Strathcona Bird Count

The annual Strathcona Bird Count hosted by Strathcona Wilderness Institute took place this weekend. Most birders counted at the Buttle Lake area of Strathcona Park, but a couple of us went up to Paradise Meadows this morning. There is still a lot of snow on the trail, so we only did the boardwalk loop.
We counted the following birds :

Common snipe: 2 (bird of the day! in the meadow area in the photo above)
Red breasted sapsucker: 1
Pacific slope flycatcher: 3
Olive sided flycatcher: 3
Steller's jay: 1
Gray jay: 8
Common raven: 1
Chestnut backed chickadee: 7
Winter wren: 3
Golden crowned kinglet: 6
Ruby crowned kinglet: 1
Hermit thrush: 6
Varied thrush: 6
American robin: 6
Spotted towhee: 2
White crowned sparrow: 6
Chipping sparrow: 2
Dark eyed junco: 30
House finch: 1
Pine siskin: 26

Hermit thrush (photo above) have an ethereal song which seems to convey the cool solitude of our northern woods. They are usually more elusive than the gray jays (commonly called whiskey jacks - photo below).

The creeks are rushing with snow melt, the meadows saturated and full of marsh marigold.

Yellow swamp lantern & pink bog-laurel continue to add colour to the meadows.
New flowers blooming within the last few days are yellow violet (viola glabella), shooting star (dodecatheon jeffreyi), and globeflower (trollius laxus).Globeflower has flowers very similar to marsh marigold, but can be distinguished by the leaves: marsh marigold has oval smooth-edged leaves (lower flowers in photo), while globeflower leaves are divided into toothed segments (upper flower in photo).

Among the other wildlife were a black-tailed deer, and numerous tree frogs singing in the ponds. Several people were out on the trails already, also eager for summer to begin! The Wilderness Centre opens next Saturday, July 3.

First Day of Summer

On a visit to the Wilderness Centre today, the clouds lifted enough for a great view of Mt. Albert Edward and Mt. Regan, a picturesque backdrop for the new building.

Flowers already blooming in Paradise Meadows include western bog-laurel (Kalmia microphylla) , swamp lantern (Lysichiton americanum) and marsh marigold (Caltha leptosepala).

Olive-sided flycatchers were singing around the parking area, and in the meadows we heard hermit thrush, varied thrush, nuthatches, ruby-crowned kinglet, juncos, and chickadees.

The boardwalk is clear in the open areas, but in the woods it is still covered with a fair amount of snow, which hopefully will be gone by July 3 when the Centre opens for the summer.

A unique fungus (Gelatinodiscus flavidus) that grows only on yellow cedar twigs emerging from snow melt, was a preview of what you might see on the first nature walk on July 4 : 'Lichen It!'

Mount Albert Edward Hike: 3-4 July 2010

Six participants wanted for a weekend adventure!

If you have gazed up from Paradise Meadows to the high alpine and looked longingly at the distant summit of Mount Albert Edward this is your chance to stand on that peak! Strathcona Wilderness Institute has partnered with Island Alpine Guides to offer a two-day , one-night hike to the top of the mountain. A fun hike, a back country learning experience and superlative views of the peaks of Strathcona Park await you. This trip involves a single night of camping and carrying an overnight pack to base camp and back. The hike up the mountain itself is done with a lighter day pack.

Island Alpine Guides are certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and are members of the Canadian Avalanche Association. $250/person : Price includes guiding only. Transport, equipment and food logistics are organised between the guide and participants. (optional catering for $40/person/day). Please contact Island Alpine Guides directly for details at 250 400 2870 or by email . FMI visit the Island Alpine Guides web site.

If you are interested, register soon ! so that IAG can confirm the trip is running and schedule a guide.

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog of the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre, at Paradise Meadows, Strathcona Park !

The Centre is a beautiful new building adjacent to Raven Lodge at Mount Washington, with a spectacular backdrop of Mount Albert Edward, Mount Regan and Jutland Mountain in Strathcona Park.

The Centre is operated by Strathcona Wilderness Institute, a non-profit charity. The Institute offers a full Summer Program of weekend nature walks & hikes in the Park.

As the Summer 2010 Coordinator at the Centre on weekends from July 3 to September 12 , I will be blogging about activities at Paradise Meadows, trail conditions, and interesting nature sightings.

Please check in regularly to see what's going on!