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Wednesday, January 27, 2010 Orono Weekly Times - 5 Birds of a Feather Birding by Markus Lise Council nixes Highway of Heroes memorial Clarington will not be lending assistance to the construction of a memorial along the 401, recognizing Canadian heroes who have fallen during the Afganistan conflict. Gordon McCallum presented his concept of a four-seasons custom landscaped memorial to Council on Monday night. "In the spring of 2009, we approached Mayor Abernethy requesting his assistance in developing a horticultural landmark in Clarington," McCallum told councillors. The Mayor suggested we create a perpetual living memorial, McCallum said. McCallum and his colleagues have secured a 20year lease on a piece of property at the south end of Rickard Road for their memorial. "The land we have chosen is well positioned geographically and the traffic count fulfills our needs," McCallum stated. The location is approximately half way between Trenton and the Don Valley Parkway the section of the 401 called The Highway of Heroes. The conceptual design of the memorial for the north side of the 401 includes a stone structure with a statue of an unarmed soldier flanked by two large gold leafs. With the approval of the families, McCallum said they plan to plant a tree for every soldier who died in the Afganistan conflict with a bronze plaque placed by the tree with the soldiers name inscribed. The budget for the project included a high level of maintenance, according to McCallum. "We want this to be manicured in perfect condition all the time. There will be full time staff on the property all the time to make sure it is kept up," he stated. Besides the trees and stone structure, the concept included spaces for corporate sponsorship. When Councillor Adrian Foster asked if there was any profit to be made from the venture, McCallum said, "Yes." "It will take a number of years to recover the engineering and maintenance cost of this project," he stated. Council opted in the end not to give McCallum the assistance he asked for in order to obtain the necessary Federal and Provincial Government approvals to facilitate the construction of the memorial. Ross' Goose among 750 Canada Geese I hope you are all getting ready for the 13th annual bird count. I am practicing by trying to identifying different species. I always take the scenic route past my home to the lake to see which species are swimming in the water of Lake Ontario by the Bond Head Parkette. Often I would zip by the Parkette and not take my time to scrutinize the lakeshore or the ice in the Port of Newcastle Harbour. I know that there are many viewers who would just look at the many geese that float in Lake Ontario or are washing themselves by dipping in and out of the water. But my experience tells me not to rush by the lake too fast, but rather scan the waters closely and look for other kinds of birds swimming or sleeping among the geese. This past week I sighted a Ross' Goose, 21 - 26 inches/ 53 cm. - 66 cm. white with black wing tips, and stubby and pink bill. They usually are seen in flocks but this week there was just one among 750 geese. He/she has been present on the ice in the harbour for the entire week. Some other kinds of birds are Goldeneye and Bufflehead. A visitor to the park was snapping all kinds of photos and asked me whether they were puffins. She was quite surprised to hear that they were called Buffleheads. It helped her to describe the appearance of the head of the bird as that of a buffalo. The other birds are Goldeneye and Mallards and Canada Geese.There you have five different species that will qualify for the bird count. I also had the privilege of sighting some Trumpeter Swans, 12 to be exact. I called Harry Lumsden in Richmond Hill to come and tag and band them. I worked on befriending them so that they would feel comfortable eating out of our hands. Then we will take hold of them by their beaks and wrestle them to the ground and do what ornithologists do as scientists to test their blood. DURHAM REGIONAL POLICE SERVICES Distracted Driver's bill effective February 1, 2010 Durham Regional Police will be enforcing the new "distracted driver's bill" effective February 1, 2010 and will be transitioning their educational three month period into an enforcement mode. In an effort to make Ontario roads safer, the Provincial Government passed Bill 118, commonly known as the distracted driver's bill. This new law makes it illegal to use a cell phone and other electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle on a highway in Ontario. A three month education period was extended to all drivers. This educational time period will end on Monday February 1, 2010. Officers will ticket offenders under this new legislation for a fine of $150 to any driver found in contravention of the new law. Prohibitions under the new law include: -hand-held wireless communication devices such as cell phones and Blackberries; hand-held electronic entertainment devices such as iPods; Playstation portables and Nintendo DS games, - texting and emailing, - programming directions or changing information on GPS devices, - having display screens visible to the driver if they are unrelated to the driv- ing tasks, such as DVD players and laptop computers. This new law has provided exceptions for drivers to use hands-free communication devices with an earpiece; headset; speakerphone or Bluetooth. There is also an exception for calling 911 or if the driver has pulled off the roadway or stopped on the shoulder ensuring they are not impeding traffic. Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of collisions on our roadways. All drivers are encouraged to abide by this law and not use these electronic devices while driving. Roadway safety continues to be a top priority of the Durham Regional Police and as a result, the offences relating to distracted driving will be strictly enforced.