Post by nickinthegarden on May 26, 2020 19:07:58 GMT -8
I made a trip to Manning Park this morning and found that a good portion of it is still shut down. The Beaver Pond parking lot was open but the trails were closed due to downed trees. The road up to the Cascade Lookout was closed. The Lodge, the store and the parking lot around them were all barricaded off.
The road up to Strawberry Flats was open but there was heavy snow under the trees for quite a distance down the hill. The campgrounds were closed but the Lightning Lake Day use area was open. Actually I was the only one there except for a couple ground squirrels which soon became 20+. I also saw a couple Snowshoe Hares right by the parking lot there, first time I have seen them in that area.
Out on the lake I heard a Loon call, there was a tremendous amount of goose poop on the path along the lake and 11 or 12 Canada Geese arrived to add to it. There were 6 Barrow's Goldeneye three on the water and three napping on the kayak dock.
Trio by Nick, on Flickr
There was also a pair of Common Mergansers but I saw no young "gansers" or ducklings or goslings around. With it still being quite cold up there maybe nesting has not started yet?
Common Merganser Pair by Nick, on Flickr
I was hoping for lots of warblers but the only ones I saw and heard were Yellow-rumped Warblers. I did see a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches doing a breakfast search.
Breakfast! by Nick, on Flickr.
I was hoping for Boreal Chickadees or even Mountain Chickadees, what I did get was a Chestnut-backed Chickadee.
I heard what I think were Sooty Grouse calling from a couple places. Right on the shore of the lake I was sure I heard an Osprey calling but I was not able to get my eye on it. Canada and Steller's Jays were in the big spruces in back of the parking lot.
Manning Park runs several weeks behind us and the further up go into the mountains the later it is. Wildflowers were not in bloom but I think the dandelions along the road maybe be ready to open for the bears to munch on. I saw a couple Mule Deer as expected and I was told by a park employee that a moose had been seen further back in the park.
I was told they hope more of the park will open on June 1st and more in the weeks after that.
The road up to Strawberry Flats was open but there was heavy snow under the trees for quite a distance down the hill. The campgrounds were closed but the Lightning Lake Day use area was open. Actually I was the only one there except for a couple ground squirrels which soon became 20+. I also saw a couple Snowshoe Hares right by the parking lot there, first time I have seen them in that area.
Out on the lake I heard a Loon call, there was a tremendous amount of goose poop on the path along the lake and 11 or 12 Canada Geese arrived to add to it. There were 6 Barrow's Goldeneye three on the water and three napping on the kayak dock.
Trio by Nick, on Flickr
There was also a pair of Common Mergansers but I saw no young "gansers" or ducklings or goslings around. With it still being quite cold up there maybe nesting has not started yet?
Common Merganser Pair by Nick, on Flickr
I was hoping for lots of warblers but the only ones I saw and heard were Yellow-rumped Warblers. I did see a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches doing a breakfast search.
Breakfast! by Nick, on Flickr.
I was hoping for Boreal Chickadees or even Mountain Chickadees, what I did get was a Chestnut-backed Chickadee.
I heard what I think were Sooty Grouse calling from a couple places. Right on the shore of the lake I was sure I heard an Osprey calling but I was not able to get my eye on it. Canada and Steller's Jays were in the big spruces in back of the parking lot.
Manning Park runs several weeks behind us and the further up go into the mountains the later it is. Wildflowers were not in bloom but I think the dandelions along the road maybe be ready to open for the bears to munch on. I saw a couple Mule Deer as expected and I was told by a park employee that a moose had been seen further back in the park.
I was told they hope more of the park will open on June 1st and more in the weeks after that.