We don’t always think of Belleville as a place full of wildlife, but there’s more to this small town then meets the eye.
Belleville wildlife does not end with what you can find at the closest farm, but in fact acts as home to a large variety of birds, wetland creatures and forest animals.
Today class was interrupted when our professor suddenly stopped his lecture and said “wow”.
Outside the class window a hawk (or some kind of bird of prey) was struggling against the wind barely meters off the ground. The sight brought the class to a halt as we all rushed to the window to watch the creature. It was fantastic.
This evening many Trenton drivers stopped their cars to observe a pair of swans nesting in a marsh.
The swans were without flaw, perfect in their habitat. Unfortunately you couldn’t have said the same for the lake and the marsh surrounding them.
A tire was looped over a tree stump, a bag of garbage was torn open and spilling on the edge of the lake, Tim Horton’s cups lined the side of the road that overlooked the area.
Sightings like the swans and the hawk are becoming fewer and fewer due to environmental pollution and the destruction of natural habitats.
We are all awed by the sight of these creatures in their natural habitats that we interrupt our lives to watch, but we cannot seem to find the time to save them.
How can we not feel compelled to preserve this natural beauty? How do we continue to pollute, and deny our impact on the earth?
I’m not saying that we all need to live in houses built of 100 per cent recycled material, and we should all drive electric cars... but why can we not do the simple things?
Why can we not walk the five or ten extra steps to put that coffee cup in the proper disposal container?
Maybe if we all took an extra few steps sightings like the nesting swans and the flying hawk would not be so rare, and we could stop and enjoy the scene without being disgusted by the garbage these animals are forced to live in.
Related links: http://www.qwcleanup.ca/
Belleville wildlife does not end with what you can find at the closest farm, but in fact acts as home to a large variety of birds, wetland creatures and forest animals.
Today class was interrupted when our professor suddenly stopped his lecture and said “wow”.
Outside the class window a hawk (or some kind of bird of prey) was struggling against the wind barely meters off the ground. The sight brought the class to a halt as we all rushed to the window to watch the creature. It was fantastic.
This evening many Trenton drivers stopped their cars to observe a pair of swans nesting in a marsh.
The swans were without flaw, perfect in their habitat. Unfortunately you couldn’t have said the same for the lake and the marsh surrounding them.
A tire was looped over a tree stump, a bag of garbage was torn open and spilling on the edge of the lake, Tim Horton’s cups lined the side of the road that overlooked the area.
Sightings like the swans and the hawk are becoming fewer and fewer due to environmental pollution and the destruction of natural habitats.
We are all awed by the sight of these creatures in their natural habitats that we interrupt our lives to watch, but we cannot seem to find the time to save them.
How can we not feel compelled to preserve this natural beauty? How do we continue to pollute, and deny our impact on the earth?
I’m not saying that we all need to live in houses built of 100 per cent recycled material, and we should all drive electric cars... but why can we not do the simple things?
Why can we not walk the five or ten extra steps to put that coffee cup in the proper disposal container?
Maybe if we all took an extra few steps sightings like the nesting swans and the flying hawk would not be so rare, and we could stop and enjoy the scene without being disgusted by the garbage these animals are forced to live in.
Related links: http://www.qwcleanup.ca/
Speaking of rare bird sightings...on today's(may 16th) front page of the spec., there is an article about the sighting of 5 white pelicans which have stopped over in Cootes Paradise. Now that would be neat to see. SM
ReplyDeleteHey speaking of Presqu'ile Park...it made comment in the CAA summer edition magazine. It suggests visiting this Park if you are in the Belleville area and into hiking...cause it offers 16 km of trails through forests, fields and wetlands. Comment is also made on the park's use as a major migratory bird staging area. Did you take your binoculars? P.S..watch out for the three leafed plant (poison ivy)...though i don't know if its yet a concern. sm
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