NSRVCS News - April 23, 2020

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June 5, 2020

Bald eagle not just an American bird
Dan reported “a pair of eagles flying over our house along the river in Rossdale.” They live throughout a large part of North America and are usually found near rivers and bodies of water. This is the case in Edmonton, where Bald Eagles can be seen in and along the river valley.

They are attracted to the Goldbar area due to the concentration of ducks and other waterfowl in the warm open water from the water treatment plant. During the Edmonton Christmas Bird count between 2 and 6 eagles have been counted annually in the past 7 years, mostly along the North Saskatchewan River.

Bald eagles usually hunt from a high perch and glide down to catch their prey. They will strike from the air and are known to wade into shallow streams or rivers for fish. They are occasionally pulled into the water while trying to catch large fish. These birds are surprisingly good swimmers, using their wings to mimic a motion that is similar to the butterfly stroke.

Juvenile bald eagles gradually spend time on their own away from their parents and learn to hunt by trial and error. They may eat a lot of carrion, especially fish, till they master hunting live food. Learn more at https://edmonton.wbu.com/bird-of-the-month-bald-eagles

Devonian trail in Parkland County
If you are in search of a peaceful hike, the Devonian Trail offers river valley views, country roads and blissful boardwalks. It begins at Prospector’s Point and ends at the University of Alberta Botanical Gardens, formerly known as the Devonian gardens - hence Devonian trail.

This trail is a 12 km round trip which will take 2-3 hours. It has a gravel-rocky path and a wooden boardwalk, with some steep sections as you ascend out of the valley. The Prospector’s Point parking lot is just off Highway 60 and next to the North Saskatchewan River. There are bathrooms and garbage cans at the parking lot.

Named for those who used the area to pan for gold, Prospector’s Point is a great place to relax, fish and take in the views. The trail heading up from Prospector’s Point is on land once owned by Mary Louise Imrie, the first female architect in Edmonton and one of the first Canadian women to establish her own architecture firm.

Inspired by Alberta’s landscapes, she bequeathed the land to the Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife foundation in 1988. Her biggest hope was that the people of Alberta could enjoy this beautiful land, and the Devonian Trail is one of the ways you can do that. More information at https://rivervalley.ab.ca/trail-treks/trailtrek-how-to-devonian-trail-in-parkland-county/

Online resources for environment learning from home
As the physical and social distancing measures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic seem likely to stay in force for the near future, the Alberta Environmental Network has compiled suggestions of online environmental learning resources to help kids of all ages learn about the environment during this time of limited activities.

The 17+ online resources include teach and learn at home options for kids, back to school courses for high school students and adults, online films from the festival circuit and interactive simulation tools to see the impact of the choices, decisions, and policies we make on our landscape and climate. Check out options at https://aenweb.ca/news/17-online-resources-learning-about-environment-home-kids-all-ages

Black spruce our coast to coast evergreen
Black spruce trees can reach heights of up to 30 metres. More than 80 per cent of its global range is in Canada where it grows from coast to coast. It is the provincial tree of Newfoundland and Labrador. They typically grow in cold, soggy areas, such as bogs and swamps, but also in upland areas.

The black spruce’s short, stiff, blue-green needles along its drooping branches are arranged in every direction on the tree's twigs. Its cones are small, purplish-brown, and egg-shaped. They can remain on a tree for up to 30 years.

Black spruce cones readily open and disperse seeds after wildfires. It also reproduces through layering, which occurs when the lower branches touch the ground and put down roots that then send up new stems. This strategy enables the species to reproduce in harsh environments where other trees cannot live.

Black spruce plays many important roles in an ecosystem. Its seeds are the primary food source for red squirrels, chickadees, nuthatches, and crossbills, while snowshoe hares, mice and voles eat the seedlings and spruce grouse feed on the needles. Learn more at https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/what-we-do/resource-centre/featured-species/plants/black-spruce.html

Share river valley event, job posting, or news
If you have a river valley event, job posting, or news that you would like to see published in this newsletter, please send the info to nsrivervalley@gmail.com

Sincerely yours,
Harvey Voogd
North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society
780.691.1712
nsrivervalley@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/NSRVCS/
http://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/

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June 5, 2020

NSRCVS News - April 15, 2020

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June 5, 2020

Special unDeergraduates at U of A
Students and faculty are staying away from the University of Alberta because of the pandemic, but that does not mean the campus is empty. Classes at the university were moved online on March 16. If nature abhors a vacuum, then this and other photos by Michael Gravel of deer at the Business/Arts quad at the university are evidence https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/undeergraduates-special-visitors-at-the-u-of-a-campus-1.4893059

The city has a thriving wildlife population, including porcupines, beavers, badgers, chickadees, American white pelicans, great horned owls, Canadian toads, peregrine falcons, and shrews. The city is potentially home to as many as 178 species of birds, 47 mammals, 27 species of fish, two kinds of reptiles, five amphibians, 487 kinds of plants including two kinds of carnivorous plants and 221 different kinds of fungi.

According to Edmonton’s 2008 Biodiversity Report, the city’s natural areas in the river valley and tablelands provide high quality habitat for native species, and semi-natural steppingstones and linkages throughout developed areas offer additional support for wildlife movement and ecological processes like pollination.

Although Edmonton’s biodiversity and natural habitats have decreased with time and continue to face significant challenges, the entire complex of Edmonton’s natural areas form a functional ecological network that supports local plant and animal species and provides essential ecosystem services. Learn more at https://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/documents/PDF/BIO_DIVERSITY_REPORT_-_high_res_August2008.pdf

New life throughout the river valley
Bob and Louisa sent photos of three Great Horned owlets being raised in the river valley near Beverly. Bob said, “It’s been a real treat for Louisa and me to see this wonderful affirmation of life in the midst of this strange and baffling time of COVID-19.”

An owlet is a young baby owl, typically a recently hatched bird that has not yet developed its full mature plumage and is still dependent on its parents for feeding, care, and security. The great horned owl nests earlier than all other birds in Alberta except for grey jays. Two to three eggs are laid in late February and early March in old nests built by hawks or crows

Alberta's largest eared owl, the great horned owl is common throughout Alberta, and is the Provincial Bird. It is readily identified by its large size and prominent "horns" pointed toward the sides of the head. In flight, the ear tufts are held flat against the head.

Prey includes large insects, mice, rabbits, domestic and game birds. Hunting begins at dusk, but on dark days the owl may hunt in the afternoon. Learn more at https://www.ealt.ca/species-spotlight-list/great-horned-owl

Prairie Crocus our announcement of spring
As soon as the snow melts, you will want to start looking for this harbinger of spring. The prairie crocus has pale blue or purple flowers arising from the woody rootstock that appear early in spring. The whole plant is covered with woolly-white hairs. This furry little perennial is not a crocus, which is in the Lily family. It is really an anemone, in the Buttercup family.

Prairie crocus grows in northern latitudes all around the world. In Canada, it occurs in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, and from B.C. east to Manitoba. Its prairie population has declined greatly since pioneer days because it grows in native prairie sod, most of which has been ploughed or cultivated.

This plant first emerges from the ground as a hairy flower bud; the furry leaves are hard to see at this point. When the purple sepals open, they reveal bright yellow stamens inside. The flowers open in sunshine and close again in the evening and in cloudy weather.

Just in case being hairy is not a strong enough defense, the plant has poisonous properties. It contains a poisonous alkaloid, an irritant that can cause inflammation and blistering. This irritant can be a problem to domestic sheep when they eat the flowers, but it seems to be ignored by deer, elk and ground squirrels which eat the prairie crocus in the early spring. Learn more at
http://plantwatch.naturealberta.ca/choose-your-plants/prairie-crocus/

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June 5, 2020

NSRVCS News - April 8, 2020

Guest User

June 5, 2020

How do beavers build their houses
Beavers build and maintain houses called lodges. There are two main types, the conical lodge and the bank lodge. In the river valley, beavers build the bank lodge. It is typically excavated into the bank of a large stream, river, or lake where the water is too deep or fast moving to build the classic conical lodge.

Within each lodge beavers will hollow out a chamber where they sleep, eat, groom each other, and the baby kits are born and nursed each spring. Beddings of grasses, reeds and wood chips are changed regularly. In order to breathe fresh air beavers do not apply mud to the peak of the lodge, creating a ventilation shaft.

Each lodge contains at least two water-filled tunnels leading from the chamber to the water so the beavers can enter and exit the lodge underwater without being spotted by predators. The walls of the lodge are very strong due to layers of mud and sticks and are extremely insulated. Even with sub-zero outside temperatures it will not drop below freezing inside the lodge due to retained body heat from the family of beavers.

In cold climates, beavers will stockpile sticks underwater each fall because they do not hibernate. They live on these sticks because once ice forms they will no longer have access to trees on the land. Beavers remain inside their lodge all winter except when they swim under the ice to their food cache for a stick to nibble on. Learn more at https://www.beaversolutions.com/beaver-facts-education/beaver-behavior-and-biology/

What are pussy willows
Brighten this time of physical distancing and self-isolation by keeping an eye out on your river valley rambles for the first signs of spring among our native plants. The willow flower, known as the pussy willow, are among the very first to bloom. They signal the last throes of winter and the brink of spring.

At the tail end of winter, fuzzy nubs start to appear along the branches of pussy willows. These soft silver tufts, as well as the plant itself, are named for their resemblance to tiny cats’ paws. They feel so much like fur that young children often wonder if they are animals instead of plants. What are those little nubs? Are they seeds? Fruits? And why are they fuzzy?

They're flowers just before they fully bloom. The soft coating of hairs acts as insulation to protect these early bloomers from cold temperatures. The species most called pussy willow, Salix discolor, is a small, shrubby species of willow that can be found dotting wetlands and moist woods throughout much of North America. Read more at https://www.bbg.org/news/what_are_pussy_willows_anyway

Wonder what Edmonton coyotes eat
The Edmonton Urban Coyote Project http://www.edmontonurbancoyotes.ca/ studies coyotes in our city and river valley. Led by Colleen Cassady St. Clair, it collects information on coyote diet, movement and habitat selection, and knowledge and perception of residents about coyotes.

Questions include does poor diet and human food sources such as garbage and compost increase susceptibility to parasites and diseases? Do diseased animals make more use of residential areas during the day? Is there a link between coyotes in conflict with people and a diet of less protein and more processed food?

USA research found coyotes eat everything from fruits to cat. Cats made up 20 percent of urban coyotes’ diet. Fallen fruit were an important source of summer food and they also hunted rabbits, gophers and squirrels. Listen to this 3-minute podcast at
https://player.fm/series/series-1274742/coyotes-eat-everything-from-fruits-to-cats

Why do migrating geese honk
One can’t help but notice migrating birds while walking in the river valley at this time of year, particularly Canada geese. Researchers think that the honking sound geese make as they fly is used to help maintain the integrity of the flock, and to co-ordinate position shifts with the V-formation in which they fly

When geese fly in formation, they create their own unique form of teamwork. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in their ‘V', the whole flock adds at least 71% more flying range than if each bird flew on its own. Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back in the ‘V', and another goose flies point. Learn more at https://www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/birds/canada-goose.html