Tag Archives: Cranes

Commentary, nature, Photography

Wood Buffalo National Park

26 Comments

The correct name for the animals is “bison,” but the park’s official name hasn’t been changed yet.

This park was established in 1922 to protect the seriously dwindling bison herds but also became invaluable to protecting the whooping cranes, as well.

At just under 45,000 km², Wood Buffalo is the largest national park in Canada and the second largest in the world. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 2013, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada designated it as the world’s largest dark sky preserve to protect the habitat of bats and other night-time animals and also to ensure the visibility of the Aurora Borealis.

There’s lots of hiking and camping, including back country camping sites and many kilometres of day hiking trails available.

Happy Sunday.

nature, Photography

Sandhill Cranes

21 Comments

There are lots of sandhill cranes throughout Canada and especially in the Northwest Territories.

Elegant and graceful, they arrive in late spring to mate and raise their young. They mate for life and usually have two eggs each spring. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that both chicks will survive to adulthood. The male is readily identifiable through his distinctive red forehead patch.

Happy Tuesday.