So we drove back to Grande Prairie, back past the entrance to the park, to Saskatoon Mountain where we had been told there was good birding.....well maybe earlier in the spring....not this day, but it did afford a great look of the flat Peace country......this is looking back towards the west....
The above was a more northerly view.....basically it is the same in all directions!
there were large open grassy fields at the top of this 'mountain', but the edges had lush vegetation as this photo shows......
a close up of the wild Honeysuckle.......
and back to Saskatoon Island, where our theory worked, we grabbed the first site available, but as it turned out the place was virtually empty...... We had stayed at Saskatoon Island on our way back from our 2005 N.W.T. trip, and had been looking for a way to get back ever since. In my estimation, this park is about as close to being done right as it is possible to get. Located on an island (as the name suggests), there are 3 campground loops, some sites with power, some sites reserved (but in the minority), large grassy picnic areas with kitchen shelters, each 'loop' has it's own washroom and showers, a paved path joins each 'loop', there are several playgrounds (and a water park was under construction), but most importantly the majority of the park has been left wild and is a haven for birds and wildlife. The south part of the lake is a protected area for nesting Trumpeter Swans (no water craft allowed!), there is a paved path to a viewing stand over looking this area and mowed paths throughout the rest of the natural area. I think you could come here anytime of the year and there would be things to see......
The trees around the campsite were alive with Yellow Warblers.......
the island is named for the Saskatoon Berry bushes that cover the natural areas, those bushes had long since finished flowering and were covered in green (not yet ripe) berries....there were now lots of these bushes in flower....a type of Honeysuckle......
Chipmunks were everywhere....busily eating the seed heads of dandelions.....
Took a walk to the viewing platform....this is looking eastwards.....this is the area of the lake that is off limits for watercraft as Trumpeter Swans nest here. If you ever see a Trumpeter Swan with yellow collar....it would have been banded in this general area.
Although I've seen young Trumpeters here before, this time we didn't see any, but these 3 adults flew over head while I was walking......
This pair of American Widgeons were hanging about near the platform......
also a few American Coot....
the whole place was alive with Cedar Waxwings.....they were eating the Saskatoon Berries, even though they weren't anyways near ripe!
there were Black Tern nesting in the area as well - always difficult to get a picture of!
several young Red-wing Blackbirds were clumsily feeding on these water plants....frequently falling off into the water.....
quite a few Eastern Kingbirds as well.....
Probably the most commonly seen bird in the area, at least in the wild scrub areas, were these Clay-coloured Sparrows....
my Field Guide says that where these birds are found, they are usually the most frequent 'nester' in terms of numbers......and that certainly seemed to be the case here.
another one of those Cedar Waxwings.....
in the evening I went for a walk along the paved trail joining the 3 campground loops....I was actually looking for a missing Beagle dog, from the campsite next to us....only had my small camera so wasn't well prepared for seeing this - a Rose-breasted Grosbeak! The first I had ever seen!
this was the best picture I got of the male Rose-breasted Grosbeak... (the wandering Beagle was located)
later yet in the evening I was going to walk over by the viewing platform because the last time we had been here I had seen Great-horned Owls there....this time I just stepped onto the road in the campground and there was this Ruffed Grouse.
didn't see any Owls this time, but took this evening shot on my way back to the camper.Campground fee: $20
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