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23.12.15
Winter Walks In Banff
Showing posts with label Alberta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alberta. Show all posts
16.11.15
Blessed by the Siksikaitsitapi
With the change in season I thought it was time to take another trip up to Nose Hill Park to see what it looked like compared with when I was there in Summer. It was a pretty windy day, and as soon as we reached the top I realised the hair down approach just wasn't going to cut it.
I've tried Geocaching once before with absolutely no luck. So I was excited to spot this Geocache, underneath a tree, without even trying!
As we were walking, eagle-eyed Andrew spotted a buck in the distance.
The trail we were on led us right past him, so it was great to be able to get closer. Nose Hill Park is visited by walkers, cyclists and dog walkers, so the deer are very familiar with humans. He spent a lot of time eyeing up two dogs that were on the hill, we decided to keep our distance so he didn't feel too confined.
We managed to stumble upon a Native Medicine Wheel, that was created in September, representing all four tribes of the Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot) Confederacy; Siksika, Blood, Northern and Southern Peigan.
We left an offering (some money) to the creator, which meant that in return we would be blessed.
I've become really fascinated by Native American cultures, and it was lovely to be able to see something that would have been around thousands of years ago coexist with a modern day cityscape.
While walking close to some trees we managed to accidentally spook a herd of White-Tailed Deer. When they feel as though they are in danger they flick their tails upward showing the white underside as a way to send a message to the rest of the herd.
This doe was very curious and started walking towards me.
On our way back down the hill, we spotted another herd of deer. Similar to my thoughts on the Medicine Wheel, there's something quite magical about being so immersed in nature while there's still a city in the background.
Just across the hill was another buck who seemed to have taken a fancy to the herd. Well, it is mating season after all.
9.11.15
A Walk Around Calgary
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| Bison statue outside of Fort Calgary |
The American bison is commonly and historically referred to as a buffalo, however it's only distantly related to the true buffalo - which lives in Africa.
About 2 hours away from Calgary is a UNESCO World Heritage site called Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. The buffalo jump was used for over 5000 years by Blackfoot indigenous peoples, who would dress up as coyotes and wolves and drive the bison from their grazing area to the edge of the 36 foot high cliff. Due to the weight of the herd behind them, when the bison reached the edge of the cliff they would fall, breaking their legs.
Legend states that the buffalo jump got its name because a young Blackfoot wanted to watch from below as the bison fell. He was found dead underneath the pile of carcasses, with his head smashed in.
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| St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Orthodox Church |
In 2011, Canada's ninth largest ethnic group was Ukrainian, giving Canada the third largest Ukrainian population in the world behind Ukraine itself, and Russia.
Canada Geese are a common sight, with at least 7 million of them in North America. 55 years ago there were parts of Southern Canada where the species was considered locally extinct. 25 years later this changed to the species being considered uncommon, and now they appear in large numbers. This helps to reflect a successful wildlife protection programme, as well as the adaptability of the species to human influenced environments - increasing their food sources and reducing their predators.
26.8.15
Balcony Birds
Back in England I never really paid that much attention to birds, other than when a woodpecker would occasionally visit the garden.
But ever since seeing a hummingbird on the farm in Ontario, birds have started to pique my interest.
Living in a city, I don't get to see much variation, but these are the three I've managed to snap from my balcony this week.
Pigeons
Pigeons are possibly one of, if not, the most underrated birds. Let's face it, nobody likes walking through town and having a pigeon with gammy feet flying at their face.
However, pigeons are considered to be a very intelligent bird, and are one of the few species that have been found to pass the Mirror Test - a test of self-recognition. They can also be trained to recognise different letters of the alphabet, and distinguish between photos presented to them.
Pigeons mate for life and tend to rebuild their nests in close proximity to their old ones, resulting in a lot of pigeon droppings and being labelled as pests in modern society. But pigeon poo was once thought of as the best kind of fertiliser, and an important ingredient of gunpowder.
Swainson's Hawk
After a bit of research, I'm fairly sure this is a female Swainson's Hawk. The Government of Alberta has given the Swainson's Hawk the classification of 'sensitive' on the Wild Species at Risk Status, due to the use of pesticides on their wintering grounds in Argentina.
They usually feed on ground squirrels, mice and occasionally small birds.
Black-capped Chickadee
At last, a visitor to my bird feeder!
I heard a few chirps outside and went to investigate, thankfully he stayed long enough for me to get a few photos as they usually just grab a few seeds to take away and hide in a number of different locations, in order to eat them later.
Apparently, in the autumn Chickadees are able to let their old neurons die and replace them with new ones, wiping out old memories and creating a new storage space. This helps them remember changes within their flock and environment, as well as locations where they've hidden food.
The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary has just reopened after being closed for a couple of years due to flooding in 2013. Hopefully I can get over there soon and add some more birds added to my memory card.