I really enjoy spending my winter time observing the life around me. Some folks will find it weird that I say such a thing in the middle of a long Canadian winter. Even the thought of winter tends to instil visions of nothingness and emptiness outside of our city walls. However, once one takes the time and opens their eyes they may start seeing much life, as has been the case for me!
My journey to acquaint myself with my wild neighbours didn't start yesterday, it truly started just over 2 years ago. I found myself in a new place, the Aspen Parkland region of Central Saskatchewan. A place bordered on the South by the moist mixed grasslands and on the North by the boreal forest transition. The parkland is an ecozone caught between two very different worlds. When a field turns to a forest we call the area in which they meet the edge. Now if we know anything about edge within an ecosystem we know that edge by definition brings with it great biodiversity! So here I am sandwiched between grass land and forest, a world of never ending change and contradiction.
It was mid summer the first days I stayed and explored the land, walking the pastures and then diving into the forest letting the game trails guide me. My nature literacy was not what it is today and so I wasn't always sure whose path I was on or whose bed I had disturbed. We saw the odd white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) , heard many coyotes (Canis latrans) howling as night time came and we were often visited at camp by chipmunks (Tamias minimus) and ground squirrels (Urocitellus richardsonii). Little did I know that I would one day become one of the animals found on this lively property. :)
As summer turned to fall I now had an idea of where I wanted to put my trail cam. The locals told us about the area's healthy moose (Alces alces) population so I was on the hunt for some action shots. They did not turn us down, on a foggy September morning we got our first trail cam shots of a Cow and her twins. We have since gathered many pictures of the trio and the local bulls who pass through during rutting season.
Spending my time in a place with many moose during the rut has given me tremendous respect for these giant beauties. They can move through the bush without barely making a sound or when in rut the bulls can sound like a bulldozer driving through the trees! During these fall and winter months its very common to see bark rubbed off the trees and signs of bulls having duels. I walked up upon a rutting bull and cow by accident last fall and never really believed how big they were until that time, I was happy he let me pass! I see these beasts in the forest quite often and everything is all stress free when I mind my own business. I love following moose tracks in the winter, discovering melted bedding spots in the snow.
We also discovered that we had a robust snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) population, the little ones would even come near camp at night looking for scraps as we relaxed by the campfire. Since delving into our rewilding journey I wanted to try some easy wild meat and one day use pelts for wild crafting.
I am often asked how I can love all these animals so much yet want to eat them..The simple answer is that I want to learn everything about them, I also want to have a give and take relationship with the land, the way humans used to interact with their environments. I believe that the more we are involved in an ecosystem the more we have a capacity to love and value her. I've learned much about rabbits since my friend/mentor Jesse taught me snaring. I now know so much more about their movement patterns, habitat, food sources, and anatomy! I have really gained more respect for them in the process of hunting them. I've also tried porcupine.. and yes we ate it and it was decently tasty! I gained much insight about the animal in the process and consider it a good experience.
Speaking of predators we have a few varieties out here. I first noticed the coyotes on our first visit with our realtor friend Jordan Bird. They would watch us from a distance with their witty eyes and then disappear into the treeline. In the winter months I often see the tracks of martins, weasels, and fox, I have also heard reports of the odd lone wolf wandering through.
Mid last summer, as we pulled up to the camper, we tree'd a teenage black bear (Ursus americanus) who must have been checking out our setup for food, it was unreal to see him so close. Sadly I had to scare him off with my .22 because he kept trying to sneak up to camp after supper time. We haven't seen him since but we have seen bear scat and logs torn open as he must enjoy eating berries and ants when he comes through.
We do have mosquitoes...but wow do we have dragonflies! I couldn't believe their numbers the first summer and they came back just as strong this last summer. They have always been one of my favourite beings and I love watching them in the sky as the sun gets low. When the dragons head to cover for the night, the bats (Myotis ciliolabrum) come out to play, once again I am amazed at their numbers. Another fun pass time before complete dark is watching and listening to them while at the campfire!
The chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in the area tend to follow us around and watch us work, signing their songs and making their nests in the old snags. We hear a lot of action from the noisy ravens (Corvus corax) and the magpie (Pica pica) as they work to achieve areal dominance with one another. The lonely bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) can be seen and heard passing on occasion. We have also seen some rather ugly turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) perched on our neighbours fence. On a still winter day we get to see the snowy owls (Bubo scandiacus) and hear their distinct calls well into the night.
Now about the creatures we find near the ground, some of my favourite life forms. After the rain on warm sunny days you can find the local toads (Anaxyrus hemiophrysout) warming themselves on well-worm paths while they wait to ambush insects. I've always had a thing for toads, they seem to only come out when the weather is just right and it has always been very exciting when they do. On the opposite kind of days, when the sun beats down relentlessly, the snakes come out to play..or mate! The garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) can be found sunning in the field and searching for rodents. In early summer they gather in piles for a rather odd mating ritual (everyone mates with everyone). We were very excited to see a salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) this summer, it had fallen in a hole I had dug for observation purposes. By the time we got out there to save it the little guy was full of sand and a bit stressed out, we hope to see him again. I like the idea of having so many amphibians and reptiles around us, they are a great indicator of a healthy system!
Yes we have all kinds of bugs, the fun ones and the other ones! With our crazy number of wild flowers we get a crazy number of different native bees who visit. We enjoy seeing them working away, although don't get me started on trying to identify them its going to take some practice.
This last summer the prairies saw a explosion of tent caterpillars takeover our deciduous trees. It was crazy watching most of our trees lose their leaves in late May! At the time I was a bit sad, but after some observation and research I do believe that it happens as needed to redistribute the forests nutrients and feed other species. The caterpillar droppings flooded the forest floor and even blew out into the pasture giving new life to other places, the small animals spent their time feasting and I have even heard of bears eating caterpillars as a treat. Oh the crazy cycles that us humans barely understand!
Our little getaway happens to be located near Redberry Lake, this lake and the surrounding area is now part of a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. The lake is a high traffic route for migrating birds such as the Canadian goose (Branta canadensis) and mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) to name a few, and most importantly is a main breeding ground for pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos).
Near and around the lake their is initiative for new sustainable models of agriculture and livestock grazing. The section West of us has recently been fenced and stocked with bison (Bison bison), it is always a treat seeing them back in their original lands! The lake also has some creeks running into it, one of them runs right behind our property. Beavers (Castor canadensis) keep busy cutting the trees down in attempt to create more wetland for themselves and the water foul.
We still have much to learn about the beings around us but in the last 2 years I think we have done ok. I want to continue opening up my awareness to them so I can further learn and grow. I find this to be a most beneficial pastime, I even get to feel like I am part of something bigger than myself at the end of the day.
I hope you make room in your life for the wild creatures around you!
Peace,
Cass