Chickadee Photo Art

Woodchuck or Groundhog ?

// August 30th, 2009 // No Comments » // Boreal Forest, Rodents

Woodchuck or Groundhog ? Actually it is one and the same and can be called by either name. Woodchucks are one of the larger members of the rodent family and like the beaver, its teeth grow continually. Unlike the beaver, woodchucks prefer drier areas where greens are abundant. The colours vary from  albino to black but are usually shades of brown. Woodchucks are characterized by their black feet. They are burrowing animals with long front claws and strong hind legs used for digging. When not sunning themselves they are foraging for greens. Usually a litter of four young are produced and can be seen in May.

Boreal Forest – Canadian Shield

// August 28th, 2009 // No Comments » // Boreal Forest, Manitoba Tourist Destination, Nopiming Provincial Park, Scenic, Whiteshell Provincial Park

Today we will look at some of the beautiful scenery from the Canadian Shield in the Whiteshell Provincial Park and Nopiming Provincial Park. The first photo is from Nopiming with late day sun glowing on this island.  This is the Boreal Forest which is home to an abundance of wildlife, wildflowers, birds and world class fishing. One of the main watersheds in the eastern part of Manitoba is the Winnipeg River System which forms pockets of pristine lakes throughout the area attracting a variety of waterfowl and my favourites – loons.  When you hear the eerie loon calls throughout the night you know you are are truly in a wilderness area.  (I’ll be featuring Loons in a future post.) There are numerous Manitoba Campgrounds in the Whiteshell and this is also cottage country. There are many canoe routes and hiking opportunities – information on this can also be found on the link in this post.  Photographic opportunities abound here.

If you are planning a Manitoba camping, hiking or canoeing vacation be sure to include an outing to one of these two Provincial Parks but note that camping in Nopiming is limited. The Whiteshell is only 1-1/2 hours from Winnipeg and Nopiming is about 3 hours. Check Manitoba tourist information and availability first using the following link. http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/parks/camping/index.html

I am always amazed at how plants can root and thrive in the crevices of rocks.

Moss and lichens form a soft spongy bed atop the bedrock in a spruce stand.

Marshes at water’s edge provide home and shelter for waterfowl above and fish below.  The beavers like to eat the tender shoots of the reeds as well.

Nothing can best the morning mists rising from the lakes or a Manitoba Sunset in the summer.

Consider visiting us !

~Sharon

Black / Brown Bears

// August 26th, 2009 // No Comments » // Black Bears, Boreal Forest, Mammals, Nopiming Provincial Park

I always enjoy sighting a bear in its natural surroundings but at a distance of course. Unfortunately bears will frequent campgrounds and cottage areas looking for easy food which results in them being “bear trapped” by natural resources. The worse case scenario for re-offending nuisance bears is they may be put down. The mother bear on the left brought her two cubs to my car, sniffing around the trunk as there was food in it.  So, the lesson here is, try to keep bears in the wild where they belong and do not encourage them by leaving food /garbage which is accessible to them in campgrounds. Yes, they will wander in from time to time but won’t become problem bears if there is nothing for them to eat.

Below, black  bear cub standing up against trunk of my car – obviously attracted by the scent of food from the trunk. This was June, everything was late this year due to weather and I am sure these bears were very hungry.

The Bears below are from the Bear Sanctuary in Ely, Minnesota.  This is an interesting place to visit as you can see the bears in their natural surroundings doing what bears do.   Although enclosed by fencing, it is not visible to visitors, the enclosure is in a large treed area giving the bears plenty of room to roam around. A visitor centre at the Sanctuary houses everything anyone would ever want to know about  bears and more – it was every interesting and educational. The brown bear is no doubt one of the largest bears I have ever seen.  The two black bears, named Lucky and Ted were a lot of fun to watch.  Ted is a large male who had much patience for the playful Lucky who kept jumping and chewing on him.  Just like a kid !  Check out the JUST FOR FUN VIDEO CLIP ( on right) to see a video of Lucky and Ted in action.