Ian Tanner, Natural Heritage Education Leader

The unique geography of Bon Echo Provincial Park makes it a great place to view our avian friends throughout the year.

Peregrine Falcons may be the most notable birds that reside in Bon Echo. Twenty years ago Peregrine Falcons were re-introduced to Mazinaw Lake by Natural Heritage Education Coordinator, Denise Wilkins. During the spring and summer months Mazinaw Lake echoes with their distinctive kak-kak-kak calls. They can be seen flying frequently along the edge of the cliff or perched high on a tree surveying the skies. The falcons at Bon Echo often prey on Blue Jays and Ring-billed Gulls, diving from high in the air and capturing their food on the wing. When the Peregrine Falcons migrate south for the winter there is a marked increase in gulls at the Narrows and the beaches.

Another bird of prey that dwells in Bon Echo is the Barred Owl. Most people who spend a night or two in the Park will hear this bird call “Who cooks for you...who cooks for you all”. Barred Owls are among the most vocal of owls and are also quite common although they are notoriously difficult to spot during the day. A unique feature about owls is a peculiarity of their feathers. The wing feathers are very soft and therefore are not efficient for flying speed. However, they produce a quieter flight reducing the chance of being heard by their prey. Another unique feature is the location of an owl’s ears. One is located higher on the owl’s head than the other, allowing them to triangulate the position of their next meal far more accurately than were their ears to be symmetrical.

If you are heading out to Joeperry Lake keep your eyes peeled for Ospreys. These hawks have a diet that consists almost entirely of fish and they will hover above the water before plunging in to grab a meal. Another bird that spends its life looking for fish is the Belted Kingfisher. These brilliant blue birds perch on branches above the water and dive for small minnows and frogs. The Common Loon is also present in Bon Echo’s waters. While they live on Mazinaw Lake, your best chance to see them will be on Joeperry, Bon Echo, or Kishkebus Lakes. These birds are uniquely adapted for pursuing fish underwater and can hold their breath for several minutes, travelling hundreds of metres while submerged.

Barn Swallows also call Mazinaw Rock home. These aerial acrobats are now a threatened species due to the decline in foraging habitat, loss of available nesting sites, and pesticide spraying reducing the number of insects needed for food. These birds however can be seen most days at the Narrows. They swoop and dive catching insects just above the surface of the water. If you watch carefully you can see them drink while airborne, gliding close to the water and scooping up a mouthful. These small birds are great builders, nesting directly on the cliff. They build their nests by carrying mud, a little at a time from nearby streams and ponds then mixing it with saliva and lining it with moss and feathers.

A number of woodpeckers can be seen among the trees at Bon Echo. The smallest is the Downy Woodpecker, a black and white bird with males sporting a tiny red patch on the head. It has a long barbed tongue and glue-like saliva which help it catch insects. The largest is the Crow sized Pileated Woodpecker which is mostly black with white flashes on the neck and a flaming red crest on its head. Woodpeckers chisel holes in trees to reach the insects and grubs living in them. Large rectangular holes are telltale signs of Pileated Woodpeckers. A woodpecker can be identified by its distinctive “swooping” flight. Woodpeckers will flap their wings once or twice then fold them in, resulting in a wave-like flight.

The Park is also home to a plethora of different warblers and songbirds including White- throated Sparrows, Common Redpolls, and occasionally Scarlet Tanagers. The Cliff Top Trail is home to the Prairie Warbler. These birds are olive-coloured above with bright yellow below and black spots and streaks along their sides. Prairie Warblers prefer hot, dry environments, nest in juniper bushes on Mazinaw Rock, and are at the northern edge of their breeding habitat. Many of these birds call the Park home throughout the summer but can be difficult to spot among the leaves and undergrowth. For this reason I recommend familiarizing yourself with a few different birdcalls, such as the calls of the Red-eyed Vireo, the American Robin, and the Wood Thrush. More may be added as you become familiar with a few..

Fall is an exciting time to look for birds in Bon Echo. With the changing weather not only are the leaves disappearing but many birds are also migrating through the Park on their way to wintering habitats. Last fall we were lucky enough to spot a Red-throated Grebe swimming in Mazinaw Lake, as well as Broad-winged Hawks, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and Wood Ducks.

Whether you are an avid birdwatcher or someone just curious to see how many bird species you can spot, bring along a field guide and binoculars on your next visit to Bon Echo. You’ll be rewarded by a remarkable variety of sightings and songs.

This year, invited by fellow artist Carla Miedema, landscape artist Barbara Mendham joined the Cloyne Studio Tour and opened her studio to tour goers for the first time. From July 11 – 13, Mendham, who paints from her home studio at 168 Sheldrake Road just north of Cloyne, had a large display of her work set up in a tent beside her home.

Mendham has been painting in acrylics on and off for 30 years but raising her two children left her little time to paint on a regular basis. Her children are long grown and she is now a grandmother of four, so she has been able to paint regularly for over a decade since she retired from her work as a travel agent. Years ago in Windsor, Ontario, Mendham studied painting for a semester at college and currently takes weekly private classes. Her work focuses primarily on the landscape that surrounds her home and she says that winter scenes are some her favorite themes to paint since they bring her what she describes as “a sense of quiet and calm.” She also enjoys painting buildings and has done numerous private commissions of cottages, which she said is a popular request since people have “such an emotional attachment to their cottages. I don't know what it is but people will often want a painting of their cottage and will hang it there. When it comes time to leave they will often take the painting home with them and then bring it back and hang it up when they return.”

Mendham prefers to paint her landscapes from photos, often from her own but sometimes from pictures or photos from magazines that inspire her. One work of an old mill was done from a picture she found in a magazine. She says that still lives are of no interest to her. “I have never felt the urge to paint flowers or a bowl of fruit or other still life material. I think the fact that I like looking at landscape paintings myself has a lot to do with why they are what I most chose most to focus on.”

Mendham’s medium of choice is acrylics. She has tried watercolors but finds them too unforgiving. “In the same vein I don't have the patience to paint in oils since you have to wait for every layer to dry before you can continue.” She adds, “There is an old joke that goes, ‘With acrylics, you can really hide all of your mistakes’”

Asked what the most challenging part of her work is she said “Getting beyond that point where you are not liking what you are painting and just knowing that you have to keep on going until you get the painting that you like.” Asked what she most enjoys she replied, “Most everything really about painting is fun. I find it very relaxing.”

Barb's husband Derek who is a hobby carpenter makes the frames for Barb's work often using cedar, pine or old barn board. “The pictures Barb paints lend themselves very nicely to wooden frames rather than to newer ones,” Derek said, which I would tend to agree with.

Mendham's works range in price from $100-$250 and she sells cards as well. She welcomes commissions and those wishing to visit her home studio can call her at 613-336-9518 to make an appointment. For those who missed the Cloyne Studio Tour, Barb will be showing her work at the upcoming Friends of Bon Echo Art Exhibition & Sale from July 25 - 27 and then again at the Cloyne Art Showcase in August.

The 13th annual Pine Meadow Charity Golf Tournament took place on June 21 at Hunter's Creek Golf Course on Hwy. 506 near Cloyne. As in previous years, this year's tournament was generously sponsored by numerous businesses and community members, raising over $16 900. These funds are used for a variety of items at Pine Meadow which cannot be included in the regular budget.

Over the 13 years of the tournament's history the items purchased have included a defibrillator, mobile shelving units, towel and blanket warmers, solo electric beds, wrought iron fencing and concrete walkways in the courtyard and garden areas, a picnic shelter, SARA and other overhead lifts, Hi-low beds, and more. The funds are also used for monthly excursions for residents at Pine Meadow. Funds raised this year will be used to purchase wrought iron fencing for a new courtyard space behind the Pine Meadow expansion and for this year's excursions.

This year 71 golfers participated in the tournament on a bright, sunny day at Hunter's Creek. The Flynn family was well represented with 16 participants. Raffle prizes included a beautiful quilt made by the Land O’ Lakes Quilters and valued at $1100, which was won by Marilyn Stewart and a propane barbeque subsidized by Lookout Building Centre in Plevna, valued at $660, won by Luella Foster. There was also a 50/50 draw with a prize of $130, won by the Flynn family, who generously donated the money back to the fund. The microwave, donated by Smitty's Appliances, was the prize for the ladder golf game and was won by Dave Anthony.

The members of the first place team at the tournament were Jeff South, John South, Miller Hodgins and Dave Anthony. The second place team was comprised of Mark Freeburn, Michael Wood, Travis McLuckie and Cory Andrew, who donated their winnings back to the charity. The men's closest to the pin was won by Gregg Wise and the women's closest to the pin was won by Barb Dion. The men's longest drive was won by Don Fobert and the women's longest drive was won by Freida Hynne.

Those interested in looking into the lives and times of local pioneers in and around the Cloyne area will be happy to know that the Cloyne Pioneer Museum and Archives is now open for visitors. The museum, which was expanded last year, held their official season opening on June 21 and guests were treated to a barbeque lunch and old time musical favorites courtesy of a local band, Pickled Chicken.

J.J (Red) Emond, president of the Cloyne and District Historical Society (CDHS), highlighted the society’s many accomplishments this past year, which included hiring new staff at the museum, placing two new museum signs on Highway 41, the completion of the new 2015 calendars that are available for sale at $15 a piece, the installation of new display cases in the museum, and the posting of photographs from the museum and society on the photo-sharing site Flickr.

He spoke of the success of the recent bus tour to War Museum in Ottawa Red, thanked all of the board members and volunteers for their ongoing work, and congratulated CDHS member Ian Brumell for being honored with the June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Voluntarism earlier this year.

Emond also highlighted the society’s goals for this year, which include increasing membership, completing the landscaping around the museum grounds, completing more interviews with locals in the area, and planning for the society’s annual events such as the Robbie Burns Supper, the historical bus tour and the annual toonie party.

Marg Axford, the curator and archivist at the museum, mingled with the guests as they perused the many new displays. These include a special World War 1 section with photos of young men from the area, many of whom fought and were killed in the war, plus a number of WW 1 artifacts including a tin hat, a bayonet and newspaper clippings. Other new displays include the paintings by the late local artist, Wini Gutsell, and a new display highlighting a portion of Skootamatta Lake that was settled by the Obornes, a local family. Other permanent displays include various artifacts and documents from the 1850s onwards that focus on settlement, mining, logging, tourism and other local history in the CDHS catchment area, which runs along the Highway 41 corridor south to Kaladar, north Denbigh, west to Flinton and east to Harlowe.

For those who have yet to visit the Cloyne Pioneer Museum and Archives, it is well worth a trip. The museum is open daily until September 2 and is located at 14235 Highway 41 in Cloyne. Regular monthly meetings of the CDHS take place at the Barrie Hall in Cloyne at 1pm on every third Monday beginning again in September.

by Marg Axford

Another fascinating season at the Cloyne Pioneer Museum and Archives is about to begin! New to us this year are six display cases, constructed especially for the museum by talented craftsman Murray Lessard of Flinton and made possible as a result of the grant by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, which was awarded to the Cloyne and District Historical Society a year ago. These display units are providing us with an opportunity to create new exhibits and to replace others that were in need of refurbishing.

Another exciting development is that some of the paintings of Kaladar-area artist Wini Gutsell have been made available to the museum, both for display purposes and for sale. Many of you will remember Wini Gutsell, who up until the year before her death exhibited her work at Bon Echo Provincial Park during the “Art in the Park” weekend. Wini was known by her many friends as a warm, compassionate and very talented individual whose myriad life experiences and her love of the natural world informed her paintings.

We are honoured to be able to bring Wini’s paintings to you. If you have always wanted a Gutsell painting in your collection, be sure to drop by the museum this summer.

The Cloyne Pioneer Museum and Archives, owned and operated by the Cloyne and District Historical Society, opens for the 2014 season on Saturday, June 21, at 10 a.m., with a BBQ at noon. The Denbigh-area group, “The Pickled Chicken String Band”, is bringing its considerable talents and enthusiasm to the opening, as they did last year. Plan to join us for an artistic and musical day, a chance to chat with your neighbours while enjoying a hamburger!

submitted by the Cadet Corps

640 Hastings & Prince Edward Army Cadet Corps, Cloyne has completed another training year with its annual ceremonial review. Mr. Carl Rushlow of the Hastings & Prince Edward Regimental Association was this year’s reviewing officer over the preceding. Several trophies were handed out during the review.

Along with the review, the Cadets of 640, with the assistance of Napanee District Community Foundation, purchased four canoes for training one day and had them in the water the next day. They hosted 661 Royal Canadian Air Cadets Prescott by doing a portion of the Big Gull canoe route from Shabomeeka Lake, Cloyne, to Boat Launch on Delyea Rd on Myers Cave Road, completing over 24 kilometers of the beautiful back lakes in the Land O’ Lakes Area.

The Cadets’ year-end trip was to Canada’s Wonderland, with a quick stop at the Bass Pro Shop just for good measure.

There are several cadets who will be making the trip to CFB Borden Blackdown Park; some of them going to camp for their first time. Unlike other camping experiences, these cadets are paid to attend camp training.

Commanding Officer Captain Tim Trickey stated that even though the training season is winding down, there is room to increase the size of the Cadet Corps. He pointed out that there is no cost for youth between the ages of 12 & 19 to join Cadets. If cadets and parents are interested in the program, you can either call Captain Trickey directly at 613-336-2885, or go on the web site at Cadets.gc.ca or Army Cadet League.ca for more information about the organization and opportunities as either a cadet or an officer within the cadet organization.

Trickey also pointed out that there is room for both parent volunteers and other adults who are looking for a rewarding career as officers within the Cadet Unit. Captain Trickey himself has over 10 years as an officer with the Primary Reserve and noted that the opportunities for adults within the Cadet Instructor Cadre are phenomenal with opportunity for summer employment with the Cadet Camps. Trickey also pointed out that his primary goal is to keep a viable Cadet Unit within the Land O’ Lakes area. The opportunities for youth to participate in any form of structured activities such as Cadets & Scouts are becoming non-existent in Central and North Frontenac communities.  

by Valerie Allan

North Addington Education Centre has been certified as an Ontario EcoSchool for the sixth year in a row. NAEC has received Bronze certification for 2013-2014. EcoSchools is an environmental education program in Ontario that helps students and schools to become more environmentally friendly. To become a certified EcoSchool, the school must show achievement in leadership, energy conservation, waste minimization, ecological literacy, curriculum and school ground greening.

NAEC showed their commitment to the environment throughout the 2013-2014 school year through events such as National Sweater Day, Earth Hour and Earth Day. Eight secondary students also participated in an Environmental Conference in Kingston.

The main focus for this school year was to revamp the school’s paper recycling program. With help from a variety of classes including the Restart Program, School to Community, Grade 12 College English, Grade 11 University Math and Grade 9 Academic English, the paper recycling program has been very successful this year.

“I am so proud of our students. It takes a lot of hard work over a long period of time to earn certification. This type of commitment to the school, the community and the environment is fantastic. Thank you to Ms. Randle and her hard-working team,” said Angela Salmond, principal at NAEC.

EcoSchools is a voluntary program led by teachers and volunteers at schools across Ontario.  

5 years ago when Barry and Donna Smith opened the Land O'Lakes petting zoo on Road 506 near Cloyne, they were hoping they would bring in enough revenue through admissions to pay for feed and vet bills for the rescue animals that had come to live with them over time.

Rescuing animals, and taking them in when others were no longer able to care for them is an extension of the foster parenting that Barry and Donna have done, and the animals have been helpful in some of the healing processes for their foster children.

The zoo is a menagerie of 40 animals, including a 2,800 pound tame Holstein bull named McMoo, lambs, goats, sheep, peacocks, llamas, donkeys, miniature horses and a full size horse, ponies, ducks, rabbits, turkeys etc., each with a story attached to their acquisition.

Although the Smiths had hoped to bring in the $30,000 it costs each year to keep the not-for-profit zoo up and running, there has historically been a shortfall, up to $20,000, and the Smiths have had to cover that from their other income.

That is not longer a viable option, and they are now looking to the public for support, either through cash donations or in-kind support in the form of animal feed or discounted veterinary services.

They did open a snack bar, and Donna has been baking treats for sale at the snack bar and at some of the local campgrounds to bring extra money in, but the costs are not being covered.

“Even if more people would like to come to visit and put a little extra in the jar it would be helpful,” she said.

Her fear is that if they cannot keep the zoo open, it will be very difficult to find suitable homes for the animals.

“We are getting into a serious problem, and I don't quite know what the solution is,” she said.

The hope is ha the summer will be a good one, with lots of visitors and an unflux of community support.

Otherwise, the Smiths will be forced to consider disbanding their operation come the fall.

Anyone interested in providing support is invited to call Donna or Barry at 613-336-0330 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

From May 17 to July 3 the Colin Edwards Memorial Art Gallery, located in Greystones Gift and Book Shop at Bon Echo park, will display and offer for the sale the work of two returning artists, Cloyne resident Carla Miedema and Chris Perry from Amherstview. Until June 19 the gift shop and gallery are open Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 11 – 4 and daily from 10:30 – 6 beginning June 21.

Carla Miedema’s Expressionist Paintings

“Nature is the inspiration for my art. Wetlands and Bon Echo Park are a focus of many of my expressionist paintings. I work mainly using acrylic and mixed media incorporating elements of nature including grasses, bark, lichen, and other found objects. Although some of my work is realistic, such as my portraits and pen and ink drawings of wildflowers, many of my paintings are becoming more abstract. I love working with colour and various media, and being challenged to create a novel, interesting piece of art work with what I find in nature.

You can see my work at various shows and at my studio gallery: Studio by the Pond, 1074 Little Pond Road in Cloyne, or check out my website at: www.carlamiedema.com

Chris Perry

“My art is detailed and realistic in an effort to capture nature as I see it. Usually I begin my paintings with a detailed pencil drawing. Difficult images can take a few days to complete as well as several attempts before I am satisfied with the animal’s likeness. Once the drawing is done, I apply several layers of watercolour paint. My favourite subjects are waterfowl and raptors, but I love to paint them all. Most of the birds I paint live close by, just outside Kingston.

The most extraordinary creatures are all around us. Hopefully my art will remind viewers of the beauty we have right in front of us and help us to preserve them and their habitat before it is too late. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mazinaw Lake with its 100 metre Rock cliff has drawn artists to its shores for hundreds of years. From the First Peoples who inscribed their pictographs at water level, to the Group of Seven in the 1920s and to the artists who still come to contemplate and paint, the magnificent Mazinaw Rock continues to inspire.

One of the goals of the Friends of Bon Echo Provincial Park is to preserve this significant heritage. The 19th annual Bon Echo Art Exhibition and Sale will be held July 25, 26, 27. Over 40 juried artists will showcase their original artwork on the theme of Canadian Nature, Wildlife and Countryside. The festive 3 day exhibition also incorporates children’s activities, live music, Sciensational Sssnakes!! and great food.

“In order to survive in business in this area you have to do more than none thing,” said Don Yearwood, who opened the Bishop Lake Trailer Park in 1986 with his wife Helen. At the time their only employee was their son Bob, who had to take work outside the region in the wintertime. The business grew over the next ten years, with the addition of a motel and more services,

15 years ago this weekend, on the first day of Walleye season in 1999, BL Outdoor Centre opened. It was the biggest single change to the business and is being celebrated this weekend.

When interviewed about the store 5 years ago on the 10th anniversary, Bob Yearwood said that the business had been growing each year as new services were added and seasonal and permanent residents realized the prices were competitive and the service level was infinitely superior to what is on offered at box stored in urban centres.

That trend has continued.

BL Outdoor Centre carries a full range of hunting and fishing gear, as well as hiking and camping equipment in addition to operating a laundromat and supplying propane.

“The biggest growth in the last five years has been in the woman’s market,” Bob Yearwod said last week, “women have taken to hunting and fishing like never before and we stock more and more products that are geared toward women.”

BL Outdoor Centre is always expanding its product lines, including Browning Firearms and accessories, Hoyt bows, Danner and Lacrosse boots, and aline of moccasins from Quebec.

“But as I said, what separates is the service we offer. If you buy a rifle or a crossbow and there is a problem with it, we can wither adjust it here or we wil send it to the manufacturer and make sure our customers are satisfied. You can't get that elsewhere,” he said.

BL Outdoor is also involved in marketing and selling through Facebook, an new innovation this year.

“We need to keep looking at new products, new markets and new services,” said Yearwood.

BL Outdoors and Bishop Lake Campgrounds, which employed one part-time person in 1986, now keeps Don and Helen Yearwood, as well as Bob and Allison, and Dennis (last name) working year-round, in addition to seasonal employees in the summer.

And now, even though the campground, which has been fully subscribed for a number of years, is only open in the summer, the store is so well established for year-round outdoor sports that as much business comes in during the shoulder seasons from September 15 to June 15 as it does in the prime summer season.

While the tourists and seasonal population have come to rely on BL Outdoors, the support of local hunters and fishers has been crucial to the stores success, and as the store celebrates its anniversary this weekend, it is the local community that the Yearwoods are thinking of.

“When we had our ten year celebration, we offered propane at $10 for a 20 lb tank. As everyone knows the price of propane is not what it was 5 years ago, but this weekend we will be selling it at $15 for 20lb. We are also putting some special sales in place.