FarrahMaxis

These two pups play together a lot. The younger one Kefa, is crazy about her frisbee. When she is not the one to catch it, she jumps up and grabs it right out of her sister's mouth! She is only 8 months old and has a never ending supply of energy. She is happy to run after a frisbee for hours and happily competes for her frisbee if her sisters happen to get it.

These three German Shepherd pups despite looking very similar, all have very unique personalities. The oldest, Farrah on the left, is two years old and comes from a show line. She acts the bit and is a beautiful dog, very loving and always happy to see anyone. The pup in the middle is 18 months and her genetic line is in protection. Zaria is fierce in protection, very nimble and loves to jump. Dedicated to her owners but very stand offish to most other people. The youngest, Kefa at 8 months, is crazy about chasing a frisbee and has the nose to sniff out and find it no matter where it lands. One thing all three of these sisters have in common is their competitiveness in going after the same toy, which in this case was a frisbee. Despite the fact that there are several available, it never fails for them to want the same one! The cost of replacing toys for Shepherds is high. The owner wishes it were possible to find a indestructible frisbee!

The owner got quite a surprise when they went to put compost material into the compost container, and had a cute, baby racoon poke its head up from enjoying some eggs. This little creature appears fairly timid and seems to say, "Just go away, I'm enjoying my late night snack." Raccoons are intelligent mammals that rate high on the IQ scale. Raccoons rank closer to humans than most people would normally think. In general, monkeys are ranked right below humans and great apes, and with raccoons scoring average IQ levels below monkeys, they are considerably close to human IQ levels as well. In addition to their high IQ scores, raccoons are known to have evolving intelligence and methods of thinking. They are able to learn from past experiences and engage in critical and problem-solving thinking when obstacles arise. Moreover, as a result of their notable intelligence, raccoons were once candidates for lab testing alongside rats and monkeys but were discarded for being too smart, adaptive and strong-willed. Raccoons also have a large array of vocalizations. In fact, studies have determined that these animals can make over 51 different sounds that communicate different things! They hiss, purr and growl when competing for food. Younger raccoons often chirp and squeal and raccoons with rabies often exhibit extremely high-pitched squeals. Similar to human hands, raccoons embody five dexterous toes on each of their front paws that essentially function as human fingers. This gives them the ability to easily grasp things, scavenge for food and lift the lids off of trashcans -something they are notorious for doing. Another interesting feature of raccoon paws includes the abundance of nerves that allow them to become extra sensitive and send messages to the brain – when underwater, raccoons use this sensitivity to examine objects. Raccoons also have special feet that are able to rotate 180 degrees which allows them to climb up and down trees head first. Raccoons are scavengers and are consequently always on the move searching for their food. In addition to walking, these animals are fast runners as well. In fact, raccoons can run at speeds as fast as 15 miles per hour, not only on solid ground but also while climbing up and down trees, and if dropped from a height of 35 to 40 meters, they can still remain unharmed. In addition to running with agility, raccoons are also able to swim to escape from predators and catch prey to meet their dietary needs. Raccoons are nocturnal and are therefore asleep for majority of the day and are most active at night. Moreover, there are many myths claiming that seeing a raccoon up during daylight hours indicates that it is rabid. This is not true as there are many reasons as to why a raccoon may be awake, such as the availability of food during the daytime. Raccoons are commonly associated with wild, violent and vicious behaviour; however, this is not always the case and are actually quite skillful. As a result of their notable intelligence, people have been able to train raccoons to mirror the same basic skills that the average human toddler possesses, such as clapping and dancing. Raccoons were originally found in natural tropical areas but overtime, especially throughout the twentieth-century, they have managed to migrate and were then introduced to a wider array of habitats ranging from mountainous terrains to crowded cities; this is because of their noteworthy and uncommon ability to adapt to foreign environments. When considering their survivability, the average life expectancy of raccoons is typically between two to three years in the wild. The reasoning behind this low expectancy rate is simply cars and the expansion of roads and highways – raccoon death rates have increased because of countless roadkill incidents. However, they can live up to 20 years in captivity where they remain safe from road-related accidents. All in all they are extremely brilliant, cute little creatures that unfortunately can cause a lot of havoc, due to getting into things they should not be getting into and causing a lot of damage to human properties.

Zaria at 18 months and Kefa at 6 months are still getting used to each other and vying for attention from their owners. Despite the jealousy, big sister still lovingly grooms little sister and invites her to play. They display so much funny, goofy behaviour. How can one not fall in love with Shepherds? All dogs are great, but German Shepherds are simply the best! They are one of the smartest breeds and learn quickly. They are very protective of their owners and have an almost instant attraction to any children and love to play!

These three pups enjoy nothing better than to splash in their pool on a hot day. Dogs can have a rough time during hot, summer months — especially breeds that are prone to overheating. While some canines have coats that can withstand temperature extremes better than others, most dogs are simply not designed for the heat. They have heavy fur coats that feel like warm blankets beneath the sun. Unlike humans, dogs do not have sweat glands; rather, they primarily release heat through their paw pads, which is hard to do when the surface of the ground is super hot. These Shepherds often cool off their feet, even if that means putting their paws into the water dish. During the summer months they generally have access to several pools they can play around in and lots of shade. This keeps them happy and cool.

Canadian armed forces (CAF) Search and Rescue (SAR) team from CFB Trenton 8 Wing performs a practise training in Trent Hills, Ontario. The air force participates in approximately 400 search and rescue missions in the region each year. The Trenton search and rescue region (SRR), covers an area of more than 10 million square kilometres. This is the bulk of Canada's land mass and includes Hudson's Bay, James Bay, the Canadian portions of the Great Lakes, and the Arctic Ocean. Practising real, live scenarios in various settings is obviously a vital part of training in this elite, highly specialized group of professionals. Canadian International Medical Response Organization (CIMRO), set up and orchestrated a mock training exercise in which real people were asked to participate. In this exercise, some intoxicated persons operating a ATV, collided with several persons on mountain bikes on a remote, northern forest trail. In the scenario, two people were critically injured with several others having non life threatening injuries. This required quick thinking, great assessment skills, and quick action to stabilize patients and have them extricated to hospital via helicopter. Here you can observe the stretcher being lowered so that the SAR technician's on the ground could load a patient. They faced many challenges that day, including the environment which boasted, fair winds, fallen trees, and a creek bed with mosquitos to name a few.

Beautiful German Shepherd works hard at digging a hole in the sand. She likes to do everything her two younger siblings do, but unfortunately gets tired very easily. Farrah was not expected to survive long due to a rare heart condition she was born with. She is a lovely dog with a great personality to match. She likes to love on everyone and is a joy to be around. I think she is still alive because she gets a lot of loving and because she still has so much love to give!

Littering can cause a lot of problems to our environment and also to the critters. This poor skunk got his head stuck inside a cup and is wandering around aimlessly bumping into things and spraying because it's scared and can't see where it is going. Skunks are nocturnal animals that are naturally mild-mannered and non-aggressive. They prefer small animals and insects for dinner instead of garbage. However that is not to say they are not attracted to the smell of rotting food in garbage containers or trash that has simply been thrown on the ground. It is our responsibility to ensure that garbage containers are properly stored and secured. There is simply no excuse to litter ever! Littering causes harm to our environment and to the other forms of life we share this planet with. My hope is somehow this skunk is able to get rid of the cup that is stuck on it's head.

A pair of loons call out early in the morning on the Trent river. Their beautiful haunting calls are a lovely sound as it carries across the water. Common Loons are famous for their eerie calls and make four different sounds. Among these are the tremolo, a wavering call given when a loon is alarmed or to announce its presence at a lake. The yodel is the male loon’s territorial claim and each male has his own signature yodel. If a male moves to a different territory, he will change his yodel. The wail is the haunting call that loons give back and forth in attempt to figure out each other’s location. Hoots are soft, short calls given to keep in contact with each other. Parents might hoot to a chick, or one mate might hoot to another perhaps.

Parachutist comes in hot at John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport. These military personnel that practise their jumps are experts! It was a pleasure watching them.

An interesting fact about the Bumble bee species is that they have different lengths of tongues that match the flowers they feed on. This helps to reduce the competition for food between species because they aren’t all feeding off of the same flowers! Bumble bees with long tongues can reach the nectar in long tubular flowers, while medium and shorter-tongued species collect nectar from smaller flowers. Here you can clearly see the pollen that is being collected on the hind legs of the bee.

Two month old Farrah loves to play and make noise with any shiny objects including her food dishes. She can create a lot of noise quickly, but loses interest in something just as quick. At this age German Shepherd pups are very inquisitive and also a lot of fun. Enjoy all the funny moments including some destruction that is bound to happen. These pups grow so fast ,that this stage certainly does not last long!

Bufflehead ducks swim buoyantly, dive easily, and take flight by running a short distance on the surface. They fly low over the water and higher over the land. To dive, Bufflehead ducks compress their plumage to squeeze out air, then give a slight forward leap and plunge powerfully downward. They hold their wings tightly against their bodies underwater and use only their feet to propel themselves. At the end of a dive, they may bob to the surface like a cork. Throughout the day they alternate between bouts of feeding, swimming alertly, preening, and sleeping. Bufflehead are seldom seen on dry land: females walk only when they lead their ducklings from the nest to the water or when they’re forced to switch ponds with their ducklings. Males court females by flying over them, skiing to a stop on the water with their crests raised, and bobbing their heads. During the breeding season, territorial birds attack intruders by flying or swimming underwater at them and thrashing at them with their wings. When a pair of Buffleheads intrudes into a nearby territory, the male that owns the territory often chases the intruding female, and her mate follows them in hot pursuit. Males leave their mates during incubation in order to molt, but return to the same mate multiple years in a row (one of the few duck species in which this is true.) Bufflehead dive for aquatic invertebrates, crustaceans, and mollusks. They typically swallow their food while still underwater. Dives last on average about 12 seconds and rarely more than 25 seconds, typically staying on the surface another 12 seconds or so before diving again. Bufflehead forage in open, shallow water over sparse submerged vegetation or over mudflats that would be exposed at low tide. On freshwater they mostly eat damselfly and dragonfly larvae, midge larvae, water boatmen, mayfly larvae, caddisfly larvae, large zooplankton such as amphipods, and snails and clams in winter. They eat some plant matter in fall and winter, mainly seeds of pondweeds and bulrushes. In saltwater, Bufflehead eat shrimp, crabs, amphipods, isopods, snails, mussels, herring eggs, sculpins, and ratfishes. Downy ducklings sometimes dabble at the surface rather than diving. Bufflehead ducks are funny and entertaining to watch. As soon as they hear a strange sound they instantly disappear!

By end of July you may often see Gorgeous sunflower fields like this all over Southern Manitoba. Did you know that Manitoba is the highest exporter of sunflower seeds in Canada? Canada is the world's 13th largest exporter and 25th largest grower of sunflower seeds, producing both confectionery and oilseed varieties. The hardy sunflower has a wide range of uses, from the confectionary and baking industries, to the birdseed industry, and the animal feed industry. Grade standards for both confection and oil type sunflowers are established by the Canadian Grain Commission. Confection standards are considerably higher than those for oil type sunflowers since they are used for direct human consumption. Sunflower seeds contain almost every vitamin (except Vitamin C) and substantial amounts of key minerals, including magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc. Given their high protein content, sunflower seeds can serve as a meat substitute. Non-oil or confectionery type sunflowers have striped hulls and can be roasted and salted or baked into bread products. Only the largest of confection type sunflowers are used for human consumption, with little tolerance for bird or insect damage. Confectionery sunflower seeds fall into three categories: in shell, kernel, and birdseed. Larger sunflower seeds (in shell) are roasted, salted and packaged for human consumption and are classified as either large or jumbo. Medium-sized seeds (kernel) are de-hulled and primarily used for the bakery industry, as well as traded domestically and exported. Smaller seeds, known as "striped bird food," are sold in North American birdseed markets. The black-shelled oilseed variety is richer in oil and better suited for the production of sunflower oil. The oil in sunflower seed is very high in polyunsaturated fatty acids. The majority of oil sunflower seeds are crushed after the hull is removed. The oil is used for frying or to produce salad dressings, shortening, and margarine. The meal which usually contains about 35% protein, is used in livestock feed. The birdfood market is comprised of about 85% oilseed sunflowers, however some of the smaller confection seeds are also used for birdseed. Sunflower seeds provide high-energy feed for livestock due to their high fat content. Cattle producers can replace a part of barley grain/silage with sunflower seeds to enhance conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) content in milk and meat. Feeding whole sunflower seeds to dairy cattle as a way to increase the energy content of the diet of high-producing dairy cows may boost milk production by 3-5%. This can provide sunflower growers with an alternative market outlet for sunflower seeds, in times of low prices or damaged seeds.

These White Rock chicks are notable for its striking white feathers and bright-red comb. It’s a larger chicken, especially with its fluffy winter feathers, and a docile breed. These chickens are social and prefer to live in flocks. They are often raised to be laying hens, however they are also raised for meat. Hens aren’t particularly broody but will defend the clutch from threats. As a production bird, the White Rock chicken is an excellent egg-layer and a dual-purpose bird for meat and eggs but is equally suited to life as a farm pet. Because of its hardiness and resourcefulness, the chicken is a good choice as a first flock for beginner hobbyists. The White Rock chicken is considered a standard-sized chicken, but it’s actually on the bigger side. Once matured, the chicken weighs about 8 pounds, which is enough to feed a family. The fluffy feathers make the chicken appear larger as well. As a layer, the White Rock is a prized chicken. When properly cared for, the White Rock hen can produce over 200 eggs each year, putting it at the top of the egg-production spectrum. This breed does equally well on large-scale farms as hobby farms and isn’t sensitive to climate. White Rock chickens have feathers that are thick and voluminous, helping them thrive in cold climates. Chicks have yellow combs that redden as they get older. The comb brightness correlates to the bird’s health – a vibrant red comb indicates a healthy bird. As they age, their combs begin to dull. Chickens can live three to seven years on average. They have the capability of recognizing up to 100 faces and even remember positive or negative experiences with the faces they recognize and pass that information on to members of their flocks.

13 week old Kefa just happened to be along for the ride when going through the Dairy Queen drive through. The lady at the till asked if she could have a "puppy cone". Well how can one say no to that?! She got a tiny dollop of ice cream in the cone and handed it to the owner. Needless to say Ms. Kefa thoroughly enjoyed her ice cream and licked up every drop and proceeded to eat the cone as well! I don't know who got more joy out of the experience, the puppy licking the ice cream or the owner just watching the puppy enjoy this exotic experience! Who knew that Dairy Queen gives out free "puppy cones"?! What a great business promotional to get more pet owners coming to Dairy Queen! What a cute, fun, yummy experience on a hot summer day!

This bee is busy flying from one petunia flower to the next, doing what bees do best, pollinating! They are simply fascinating to watch as they buzz along. Bumble bees use buzz pollination to access these pollen resources. In order to do this, the bumble bee will grasp the flower with its legs, place its thorax close to the anthers of the flower, and will rapidly vibrate its flight muscles, producing a strong vibration that shakes the pollen free from inside the anther. One of the most noticeable physical traits of bumble bees is how big and hairy they are. Bumble bees are some of the largest bees and are covered in thick hair, and together this makes them great pollinators, without even trying! Bumble bees actually accumulate a positive electric charge on their hairs as they fly. Pollen is negatively charged making it electrostatically attracted to the bee, so pollen grains get stuck more readily all over their positively-charged, hairy bodies, and are transferred from flower to flower while the bee forages for pollen and nectar. Being big also means that there is more surface area that contacts the flowers and picks up pollen, especially if they have to squeeze themselves deep into a tight cone-shaped flower to access the nectar source! Bumble bees make for good pollinators because they’re tolerant of our Canadian climate—which is more than a lot of us Canadians can say! The bumble bee’s size and hairiness doesn’t only make it better at collecting and transferring pollen passively, these are also characteristics that help to keep it warm. Aside from the hairs acting as natural insulators, a bumble bee’s large body size makes for large flight muscles which it can vibrate at high enough frequencies to generate its own metabolic heat. Like bumble bees, other native bee species also have to survive the long, cold Canadian winters, however the bumble bee’s ability to stay warm sets it apart from other bee species when conditions are less favourable in the early spring and fall months. Bumble bees are capable of flying at much cooler temperatures (even around 10°C!) than most other insect pollinators, and this means that plants blooming at these times will also be pollinated. Sometimes even on cloudy days, very windy days, and during a light drizzle! Needless to say these creatures help all of humanity survive on this planet by pollinating and producing our crops.

This was the long awaited moment of opening the Flow Hive after a long winter. This was year one of owning bees and using a non conventional bee hive called a Flow Hive for this Bee Keeper. After hearing about multiple losses of Bees across Canada after winter, it was difficult to know what to expect. By the look of things, these bees have survived the winter well and already appear to be quite active. The Flow Hive system was invented in Australia by Cedar Anderson and his father Stuart Anderson. These Flow Hives are very unique in that you can very easily extract honey through out the year. Most beekeepers harvest honey 2-3 times per year/season. Honey is normally harvested between mid June until mid September. How often you harvest depends on your local climate and plant life. Poor weather conditions, disease and pests infiltrating your hives will also affect your harvesting schedule. It is designed to make Bee keeping easy and although you still need to look after your bees, as the brood box stays the same and when it comes to taking care of bees, there’s so much to learn. Bees are fascinating creatures, and we rely on them for much of our food production via pollination of gardens and crops. This world-first Flow Frame design has revolutionized the honey-extraction process. There is an artificial foundation from BPA- and BPS-free food grade plastic, manufactured in Australia, on which the bees build their comb. Plastic foundations in beehives is nothing new, but in a Flow Frame, the cells are almost complete. The bees simply fill the honey cells and cap them off. In order to extract some honey you insert a Flow Key and split the honey cells, gravity does the rest of the work, and the honey simply flows into the trough, through the tube and right into your jar. You will also know when the honey is ready, thanks to the Flow Frames’ unique clear end-frame view and side observation window which lets you see inside, without taking off the lid and bothering the bees. You also don't have to worry about the bees getting squashed. It has been designed so that no bees get harmed when the mechanism is activated. There are little gaps so the bees can hang out safely while the honey flows out.

Zaria, the one year old Shepherd Pup is setting a great example for her 10 week old sister by splashing in her water dish. Despite her having a pool to splash in, one of her favourite activities is to empty the water dish by spinning in it. This seems to give her great satisfaction! The owner gave up long ago on a smaller, normal sized bowl, as she would tip it over instantly. Putting out a large pot that was simply too heavy to tip, seems to work well, although it requires refilling several times a day, due to all the splashing that occurs. German Shepherd puppies are very active and comical dogs. They love to race around the yard, these pups have a few acres of fenced area in which to run. When its time for a drink, generally both paws go in the water as well. Needless to say they are great working dogs, a handful, but also very entertaining!

Robin chicks are born undeveloped, and require constant feeding and caring by their parents. Their eyes are closed from hatching until about 5 days of age, where they will start opening, before fully opening at around 8 days old. They are also born with hardly any feathers and will mainly be a pink colour, it takes around 3 days for the feathers to start showing - although it'll take around 10 days for the body to be mostly covered in feathers. They are not very pretty when first hatched. This Robin nest is located right at a front door, and although Mama Robin leaves the nest when humans come to check on the nest, she hovers close by keeping an eye on things. In the first few days, baby robins will mostly eat a diet of regurgitated foods from adult birds. As robins are omnivorous, this can include a whole range of things. Their diets are mainly a mixture of invertebrates, seeds and fruit. After they get a bit older, bigger chunks of food can be given to the chicks - who become more demanding a few days older. The babies eat more each day. Soon parents give them whole worms and large insects. Each young robin may eat 14 feet of earthworms in a two-week nest life. Remarkably robins have been found to capture upwards of 20 earthworms an hour. Another way to look at the American robin's ability to pluck these slimy critters from the ground is illustrated by the fact that a single robin can eat up to fourteen feet of earthworms. They will generally only nest where the food supply is plentiful, meaning that when the chicks hatch, there's no shortage of food. Out of all the feathers to grow, the flight feathers are the last. Once a baby robin fledges the nest after approximately 14 days, they are usually unable to fly immediately and can take a couple more days to do so. During these first few days outside of the nest, you may see fledgling robins hopping about and practising their flight with short efforts. Once young robins have fledged the nest, they will stay with their parents for up to three weeks. During this time, the fledged young will mostly be taken care of by the male birds - this is because the female will start preparation for the next brood. Robins may have 2 - 3 broods in a season.

It's a challenge on any given day to have three German Shepherd puppies all looking at the camera at the same time! These three sisters have a lot of fun times playing and wrestling together. It's usually the youngest one, Kefa that refuses to sit still long enough to be in a picture with her sisters. Generally its her that will go and bug one of the others and then of course there is no longer any point in attempting that photo of all of them.

These White Rock chicks are notable for its striking white feathers and bright-red comb. It’s a larger chicken, especially with its fluffy winter feathers, and a docile breed. These chickens are social and prefer to live in flocks. They are often raised to be laying hens, however they are also raised for meat. Hens aren’t particularly broody but will defend the clutch from threats. As a production bird, the White Rock chicken is an excellent egg-layer and a dual-purpose bird for meat and eggs but is equally suited to life as a farm pet. Because of its hardiness and resourcefulness, the chicken is a good choice as a first flock for beginner hobbyists. The White Rock chicken is considered a standard-sized chicken, but it’s actually on the bigger side. Once matured, the chicken weighs about 8 pounds, which is enough to feed a family. The fluffy feathers make the chicken appear larger as well. As a layer, the White Rock is a prized chicken. When properly cared for, the White Rock hen can produce over 200 eggs each year, putting it at the top of the egg-production spectrum. This breed does equally well on large-scale farms as hobby farms and isn’t sensitive to climate. White Rock chickens have feathers that are thick and voluminous, helping them thrive in cold climates. Chicks have yellow combs that redden as they get older. The comb brightness correlates to the bird’s health – a vibrant red comb indicates a healthy bird. As they age, their combs begin to dull. Chickens can live three to seven years on average. They have the capability of recognizing up to 100 faces and even remember positive or negative experiences with the faces they recognize and pass that information on to members of their flocks.

These German Shepherd Dogs are enjoying the rushing stream at the Breathing Forest located near Norwood, ON. Although this fairly small creek appears quite unassuming in this present day, it was originally named the Ouse River. It is normally a relatively calm, and serene river meandering gently through the village. Our dependence on the Ouse as a source of power and sustainability has all but disappeared, but perhaps its good to remind ourselves of the once-mighty river that at one time drove the industry and infrastructure that was the backbone of Norwood. This was the perfect location for the dogs to cool off and splash after a long walk. There are several, beautiful, somewhat short, trails that are all wide enough for two to walk side by side, and are clearly marked. There is a lovely lookout over the mill pond, complete with picnic table and another view of the pond at water level. There are a couple of rest benches along the trails as well. With the exception of a small tract of plantation forest, the wooded areas are mixed and canopied, and there is lots of open air, combined with sunny meadows. There is ample parking at the northern trailhead entrance, however there are no facilities, and leashed dog walking is permitted. It appears the trails also host snowmobiles in winter and ATV's in summer. The road to the trailhead continues on to the town transfer facility, but I can’t imagine Norwood being a major hub of waste management and handling. These trails are right on the North end of town with Highway #7 passing close by, and there are bound to be some typical town noises. Yet, I can’t say as I really noticed anything annoying. It's a great place to come for a quiet walk, enjoy nature and allow your dogs to explore it with you.

Massive waves inbound off Lake Ontario crash into Burlington shoreline at Spencer Smith park during an early Spring storm. This storm occurred April 18, 2018 and high wind gusts of approximately 75 km/h were recorded. It was a challenge to record the waves without becoming completely drenched in the process. The wind gusts served to remind you of the danger of coming too close to the incoming waves as they crashed into the pier and onto the shore. The beautiful walk way next to the lake was completely encased in a thick layer of ice and even a ways past the walk way was a dangerous layer of slippery ice. The suction of the waves was evident as the water was swept out onto the lake. I came as close as I dared and felt the sheer intensity of the storm. It is totally awesome and scary all at the same time. It is at times such as these that you feel insignificant and small in comparison to the raw power of nature as it plays out in front of you. This storm definitely caused some damage on the pier, despite the major concrete reinforcements. It lasted for approximately 24 hours before subsiding.

Zaria the one year old German Shepherd pup shows dominance to her 9 week old sister Kefa. She has the stick but then drops it where Kefa can easily get to it, however as Kefa hesitantly approaches, she barely allows her to have it, then snarls and takes it away in a display of teaching the younger pup that she is the one in the position of dominance. Kefa complains good naturedly but knows better than to try and have the stick again. This is typical behaviour in puppies, and although they do play well together, there are certain things, such as her stick over which Zaria becomes possessive.