FortWhyte Alive

FortWhyte Alive Nature Nut - Barret Miller

Every visit to FortWhyte is different, with new delights for each of our senses. As the days get longer and the sun warmer, spring seems to put change on fast-forward. Snow is here, you sit down for lunch, and the snow has gone. Different birds migrate to and through FortWhyte, and our lakes, forests, and prairies begin to feel like a busy airport—it’s almost impossible to keep track of all the arrivals and departures. Plants, dormant for the cold winter months, rush to grow and soak up the abundant water and nutrients released as the melt occurs.

Nature is hard to pin down and predict at the best of times. Spring, with its explosion of life, is an even harder thing to predict. However, I’m going to do my best to let you know what and when to expect certain birds, plants, and animals at FortWhyte Alive.

MARCH: If you pull on wool socks and rubber boots and come for an early-March walk at FortWhyte Alive, you will likely be greeted by the honk of newly arrived Canada Geese. Willow trees will be flowering—the familiar catkins, or pussy willows, are one of the first flowers we can enjoy here in Winnipeg. A quick glance over to our Prairie Dog Town anytime after March 15th will probably reveal the little rodents poking their heads up from the underground, blinking in the bright sun after a long winter of alternating super-naps, also known as torpor, with periods of activity deep in their burrows. Gulls will be circling high overhead, anxious to clean up any leftovers from the winter, freshly exposed as the snow melts.

APRIL: Whether April comes in like a lion or lamb does not seem to matter—it comes to FortWhyte like a Canada Goose looking for a nest! The big birds will have arrived in large numbers, and will have started to establish their territories for the upcoming breeding season. Hawks and other birds of prey will be back in numbers, as well—just in time for squirrels and chipmunks to end their period of super-napping, and resume their frantic summer routine of searching for and storing food.

By the end of April, the ice is usually off FortWhyte’s lakes and ponds. Early May sees new songbird arrivals nearly every moment, a flicker of yellow through the budding trees is invariably some species of warbler, different from the last species of warbler seen only seconds before! On one birding hike at FortWhyte Alive, at least 60 different species of songbirds and waterfowl can be seen during the peak of migration.

This is just a small snapshot of the show nature has in store for everyone to enjoy this spring. FortWhyte Alive offers unique programs and opportunities for you to better understand and connect with nature this spring. Come on out, and enjoy the unfolding spectacle that is FortWhyte Alive in the spring.