THE BIRDING PLACE

       Saturday morning we went to a 300 acre area that was at one time farmed. The farmer ran some cattle and had about 90 acres cropped and also sold some timber. In the end he sold gravel, so much of the property had been dug up for gravel.  A  large part of the property is river escarpment. Then there's valley floor and there are a few acres above the escarpment. The valley floor has been flooded many times so there are many types of soil. Therefore there are many types of plants. You see very large spruce and poplar. Then you see areas of scrubby trees and brush. So there's a variety of habitat so we end up seeing a number of bird species. 

       Messy little spruce trees that barely survive.

                An old road used to mine gravel.

             The 90 acres that was crop land and has been sown to grass.

              Horse trail for wagons and sleighs

                 Mixed spruce and poplar.

                      Good bike trail

          Good bench with some tired birders.

     The province took this property and set it aside for park space. Very little has been done to change the property except to put in some excellent trails and a few benches. There is a pond that has been stocked with trout. The Red Deer River Winds along the property so there's more fishing and bird watching activity.

     One thing that was emphasized is that the area have an equestrian presence. 

     There's a large corral and stable for horses. You can rent horses to ride or get rides in various horse drawn vehicles. Some wedding parties get pulled down into the valley and have their outdoor wedding ceremony and reception.