Wild Earth Integration

It’s official, mother nature has kicked winter’s arse and spring is in full swing. And I’m loving every minute of it.

Open windows, jackets that don’t weigh 40 pounds, things that are green – everything ‘spring’ pretty much rocks socks.

To celebrate, I’ve compiled my five favorite spring activities. (I’ll take any reason to celebrate, really).

The weather’s nice, so let’s get crackin’.

1. Two words: Rubber boots. For my friends in the UK, I believe you call these ‘wellies’. Learned this the hard way when asking a brit for ‘rubbers’. Rubbers to a brit are just not the same thing. But I digress – grab some foot wear and go splash in the inevitable puddles that are spring.

2. Bird. I mean both the noun and the verb on this one. Get your bird on and go birding. The problem with birds is they can fly and you can’t, so I suggest a good pair of binoculars, or in the very least one of those piratey-type telescopes. Arr…

3. Walkin’, yes indeed. Grab your dog and get your legs moving. Winter walking isn’t as fun (at least where I come from), because you’re too worried about frostbite and/or succumbing to to the evil elements. Spring is a whole other ballgame, so no more excuses. If you don’t have a dog, grab your friend/kid/significant other. Leash optional.

4. Sun. Wait for one of those eerily hot spring days (you know, the kind that make you think you’ve completely bypassed into summer?) and put on your shorts. I *know*, nobody wants to see those pasty winter legs – but that’s the point! Knowing the state of society right now, we could all probably use with a little extra Vitamin D. A great philosopher once said “bare your legs and you shall bare your soul.” Ok, that isn’t really true but it sounded good, didn’t it?

5. For the love of God, think of the children. I don’t just mean human kids – although they’re quite nice to think about too. Spring is the time when a lot of animals arrive into the world. In other words, there are a lot of orphan babies in about mid-April. Stop by an animal shelter or wildlife rehab centre in your area and see what they need. Places that care for spring wildlife/soaring pet populations can always use volunteers, newspaper, garbage bags, blankets and various animal food. Be kind this spring and you’ll probably find that summer treats you extra special.

There you go – plenty of spring things to keep you occupied.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find a pirate.

Keep it wild, world!

I’m rebelling. We got another lashing of snow last night and I’m currently dreaming of green grass, T-shirt weather and ice cream.

Ok, so I’m pretty much always dreaming of ice cream, but that’s another matter.

In one of my last posts How to Teach Snow a Lesson, we learned that you can show snow who’s boss by pretending it isn’t there. In the spirit of ignoring snow, I thought I’d tell you a spring and summer secret. My lovely readers residing in the southern hemisphere can use this one right now.

Crickets are handy little fellas. They serenade us for hours in search of a mate. Summer nighttimes become busier than Lava Life on Valentine’s Day. But you can use their love songs to do something pretty cool – cricket songs tell you how hot it is. That’s more than you can say for, oh… Justin Timberlake’s songs.

To get the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, count the number of chirps in 14 seconds. Add 40 to this number and voila, you’re done. So for 35 chirps, we end up with 75 degrees.

For us Celsius lovers, count the number of chirps in 25 seconds. Divide this number by three, then add 4. For 45 chirps, this gives you 19C.

Make sense?

Try it out on your next outdoor adventure and you’ll impress people so much, you’ll have no need for Lava Life.

Keep it wild!

Do you know what time it is?

Most people have internal clocks. Mine goes off everyday at about 10 am, telling me that it’s lunchtime. (I know, it’s weird.)

Other clocks let you know it’s time for bed, breakfast, or anything in between.

But you can also look to nature to find out what time it is. The next time you’re out, take a look at the flowers.

Blue chicory shuts tight at noon and white waterlilies close their blossoms at 4 pm. Marigolds open by 7 am and close at 7 pm. Pickerelweed is another that closes up at noon.

All of you botany friends out there can probably add to this list – what time do your flowers open and close?

Now, I realize that some of us are still in the middle of winter (no flowers for us!), but there are still natural clocks out there. Try feeding birds everyday at the same time. After a couple of days, you’ll probably be surprised at just how punctual your dinner guests can be. Soon, you’ll be able to set your watch by the birds!

Happy Wednesday, all – Keep it wild!

Oh, hiking boots.

We’ve been through a lot, you and I.

You’ve kept me company on a plane across the Pacific Ocean.You’ve kept me dry on the Atlantic sands and hoisted me up yet another tree branch.

For over 7 years now, you’ve been going strong.

Remember the days of wildlife rehab? You were clawed at, peed on, bitten and covered with mud.

At least I’m pretending it was mud.

What about New Zealand? Don’t pretend you weren’t afraid while clamoring over rocks with 80 degree inclines while planting trees. Speaking of trees, I wonder how many shovels you’ve helped propel into the dirt?

You took me to 5 years of University labs and classes. You even showed up the day I defended my thesis, even though you tracked a bit of dirt into the fancy room. That carpet needed a good cleaning anyways.

You’ve been in whitewater rafts (and got soaked), canoes (ditto), horse stirrups (smelly) and snowshoes (frigid). You’ve taken me through snow, sand, mud, water, grass and even a little bit of magma. As a result of all those adventures, you’ve also been in the wash. At one point, you were even told by family to ‘stay outside on the deck’ because you looked ‘questionable.’

Hmph.

You’ve steadied me across makeshift bridges of rotting wood – your tread gripping while I wondered aloud ‘how in the hell did I get in this situation again?!’ You don’t seem to mind that I attract heights that would give a mountain goat a run for his money.

It hasn’t all been carefree meadows with daisies and immaculate landscapes. In fact, I remember your first wound. A dog got a hold of you and used you as a chew toy. For shame. You never complained once while I stitched you back up, without drugs no less.

After all this time, you’re still relatively in one piece. Indiana Jones says, ‘It’s not the age, it’s the mileage’.

If that’s the case, I’d say you’ve earned your stripes.

So, boots – where should we go today?

Happy Friday everybody! I hope you (and your footwear) are ready for weekend adventures. Keep it wild!

**Winner Update! Congrats to Mel and Adrienne for winning The Great Goodall Giveaway! I’ll be in touch for addresses to mail out your prize!**

Winners were chosen by random number generator, because all of your answers were so awesome. Thanks to everybody for entering!

Just a reminder:

I’ve been tagged! For an adventurous game of blog tag, that is. That’s right, Tripbase is putting together a series of posts on travel secrets. I’m a big fan of tag, so I’ll gladly accept this challenge!

Being a proponent of the motto ‘Go big or go home’, my first trip away was to New Zealand. After 23 hours on a plane (3/4 of which was spent listening to James Blunt concerts on loop – Lord save me), I found myself in what I can only describe as ‘a postcard on Earth’.

Put it this way – you could give a monkey a camera and set him free in New Zealand, and within a week he would return with the most gorgeous pictures you’ve ever seen. The landscape writes itself. As a zoologist, naturalist and writer, I was in heaven.

My 3 Wild Secrets to exploring this stunning destination? Read on, Frodo.

#1. Risk your life (in the presence of a trained professional).

A good place to do this is at the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Glowworm cave exploring sounds like a nice, safe adventure doesn’t it? That’s exactly what I thought when a feisty little tour guide named Snappy was describing our task. (Looking back, her name should have tipped me off).

I’ll let you in on a secret – when black water rafting to see glowworms, there is no raft. Instead, you are given an inner tube and propelled into the deep, black abyss of glow worm caves. You are told to hang onto your partners hand (if you don’t, you could actually float away) and that the water is quite cold, so don’t be surprised if you lose feeling in your hands. Yes, the very hands that are meant to keep you attached to your peers. Excellent.

The most harrowing part of the adventure is reaching an underground waterfall. Here, you are told to “turn around, face your butt (contained in said inner tube) away from the falls, and jump off backwards”. Of course, you can’t actually see the falls because of the inky blackness, nor can you judge exactly how high you are jumping from. At this point I was considering how quickly one must get medical attention after a concussion. What do you do? You take a deep breath, listen to Snappy and jump! I promise, this adventure is one for the books!

Why it’s worth it: Glowworms are nature’s reply to the constellations in the sky.

#2 Go glacier hopping.

Franz Josef Glacier is one of a handful of temperate glaciers in the world. This means it’s situated in a rainforest, but is somehow still a frozen block of ice that can be seen all year round. This is one not to miss on your trip to NZ, because of its sheer awesomeness. I mean that in terms of its actual size, and also its badass-ness.

Whenever you glacier hop, you’re given a pair of metal spike attachments for your boots. These will not only make you feel like a superhero, but will help you out immensely in those moments of sheer terror. (Did I mention I have a bit of a fear of heights?)

While climbing Franz Josef, you will learn you have muscles in places you only dreamed of. This glacier is a bit of an optical illusion – while climbing (and looking only at the white in front of you), you don’t realize how high you are. It is only when you arrive at the top and look out over the landscape that it hits you. For me, this realization was a mix of awe and ‘oh $#!t how am I going to get down?!’. Luckily, you have your superhero boots on and are free to enjoy the view.

Why it’s worth it: The paradox of being surrounded by snow while feeling hot is out of this world.

#3. Get up close and personal.

During my entire month-long stay in New Zealand, few places rivaled the natural beauty of Abel Tasman National Park. Here you are free to canoe, sea kayak, hike and generally traipse about feeling fantastic to have survived your previous adventures. As New Zealand’s smallest National Park, Abel Tasman is like the Mona Lisa of parks – it captivates everybody with its beauty, but is actually smaller than you’d expect.

It is also a great place to take some time and explore the local flora and fauna. New Zealand is home to many endemic species – those that live there and only there – so grab your camera (bring extra batteries and memory cards) and shoot to your heart’s content. Close by and not-to-miss is also a Sculpture Park and natural garden center, with mind-blowingly beautiful natural artwork like this:

Why it’s worth it: Two words: Photo Ops.

There you have it! I’d love to hear about your travel adventures, so leave your secrets in the comments! Kia Ora and stay wild!

Another week already! I hope you folks aren’t suffering from a case of the Moandays. Just in case, this might cheer you up!

To celebrate the New Year, my man and I decided to check out some new nature spots on the weekend. After traveling for about an hour, we found this little gem of a waterfront spot, right along some bluffs.

For some reason, it felt like finding a teeny piece of Ireland in Canada (minus the green, the sheep and the leprechauns of course.)

The first thing we came across was some wicked sticky mud that is now permanently adhered to our boots. The next thing was some animal evidence. Check out the size of this print compared to my little paw. Awesome. Little did we know what lay around the corner.

After exploring and doing our best to ward off the pesky frostbite (who needs fingertips, really?), we were just about to head home. Then we heard a commotion. Honks, squawks and water splashes. It sounded like a water park gone mad.

Ever the zoologist, investigate I did.

Suddenly, there were ducks. And I’m not talking about a ‘quack-quack’ here and a ‘quack-quack’ there. I’m talking ‘Lookout Old MacDonald, these ducks are going to take over the farm’. More ducks than I’ve ever seen in my life. It was like Planet of the Ducks. I heard the Hitchcock theme to ‘Birds’ in my head.

Apparently this spot was a communal feeding ground for ducks, swans and Canada geese. We watched as they battled it out for food and generally caused a rumpus.

Eventually, we noticed something in all the madness. Can you see anything weird in the picture above? How about this one?

I’ve never seen a duck with this coloring before and I think it might be an albino. Any duck experts out there care to weigh in here?

Of course, no post about a great duck caper would be complete without a Wild 5. So without further adieu, here are your wild 5 duck facts. Bring ‘em up at your next cocktail party. Really, be that guy.

• It takes about 2 months for a young duckling to learn to fly. During that time they’re dabbling in the water, learning from their parents and generally being adorable.

• Ducks (and other birds) have 3 eyelids. The top and bottom lids have little bristles on them that look like eyelashes. The third eyelid is called a nictitating membrane. This eyelid is blinked about 35 times a minute. If you threw something at a duck (please don’t, this is just a hypothetical), then it would blink its nictitating membranes to protect its eyes.

• Mallard ducks (like the ones above) have less than 500 tastebuds. To compare, you’ve got about 10,000. Compared to a duck, you’re a super taster.

• A group of ducks is called a sord. Not to be confused with a sword. Ducks will not help you defeat dragons.

• Mallards are by far the most abundant species of duck on the planet. They’re even more popular than Donald.

Thanks for stopping by!

*No ducks were harmed in the making of this post*