Bird Banding with the Young Naturalist Club

On Sunday, May 26th 2013 at 7:30 am Grace joined several other young Naturalists joined Janos Kovacs a veteran bird bander for a morning of Identification, a great explanation of what bird banding is, and sharing of a life time of bird watching.

The prize catch a Yellow Bellied Sap Sucker

Bird ringing or bird banding is a technique used in the study of wild birds, by attaching a small, individually numbered, metal or plastic tag to their legs or wings, so that various aspects of the bird's life can be studied by the measurements taken during the capture, such as molt, fat content, age, sex, wing and tail. An added bonus is the occasional ability to re-find the same individual later. This recapture or recovery of the bird can provide information that includes migration, longevity, mortality, population studies, territoriality, feeding behaviour, and other aspects that are studied by ornithologists

Strathcona Science Provincial Park is a provincial park in Edmonton, Alberta. It was established on December 12, 1979.

A Yellow Warbler caught in the nets

This site was for thousands of years the site of an annual aboriginal camp, as it was located close enough to the river for transportation and trade and the bluffs of the river valley provided excellent bison-hunting opportunities. The park was established to preserve the site from encroaching industrial development. It was the site of archeological excavations in 1978 to 1980.

Clay Coloured Sparrow

The park contains several abandoned interpertive buildings opened by the Alberta government in 1980 but now shuttered. Remnants of the park's history as a public science center include tiled triangular obelisks, a boardwalk through the archaeological area, and a few interpretive plaques. The area is safe but overgrown.

Yellow Warbler already banded the previous year by the same group

Weekend at Berni's

We were finally able to get out to do a little camping this weekend at an acreage belonging to some dear friends of ours. A short ramble to the bank of the River the girls wasted no time and got straight to playing, exploring bridges and working on the their silver level naturalist club badge.
First thing Saturday morning as we were preparing for breakfast grace heard this little guy!

A white throated sparrow


Throughout the day three more birds were added to the girl's bird ID list for both Scouts and the Young Naturalists Club

Great Blue Heron

Red winged Blackbird

 

Barn Swallows

Their weekend at Berni's was not all work the Girls took time to sit by the Fire and roast marshmallows.

What a fantastic kick off for the summer! The girls are looking forward to many more out door moments. Who know where the summer will lead.

Wagner Bog Adventure May 5, 2013

Wagner Natural Area, originally known as “Wagner Bog”, is a rich calcareous peatland. Located about 6 miles west of Edmonton's city limits, it is 216 hectacres, rich in diversity of flora and fauna. The Marl Pond Trail is a 1.2 kilometre self-guiding trail and boadwalk through grassland meadows, willow swamps, woods, and along marl ponds and lowland fens. A series of posts along the trail guide describe points of interest along the way. An easy nature hike that varies in every season.



Laura's Red something dog something



Grace with Mom and Dad after our picnic lunch

Though still extremely wet, Grace and Laura were not discouraged. The did some great identifying, had a great walk, and a wonderful picnic. We laughed at Laura's initial identification of the "Red Something Dog Something" bush or rather a Red Osier Dogwood. She took her ribbing well and I don't think she'll every forget what a Red Osier Dogwood is.

Grace was very pleased with herself and her ability to identify the difference between white and black spruce. Her first and easiest sign is when "Shaking hands" with the trees the needles of the black spruce are blunted and not pointed and the white spruce needles are pointed and hurts when you "Shake hands". Her other differece she found is Black Spruce like to have "Wet Feet" and White Spruce like "Dry Feet".

Labrador Tea







Ministik Lake Bird Santuary nature hike and geochacing day

For the past 100 years, the Ministik Lake Bird Sanctuary has been a safe haven for numerous bird species. It has provided local nature enthusiasts a chance to explore more than 20,000 acres of preserved Crown land, with about 6,000 of that land located within Leduc County boundaries. On May 4th 2013 Laura and Grace challenged 13 kilometers of the rugged preserve on a day of geocaching, Bird, tree, and Scat identification. Here are some of there findings.

We had not even made it to the park and the girls were already working on there identification!

BIRD IDENTIFICATION

Mallard Duck Identification                                                            

Blue Jay Identification

Video to come on this Ring Billed Gull, much to the girl's aggravation the camera man dropped the ball.

Once we were in the park the Laura and Grace wasted no time in exploring the sanctuary. With several identifications, and signs of wildlife.

TREE IDENTIFICATION

Pussy Willow Identification

Balsam Poplar Identification

Paper Birch Identification

As members of the Young Naturalist Society and active Cub Scouts, Laura and Grace are always on the look out for sings of wildlife around them. Here's a look at the sanctuary form their eyes.

A double nest supported between two trees

Taken  near an active beaver colony

Animal Scat. The girls Identified later.

Deer Track Identification

Of course a day of identification would not be complete without Scat! that's right a day in the bush is not complete without running into, avoiding, stepping in and identifying poop.

Rabbit Scat

Deer Scat

 Weasel family Scat

Finally to wrap up our day we found a total of 13 geocaches, discovered 3 trackables and brought home. this little guy. and of course a wrap up treat!

Time for this bu to Ramble on

Thanks so much for the great Day Liette!

The young naturalist society Snow Goose Chase

On April 27, 2013 we went with the young naturalist society on their annual Snow Goose Chase out at the Ministic Lake bird sanctuary, Tofield Alberta and surrounding are. It was a full day event and we saw thousands of snow geese, several other species including, red tail hawk, American Coot, Trumpeter Swans, and other wildlife. We were taken on guided tours in local marsh lands and taught about there role in a healthy world. As well as talks about the beaver and their important contribution to the mash land system.

The club set up spotting scopes for the kids and we had experts on sight to help with identification and answer questions. It was a full day event with lunch in Tofield and a variety of booths and displays for us to look at. A good time was had by all.

Laura taking a moment to have a closer look of a hawk brought out by the Edmonton Story Land Valley Zoo.
    

Grace getting close to Nature

This Activity Went towards the girl's Black star, naturalist, and observer badges! Stay tuned to see their Naturalist badge post.

Who we are and what we do

This blog is dedicated to the  Scouting Rambles of the Bolster family with particular focus on Laura and Grace's adventures through their Scouting life. Both Alisa and I grew up in the Scouting movements, participating as youth, leading as young Adults, met at a Canadian Jamboree. Now we have two amazing daughters blazing their own paths  in the Scouting movement and the wish to share their passion and love of nature with the world.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost