it all back.

Not so.

The mighty planet needs help.  The mighty oceans can’t keep up with the fishing industry.  They can’t keep up with the discarded waste, they can’t keep up with the environmental damage.  They can’t keep up with the plunder.

Today is only one day.  World Oceans Day.  One day for environmental day, but this day, this one day, must last for the rest of our lives.  To  change the world takes one day and one day to last for all time.  The oceans and all of its creatures are needed for the survival of this planet.

http://www.water-pollution.org.uk/

Rejoice!  Today is the day for the Oceans.  Rejoice.  It is an awesome day.

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

June 8, 2013

Commuter Challenge
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Commuter Challenge

And God created the Earth.

The vast heavens, the bountiful  oceans, the abundant life on the planet.  And He also created us, the human.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFq42IibUeY earth song meditation

It’s environment week and there are many ways to enjoy this national celebration of preservation and environmental protection.  We all need clean air, clean water, sunshine and healthy living.  We all need to stretch our legs and join the crusade to walk, run, hike, bicycle and to be the champion.  The more often we leave our vehicles at home and use other methods of transportation to reach our goals, for example, public transportation, car pools, bicycling or walking, the fewer emisions we put into the atmosphere.  With less emmisions the air is cleaner and clean air is better for us and better for the planet.

http://www.environment.gov.ab.ca/edu/eweek/

Yes, the trees and plants are capable of cleaning the air, but they can’t do it all.  Pollution is a cause of decreasing life expectancy and disease.

To take to the trails or the streets for running, walking and cycling is a pursuit of the joy of living.  The increased fitness level powers you on and the earth sighs with gratitude.  Only footsteps, only the power of the muscles.  Each step increases lung capacity and cardiovascular strength.  Each step promotes healthy living and promotes the health of the planet.

Each breath that you take, fills your lungs with oxygen for the health of your blood and your cells.  The increased oxygen feeds your cells and helps them to fight off disease.

Feel the cool of the forest as you pass under the canopy of the trees.  There is life in the foliage and oxygen productivity in the leaves.  The cool shade is a welcome retreat from the scorching sun.  The busy birds and insects hurry onward with their own day.  The plantings save the water shed and the rushing sound of water fills our ears.  Clean water!  Water for our bodies, we can’t live without it.  Clean water with no pollution,  no water born disease.

The busy sidewalks turn into a carpet of grass.  Soft, green, fresh grass.  The life under your feet saves the soil, with all of it’s life supporting nutrients.  Under your feet is the domain of the soil and all of the tiny micro organisms and earth life.  The soil, the building block of plant growth.

Feel the earth under your feet.  The life producing quality of the soil.  Rich in nutrients for our harvest, the soil is key to our survival.  Healthy soil, healthy food.  No pollution or contaminants of the earth

As we prepare ourselves for another day of healthy living, for us, for the environment, for the earth, remember to give thanks for life itself, all life.

The commuter challenge promotes healthy bodies, healthy lives, healthy living.  Brilliant mankind, the choice has always been yours, choose health.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

June 6, 2013

Clean Air Day
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Clean Air Day

Before the Air Pollution Control Act of 1955, ...

Before the Air Pollution Control Act of 1955, air pollution was not considered a national environmental problem. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Save the forest!  Save the trees!  Plant a tree a shrub a bush a flower.  These plants are our salvation, they are our clean air.

Save me, sighs the great planet, I need the forest for my lungs.  I need that immense diversity of plant life so that I can breathe.  It’s not enough to clean the air with anti-pollution devices. Cleaning the air doesn’t create oxygen.  I need the mighty forest, the green earth to breathe.

Breathe mankind.  The clean air keeps you healthy.  No airborne diseases and pollution ridden skies.  The clean air is your health and your life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOCy7FYwN6E

Almighty human, with your immense mind, your brilliant aptitude, your compassion and nurturing.  Save us, calls the Earths creatures.  This is our home!

http://www.sustainability.ualberta.ca/Events/EnvironmentWeek.aspx

One more tree to plant, one more life to save.  There are 7 billion people on the planet and those people need air to breathe.  Clean air.  No pollution, no war, no more deforestration.  The deserts are increasing and the sand gives us nothing.  Nothing to eat, no shelter, no life forms, no oxygen to breathe, no plants to create oxygen.  The increasing desert brings death to the planet.  This fabulous oasis in the universe can’t sustain itself without the forest.

http://www.edmonton.ca/environmental/programs/air-quality.aspx

A small oasis in the desert, is like the Earth in the universe.  All of that vast, uninhabitable space, with a minute amount of life giving force.  That is the Earth in this solar system.  A small planet of life amongst a void of rock and gases.

We are alone in the solar system.

The life giving forces of the planet are strong.  The creative force that creates life is still giving. Human babies are being born every second.  The human population of the earth is constantly increasing and there is less oxygen in the air.  More lungs demanding air to breathe and less oxygen to fill them.  More bellies demanding food and less aerable land to produce it.  More bodies needing fresh drinking water and a water table diminishing.

The Earth still provides at the maximum capacity that it can, but it can’t create oxygen without it’s plant life.  Plants and trees are essential to the survival of the planet and to the survival of all animal life forms on the planet.

It is not enough to say, plant a tree, but it’s a start.  We need to start.  Planting a tree provides shelter for animals and birds, shade for your grass and for your comfort, sometimes food and healing products for your bodies.  Trees help to take pollutants out of the air, they provide oxygen to clean the air and oxygen for our lungs to breathe with.  The mighty planet provides all, but sustainability is not enough.  We are producing humans at an alarming rate and these people need to survive.

More lungs needing oxygen, more bellies needing food.  How will you save yourselves, almighty human.  The earth is stretched and provides what it can, but you, almighty mankind, must save yourselves.  A tree for the Earth is a tree for yourselves.  A forest to save the planet is a forest to save ourselves.  We need clean air to breathe.

Save our forests, plant more trees.  Even your shrubs and bushes will help.

Your call to action:  share this post.  Participate in Environment week.  It’s only one short week to remind us of the dying planet and the need to save it.  One ecosystem, one forest, one week of salvation.  Heed the call, your garden is needed.  One more tree, one more chance.

http://cleanairmakemore.com/make-the-commitment/commit-to-one-day/

Written by: Dr Louise Hayes

June 5, 2013

Environment Week
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Environment Week

http://www.ec.gc.ca/sce-cew/

Listen to the Earth song.  The rapture, the glory.  The song from the mighty planet, it fills our lives.  Hear the sounds of the planet, with joy, with gladness.  Great, bountiful Earth with songs of praises, songs of joy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCJ5DwPWIIw

The brilliant, beautiful displays of colour.  All the hues of the forest, all the vibrance of the meadows,  all the showy flowers and the cascading waters.  The Earth.  So magnificent, so powerful.  All life comes  to us from this mighty planet.

Here, you awesome planet, the oasis for us.  We live our lives with gratitude, with compassion. For the world presents itself with boundless  discovery!  Each day gives us the opportunity for more knowledge, more sport, more information, more aptitude.  The mighty Earth with its seasons and  changes.  The great, good Earth, how to praise it.

This week, this short space in time, we contemplate the protection of the planet. How to save it, how to save ourselves.  One short week of sharing ideas, information and knowledge.  Too little.  To take a week out of our year to concentrate on environmental protection, is  not enough time.  In the lifespan of the mighty planet,  the needs for protection of the planet is constant.

Constant striving for zero pollution, constant striving for human population control, constant striving to reduce the impacts of development.

Environment week praises the planet for all of life.

http://www.edmonton.ca/environmental/programs/environment-week.aspx

Thank  you, sighs the great planet, Earth, for the protection of that ecosystem. for unpolluted waters, unpolluted skies, unpolluted soil.  Thank you for no plunder, all life survives.  Thank you, almighty human, for compassion, nurturing, reforestration.  Without the forest, the planet will suffocate, it will die.  Without oxygen in the mighty ocean, it will die.

The mighty planet sighs, with the burden of pollution.  Too much for its natural abilities to recover.  Too much waste, too much plunder.  Too much hardship for the great planet.  It’s immense variety of animal life is being destroyed, it’s wonderful  forests, for air to breathe are vanishing,  it’s mighty oceans are dying.

Brilliant mankind, sighs the great planet.  Thank you for your efforts.  Each ecosystem is fragile, each is needed, each is a creation of its own divinity.  Each is a refuge to a world of it’s own.

Brilliant mankind, sight the great planet.  Thank you for environment week, even this small gesture, is worthy of praises.

written by: Dr Louise Hayes

June 4, 2013

Spring
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Spring

Spring

It’s spring and as your view turns from winter to summer, enjoy the progress!  From fresh, vital, cold white winter to green, blue scented spring.  The early crops will save you and the land warms to summer promise.

You,  the dauntless being, whose unfathomable aptitude has you wading into the near frigid waters already.  That one day when the temperature warmed to 26 degrees and the sun melted the passing clouds.  There was that one day at the beginning of May, when winter vanished and summer started.  That one day.

Here, in our mountainous terrain, the pristine lakes are cold and clear, the nesting ducks hasten away from our passing by.  The birthing season is upon us.  The nesting eagle guards her  perfect nest, the ausprey returns to hers  for yet another year.  It is the season for our senses.

http://www.ducks.org/

Smell that delicious spring air, with all of the perfume of flowers, the aromas of  mosses and earth.  Hear the excited calls of mating birds as they gladly build nests and cozy homes.  The chicks call for food and test their tiny wings.  The wild animals bring their small children out to play.  Rolly,  polly  baby bears.  The new tiny fawns of elk and deer.  Small lambs and kids from sheep and goats.  The wild life start to show off their own creations with pride.  Picture perfect tiny ones with proud, watchful mothers guarding close by.  The serene family circle of adults and young, protective and nurturing, the vulnerable offspring, threatened constantly.

http://ecobooks4kids.wordpress.com/photo-gallery/

Our travels into the countryside reveal a promising bouquet of wild flowers.  The wildlife treats us with suspicion as we pass their secure, secluded hideouts.  Strangers!  They call.   Their unsettled wresting awaits the new day.  A tiny birth, another life, more promise, more protection, more creation.

The great diversity of life swells from the earth, the blooms awaken from nodding buds and a bare landscape turns lush with colour, flowers, butterflies, birds and animals.  The changing colours of the trees freshen the forest.  The swelling rivers flood their banks and the tumbling sound calls us to listen to the water.  The sound of the planet, the meditative stillness, the negotiated peace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTN8frhWOlA for water meditation.

Our casual encounters with wildlife remind us to be wary.  That docile doe is a formidable opponent when her dear offspring are disturbed.  Her own casual aloofness is a decoy to lure the hungry predator from her prized fawn and the quiet still baby hides motionless.  The wild.  The interdependent chain of existence. The constant strife and struggle for survival.  The daily portrayal of the circle of life.

Here, in this special protected place, spring is upon us!

Brilliant mankind, they call to us. Protect us!  Our lives are hard enough.  Predators, pollution, environmental disasters, habitat loss, encroachment, harsh climate.  All of our lives devoted to our own survival.  Help us, they call to us.

No plunder,  no destruction, nurture and care.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

May 20, 2013

http://www.bbcanada.com/10895.html

http://www.empowernetwork.com/?id=louisehayes