Late November and early December have proven to be quite interesting for me at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. While working with a group of grade 3 students from Elbow Park elementary during their week of Bird School at the end of November at IBS, we had some memorable days. The last day of Bird School that week though had to be the most memorable for these students.
We started off the morning with me releasing two Canada Geese that had been in for repairs at the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society. The day was sunny and surprisingly warm for that time of year. There were a thousand or two Canada Geese out on the Bow River at the time so it was just a matter of opening the cage doors and having them run out and fly out to their relatives on the Bow. Oh if only it was that simple. The first one wandered out of the cage, looked around at the goings on and wandered about along the edge of the bank. The second one meanwhile decided that sitting in this pet carrier wasn’t all that bad and was in no hurry to leave. After some tipping on end and a little gentle persuasion he decided he would join his buddy on the banks of the Bow. Only after approaching them did they decide to give a couple of goodbye honks and off they flew, one landing in the midst of a large number of geese and the other out into the current of the river. In the blink of an eye they had disappeared into this winter mix of Canada Geese and Mallards. Another successful release and always a pleasure to see some of nature’s creatures returned to the wild.
Just around the corner from the release site was an adult Bald Eagle busy having his breakfast. Through the spotting scope we could see him tearing at something. Within his bright yellow talons, a hint of brown and some blood. We were soon to find out however just what he was eating. A couple of hundred meters down the path from where we released the geese we came across the remains of a young Mule Deer. All that was left was the hide and the rib cage. Out on the ice on the Bow River was a large kill site, much fur and blood all over the ice. Just upstream and close to shore however were the tell tale signs of a deer stepping out onto the ice, the skid marks were all over the place, like driving on Calgary’s roads in bald tires in the middle of winter. Deer have no traction on ice. The tracks were all over the ice as were those of a coyote of two.
The question for the kids now was:a ) was the deer chased out onto the ice; or b) did it go out on its own? Now we will never know the complete answer to this one. Was it a murder on the ice or a mercy killing? Did the deer slip and fall and break a leg and with no one around to rescue it, did it now become a victim of circumstance? This gave the students something to journal about.
While this is all speculative we do know one outcome, that many animals, Coyote, Eagle, Crows, Magpies, and more had an early Christmas feast. The Coyote normally is out looking for mice and hopefully a duck. To get something as substantial as even a small deer will have fed a coyote or a coyote family and helped them with the coming cold weather. It also meant that the other scavengers would also be able to clean up and it was amazing how well everything had been cleaned up by 10 o’clock in the morning.
The students at Bird School this fall have also seen Muskrats sitting at the edge of the ice in the sunshine eating weeds from below the surface, and watched as two gave themselves a well deserved cleaning. They’ve witnessed the Bald Eagle hunting Mallards, and even watched as one struck a gull. Early in December we watched a Great Horned Owl sit in a tree in the sanctuary. As we looked at her through the spotting scope we realized her beak was still covered in blood and the feathers on her front were also stained with blood. We never did see what it was she may have eaten but you can be sure it wasn’t a mouse (which would have been swallowed hole). Again we can only speculate.
We have also had some interesting visitors to the sanctuary. Recently we watched a Rough Legged Hawk soar overhead and flap his wings and hover above the ground looking for dinner down below. This is truly a magnificent bird in flight as are the Eagles. So if you go down to Inglewood this winter you may be surprised at what you find. It may be dead or alive but either way I can guarantee you that you will be visited by Black Capped Chickadees, possibly come across a herd or one of the deer that frequent the area, and don’t forget to check out the original Deer Foot Trail that shows up every winter on the lagoon at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary.
Remember, if you have started feeding the birds this winter, DON’T STOP, they will have become dependant on you. Also try and keep a supply of water for them, easier if you have a heated bath. I find that Black Oil Sunflower seeds are the best although they do make a mess on the ground and those that don’t get eaten will sprout in your garden or lawn next year. It will of course be January by the time you read this, I hope Santa was good to everyone and if you don’t want to exercise a lot then at least go for a stroll and enjoy mother nature and what she has to offer.
