Rafting on the Red Deer River

We've had some great raft trips this summer, and there's still plenty of time this August to book yours! For information about our river floats, prices, and dates, call us at 403-346-2010.

For a rafter's-eye view of the river, check our YouTube channel here.

A quick note about Sunday's edible plant walk

For anyone wondering, my edible plant walk on Sunday, July 24th will be going ahead as planned. As of today the weather forecast for Sunday looks good, so we should have a decent day for walking.

Here comes the "however", though:

However, the recent rains we've had have flooded out a few parts of the trails we'll be using. It's not impassible, but if you're planning to come down I'd recommend wearing suitable shoes for wading.

The walk goes at 2 pm down here at the Nature Centre. Admission is by suggested donation of $3/person or $10/family.

I hope to see you there!

What do you get when you cross a duck and a chicken?

I'm not sure, but it would probably look something like an American Coot (Fulica americana).

The little white-billed black "ducks" you'll see paddling through the cattails on the Gaetz Lakes right now are actually Coots, which are members of the Rallidae or Rail family. If you get a chance to look closely at a coot while it's swimming, you'll notice that its feet are lobed rather than webbed like a duck's would be. Because of their lobed feet, Coots (also known as Mudhens) are much better able to get about on land than most ducks can.

Coots are considered weak fliers, and their comparatively small wings mean that they need a real running take-off to get in the air.

I took the above photo of a Coot and her young a few years ago, and her babies were certainly in the awkward stage. There are few things on the lake as homely as newly-hatched, orange-headed Coots. I'm not sure they even qualify as "so ugly they're cute", to be honest. At the moment the young on the West Lake are past that phase, though, and busily foraging through the pond weed and algae with their mother. I took a bit of video of them this morning, and while it was too sunny today to get a really good shot of them, you can watch them feeding on our YouTube channel here.

12 Seconds of Deer

We had a bit of an unusual visitor at lunch today at the Centre. Not unusual because deer are rare in Sanctuary -- far from it -- but because we don't often see them out so casually in the middle of the day. This particular deer browsed a couple of the bushes up by the building and then headed off down into the trees.

You can see it right here, since I happened to be out with the camera at the time.

Don't forget to check out our YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/NatureCentre. I hope to be shooting video out in the Sanctuary regularly over the summer.

A rare rafting opportunity!

Rafting season is finally upon us! Now that the nice weather is making more of an appearance, it's time to get out on the river and have some fun. This coming Friday, July 15, will be the first installment of a novel and thoroughly enjoyable float we're running this year: moonlight raft tours. It will be a late night, but well worth it as we'll get to see life on the river after dark. Seats are $45 + GST/person for KWNCA members and $50 + GST/person for non-members. There are still a few seats left; call the Kerry Wood Nature Centre at 403-346-2010 for more information or to reserve your spot.

If you're not able to make the July run of the Full Moon Float, don't fret! We'll be running another one on Saturday, August 13. Registration is open now for this trip, as well as for all of our regular Tuesday/ Thursday night Raft and Roasts and Saturday afternoon 3-hour Scenic Tours. Or, if you prefer a more intimate trip with your family, private tours are also available. Call the Kerry Wood Nature Centre for more information.

Happy Summer, everyone!

First'ish' Friday!

Join us in the Marjorie Wood Gallery (located in the Kerry Wood Nature Centre) as we are featuring Teresa Stieben: “Feathers and Flash, avian delights and the bounty of nature” a solo exhibition. Our addition to the First Friday calendar, starts at 5 and continues until 7pm. Or, stroll through the sanctuary and stop in to our 'meet the artist' reception Saturday, July 9^th from 1-3 pm. For more information, please call us at (403)346-2010 or for information regarding Teresa and her works please click on the link: http://teresastiebenart.blogspot.com/

Happy First (sort of) Friday everyone! And thanks for your continued support to our local arts community!

One-eyed Sphinx Moth

I noticed this beauty hanging out at our front door here at the Nature Centre this morning. It's called a One-eyed Sphinx Moth (Smerinthus cerisyi). If the name seems a little odd, it's only because this moth has its wings folded. If the wings were spread, you'd be able to see black spots with bluish rings inside them, all surrounded with pink and beige.

The eye spots are a means of defence for this sphinx and many other moths. Suddenly flashing eye spots at an approaching bird may confuse the predator enough to scare it away.

For a look at the spread wings, check out the specimen here.

Summertime at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre

July is finally here and after a long wait it seems to have finally brought the sunshine. Summer is such a beautiful time of year to enjoy all the wonderful outdoor activities Red Deer has to offer; the hiking, rafting, biking, running and whatever else you enjoy.

To keep your children enjoying their summer we have 5 different weeks of Day Camps:

Week 1 - July 11-15 (French Language Programming) Ages 7-12

Week 2 - July 18-22 (English Programming) Ages 6-10

Week 3 - July 25-29 (French Language Programming) Ages 7-12

Week 4 - August 8-12 (English Programming) Ages 6-10

Week 5 - August 15-19 (French Language Programming) Ages 7-12

We are proud to be able to offer French Language Day Camps for any Francophone and French Immersion children. A big thanks to the ACFA and the Canadian Parents for French for supporting french language programming!

Our Nature Magic day camps are nature based and include hands-0n science, crafts, daily walks, historical and nature based interpretive programs. Camps run Monday to Friday from 9-4:30. For more information and to book please contact us at 403-346-2010 or by email at avery.acheson@waskasoopark.ca

We are filling up fast, but space is still available!

Canada Day weekend in the park

If you're looking for something a little different to do for the long weekend, why not join us out at Fort Normandeau for a Family Sleepover? The sleepover goes from 5 pm Saturday (July 2nd) to 12 pm Sunday, and meals will be provided. Bring your tent, and we'll bring the activities, games, and campfire. The cost is $35 + GST per family. Please preregister by 7:30 pm on Thursday, June 30th.

If you'd like something that isn't overnight, join me at the the Fort on Sunday, July 3rd for an edible plant walk. We'll be talking about some of the historical and modern uses of our native plants, plus I'll point out a few useful weeds that might be helpful on your summer camping trips. We'll be starting at 2 pm. The cost is by recommended donation of $3/person or $10/family.

For more information on this or any of our other upcoming summer events, give us a call at 403-346-2010.

Summer Fun in Waskasoo Park

Summer is almost here, and with it comes lots of outdoor fun with the many public programs we have coming up at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre. Consider this your invitation to join us for one of these great events:

Environment Week has 3 Kinds of Green to choose from- June 6,7,8 from 3 to 5 p.m. each day. Monday- Meet at Bower Ponds for fun with water! Tuesday- Go to Waskasoo Crescent (off 45 Ave) for tree planting! Wednesday- It's Clean Air Day at Heritage Ranch!

Family Planetarium is Sunday, June 12 at 1:00 p.m. $3/person or $10/family. Drop-in.

Penny Stove Workshop- Tuesday, June 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. Learn how to make a super-efficient camp stove from pop cans! Pre-registration required.

Nature Play Day is Wednesday, June 15. Drop in for hands-on nature play all day!

Backcountry Essential Gear Workshop- Thursday, June 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. Bring your gear for show and tell and learn about some new gear and techniques. Free drop-in program.

And remember: the 25th Anniversary of Fort Normandeau Days is coming soon; Saturday and Sunday, June 18 and 19 from noon to 5 p.m. each day at Historic Fort Normandeau! It's a day full of food, music, dancing, black powder demos, archery and more, all for only $3/person or $10/family.

If you would like more information about any of these programs, or to register, please call the Kerry Wood Nature Centre at 403-346-2010. The fun doesn't stop there: this summer, look for:

• First Fridays in the Marjorie Wood Gallery
• Day Camps in English and French
• Raft Tours on the Red Deer River, including 2 Full Moon Floats!
• Family Sleepover at the Fort- July 2/3
• ART&facts walking and biking tours exploring Red Deer's public art installations
• Edible Plant Walks
• The Roving Interpreter, bringing games and activities to stops around Waskasoo Park all summer long! Watch this blog, our Facebook page, and Twitter for upcoming stops and themes.
• Perseid Meteor Shower Star Party
• And last, but not least, the Kickoff Weekend for the Kerry Wood Nature Centre's 25th Anniversary year of celebrations, July 29 through August 1!

Registration is already open for many of these great programs. Call to reserve your spot today!

Until next time...

I never like to do this, but...

Hi everyone. I have some unfortunate news: tomorrow's Family Planetarium has been cancelled. There is a silver lining to this cloud, however. Not only do we run Family Planetariums every month (the next one is on Sunday, June 12 at 1 p.m.), we also have a free Bird ID program here at the Nature Centre tomorrow afternoon. Judy Boyd from the RDRN will be presenting on common birds in Central Alberta. Judy's talk will be a short slide show followed by a walk to see who's out and about. Still a lovely afternoon out with the family.

Have a great weekend!

Catch us on video

If you look to the links section of the blog's sidebar, you'll see that Kerry Wood Nature Centre now has a YouTube channel. We hope to be adding both natural history and program videos on a regular basis as the spring programming season swings into gear. Be sure to check us out!

Our bats are back

If you're like me and are desperately looking for signs that our long-awaited spring is finally on the go, you might be interested to know that a day or two ago one of our resident bats showed up at its usual roost here at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre.

Since Alberta bats are dependent on insects for food, they can't hang around their usual summer territories all winter. Instead, they migrate to winter hibernating caves and only return in the spring.

If you're interested in seeing our "secret" bat roost or would like more information on bats and bat boxes, come see us at the Nature Centre or give us a call at 403-346-2010.

Dennis Moffat Prints

The Friends of the Kerry Wood Nature Centre has a special on Dennis Moffat nature prints. All of them are matted and framed. An example of some of them are as follows: 1. Canada Goose at Slack Slough 2. Hunter 3. Landing at Sunset 4.Canadian Peregrine Falcon 5.Minewa, the Gray Owl These Red Deer based prints would be great for an office or a den The price is $85.00 each. If you purchase 2 or more a special discount can be arranged. For more information , call Bob at KWNC 403 346 2010

Bird Homes

Now is the time to prepare your bird nestboxes for the 2011 season. The KWNC bookstore has a great selection of nest boxes for bluebirds, tree swallows, wren & chickadees. For information about our nest boxes, birds or books on nature, call Bob at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre 403 346 2010 email; bookstore@waskasoopark.ca

A bit of the birds and bees for spring...

Public Programming has been given a rare opportunity this year. No, not an early spring (at least not by all the snow I still see around), but the chance to let loose a little, get a little naughty, and host a sure-to-be-entertaining adults only planetarium and mixer! It's called "Diabolical Deities: A Night of Murder, Lust, and Mayhem" and we're having it here at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre on Saturday, April 16, 2011, from 8 to 10 p.m. Costs are $20+gst/members and $23+gst/non-members. Paid pre-registration is required (due to planetarium size). There are only 15 spots left: you can drop in to the Nature Centre or call 403-346-2010 to reserve yours today! Diabolical Deities is sure to be a great night out for you and your fun-loving friends: wine, greek-themed food to go with the uncensored Greek myth star stories, costumed hosts, and togas are encouraged! See you there!

Seedy Sunday at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre

It's officially Spring, folks, and that means it's time to start thinking about gardening and sustainable food production. If you've decided that this is the year you ramp up your green gardening practices, you're in luck! We have two events coming up this week, all about food and how to grow your own.

There's still one day left to register in our Green Gardening Workshop, running this Wednesday, March 23. Call 403-346-2010 for more details.

Sunday, March 27, is Seedy Sunday. ReThink Red Deer and the Kerry Wood Nature Centre have teemed up with Seeds of Diversity and a host of other groups and individuals interested in sustainable food production to present an event full of informative talks, seed exchanges and sales, kids' activities and more! Check it out between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. this Sunday. If you'd like more information on speaker topics, you can also check out the poster- just click this link.

http://waskasooenvironmental.homestead.com/SeedySunday2011.pdf

See you Sunday!

World's oldest banded bird a mom again

Follow this link to a neat story on Discovery News about Wisdom the Albatross, who was first banded in 1956, and her latest chick.

Amazing what a good diet and exercise can do for longevity, eh?

Owl Cam

Our friends at the Ellis Bird Farm have just turned on an Owl Cam. The webcam is trained on a pair of nesting Great Horned Owls and has infrared capabilities in order to capture the birds' nocturnal activities.

For complete information about the webcam check out the story in today's Red Deer Advocate. For more information on the Ellis Bird Farm and the important work they do, check our their website.

Celebrate Carnaval this Friday night at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre

Join us this Friday, March 11, 2011 starting at 6 p.m. for a bilingual planetarium and nature walk in celebration of Carnaval. The walk will be first with the planetarium show to follow. Please be advised that the planetarium will be first come, first served as it has a maximum capacity of 25. (We will run more shows if needed.) This event is free to attend.