Barnebirkie family ski coming to Hawrelak Park
Family ski events for children and their parents will be held February 12 in Hawrelak Park as part of the Silver Skate Festival. Barne is Norwegian for child. This birkie will be an afternoon of family fun with cross-country skiing, games, prizes and fun.
The Birkebeiner legend dates to a 1206 civil war in Norway when two Birkebeiner warriors rescued an infant prince and carried him 55km by skis in the dead of winter to safety. The Birkebeiners, or Birchbarkleggers, got their name from wrapping and tying birch bark around their legs from the knees down, similar to gaiters. This kept the snow out and protected their legs in battle.
Children under 12, when registered with an adult, ski free. Adults accompanying Barnebirkie skiers on the course must be on skis to retain the integrity of the course. The classic technique track set ski course will have races of 500m, 1.5km, or 3km. Registration information at https://canadianbirkie.com/birkie-sunday/
Red Crossbill forages on seeds in pine and spruce cones
A fascinating finch of coniferous woodlands, the Red Crossbill forages on nutritious seeds in pine, hemlock, Douglas-fir, and spruce cones. Their specialized bills allow them to break into unopened cones, giving them an advantage over other finch species. This bird is so dependent upon conifer seeds it even feeds them to its young. Consequently, it can breed anytime it finds a sufficiently large cone crop, even in the depths of winter.
Nests, built mostly by the female, are usually sited in open rather than dense woodlands and are built inside dense foliage, on branches, next to or near the trunk, up to about 70 feet above the ground. Their bulky cup nests are built largely of conifer twigs, with the cup lined with grasses, weeds, seed-pod fibers, lichens, conifer needles, feathers, bark, or hair.
A crossbill's odd bill shape helps it get into tightly closed cones. A bird's biting muscles are stronger than the muscles used to open the bill, so the Red Crossbill places the tips of its slightly open bill under a cone scale and bites down. The crossed tips of the bill push the scale up, exposing the seed inside. More information at https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red_Crossbill/overview
Flying Canoë Volant one of YEG's great winter celebrations
This festival is a creative, interactive, and cultural event that celebrates local history and everything that is great about a long winter's night. It will be February 1–4, beginning at 6pm every evening, in Mill Creek Ravine and La Cité francophone - 8627 Rue Marie-Anne-Gaboury (91 Street).
The Flying Canoë, also known as La Chasse-galerie, is a legend with shared French-Canadian and Indigenous origins. In most reincarnations, it is a tale of voyageurs who make a deal with the devil to make their birch bark canoe fly in order to see their loved ones. However, fate has other plans and they are condemned to fly the skies for all eternity.
This nighttime adventure in Edmonton's French Quarter and along the illuminated trails of the Mill Creek Ravine includes the world class illuminated works of Dylan Toymaker and friends, and many outdoor and indoor stages such as the Flying Canoe Volant Cabaret, la Scène franco, School of Song Cabaret and Café Croissant, and Café Bicyclette's Winter Patio featuring local DJ's and both local and national musical talents. Information at https://www.flyingcanoevolant.ca/
Nocturnal animals that thrive in the dark
Paola Chiovelli writes “Several years ago my husband and I were walking in the Lake Beaumaris Lake District when we spotted a Kangaroo mouse. The photo taken of it in the clover patch shows its back right leg being dragged behind it. Then as it ran away the back left leg was easily seen. These little creatures are nocturnal and only due to the fact it was hurt did we have the opportunity to photograph it. Please add this species to your list of nocturnal animals living within city boundaries.”
Paola Chiovelli photo of Kangaroo mouse.
Comment or contribution
Please note that articles may not reflect the position of NSRVCS. River Valley News is meant to be a clearinghouse for the wide variety of opinions and ideas about Edmonton’s River Valley. Email river valley photos, event information, comments, or questions to nsrivervalley@gmail.com
Sincerely yours,
Harvey Voogd
North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society
780.691.1712