It was supposed to rain today.  I was looking forward to a spring shower to freshen everything up.  The clouds came and went without a drop.

When I was sure that I didn't need a raincoat, I ventured out to the Strathcona Wilderness Centre.  It was my first outing since the spring thaw.  Winter's white blanket is almost gone.  Most trails are snow-free.  

The thaw has been slow, allowing the moisture to seep into the soil.  There is not much water in the sloughs and very few puddles in the low spots.  Many sloughs and ponds are not yet ice-free.

I parked at the end of the driveway at the SWC and headed to the trails east of the beaver pond.  Half the pond has a thin layer of ice on it.  All was quiet there; no waterfowl, birds or beavers.

There was a slight breeze that rustled the tall, dry grass.  The trees swayed to and fro.  I tuned out the vehicular noise from the township road and tuned in the natural sounds.  Chickadees sang their 'cheeseburger' songs from the clumps of birch trees.  Some Canada Geese flew overhead.  I could hear their wings moving through the air.

As I walked, the water squished beneath my boots at the bottom of the hills.  At the top of the hills, the leaves were dry and they crunched as I stepped on them.  In the open areas the wind picked up dry leaves and made them dance across the trail.  The loose pieces of birch bark flapped against the tree trunks.  

On the Wagon Loop portion of the trail, a young moose was resting close by.  It did not hear me and I did not see it.  As I approached, it stood and ran through a slough.  We scared each other.  At the other side, it stopped and looked back at me.  When it realized that I would do no harm, it began eating willow branches.

The birds provided the music for the evening.  A hawk soared and called out.  A robin sang from a tall aspen.  A crow 'cawed' from the top of a spruce tree.

The sun was beginning to set by the time I got back to the beaver pond.  The poplars created long shadows across the trail.  The pussy willows were back-lit by the sun, making them look like twinkle lights in the bog.

I finished the loop and came back to the pond where I started my walk.  There was no action when I began but there was plenty when I returned. 

 I heard rustling in the dry bullrushes.  The sound caught my attention.  I stopped to see if I could determine what was in there.  I noticed two beavers packing mud on a dam and one more swimming toward them.

The air got cooler as the sun went down but that did not stop me from staking out the pond.  I love watching the beavers as they go about their business.  This evening, in addition to observing their work on the dam, I saw one grooming itself.  What a treat!  

I packed it in after thirty minutes because my hands were frozen and my teeth were chattering.  I can't wait for the next evening that I can observe Mother Nature in action.  That's my reality entertainment and I love it.