Pine Point Rapids, Whiteshell Provincial Park, Manitoba, Canada, December 2011

 As I had mentioned in an earlier post, my brothers and I got for a hike every winter. Normally we do the Pine Point Rapids trail, in Whiteshell Provincial Park.On this particular occasion it had been snowing (not fun on the remote roads, we had only seen 2 other people that day), so the trails had been covered in a fresh blanket of fluffy powder. What also made this difficult is that nobody had been down the trail in at least 2 days, so nothing was packed down and we had to break our own trail. By then end of the 8 kms our legs felt like jelly. Normally I would consider this a short hike, but considering the snow was about 2 feet deep in most places, this made the hike quite vigorous.

One great thing about winter and fresh snow is it makes it easier to spot animal activity. The snow having just stopped, it didn't take long for us to spot some interesting tracks, in this case a set of tracks from a wolf pack that had just used the trail before us. It was thrilling, the were probably there just moments before!

 We reached the Whiteshell River after about 45 minutes. The clear water appeared black against the pure white snow, and the river was so low it wasn't flowing over the rapids.

 At the bottom of the rapids the water was open, and I spotted this Mink playing in the snow. Mink love winter, this one was no exception, we watched him roll around in the snow for a good 10 minutes. 

 The next stop was Acorn Falls, which was also barely a trickle. Once again the water offered a stark contrast against the white snow and grey sky.

Viburnum Falls had some interesting  views, icicles forming from the spray of the falls. 

This was yet another great hike, the remoteness and quiet can be very relaxing, yet the trail offers a bit of a challenge. Certainly an interesting combination!

Kildonan Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, September 2011

At the end of 2011 the family went out for a day to Kildonan Park, on of the many small parks in Winnipeg. Kildonan Park is a nice little place to go for walks, it's a very peaceful area. 

The park has a small stream that usually has ducks in it, and we often go to feed them. However this time a Muskrat showed up, and I found that while ducks seemed to leave pumpernickel alone (they hate the taste), the muskrat loved it! Muskrats aren't rats, and despite appearance they aren't related to the beaver in any way either. Muskrats are in fact the biggest species of vole, small mouse-like rodents that normally burrow beneath the soil and eat roots and seeds. Muskrats are no different, they too burrow, but rather into the banks of water bodies. 

Wood Ducks are common here, as they like water bodies in deciduous forests. They are particularly fond of the rivers in Winnipeg, as oak trees grow along the banks and provide a food source in the form of acorns. This is a male fresh out of eclipse plumage, many of the birds there were still going through it.

I spotted this American Crow drinking from a water fountain a short distance away. Funny that he would drink from here rather than the creek right below. Crows are very smart though and he's probably seen people drink the nice clean water from there.

Just a few pics to keep the audience satisfied!

Oak Hammock Marsh, Manitoba, Canada, September 2011

*Small post* I might do a couple over the next two days, as it seems in late 2011 to early 2012 I went on several small day trips.

One such small trip was to Oak Hammock Marsh, a wetland protected wetland about 40 minutes north of Winnipeg. Many staging and breeding waterbirds of all types can be seen here, as well as many other wetland animals.

Usally in late September the pools and lakes are filled with ducks going through "eclipse" this is when ducks grow new flight feathers, and are unable to fly for a while. Male ducks will take on the less flamboyant female colours so that they can better camouflage themselves in this vulnerable period.

Besides ducks, other waterbirds that are often present are Sandhill Cranes. The more common of the two cranes here (Whooping Crane is endangered and very rare in migration, but pops up on occasion), Sandhills gather in large flocks in grain fields and marshes to feed before leaving for the winter. They're always a neat thing to see, and often you hear their gurgling trumpeting calls long before you spot them. 

I was surprised to see that while most birds were under migration, these Barn Swallows were raising a brood of babies! Apparently this isn't uncommon, as they will raise broods, sometimes two a year, up until October. As long as flying insects stick around, so can they.

Oak Hammock Marsh always seems to hide a little surprise in its extensive network of reeds and water bodies. If you live here or ever visit Manitoba, definitely worth a visit!