It appears that the frigid temperatures will be back for a few days so I had to take advantage of the beautiful morning.  I left home at 9:45am.  The snowplow/sanding trucks were out on the Yellowhead highway so driving was good up to the Elk Island Park gate.  The road through the park was icy with the wind shining it up even more.

I did notice that there was not as much new snow as there was at home.  Before leaving, I shoveled about an inch of it off my deck and driveway.

I hiked the Beaver Pond trail today.  Just as I was starting out, the sun was shining through an opening in the clouds.  The thin layer of ice on the snow shone in the sunlight.  I did notice that there had not been as much rain here either.  The layer of ice on the snow at home was much thicker than at the park.

The weather is really confusing Mother Nature.  The pussy willows are out.  The leaf buds on the dogwood branches are swelling.  The spiders are crawling out of their hiding places.  I saw one making its way across the trail.

The wind was quite strong in the open areas.  Snow drifted across the trail.  Trees creaked as the wind rocked their trunks to and fro.  The squirrels were not happy with me as I passed by their middens.  There was a lot of chattering going on.

The 3.5km hike was pleasant even with the wind.  The air was fresh and the forest was filled with nature's sounds.  It took only an hour to hike the loop so I drove to Astotin Lake to see what was going on there.  As I turned off the highway, I could see a coyote limping down the center of the road.  It turned to look at me and headed for the ditch.  The poor thing was injured, making it difficult for it to walk through the deep snow.

There were only a couple of vehicles in the parking lot today.  In the distance, on the lake, I could see some kite boarders.  It was a good day for them to be out.  I brought my lunch with me so decided to stop and watch them for awhile.

There were three in total. Their kites dipped and rose in the wind.  Every now and then a boarder would be lifted into the air off the lake surface.  It looked like they were having great fun.

The clouds disappeared completely during my drive home.  The sun came out and brightened the landscape for a couple of hours until the clouds rolled in again.  Snow began falling.

When I got home, I refilled feeders and dug a path to the woodshed.  The pileated woodpecker visited while I was away.  It left a pile of bark chips at the bottom of the old tree stump.

Just before dark, the deer came into the yard.  I could see their silhouettes as they made their way to all the feeding stations.  

I enjoy the many birds and animals that come into my backyard.  They provide great entertainment on days that I cannot get out to the trails or on the days when I don't see any wildlife when I do visit the trails.

This evening I pulled out my nature scape 'bible' and made a list of more shrubs that I am going to add to the yard in the spring.  When all that snow melts in the backyard, I'll be ready. 


 


 

Planning the Planting

After seeing the flurry of bird activity in my backyard yesterday, I dug out the garden magazines once again.  Spring is around the corner and I need to make some decisions on what will be planted in my expanded back yard.

I have the winter birds taken care of but want to ensure that my summer feathered friends are taken care of as well.  The feeders are well stocked through the summer but I need to replace some of the 'leafy trees' that came down for my home construction.  Since then, many of the warm weather birds and all of the squirrels left the yard and I want to lure them back.

I planted a few shrubs in the fall.  I'm hoping that the dogwood and the ninebark will grow rapidly.  The squirrels used to love running along the branches of the old pines.  I've got some new mountain pines planted just for them.

I'm still looking for more bushes or trees with berries such as mountain ash, chokecherry or sea buckthorn.  My choices need to be rapid growers and 'non-fussy' as to where they are planted.  This will take a bit of research but I am hoping that it will be sorted out before spring thaw so I can get them into the ground as early as possible.

 

In addition to the trees and shrubs, I'll be making sure that the holly hocks are replanted and that the trellises for the scarlet runner beans are put back into place.  The hummingbirds will appreciate having the fresh blooms supplement their sugar water in the feeders.


 

A raised garden bed and a strawberry patch have to fit in as well.  So many ideas, so little space.  I'm getting excited just thinking about how much fun it is going to be to re-create my yard.  Bring on spring.