Oh Happy Day!

What a glorious day!  Clear blue sky, sunshine and warm temperatures!  I watched the sun rise this morning as I sat at the kitchen table; the brilliant colors peeking through the trees.

The birds were chirping in my neighbor's willow tree as they waited their turn for a spot at the feeder.  It sure does not take long for them to carry away all the nuts that I put out.

I was trying to decide where to trek today.  It didn't really matter.  I just knew I wanted to be outside.  Something or 'someone' was motivating me to head to Elk Island.  I was so glad that I listened to that little 'voice'.

I didn't even make it to the park gate and had to pull over on the side of the highway.  I witnessed another first!  This winter I saw a pileated and a hairy woodpecker side by side on the same tree and a blue jay and a hairy woodpecker side by side at the tray feeder in the backyard.  Today's first was amazing to say the least; numerous white tailed deer and bison grazing on the same hill.  What a sight!  I was the only one that stopped to view that spectacle.  Traffic just kept zooming right on by.  It was too bad that everyone was in such a hurry.

As I turned into the park entrance, a small herd of bison greeted me today.  Most were content to be laying in the snow, soaking up the sunshine.  They didn't appear to care that a crazy lady with a camera was taking their picture!

There were no vehicles in sight so I traveled at a leisurely pace along the parkway.  The snow has melted a visible amount.  All the bison 'fertilizer' is now visible on the snowbanks; having been removed from the road by the snowplow through the winter.  It's no wonder the grass in the ditches grows as tall as it does!

 It was great to be able to drive slowly through the park without having vehicles pull up behind.  I was able to notice a coyote plodding through the trees just a short distance from the road.  It didn't even stop to glance up at me when I pulled over.  I was hoping that it would stop in the open area but it was on a mission.

There were a number of small herds of bison alongside the park highway.  I'm sure that today had the greatest number that I've seen this winter.  One of the park rangers was out with his meter stick taking measurements of the snow pack in the trees alongside the road.  The bison paid no mind to him either.

Astotin Lake is only one stop away from the trail head that I was going to so I decided to drive into the parking lot area adjacent to the lake.  There were no vehicles yet but there was a lonely bison beside one of the picnic tables.  This was also a first for me.  In all the years that I've been visiting this park, I've never seen the bison in that picnic area.  I stopped there again after my hike and there were a few people milling around and the bison was headed to a quieter spot.

 I was undecided as to what to wear; snowshoes or hiking cleats.  I opted for the cleats and was happy with the choice.  The sun had not yet softened the snow so it was a pretty easy hike.  There is at least two feet of packed snow on the trail.  It will be July before the snow is melted in the treed areas.

The birds were very vocal.  Blue jays, crows, ravens, chickadees, and magpies could be heard in the distance.  I stopped at my favorite area where many large spruce can be found.  Their branches reach over the trail on either side, creating a tunnel that you have to walk through.  I heard a bird call that I had not heard before so I stood still and listened; hoping to hear it again.  

As if on cue, the little feathered friend flew to a nearby branch and sang for me.  It was a chickadee that I had not seen before.  I'm going to put my bird book and binoculars in my backpack for the next outing.  I had to wait until I got home to find out that it was a boreal chickadee.  Yey!  I had another first today!

I stood underneath the canopy and listened to those sweet sounds of mother nature.  The little chickadee sang.  A slight breeze was causing the loose bark on the nearby birch trees to flap back and forth.  A blue jay called from an evergreen stand in the distance.  I could smell the sap from the spruce boughs.  What a relaxing spot!  If only that moment could be bottled and shared with those who don't have the time to take in what mother nature offers.

I continued on my way back to the trail head.  The air was warming up nicely and the water was beginning to flow in the parking lot.  After I made my way out the rutted up driveway, I headed back to Astotin Lake to see if the bison was still there.  Just before I got to the turn off, I noticed a number of mule deer under the trees along the edge of the campground.  It was certainly a great day for wildlife sightings!

On my way home, I noticed that the bison herd had moved but the deer remained grazing on the sunny hill.  I also noticed that the vehicles on the highway kept whizzing by; probably oblivious to the fact that there were 8 deer right beside the road.  Many of those people may not have cared.

As long as I can remember, I've had an appreciation for nature and a love for being outside.  The farm that I grew up on has a creek that runs through it.  It flows in the spring when the snow melts.  I spent countless hours building rafts from tree branches and then filling my boots with water as I tried to set sail.  It was exciting to see the first marsh marigolds show their yellow blooms in the sloughs.  I watched for the first pussy willows to break through their hard coverings.  I recall the look on my mother's face on the day that I was going to sleep under the stars by the fire pit behind the house.  For some reason she kept mentioning the skunk that was in the yard the night before.

My love of nature has not changed.  My appreciation of the great outdoors has grown.  I find solace and peace in the forest after a hectic week at work.  Today is my birthday and I could think of no better place to spend the day.  My forest friends came out of the woods and the sunshine and warm temperature was spirit-lifting.  Oh happy day!