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^ Orono Weekly Times - Wednesday, September 25,2002 - 3 From Around Home by Roy Forrester There is much to enjoy in the great outdoors at this time of year as we advance into the fall season. The vivid yellows of the Goldenrod. the blues, whites, purples of the many species of wild Asters along with the colourful fruits of the wild shrubs and small trees. And we have yet to ènjoy the array of maples as they shed their leaves in preparation for the winter season. Take a drive, take a hike, it's all there to enjoy. There are some happenings as far as birds are concerned which might be of some interest. interest. You may recall that last Spring we had a sighting of a Cattle Egret some distance east of Starkville which was quite newsy for the birders. The bird did spend a number of days in the area. A couple of weeks ago Marg Zwart reported a big white bird in a small pond on Bragg Road north. It required a drive to the pond to now report a somewhat rare sighting sighting of a Common (Great) Egret. It was a young Egret with black legs and a yellow beak. It was an easy ID but perhaps only the second such; bird I have seen. Speaking to Jim Richards I find that there was a successful successful nesting of this species at the Leslie Street Spit, Toronto, this year. It is most likely the young bird sighted north on Bragg Road was from the Spit area. Young Great Egrets have a habit of breaking' away from the family and roaming about. There are also a couple of reports from the Oshawa area of sightings of these young wondering birds. It is a good count to have both species in our records for the year. Saturday afternoon proved most interesting as far as bird- ing was concerned with Don Lycett reporting a small flock of eleven or twelve Turkey Vultures feeding on a dead Racoon in a field at the Best farm, north Orono. It was quite a sight to see these large birds at close quarters flying around at fence level and landing landing in the field. We did get a count of up to eleven. Later in the day we returned to find little little left of the Racoon. During the afternoon Don and I did visit the Thickson's Woods Land Trust event in south Whitby. Thickson Road. It was titled Birds, Beavers and Butterflies Nature Venture. It was a lot of many things and it did attract many to be in attendance. To our surprise we did get a real close-up look at a tame Turkey Vulture along with information on this big bird. Apparently it can smell dead meat miles away and this must have been the case in north Orono with the 11 such birds in appearance. One has to marvel at the ability of this large bird to soar around with little apparent effort. A year or so ago the Thickson's Wood Land Trust purchased a parcel of open land/called the meadows in south Whitby. This is located across from Thickson's Woods thus being a notable area for wildlife. It did come at a considerable cost. Bob and Ester Allin of Newcastle have been most active in this endeavour. Alex Shepherd Continued from page 2 Canadians have to start asking questions to those who want to lead the country. It simply isn't good enough for Paul Martin to say, "I want to be leader." He has to tell us why he should be given the job. And this is where Martin has been found wanting in my mind. Canada is not an easy country country to govern. A small country spread out over a huge land mass requires a leader who possesses significant skills in reconciling competing forces. Just look at the current makeup makeup of parliament. It isn't healthy because it is regionalized. regionalized. How would Paul Martin deal with regionalism and ensure a strong united country? country? He hasn't made that clear. His stand on Meach Lake was vto give. Quebec, the "distinct Home builders oppose new architectural guidelines New architectural guidelines guidelines proposed by the Municipality of Clarington did not go over well with the Durham Home Builders Association. In an effort to eliminate cookie cutter subdivision, Clarington is joining a growing growing list of municipalities to utilize architectural design guidelines for new residential neighbourhoods. Highly visible lots such as comer lots for example, under the proposed guidelines would require special treatments by the home builder such as enhanced windows, additional stonework or perhaps a wrap around porch, and additional detailing on both street facing sides of the home. Required exterior construction construction for all homes would be no less than 40% brick, rather than the more commonly used siding treatments. Colours of bricks, siding, roofs and trim must all be compatible. Dwellings of identical elevation elevation and or colour schedule must be separated by a minimum minimum of four dwellings. "Garages are probably the most important section of the guideline" stated David Stewart of John G. williams Limited, an architectural firm from Richmond Hill. The firm of John G. Williams was retained by the Municipality to prepare the Architectural Design Guidelines for the Municipality. The new guidelines guidelines are attempting reduce the dominance of the garage on the streets scapes of new subdivisions. subdivisions. "The main object is to provide safety," stated Stewart. The guidelines will work towards making front doors more visible from the road, and to get residents to spend time at the front of their homes rather than the back. More eyes on the street will providing a higher degree of safety is the impetus behind the concept. Victor Hume, President of the Durham Home Builder's Association, spoke out in opposition to the planned guidelines, saying he didn't see why an architect from Richmond Hill was dictating how Clarington should look. Hume stated at Monday's General Purpose and Administration Committee Meeting, "the market should dictate how homes should be built.", "If market dictates low cost crap, wouldn't some builders build that?" Mayor Mutton asked Hume, to which he replied, "absolutely they would." "We're trying to control control those builders, not the good ones," said Councillor McArthur. "Who is buying these third world homes?" asked Hume, "should we be sending the first time home buyer to Port Hope were land is cheaper, and where they can afford a less expensive home?" "Were trying to achieve a more attractive community," stated Councillor Jim Schell, "there is a cost to everything. In a unanimous vote, committee committee of council authorized staff to retain an architect to prepared Clarington specific general architectural design guidelines for council's approval. jiiil iiSiiüi HIKING IS HEALTHY Sponsored by the Oak Ridges Trail Assoc. You are welcome to attend the following • Sat., Sept. 28 -10 A.M. - 2.5 hrs., easy paced hike from south parking lot off Hwy 35 just before junction of Hwy 115. Group choice for hike. Roy Forrester 905-983-5147 • Sat., Oct. 5 - 10:00 A.M. - Clarington. Migrating Blue Birds? Meet south 35 Hwy parking lot just before entiy Hwy 115. Bush and open: 2.5 hours; 4 km; Roy Forrester 905-983-5147 ill! | |i II II 8 III tail l| I, ' I , w 'j '■ Lisa and Rob are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter Emily Ann Meggett born on July 30th 2002 weighing 7 lbs. 11 oz. Proud grandparents are Don & Eileen Stephens of Orono and Mrs. Ann Meggett of Sarnia. «nsi ii-- r society clause." To my mind this is alarming. Martin's penchant for raising raising millions of dollars from business interests seems to make him somewhat removed from the average Canadian. The fact that many of his ships and part of his corporate structure, are set up in the Bahamas to avoid Canadian income taxes, makes some of us wonder if it is the best interests interests of the country that he has in mind. I am not opposed to Mr. Martin and I certainly have been an admirer. But isn't it time people started asking some profound questions about where we want the next leader of this country to take us. Mr. Peterson didn't take us very far provjncially., M , ~ Happenings ~ Saturday. September 28 Beehive Rebekah Lodge Bazaar & Quilt Draw -11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Centennial Hall, 140 Queen St., Bowmanville featuring home baking, penny draw, afternoon light luncheon . September 22 to November 3 A. A. Drummond Exhibit - 'A Heritage of Landscape' an exhibition to celebrate the career of the Orono artist, Arthur A. Drummond at Clarke Museum and Archives, Kirby Ontario. Opening reception Sunday, September 22 from 1-4 p.m. Free admission. For more info call Museum and Archives 905-983-9243 or Mary Lofthouse 905-983-5188. Saturday. October 5 Clarington Older Adult Association Annual Fall Bazaar - 26 Beech Ave., Bowmanville from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be draws, a silent auction, bake table, plant table, hot luncheon. Call 905-697-2856 for more information, October 7 to 25 Are you looking for work? Gain creative and effective job search skills in the Job Finding Club. Meta Vocational Services Inc. is offering a three-week job search program from Oct. 7 to 25 where you'll learn to access the hidden job market, effective interview skills, preparing resumes and cover letters and more. The Job Finding Club is sponsored by Human Resources Development Canada. For more info call Cathleen Lycett at 905-697-8887. Saturday. October 19 Newcastle United Church Golden Harvest Bazaar - 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; crafts, bake table, country store, silent auction, Team Room, Church Calendars and our very own "Cook Book." Need information call 905-987-4313 x: