In Search of... Bison, and Other Critters!
Today’s
detour from our route home took us to Grasslands National Park, in
Saskatchewan.
About 90
minutes south of the Trans Canada Highway (at Swift Current), Grasslands covers
over 180 sq.km, and is known for its herd of over 300 bison, and its prairie
dog colonies, as well as many other wildlife species.
Drawn to the
idea of seeing bison in the wild, we took off early, just after sunrise. The
sky looked quite foreboding, but our hopes for improvement were well-founded.
It’s hard to
capture the sense of awe that is felt when seeing the sheer expanse of the
prairies. The open space, the breadth of the sky, and the long straight roads
that stretch out before you – these all reveal the immensity of nature in a way
that is humbling and awe-inspiring at the same time.
Upon
arrival, we attempted to clean the windows of the car to give us a clearer view
– a job that had to be repeated several times!
The skies
had cleared, and the sun was shining brightly – even the prairie moon was
showed its face to us!
So we decided to take the Ecotour Scenic Drive, which
promised several viewing areas as well as other points of interest along the 20
km route.
Well-practised
in driving along dirt roads, the tracks ahead were not as daunting as they
seemed – though Mark had called ahead to find out whether the routes were open
and found out that they are not maintained during the winter months. Luckily
for us, the evidence of an earlier snowfall had mostly melted away, leaving a
fairly dry trail, with some muddy areas for interesting negotiations!
(At the
end of our excursion, the back of our car was completely covered!)
Every turn in the road/track led to another expansive view.
It was magical to watch the strong wind, blowing the grass in wavelike motion...
...and it was fascinating to watch the shadows of the clouds as they crept over the rolling hills...
We were
excited to see our first bison – a pair lying down, about 800 metres away.
Staying around for a few minutes, it was obvious that they were just
sunbathing, so we left them to continue their siesta, while we continued on our
journey.
It was not
long before we happened upon the first colony of prairie dogs.
Reading a
sign, posted nearby, we were interested to learn that these small creatures carried
fleas that could infect humans and/or their pets with Sylvatic Plague! Visitors
were also advised to not put their hands in the burrows, as they could be
inhabited by black widow spiders! (I couldn’t help thinking why anyone would
want to put their hand down a burrow – but the old adage states that rules are
usually borne in order to curb an established behavior). Lastly, the sign
warned the onlooker to watch out for rattlesnakes! I was just feeling grateful
that this was a cold November day, not the middle of summer, when another sign
warned of stepping upon one of the many hibernacula where snakes hide to escape
the cold. Apparently, they don’t hibernate, but are less active, and stay under
the ground.
We decided to keep close to the road, but kept our eyes peeled –
just in case!
The prairie
dogs entertained us for quite a while, as we watched them scurrying in and out of
their many burrows. They were so cute when they stood up to look around for
predators…
…and
predators, there were!! We were lucky enough to see a snowy owl that was
hanging around watching all the activity round about. He flew off when we moved
the car to change the angle of view.
Above us, a
bald eagle circled, keeping an eye on the movements below. We were hoping to
see him swoop, but he moved too quickly for us to capture him on video.
A little
later, we espied a few other predators: a black-footed ferret, an American
badger, and also two coy-wolves, which only stayed around long enough for us to
catch a couple of non-blurry pics on our camera.
There were also some areas for Angus beef cattle to graze, which were separated from the main park by Texas gates.
Along the
way, we stopped to take in a couple of places of interest, including the Larson
homestead, and the Frenchman Valley Campground. Walt Larson, and his family,
ranched in this area from the 1920’s until 1984 when his land became the first purchase
to form the park.
When the
trail left the park, instead of completing the circle, we decided to turn
around, and repeat the journey in the opposite direction. (We often find that
the vistas/experiences are different when going the other way).
Our decision
was rewarded because, within minutes, that’s when we saw the two coywolves! We also saw the two original bison again, this time standing and moving about as they grazed.
Of course, no blog would be complete without a selfie!
Finally
reaching our starting point, we left the park, stopping only to get a couple of
shots of the superb ranch signs that are common on the prairies of
Saskatchewan.
Stopping in
Swift Current to fill up with gas, we commenced our journey to Regina, by
rejoining the Trans Canada Highway, while enjoying the gloaming time on the
prairies, and the setting sun behind us.
