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Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan Facts, photos and wildlife watching tips for Grasslands National Park
Quick Facts Habitat: Mixed grass prairie Getting there It's not easy. The nearest major international airport is Calgary (eight hours by car); Toronto is two days away by bus. Saskatoon Airport is about five hours away. Roads within the park are gravel and completely inaccessible during wet or snowy weather. Wildlife Watching The prairies are a far better environment for wildlife watching than forests or mountains. Absolute numbers of most species are higher, and the open landscape makes them easier to spot, although the distances involved require binoculars or a spotting scope. Try using the car as a hide. Mammals Black-tailed Prairie Dog
Grasslands and the surrounding farms are the last place in Canada to retain their populations of these entertaining and highly social squirrels. Prairie dogs have huge ecological importance because their "towns" provide habitat for many other species, from pronghorn to godwits. They can easily be seen except during winter. Two of their towns are accessible by road, but visiting the park's largest requires hiking in the Frenchman River valley (keep an eye out for prairie rattlesnakes and black widows - both live in the towns).
Bison
Reintroduced a few years ago, bison are thriving in the West Block of the park. Despite their size, they can be difficult to spot in the springtime when the main herd is in the backcountry to give birth. Try looking for them close to the roadside prairie dog towns. Warning - bison are responsible for more injuries than grizzly bears in Yellowstone, and are quite capable of killing people who try to get too close. Watch them from your car or through binoculars.
Pronghorn
Pronghorn are not deer or antelope, but the last survivors of a uniquely North American family distantly related to giraffes. They are second only to the African cheetah in speed. They are easily seen in Grasslands, in both the east and west blocks.
American Badger
Much more active and daylight-prone than the Eurasian badger, American badgers can be found hunting throughout Grasslands. They are very powerful diggers and you might see the holes that they leave behind!
Birds Buteo hawks
The huge prey base of the prairies supports a quite mind-boggling variety and abundance of birds of prey. Apart from northern harriers, peregrines and prairie falcons, there are also several species of buteo (buzzard), including rough-legged, red-tailed, and Swainson's, although they all seem to come in multiple colour morphs and distinguishing them can be very hard. On good days in the spring, you might see a hawk every half a kilometre up the road, or even more frequently. They perch on fence posts, circle overhead, building their nests in the rare trees of the prairie.
Golden Eagle
This awe-inspiring bird is fairly easy to see around Grasslands (and also on the Albertan side of the Cypress Hills). It might be mistaken for a hawk if soaring high overhead, but the long wings are a giveaway. Eagles nest within Grasslands Park, including on Seventy Mile Butte, but please respect closure signs because they are easily displaced by human activity.
Killdeer
The Canadian prairies attract enormous numbers of breeding shorebirds (waders) around the potholes - prairie lakes. The killdeer is sometimes found quite far from water, including running down prairie roads. In Grasslands, try looking for them around the small lake in the Frenchman Valley. Bird watchers should also visit Chaplin Lake to see thousands of waders feeding upon the edges of the salt lake.
Reptiles Prairie Rattlesnake
It seems amazing that snakes can survive Saskatchewan's brutal climate, but they do, and they exist in Grasslands NP in abundance. The only venomous species is the prairie rattlesnake, and fortunately it isn't aggressive. However, it will certainly bite if handled or trodden upon. Wear strong snake gaiters (available for rental from Parks' office in Val Marie) and watch where you put your feet, especially around large boulders. Their rattle is much softer than might be expected; it sounds like a grasshopper's wings. A defensive snake will also hiss loudly. Please drive carefully. Many snakes die on Canada's roads.
Amphibians Boreal Chorus Frog The calls of this tiny frog are everywhere in springtime, but locating the little creature itself is extremely difficult!
"Invisibles" - special wildlife unlikely to be seen Black-footed ferret: Grasslands is the only place in Canada where this large member of the weasel family exists. It was reintroduced in autumn 2009, and is making a good recovery. Swift fox: Also reintroduced, this tiny fox is occasionally glimpsed in the grasses. Bobcat: replaces the Canadian lynx in this ecosystem. Conservation Issues As a relatively small park, Grasslands is directly affected by the management of wildlife on neighbouring private land. Predator culls and rodent culls are still ongoing in the farmlands, and the remoteness of the province means that they generally attract less attention than similar events in other parts of Canada. The top tier of the ecosystem - grey wolves, grizzly bears and cougars - has been virtually eliminated throughout the prairies due to anti-predator campaigns.
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All photos, text and other content © Adele Brand (www.thesittingfox.co.uk) 2006 - 2011. |
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