The trail the Valley of Five Lakes in Jasper National Park meanders between and around…, you guessed it, five lakes. The Fifth Lake (that is actually it’s name) is different from the other four lakes in that it is emerald green this time of year. It is surrounded by lush spruce forests and at one end of it (NW side) there is a small wooden boat dock. The dock is the perfect spot for taking a break with a beautiful view of the lake and the surrounding mountains. Last time we were here there was a lonely Common Loon enjoying the spring sun. This iconic species came in as species 52 on the AB Big Year list and 103 on the Life List. As we were studying it through our binoculars I noticed how the loon would lay its head flat on the water surface moments before diving. I am not sure if I just have not noticed this behaviour previously or if this was a behaviour unique to this particular individual. I will definitely look for this next time I see a loon and hopefully get a video recording of it.
May the curiosity be with you. This is from “The Birds are Calling” blog (www.thebirdsarecalling.com). Copyright Mario Pineda.
I have been doing regular nature walks for a tad over four months now. While the focus of my outings typically is on birding, I go with an open mind and are game for any nature observations that I come across. Now, four months of going for walks in the forest does not make me an expert nor have I had any profound insights, but there are a few things that I have come to realize make at least my nature walks more enjoyable. So here it is, in true David Letterman style, the Top Ten Things Not to do When Going on a Nature Walk…
My first official nature walk, ever. December 16, 2018 at Beaverhill Bird Observatory in -25C (Alberta, Canada).
1. Don’t bring your phone
Turn it off, or even better, leave it behind (gasp!). And for Pete’s sake, whatever you do, don’t under any circumstance use your headphones. Nature walks are all about being present in the moment and cell phones…well, they have the exact opposite effect on your brain. Nuff said. Damn your eBird and Merlin for making such awesome apps. Yes it is convenient, but the last thing I want to do when watching birds is to be on my phone. The solution is of course simple, take notes in a notebook with a pencil and take pictures (not with your cellphone),… or even better, draw the bird (still mustering up courage for that one).
I get it, the eBird app is super convenient, but the last thing I want is to be staring on a device while out in nature. To the rescue, the good old fashioned paper notebook. If you want to go high-end you get a Rite in the Rain All-Weather notebook so you can continue jotting down observations during a down pour. It also does not use up your data plan or run out of batteries.
2. Don’t finish your chores
If you are anything like me, the chores at home will never end. If you are aiming to finish your chores and then reward yourself with, say, a nature walk, you will likely never go. With kids and pets in the house and working adults, getting your castle into tip top show home cleanliness and organization is a Sisyphean task with rapidly diminishing returns. My grandmother always said, “You do not live in a museum, get out and live”. The dishes can wait, the birds are calling and I must go!
Cats would never finish their chores, if they had any. Teens have chores, but just like cats, do not finish them either. So why should responsible hardworking parents have to finish their chores when they can go for a walk in the forest instead?
3. Don’t be unprepared
…but don’t over do it. What “being prepared means” obviously depends on where you are going and for how long. But even for the shortest of nature walks in my local forest patch I always bring the following items,
binoculars
camera with spare battery
small lens cleaning kit
my home made trail mix that is equally suitable for humans, squirrels and birds
notepad and pencil
a pocket knife
toque (that’s Canadian lingo for a close-knitted woollen hat) or a cap, depending on the season
finger gloves with cutoff fingers, or beefier gloves in the winter
cell phone…, well, this is awkward,… clearly I am not practicing what I am preaching (see #1 above). In my defence, I never actually take the phone out and its on silent. I carry it so it can track my location and the number of steps (this might sound like a lame execute, but as a high school teacher I have unparalleled expertise in hearing lame cell phone excuses).
field guide(s). Yes, I actually bring the brick-sized field guides, but I leave them in the car. Once I am back in the car after the walk I enter my eBird observations and check the field guide for anything that was tricky to id.
Be prepared, bring your bins and your Sibley.
4. Don’t be “somewhere else”
Another word for not being “somewhere else” is mindfulness. Be aware of your surrounding. Listen to to the forest, smell the environment, feel the air on your skin and feel your fingers go numb as you try coax your binoculars into focus on a cold winter morning. The birds can help you with this one. If you just look for the birds you notice other things, things you were not looking for in the first place.
Valley of the Five Trails in Jasper National Park. It is not hard to be awestruck and fully in the moment with this view (Alberta, Canada).
5. Don’t go alone,… don’t go with others,…
…do both. Go alone. Go with a friend. Go with your family. Go with strangers. While many of my outings have been with my modestly sized family, other field trips are with (non-birding) friends, or with a black belt birders from Edmonton Nature Club, yet other are solo excursions. Perhaps not surprisingly, I have found that it is difficult to convince anyone to join you for a pre-dawn field trip on, say, a Saturday or Sunday morning. As a result, I have done several early morning field trips to Elk Island National Park to hang out with the bison at sunrise while the rest of the gang get to sleep in.
It’s difficult not to get bitten by the birding bug when finding a colony of thousands of Red-legged Cormorants at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Boca Budi (Araucanía, Chile).
6. Don’t let the weather be your foe
Let the weather be your ally. Embrace the sun, rain, wind or freezing temperatures. There is no bad weather, just bad attitude towards the weather. The same forest in different weather will be a completely different experience. Either way, the animals in the forest never complain about the weather, they just deal with it. Why should we be any different?
Canadian-style sisu. A bit of ice slurry never stopped a beaver from going for a swim. (Whitemud Creek, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada).
7. Don’t go at the same time every time
Mix up the times. Go after work. Go first thing in the morning on a day off. Go at night. Go midday. Depending on the time, different critters will be out and about.
Animals tend to be most active at dawn. If the animals in the forest don’t get to sleep in, why should you? Fifth Lake at Valley of the Five Lakes, Jasper National Park (Alberta, Canada).
8. Don’t walk
I know. It’s called a “nature walk”, but surprising things might happen if you stop and listen and just be one with the environment. I tend to mostly be on the move when I go for a nature walk, but if you stop and stay put for a while you slowly become one with the surrounding forest and you might start noticing some of the more subtle things that are easy to miss, or as scallywag Master Gibbs puts it in The Curse of the Black Pearl:
He waded out into the shallows and there he waited three days and three nights till all manner of sea creature came and acclimated to his presence.
Spending time at a bird blind can be an exercise in patience. (Francis Point, Beaverhill Nature Area, Alberta, Canada).
10. Don’t rush!
Last but not least, if you rush it you are better off not going. There are two possible strategies here, either take your time and finish when you are finished, which assumes that you have time on your side. Alternatively, if you have limited time, adjust your outing to fit your schedule. Don’t try to rush through a nature walk just to get it done so you can move on to the next item on your to do list. Nature walks cannot be rushed, it’s not in their nature.
Taking time for a fika during a nature walk is the antidote to rushing. Notice the bird-like drinking behaviour of the hot coco. Drinking your hot beverage like a bird is not a required part of the fika culture (Beaverhill Bird Observatory, Alberta, Canada).
May the curiosity be with you. This is from “The Birds are Calling” blog (www.thebirdsarecalling.com). Copyright Mario Pineda.
One of our favourite valley bottom hikes around Jasper is the Valley of the Five Lakes trail. With a name that sounds like it would come right out of the lore of Middle Earth, the hike does not disappoint. With panoramic vistas of the surrounding mountains, emerald green and azure blue lakes the trail meanders through Mountain Pine Beetle ravaged pine forests, lush spruce stands and aspen groves. It is a popular trail and to beat the rush you want to be hitting the trail before 10 am. Last weekend we visited Jasper National Park and were fortunate enough to be able to do the Valley of the Fives Lakes trail twice. On our first day out we were greeted by a vocal Pileated Woodpecker and accompanied along the trail by Dark-eyed Juncos singing from the tree tops and American Robins hopping about through the understory. We found a mother bear with her cubs hiding in the bushes along the trail. As tempting as it was to linger and try to get a nice photograph of the family, we opted for a quick peek and then moved on to avoid undue stress on the new mother. The sound the cubs made was quite interesting. It was reminiscent of the cooing sounds of pigeons. So next time you heart a cooing in the forest it might be something bigger and furier than a pigeon or a dove. Often people are worried about meeting bears along the trails, and admittedly that I shared this concern once upon a time. Many bear encounter later, however, I found myself very lucky if I spot a bear. I don’t go actively looking for bears, but if our paths cross an already special day suddenly becomes unforgettable in the best of possible ways.
Nikon P1000, 655mm equivalent, 1/640s, f/5, ISO 100
May the curiosity be with you. This is from “The Birds are Calling” blog (www.thebirdsarecalling.com). Copyright Mario Pineda.
During a hike through the Valley of the Five Lakes in Jasper National Park we encountered a grove of trees covered in Old Man’s Beard, a type of lichen that grows in tassels attached to the branches of trees. These lichens grow extremely slowly and are sensitive to air pollution, especially sulfur dioxide, a byproduct of burning fossil fuels. I found it peculiar that we only found this lichen in a single grove of trees located in a small area. Clearly there must be something unique about that location or those trees, but I cannot put my finger on what that might be. We hiked this trail twice this weekend as many of the higher elevation trails are still snow covered. The Valley of the Five Lakes is at the bottom of a valley just south of the town site and is one of our favourite day hike trails.
May the curiosity be with you. This is from “The Birds are Calling” blog (www.thebirdsarecalling.com). Copyright Mario Pineda.
The mountains have been calling and with the Easter long-weekend arriving we wasted no time. As soon as school was out we hit the highway heading East. We arrived in Jasper late last night. Other than a close encounter with a band of coyotes on the highway the darkness was enveloping the landscape and did not reveal any other animals or scenery upon our arrival. The next morning we woke up to a grey sky with intermittent light rain. None of that mattered as we were happy and rejuvenated to breathe the cool mountain air. Jasper is at an elevation of about 1000 m (compared to Edmonton’s 645 m) and as a result the lakes still have a thin layer of ice on them and the mountains still have substantial amounts of snow on them. We are hoping to do some hiking over the weekend, but as many trails still are snow and ice covered we have to choose the trail wisely. A month ago I attempted to the Tonquin Valley trail but the trail surface was sheer ice and it was far to perilous to proceed. In the end we renting expedition grade cleats and ended up hiking the Maligne Canyon (which was spectacular). We will probably not see too many birds as these arrive later here. If we are lucky we might see some large mammals though.
May the curiosity be with you. This is from “The Birds are Calling” blog (www.thebirdsarecalling.com). Copyright Mario Pineda.
We visited Francis Point last weekend as part of out Snow Geese chase. It was a windy day and the birds were notably absent. What the nature walk lacked in birds, however, the frogs made up for with a chorus of song. Even in the tiniest and most ephemeral of ponds the frogs were croaking loudly in unison as they were getting into an amorous mood. The frogs made a duck-like quacking sound that initially confused us. A recent survey of amphibians at the nearby Beaverhill Bird Observatory only found Wood Frogs (Rana sylvatica or Lithobates sylvaticus) and o with only anecdotal evidence of Boreal Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris maculate) in the area. The Wood Frog is the most widely distributed amphibian in Canada and is associated with moist woodlands and vernal woodland pools. Wood Frogs are the earliest breeders in most of their range. Wood Frogs are known to be exceptionally freeze tolerant with their blood and tissue often freezing during the winter. We made a feeble attempt to visually spot the frogs, but anytime we approached a pond the chorus immediately fell silent. We figured that was their way of saying: “Leave us alone – we are busy”.
May the curiosity be with you. This is from “The Birds are Calling” blog (www.thebirdsarecalling.com). Copyright Mario Pineda.
The water level at out local creek in the Whitemud Ravine was high for most of March due to the snow melt. Now that the snow is gone the water has receded substantially leaving areas along the bank, that previously were submerged, exposed. We came across the following tracks on a recently exposed sand bank along the shore. Due to recent erosion when the water level had been high we were unable to actually get down on the sand bank to have a closer look at the tracks. The tracks were large, though, and were leading from the water’s edge. The only two possibilities in terms of who could have made them are either a beaver or a musk rat. The tracks were far too big for a muskrat and they were missing the markings caused by the tell-tale muskrat tail, which leaves a beaver as the only plausible candidate. As we were pondering these questions guess who emerges out of the water? No one other than a beaver him/her self. As the beaver slowly waddled up on the bank it left exactly the same tracks behind it. I almost wish the same thing would happen everything you find animal tracks in the wild. After spotting animal tracks, you take your best shot at identifying them and then comes the “answer key” walking along leaving exactly the same tracks.
May the curiosity be with you. This is from “The Birds are Calling” blog (www.thebirdsarecalling.com). Copyright Mario Pineda.
Over the last few weeks we have been searching high and low for the elusive Snow Goose. These geese breed and raise their chicks in the high arctic tundra during the summer and spend the winters in continental U.S.A. and Mexico, a migration of up to 5000 km. During their migration they fly at high altitudes in very large flocks (in the tens of thousands). Between the spring and fall migration they spend about 6 months a year on the “road”, travelling between their winter and summer habitats. During their migration they have several layovers to rest and refuel. One of these pit stops takes place East of Edmonton around the Beaverhill Natural Area. When the reports a few weeks back started rolling in of flocks with large numbers of Snow Geese being spotted, the chase was on.
The graphics below shows eBird reported sightings of Snow Geese in the Edmonton area over the last year. This screenshot was made mid-April (black vertical line indicates the date) and evidently the geese hang out in our area all throughout May before continuing on their north-bound migration at the end of May and beginning of June. The good news here is that we still have opportunities to see them during this migration before they leave. The next time they will be in our vicinity is between September to November when they are heading south to their overwintering grounds.
The map below shows the reported Snow Geese sightings around Beaverhill Lake in April this year, so basically roughly over the last three weeks. The location indicated by the arrow is where we found them. In our quest to find the Snow Geese we covered several hundred kilometres of dusty back roads in this area during three separate field trips. We visited most of the location where they have been reported this month. It appears, however, that the geese are quite mobile. While we saw lots of other birds (e.g. Canada Goose, Cackling Goose, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Northern Harrier, Rough-legged Hawk, Black-billed Magpie, European Starling, Ring-billed Gull, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee), we never managed to catch the Snow Geese in any of the previously reported locations. In the end, once we had basically given up and started to head home, we stumbled across them at a location where they had not previously been reported at perhaps the most unlikely of places, a small lake at this side of a busy highway.
The map below is the GPS track of our last field trip looking for the geese. The “blip” on the track between the two highway markers on the south side of the map is where we found the geese in the end.
A short video clip of the Snow Geese taking off from the lake. I am, not sure what made them decide to leave. It could have been our presence, but I doubt it as we were quite some distance away hiding behind the reeds. The video was shoot From a large distance at a high-zoom magnification with our Nikon P1000. It is more likely that the large flock of geese flying overhead might have enticed the geese on the lake to take off and join them in their search of another lake in the area.
Picture below shows a “cloud” of Snow Geese in the background. The birds taking off in the foreground are Canada Geese. The Snow Geese cloud extended across much of the horizon as it was rapidly moving away from us. I am still struggling with wrapping my head around how to best estimate the number of individuals in massive flocks like this. There are techniques described online for estimating population numbers in airborne flocks by visually breaking the flock into units of 10, or 100, or 1000, and then estimate the number of “units” within the flock (see for example the following link). I cannot see how one can do this successfully (= accurately) “on the fly” in the spur of the moment. If one can take a good quality photograph or video of the entire flock then one can analyze the images or video back at home and perhaps get a more accurate estimate. It would be interesting to try this out next time we see them (or any other large flock of birds).
I tried to find out if the lake has a name, but it appears it does not. There are thousands of small pothole lakes in their area so I assume most of them remain un-named.
The Snow Goose is species 49 on our Alberta Big Year List and species 101 on my Life List. Unbeknown to us at the time, our 100th species was a Northern Harrier which was a “collateral” find during our quest for the Snow Goose. It was not until we came home and recorded our sightings that we realized the significance of the Northern Harrier sighting. And we did not even get a picture of it. I guess we will just have to keep better track of our tally to make sure we get a picture of the next milestone – The Big 200. That’s quite some ways down the road though.
May the curiosity be with you. This is from “The Birds are Calling” blog (www.thebirdsarecalling.com). Copyright Mario Pineda.
The last few weeks have been a time of searching, a time of planing, and a time of scheming. Our patience and resolve has been tested repeatedly. We have accumulated hundred kilometres on dusty country roads single-mindedly in pursuit of our goal. We have been searching for the elusive snow geese. Over the last few weeks flocks of thousands of snow geese have been observed in the shallow lakes around Beaverhill Natural Area East of Edmonton, and more geese are reported to arrive on a daily basis. This was obviously too much of a temptation for us, so we decided to track the geese down to experience one of nature’s truly incredible events. Much can be said about this adventure and there will be a separate blog post about this (scheduled for tomorrow night) but suffice to say after several excursion and following leads from expert birders the geese evaded us. Finally we gave up and deflated started heading home while pondering how tens-of-thousands of large birds can hide so effectively. We had just got on the highway outside of Tofield when suddenly, from the passenger seat, “Dad – stop, stop, stop!”. As I was on the highway there was obviously no stopping, but a turn of my head to check what my son was pointing at revealed a myriad a fluffy white birds sitting on a pond along the side of the highway. What happened then, all occurred every fast. As I desperately was scanning the road side for any possibility of getting of the highway I found a tiny dirt road. After a quick check in the rear mirrors, I stepped on the break and careened of the highway and onto the dirt road. As it turns out, the dirt road took us directly to the lake with the geese…, and there they were! Thousands up one thousand of white snow geese on the water as well as a cloud of geese spanning a large chunk of the horizon flying overhead. We knew we did not have much time. We quickly and stealthily snuck out of the car with our binoculars and camera ready. It only lasted seconds, but all of a sudden the geese on the lake all took off simultaneously. There were geese everywhere, all the geese became airborne in the span of a few seconds. As they gained altitude they joined the large flock flying overhead. We were floored. Later on, in the car on the way home, we were discussing how many geese we had seen. It was definitely in the tens-of-thousands, but was it 10000, 20000, or more? In the end we decided to record the “conservative” figure of 15000 individuals, but quite likely the actual number was higher. We did manage to snap a few pictures but none of them make justice to overwhelming scene of a mega-gaggle of snow geese.
May the curiosity be with you. This is from “The Birds are Calling” blog (www.thebirdsarecalling.com). Copyright Mario Pineda.
As you approach the trail head that takes you to the Beaverhill Bird Observatory a small side road takes you to Francis Point. We tried to find Francis Point in February when the snow still was deep, but were unable to find this inconspicuous side road. It was likely covered up with snow. It is about a 500 m walk through a forested patch to get to the Francis Point bird blind, an old wooden shed that looks like it is about to collapse any minute. From the blind you have an expansive and unobstructed view of a vast grassy field. I suspect that once upon a time, when the Beaverhill Lake was larger this field may have been under water. Over the last few decades, however, the lake has been shrinking and these days it is no longer visible from the blind. Along the rafters in the blind there are cup-shaped bird nest made out of mud. There are not many options in terms of who could have made them. It could be either swifts or swallows. As there are no swifts reported at this location that leaves us with the swallows. Three species of swallows have been reported here; the Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor), Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica). The tree swallow is out as it nests in natural cavities of standing dead trees, old woodpecker cavities or in nest boxes. Cliff Swallows build a nest out of mud that looks very similar to the nests in the blind. Cliff Swallow nests are different in that they are more covered and have small circular entrances. That leaves us with the barn swallow. A simple web search reveals that indeed the match is perfect. Barn Swallows typically nests inside accessible buildings such as barns and stables, or under bridges and wharves. They collect mud pellets and build neat cup-shaped nest attached to beam or other vertical projections. The inside of the nests is lined with grasses, feathers or other soft materials. It never crossed my mind to peek inside the nests, but next time we visit I will have a look. Judging from the eBird reports, the Barn Swallows do not return to Francis Point until May so we still have a few weeks to go before being able to acquaint with the inhabitants of the nests.
May the curiosity be with you. This is from “The Birds are Calling” blog (www.thebirdsarecalling.com). Copyright Mario Pineda.
