Mind our mess. We’re improving your view.

The Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary is getting a long-awaited upgrade to one of its most impressive viewpoints. For 30 years the East Gaetz Lake viewing deck on the east side of the Sanctuary has been providing visitors with a great look at the East Lake, the forest below, and the west side of Red Deer. The viewing deck has a unique, raised platform that puts people out, over the escarpment, while making as little impact with the ground as possible.

30 years of use, 30 years of summer sun, winter snow, spring rains, and fall leaves have taken their toll on this structure. It needs to be replaced. Beginning on Sept 29 crews will start dismantling the structure. New, low-impact screw piles will be driven into the hillside, and a new viewing deck will be installed. The raised boardwalk and staircase leading to the deck will also be replaced as they too, are nearing the end of their safe, usable life.

In order to complete this work, we will need to close the Wishart Trail beginning September 29, 2016. The trail will be closed from the north end of the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary, along the east side of the loop,  through to the top of the long staircase at the south end of the Sanctuary. We will keep the west side of the Wishart trail loop open from the Nature Centre through to the staircase.
The 1 kilometre Dr. George Trail loop will be unaffected.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to phone the Kerry Wood Nature Centre at 403-346-2010.

Todd Nivens, Executive Director

Looking out our back door

Here are a few quick shots from outside our back door on this fine afternoon. That latest snowfall is melting fast, and Imagination Grove is starting to look ready for some spring fun. See you there!

Seen in the Sanctuary:

 I took advantage of the nice weather to get out on the Dr George Trail to see what's up at the moment. Some things were neat:

Deer trail through the trees

Moose trail on the bird blind. I wonder how ticked she was when she realised that it's a dead end.

 Some things, though, didn't make me as happy:

Human use of deer trail

Snowshoe tracks amongst the animal tracks on the West Lake

Boreal Chickadee obviously used to being hand-fed. Thanks to the visitor who's name I didn't get for assisting me with this picture!

We ask our visitors to please remember that there are rules in a wildlife sanctuary, and in a heavily-used urban sanctuary those rules become especially important. Enjoy your walk, but try to stay on the existing (human) trails rather than making your own.

Also, if you notice people feeding wildlife in the sanctuary, please let our staff know.

Seen in the Sanctuary

I got a chance to take the camera and go for a walk this afternoon. Here's a little of what's happening on the Dr George Trail in early August:

The chickadees were all very busy. They always seem to be.

Looks like this little guy is getting ready to cocoon.

I seem to take a lot of photos of duck bottoms...

There's lots of nectaring on the goldenrod right now.

That's a meadowhawk. Appropriately, in the meadow.

It's definitely prime saskatoon season.

Can you spot the face made by these woodpecker holes?

The Sanctuary was a very busy place today, both with the resident animals and all the people that came to visit. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me out there, folks. And remember, if you see one of our staffers out on the trails please don't hesitate to say hi. You never know what we might be able to tell you about recent happenings!

Seen in the Sanctuary

Just a few quick photos from yesterday's stroll:

Black-capped Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Red Squirrel. This one had just lost a territorial spat.

The warmer weather has meant more activity in the Sanctuary, but with the deep snow snowshoes are still the best way to get about. Call us at 403-346-2010 for details about rentals.

Snow

I'm beginning to think that I could title pretty much every post "Snow" for the next few months...

I took a  quick walk yesterday to get out of the office for a bit, and let me tell you the obvious: the snow is deep out there. If you're interested in doing the Sanctuary trails (which are ungroomed) I really would recommend renting a pair of snowshoes because the footing isn't very easy otherwise. Our staff can give you a quick tutorial on snowshoe use, and the new, modern snowshoes we have are apparently very easy to walk with. I say apparently because I haven't been on them yet. I don't exactly have great balance. Having said that, though, I've agreed to give it a go this winter as long as it stays above the minus horrible temperatures we've been having lately. We'll take pictures when it happens.

Anyway, here's a little of what I saw in between trudging through snowbanks:

 The heavy snow is really starting to weigh down the bushes. I'd imagine that some of them will be permanently bent after this.

My size 7 boot track compared to a fairly fresh moose track. I don't have terribly big feet, but that was still a good-sized moose.

The Red Squirrels have been leaving their share of tracks as well.

The viewing deck on the West Gaetz Lake is fairly heavily drifted in. It takes a little slogging to get to the deck itself. And then more slogging once you're there.

The lake itself is usually an animal highway filled with tracks this time of year, but even there the snow is too deep for most animals to bother trying. Sorry for the colour of this photo, but I had to darken it a lot just to make those few tracks visible.

The trails are still worth a look even with all the snow, and the snow helps us see what the animals are up to. Just remember that if you're not on snowshoes you'll want to plan more time than usual to get places. Either that or plan a shorter walk, of course!

Wishart Trail stairs fixed

An update to this post:

The City crews have fixed the stairs on the Wishart Trail. It's now completely passable for the full loop.

Enjoy your walk!

Wishart Trail Stairs

Just a note to our walkers:

The Wishart Trail stairs are closed until they can be repaired. People walking this trail (the 4 km) will only be able to get halfway around and then have to turn back. We'll let you know as soon as they are fixed.

Thanks for your patience.

About this time every year...

We're into the part of August where the grasshoppers leap out at you as you walk the Dr George Trail, the Purple Asters and Goldenrods are showing off their colours... and people phone us concerned that there's something wrong with the trees because they're turning yellow.

Sorry, everyone, but it's that time of year again.

Here in Alberta we have a number of trees and shrubs that start turning colour fairly early, but probably the most noticeable is the Balsam Poplar. It can start turning in mid-July, and since it's one of the main tree species in the park it's hard not to see the yellow leaves peeking out everywhere.

Hard to believe, but it happens this early every year. It's not a signal of illness or pesticide use; it's just the tree's natural cycle. It's hard for a lot of us (including me) to process the fact that a tree could be getting ready for fall when there's usually still a fair amount of summer, and I think that's why people become concerned when they see the yellow leaves. It is normal, though, even if it's a tiny bit depressing.

On a happier note, here are a few of the things I saw on my walk around the 1 km today:

Grasshopper on the path

Goldenrod peeking through the shrubs. And my shadow...

The Red Squirrels have been leaving lots of piles of peeled cones.

A Mosaic Darner

Mystery feathers all over the bird blind. I wonder if something got eaten.

Bottom's up!

Quick quiz

 I went out with the camera for a little while at noon, and I thought that it might be a good opportunity to see what our visitors know about the park. So, here's the first question: Where in the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary would you find this, and what caused it?

For anyone who's not sure, here's a pretty big clue:

I'll leave it to you to guess what did the chewing, though. Next question: Which of the following plants will we be discussing during my next Edible Plant Walk?

 (Ok, honestly? I took this photo more for the leaf gall than the plant. But bonus points if you can tell me what made the gall.)

And what are the answers? Well, if you think you know feel free to comment below, or you can answer on Twitter @NatureCentre.

Oh, and if you're interested in the plant walk, we'll be going out at 1 pm on July 28, 2013. Admission is by suggested donation of $3/person or $10/family. I look forward to seeing you there!

An update on the Grebes

I'm not entirely sure if this is the same family since we've had several pairs of Red-necked Grebes nesting on the West Lake this year, but since they're hanging around the same area as the nest at the Bird Blind I suspect that it might be. If it is, it looks like they've lost one chick. Unfortunately, that sort of thing happens in nature.

I think it might be the male doing the feeding in the pictures below, but if there's someone out there who knows their grebes better than I do please feel free to correct me in the comments.

Seen in the Sanctuary:

There are lots of families to be seen on the lake at the moment, so be sure to visit our bird blind if you're coming for a walk.

Couldn't resist adding this male Ruddy Duck, even though he's not hanging around with a bunch of youngsters. Today in a short period of time I spotted Ruddies, Blue-winged Teals, Goldeneyes, Mallards, Canada Geese, and Red-winged Blackbirds, and I'm not even particularly good at water or shore birds. Bring binoculars or a telephoto lens, and you're sure to get some good bird views. Oh, and as always, bug spray is a pretty good idea...

Just hanging out at the lake

I went out to the bird blind on the West Gaetz Lake this morning to check on a couple of things, and as I generally do I took the camera along with me just in case. Here's a bit of the wildlife that was hanging out:

 Red-necked Grebe

 A pair of Gadwalls

 Mallards and Blue-winged Teals preening on an old muskrat mound

A very uncooperative Blue-winged Teal who insisted on feeding rather than posing

A rainy or overcast day can often be a good time to find the birds a little closer to the deck than they might be on a hot, sunny day. Don't be afraid to put on the gear and go out for a wet walk.