The last birding outing of the year was to the same location as the first one 365 days ago, at the Whitemud Creek. As far as birding goes 2020 certainly did not break any personal records due to the severely curtailed travel. The furthest I ventured were to our local patch of the Rocky Mountains,…
Yesterday was winter solstice which means that in our Northern Hemisphere it was our shortest day (7 hrs 27 min 41 sec) of the year and last night was the longest night of the year (16 hrs 32 min 19 sec). Today the day was already a modest 6 seconds longer than yesterday. It is…
After a long birding hiatus the indoor isolation of these crazy times finally caught up with me. On a whim, I took a few hours off in the afternoon and headed down to the Whitemud Creek, for the first time in seven months. The usual suspects greeted me along the trail – Black-capped Chickadees, Nuthatches,…
What is Project 366? Read more here! The trunk of the dead tree looks unassuming. It had withered to a light grey color and there were numerous large cavities along the trunk. If it would not have been for The Pileated Woodpecker landing on the trunk and entering one of the cavities just moments before…
What is Project 366? Read more here! It has been a few weeks since I visited the Whitemud Ravine last. Despite the early sunset and the dusk-like conditions I managed to squeeze in a short walk by the creek. Things were quiet and uneventful. The water level is low and the flow is slow and…
What is Project 366? Read more here! According to the Beaufort Scale for measuring the strength of wind the wind gusts on this day were at around Beaufort number 6, which is defined as a strong breeze with large branches in motion and umbrellas used with difficulty. I did not have an umbrella to check…
What is Project 366? Read more here! Today’s post is brought to you from Heritage Wetland park. Along the boardwalk going around the ponds there are informational displays for visitors. One of these displays is about the flight feathers of mallards. So I will let the anonymous writer of this display to do the talking…
What is Project 366? Read more here! Now that the leaves are gone one can see them. Large conspicuous stick nests high up in the tree crowns all along the trails down by the North Saskatchewan river. When the trees had leaves the nests were, despite their size, almost impossible to spot. Now, with the…
What is Project 366? Read more here! The North Saskatchewan river is know for its brown and murky water. The color is due naturally occurring sediments that are washed into the river, particularly during he spring melt and during periods of rain. People sometimes assume that the water is dirty, which is not entirely true….
What is Project 366? Read more here! Throughout the river valley and along the creeks in the city many trees have been wrapped in metal wire to protect them from being chewed on and felled by beavers. Obviously not every tree can be protected like this so the city is focusing its effort on large…