The swans have moved on...as I only saw three when going on my walks but several  pairs of Northern Wheatears  blending so well in to the rock as and tundra difficult to see but followed with my  binocs.....check out this link for a photo http://kiggavik.typepad.com./the_house_other_arctic_mu/2008/06/the-bird-not-seen-seen.html

The distance one can travel is directly proportionate to one’s available mode of transportation here and for me it is walking or the bike…no ATV or other vehicle. Today I just didn't get to church as yesterday did a 15 km bike ride and just wanted to sleep. Went to Char River bridge and return over extremely uneven gravelly roads...body shook up as no shocks on the bike but great scenery.......I then tried to do it again with dogs later in the evening but even tied together, sik-sik holes produce too much of a distraction….my conclusion walking them on expandable leash.


Am mixing my dry dog food with rice, oatmeal, carrots and odd bit of hamburger.... cost at the Northern store of Iams is outrageous but there is a local dog team owner John at Nanuq Lodge, who brings in Inukshuk food and bought a large bag is $60, but will keep me going to end of the month.

My digital is on the fritz, so not able to capture all would have liked to this week but here are a few of the art purchases. You know how it is… I am deliberately resisting buying anything and then something one loves just comes along and at a reasonable price.  The prints are on heavy black and/or white paper and letter size...I got the middle polar bear one and love the blues in the one of the mitts and parka. The ring is ivory..walrus tusk?  and of a snowy owl for $40. I also got a 6" high antler carving by 1/2'' wide done by a 13 yr old of a fisherman very different with elongated face.

   

As I write it is past midnight and the sun has set for a few hours but thought I would share a few shots taken about 11 PM tonight. it was raining today but cleared for the evening and I just love how the rays spread
through the clouds and the arctic blues and golds.

The next set was taken about a week ago at about 10:30 PM from my window in the " Barn " where I first moved. There is a stone inukshuk in the center of town on a rocky outcropping where the kids often climb and congregate...here is one such group.     The antennae in the right background are from building roof tops so you can see some perspective of height.  

In Edmonton, packing up for my summer work stint in Arctic Bay, just back from Pangnirtung a few weeks, hobbling on a broken toe from the swimming pool,  very stressed due to a family situation, working in the yard and enjoying the summer peonies and irises, appreciating being Canadian, but still able to comment....

I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!

After last Sunday’s encounter with the swans I was curious to learn more about them and some of the other birds I have seen here.

Again walking this weekend, but not as far, a few of the local ponds, with the weather warming, not only is the tundra starting to produce shades of silvery green with the willows and sedge grasses, odd splash of white, purple and yellow as tiny mountain avens, saxifrage, dwarf fireweed emerge, Note that the willows are different sizes including this bush of about 18 inches. The other critters coming out are the mosquitoes….my hoodie and sunglasses were helpful. this shot was taken about 9 PM.

Leashed together, the dogs again amused themselves by alternately taking turns digging in the sik sik holes….for at least half an hour and to the point   that almost the whole body was submerged. Also discovered an old seal skin to roll in….Believe me there were baths and brushes after that.

This gives me some time with the binoculars….three tundra swans were curious and swam over. When feeding, they turn totally upside down with feet in the air probing for plants in the muddy bottom of the shallow ponds. Tundra swans, also called whistling swans, mate for life, only molt once a season and unlike geese which remain in colonies, both raise the cygnets, build solitary nests, often on a high point, such as a hummock….this gives them a long distance to see predators or other over the tundra. As the sedge grasses grow the nests are more hidden.

The eider ducks have a rounded curved profile to the head and beak, the male with a black head and under belly and white stripe that starts at the beak and stripe to the back. Also saw what I think was a brown and white with black and white head, plover or sandpiper, about 6” tall, when walking in the marshy area, obviously trying to divert us from the nest. The bird spread out its wings and did a wobbly dance from rock to rock.

According  to E.C. Pielou A Naturalists Guide to the Arctic the number of bird species that migrate to the arctic and come to breed are well over 100, whereas the year round birds are only 11 species: gyrfalcon, raven, rock and willow ptarmigans, Ross and ivory gulls, thick billed murre, dovekie. snowy owl, redpoll and black guillemot.

Tundra Swan

Cygnus columbianus

Found along marshy
stretches in the summer and the southern coast of the Northwest
Territories in winter. The nest is made up of moss or grass and is
frequently located close to a body of water. Each pair lays anywhere
between three to five eggs which are incubated for approximately forty
days. Whistling swans can be observed in great numbers in Ontario
during their spring migration.

Distribution
of Tundra Swan in Canada

Common Eider

Somateria mollissima

This diving duck inhabits
the coasts of Canada's far north, sometimes wintering in the more
southern reaches of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The female eider
plucks her own down to line her nest; this down is highly valuable to
the eiders as insulation against the arctic sea.

Distribution
of Common Eider in Canada

http://canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/species/birds/index.htm

Starting my " on call stint"  a heavier work week..so driving vehicle  overnight ( gas is $1.27/liter probably not alot diferent from Edmonton }and bike at noon...washed  the bike and  duct taped handle bars and seat...no more biking with dogs on tundra not a good combo...

Yesterday it was a balmy 13oC and out walking with my two dogs out for about 4 hours.Inuit family ice fishing on Sunday afternoon in mid June Sign denoted lake used for town water supply

Dunes and small lake near rankin but it could be east coast dunesAbout 5 PM mid June but again reminded of Cape Cod and maritimes.

We also went to"Swan Lake :"  as i wanted some closer shots.There were over 80 tundra swans ( counted 83 ) with tall graceful necks and 4 pairs of eider ducks.....Feeding and short flight as nattering between each other and will stay for about a month before going further north

...well as long as both Nanuq and Dysis were tied together Namuq does not want to go near water,but on separation Dysis was right in the middle of the water, but to my surprise and bit of horror...never been a swimmer but the lake appears shallow and I don't know if she was curious, hunting or herding,   much flapping and she went inquite far and finally came when  I called and ran around the end of the lake...Dysis on lower left going to investigate...the lake was very shallow.

No one seemed the worse for wear except perhaps me!!!Dysis making an exit and soon to put her nose in a hole searching for a lemming...This is about 7 PM walked around end of the lake..had been sitting on rock on other side..several ATVs at summer shed in distance.            

Finally settled and after had got all my belongings and food packed up and moved from the Barn to my house sitting unit, did a late evening walk on Saturday on the other side of Rankin. It is really much larger than I thought.

First past Nanuq Lodge with all the penned dogs letting out a cacophony of barks We climbed the cliffs near fuel tanks  and many different views such as these skidoos on ice. …looking down love the blues and patterns in the ice… different sizes of houses and smaller sheds.

One could hear before they appeared these three young teen Inuit boys balancing and walking up fuel line on June Saturday evening. Power lines,  very large govt. warehouse and dog teams all barking as I went by with my huskies.Same shot about 10 PM love the rich light !!!

We were zapped when finally got back home from this walk!

since arrival in Rankin with both joys and frustrations and still settling in....still operating between two residences as where I am house sitting,  Cindy and Matt just left on Wednesday and the dogs stay here overnight, but I am still in the " Barn " which is transient housing for nurses, social workers and mental health etc....do allow pets in these units but not in the other newer ones I have been in here previously.Plan to move the balance of my clothes and food this weekend if can get access to a van or taxi. It has been quite a routine of walking and /or biking between places at lunch and after work to feed and care for dogs. Dysis still lets out this woefully husky wail as I leave but seems to them settle down. Both are tied next to dog houses outside. Frustrations... well... the two times I either succeeded in locking myself out or losing keys and having to make after hours calls....thankful that this is spring and not minus 30oC

Some of the major adjustments that any one goes through coming north at this time of year in in both light differences and temperature. Two weeks ago I was working in the yard and garden in plus 20oC and biking with shorts and sandals and sunglasses...the bike and sunglasses remain the same but temperature is on the average just a few degrees above freezing, most of the the roads are a variety of crushed gravel except for the one paved road to the airport and I am dressing in layers including hoodie, vest, toque and gloves and gortex jacket.The padded bike gloves are great for handling leashes and my digital camera.There are still patches of snow near the snow fences and ice is just breaking up along the shore.When the wind comes up and it is always windy in Rankin, it can be very bitter and one night after walking the dogs   thought I would never get warm again...almost like stepping back 6 weeks to earlier spring before the budding of the leaves and pussy willows in Edmonton.But it is definitely spring with water running in ditches, arrival of the birds with their songs and mating calls...swear I heard a robin outside by window the other morning, the Canada geese are flying in their Vs north, small brown and white pairs spring up when walking in the marshes trying to distract from their nests  and on one of the local small lakes, we saw probably at least 30  white majestic swans, 3 eider duck pairs with their red fronts and a few other duck pairs...I wish I could have got closer.
Small splashes of color are starting to appear with

the first tiny purple saxifrage flowers in the rock crevices their fringed petals capturing the warm air often beneath the snow

and the budding ( males shown here with yellow stamens ) willows ( salix) or "okpeet" in Inuktitut, the low creeping bush of the northern tundra....  apparently over 40 varieties in NWT according to Page Burt's Barrenland Beauties.

Although the sun officially sets for about 4 hours from 11 PM to 3 AM...we are below the Arctic Circle.... it never really gets dark and one has to darken the bedroom to sleep.

these are some of Cindy's photos as the dogs are staying them before I move in and house sit this coming weekend.

Monday morning after she and Matt went camping all were zapped and sleeping

and Dysis after being brushed out!

Don’t think any of us got much sleep Thursday night...I pulled the usual all nighter packing cleaning and sorting at the house. Appreciated the 5 am ride to the airport by my house sitters in Edmonton with dogs and second kennel and food pack and have made a safe arrival north. Some friends here took the dogs for a few hours, so I could unpack and take a nap.

At Yellowknife airport, with an hour break, kennels were removed to re-load other baggage but no access to dogs. Dysis is probably somewhat confused and can be seen in the blue and white kennel.

8 PM walk after arrival and exploring new environment. Hat and gloves and warmer jacket needed...much different than sandals and shorts of recent weeks in the yard in Edmonton.

I looked up the forcast before leaving and discovered thus: Thursday 5 June 2008
Tonight Cloudy. Periods of rain beginning this evening. Amount 5 mm. Wind west 20 km/h becoming light this evening. Low zero.
 
Friday
Day: Rain ending in the afternoon then clearing. Amount 5 mm. High 6.
Night: A few clouds. Wind becoming north 20 km/h near midnight. Low minus 1.
 
Saturday
Sunny. High 7.
 
Sunday
Sunny. Low minus 3. High 9.
 
Monday
Sunny. Low minus 2. High 6.
 
Historical Data

Yesterday
 
Max:
6.5°C
Min:
-1.5°C
 
Normals
 
Max:
6°C
Min:
-2°C
Today
 
Sunrise:
3:15
Sunset:
22:59

 Dysis probably after a mouse, or siksik...ready to pounce!

This same snow fence I walked near in December and January but with snow ridges and minus 30oC. More light but wind and drop in temp from Edmonton...like going back at least 6 weeks but ducks and pussy willows evident.

Dysis, Nanuq, Mika and Nanook watching ducks on pond plannning a chase  ...but out smarted by diving ducks.

For my dogs ice and water, a welcome change from Edmonton heat.

Exploring and also figuring out relationships. 

Kennel and dog house Dysis is quite uncertain...my camera lens stuck!

10 PM Nunavut sunset last night!

Some more shots ....across from where I am staying year old pups Mugsy and Penny and view of hamlet from above Northern Store and Nunavut Power logo on tanks on left.

From today's afternoon walkdown towards the boat launch area

Headstone of RCMP Constable 1906-1991

and momentos

Cindy and dogs on ice, a little too slushy to venture further from shore but dogs love it !!!

Toting her find...Some caribou ribs...
mine says Nanuq to Mika 

Monument to Marble Island where Henry Hudson likely landed and used as a whaling post for many years.
Polar bear hide and possibly caribou.....

Walks end

are what I heard in Arviat and Rankin.... not in Alberta just heat and thunderstorms.

As I get ready to leave here are some shots of my week...Dogs in their spots in the heat of the day while I do some garden work

Old wash tub now garden planter

Sweet peas on garage wall
Tomato plants in cages.Can you guess what the red plant is.....a pointsetta now planted outdoors as have done with a number of other house plants.

Delivering kennel to airport in advance