Crows ~ in our tree

We have a family of crows living in a tree just off our balcony. We started to see them in April as they began to build their nest. Twigs, string, bits of plastic and paper have all gone into the tree to build the nest. Often a family member will perch on another tree nearby to keep lookout.

The nest can't be seen, due to dense layers of leaves, but it is in there somewhere.
























In early spring, crows build large and bulky nests, messy affairs actually. The female lays three to six or seven eggs that are incubated for about 18 days. The eggs are apparently blue with brown splotches. Once hatched, and we think our babies have hatched, the young crows remain in the nest for six to eight weeks as they grow their feathers.

Sometimes, if we listen carefully, we can hear what must be the sounds of the future fledglings. Otherwise it tends to be rather quiet around the tree, especially when considering the otherwise highly vocal and often noisy nature of crows. Sometimes one of the adults will kick up a fuss, or maybe it's a celebration, but most of the time you would never know a family of crows was in the tree. The adults slip in and out of the tree almost secretively, as though we might never notice.





Crows are very interesting members of possibly the most intelligent avian group: the Corvidae. Members include magpies, blue jays and ravens, which Sherry and I saw during our three months in Dawson City, Yukon.

Crows mate for life, have over 20 different vocalisations, are devoted to family and friends and, like Jeem, tend to eat just about everything and anything. They are also curious about what goes on around them, as are we of them and their new family, yet unseen by Sherry y Jeem.

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

Crime and punishment in the Excited States

During our time in New York I heard the sirens of first responders far less often than I do at home in Vancouver. Almost raised on Hill Street Blues, I expected to see take-downs on every corner. It never happened.












New York City is an amazingly safe place to be in the Excited States. There is less crime here, of all kinds, than in most American cities. According to statistics from the FBI in 2012, the murder rate in NYC was 5.1 per 100,000 people. In Tucson the murder rate was 8.1, in Baltimore 34.9 and Detroit clocked in at an impressive 54.6 murders for every 100,000 people. In Toronto it was only 1.5 in 2012, which was actually lower than the Canadian rate of 1.8 murders for every 100,000. In Australia during the same year the murder rate was 1.2 per 100,000.

Policing makes a difference as do attitudes around punishment and class. New York's policing has changed dramatically over the past 40 years and it is often presented as a model for the rest of the nation. Serious crime in NYC is lower in almost every category when compared to other cities in the US.

Policing and a sense of community are important, but few things are better at telling us what a nation really cares about than how it spends its money, and in the Excited States, it's all about the money. By that definition, Americans like to punish.

In 2010 the US spent about $80 billion on jails and prisons, which is about $260 for every person in the country. On food stamps, something people from other nations have trouble comprehending, the budget was $227 per person.

In 2012, 2.2 million Americans were in jail or prison, which, by itself, per capita, is more than any other nation on earth. Yet another 4.6 million were under some sort of correctional supervision, for a grand total of almost 7 million.

Apart from violent crimes, to which the US excels, American crime rates are actually comparable to countries like Canada, Australia and the EU. What is different is the way the US chooses to imprison people for lesser offences. Over the past 40 years the nation has become ever more determined to punish its offenders; education, jobs, welfare and rehabilitation have all been left behind the desire to make people pay.

That push to punish has disproportionately impacted race in America as 11% of all black males between the ages of 20 and 34 are in jail or prison. Half the entire state and federal prison population is black, though African Americans make up only 12% of the population. Increasing economic inequality and the distinction of class is playing its role too. As the elite become ever more distant from the bottom 90, it's easier to be more punitive towards the poor.

Crime and punishment in the US is out of whack somehow, with the times and the rest of the world. How can this insanity be happening in such a rich and wonderful country? But then again, why can't the US do something, anything, about its gun problem?

Still, I hear more police sirens at night in Vancouver than I ever did in Manhattan. What does that tell us I wonder.
"Let's be careful out there."

Hill Street Blues image from NBC. 
Other photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

Colours of an early summer... and ducklings

It's the beginning of June, yet at times the air and the sky feel and smell like summer.

The ducklings, so precious just weeks ago, still precious, are growing each day. Mom gets some time to flutter.

It is an incredibly beautiful time of the year.

Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

Walking around Salt Spring offers everything ~ including the kitchen sink

Salt Spring Island is the largest island in the Southern Gulf Island chain. It is also the most populated. Different parts of the island offer a slightly different perspective on the wonderful island life. There are forests and shore lines, the amazing St Mary Lake, farms and fields, wineries and a collection of people as varied as the island itself.










At times it seems that everyone on the island is selling eggs by the roadside, and as the season progresses there will be fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers, jams, jellies and more, all paid by an honour system.














And sometimes, perhaps after a nice coffee at the Fernwood Road Cafe, something appears along what would be considered a residential street...










Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.

Ruckle Park on Salt Spring Island

We've walked and hiked around Ruckle Park many times, and we did on this visit to Salt Spring too. It is a beautiful park with 7 km of shoreline, rocky headlands and tiny coves and bays.














It is a mixture of forest, field and shore habitats that makes for one of the more productive wildlife viewing areas on Salt Spring Island. In the past we've seen whales in the sea and otter closer to the shore, as well as eagles and the odd wild turkey.





Irish immigrant to Canada, Henry Ruckle homesteaded here in 1872, marrying Ella Anna Christensen five years later. Their descendants have farmed this property for more than a century.












The park was created when the Ruckle family donated the land to the people of BC in 1972. The park is 572 ha in size. There are campsites for tenting people and a variety of trails, some easily accessible, others slightly more challenging, and incredible views throughout.










Photos by Jim Murray. Copyright 2014.