What is Project 366? Read more here! ‘Twas the morning before Canada Day, when all through the park not a human was stirring, only the bison. Well, it’s not that time of year yet (as a matter of fact, today is day 178 so we are exactly halfway there), but it sure felt like that…
What is Project 366? Read more here! I was standing at the edge of a small grassy patch by Lake Beaumaris. All around me there were a large number of Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and House Finches fluttering about in the shrubbery surround the lawn and on the lawn itself. None of the species were…
What is Project 366? Read more here! Sometimes nature throws you for a loop of the least expected kind. As we were driving into the Bison Loop at Elk Island National Park I had barely finished mentioning that we would never encounter bears here when we, you guessed it, spotted a bear. We saw it…
What is Project 366? Read more here! Elk Island National Park is the home to two species of frogs; the wood frog (Rana sylvatica) and the Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata). I am not a frog expert by any means but I do believe that the white stripe down the middle of this fella means…
What is Project 366? Read more here! The Prickly Wild Rose (Rosa acicularis), also known as Alberta Wild Rose, Wild Rose and Nootka Rose is a small deciduous shrub with pink flowers and thick, thorny stems. Once the flowers wither it turns into a small oval shaped seed pod known as a rose hip. It…
What is Project 366? Read more here! Along Simmons trail in Elk Island National Park there is a 4 foot tall tree stump. It looks like the tree snapped like a match during a windstorm. The way the tree broke off left a piece of bark jutting up from the broken surface almost like a…
What is Project 366? Read more here! The field surrounding the shallow pond was covered in tall grass with patches of tall stemmed yellow flowers. These were Meadow Buttercups (Ranunculus acris) at home in their perfect habitat, a moist meadow close to water. As pretty as it is, this is not a plant that is…
What is Project 366? Read more here! In the center of the Bison Loop at Elk Island National Park there is a small shallow pond. You can clearly see it from the gravel road as it is no more than 25 meters away. Despite the proximity I have never actually been down to the water’s…
What is Project 366? Read more here! It was a typical family scene that probably happens in bird families around the world every morning. While mom was looking after the kids, dad was busy looking for breakfast. The Red-necked Grebe family had two chicks, one of which was snoozing snug and cosy on mom’s back…
What is Project 366? Read more here! It was an overcast Friday morning. It had been raining non-stop all week and the last time I was able to go for birding was a week ago. Luck was, however, on my side this morning. As I was heading out to work there was a break in…