Tag: evening hike

Night creatures in Gatineau Park

Our last evening trips to see salamanders at night in Gatineau Park were successful. Therefore, we plan to have one more hike at the end of this week. This is a guided hike to explore Gatineau Park in the evening time for those who are interested to know more about dwellers of the forests and wetlands, tiny creatures, that just woke up after winter hibernation, and nocturnal bird species. We’ll meet at 7:30 pm on May 05 (Friday evening) at Parking 8 in Gatineau Park, which is located not too far from the Gatineau Park Visitor Center.

During our last excursion, we counted many spotted salamanders, one northern dusky salamander, and five species decided to move into other ponds after the evening chorus singing. In spring, salamanders rush to forest streams, ponds, and lakes to mate and lay their eggs there. At the larval stage, most salamanders from temperate regions are aquatic. Their tadpoles have three pairs of external gills and a long laterally flattened tail. Tadpoles breathe through their gills. At the end of the aquatic stage, they transform into adult salamanders through the metamorphosis process, becoming similar to small lizards. After the breeding season, adult salamanders will return back to the forest, where they will be almost invisible, as they lead a twilight and nocturnal lifestyle. During the day they hide in secluded recesses under the forest floor, stones, and trunks of fallen trees. The diversity of salamanders is rich in the eastern part of North America. So, we hope to see at least several different salamander species at night.

But not only salamanders will be the goal of our excursion. We will also listen to the voices of spring, which can be heard on the distance in the leafless forest. First of all, we will determine whether tiny tree frogs have already woken up – spring peepers, whose melodic whistle resembles the singing of invisible little birds. Also, we will be able to see in the evening dawn how Wilson’s snipes and American woodcocks fly over the forest openings and over wetlands with the characteristic sound of a propeller. We will listen to see if the secretive American Bittern has already appeared near the reservoirs and hide in dry aquatic vegetation near the lakes. And also, we will be able to hear the night conversation of owls – the barred owls and eastern screech owls.

A year ago, during such an excursion, we also saw a bear mom with three cubs, who had just come out from their winter den and were looking for food under the oak trees. Having noticed our small group, the bears immediately tried to hide in the nearest ravine. We could spot three 3 species of salamanders that occur in Gatineau Park and heard the night call of the barred owls.

How to dress?

It is expected lots of rain in the next week. The rain will destroy the snow, but the forest will be damp.  Please, watch the weather forecast to be prepared for a trip. It can be also chilly in the evening time. So, it is better to have warm jackets and good shoes that are most comfortable for a trip on wet forest paths.

What else might be needed?

Do not forget the flashlight. It is great if you have your binoculars for bird observations, and your cameras, or telephones for photos. It would be also good to have light snacks and water.

Night Creatures in the Gatineau Park

We plan to repeat our evening hike to Gatineau Park the time when the snow is mostly melted on April 21 and April 29. This is a guided hike to explore Gatineau Park in the evening time for those who are interested to know more about dwellers of the forests and wetlands, tiny creatures, that just woke up after winter hibernation and nocturnal bird species. We’ll meet at 7:00 pm on April 21 (Friday evening) at Parking 8 in Gatineau Park, which is located not too far from the Gatineau Park Visitor Center.

The snow barely melts in the forest, and amazing creatures, hibernating soundly in the forest floor all winter, already appear on the thawed patches at night: these are small-tailed amphibians – salamanders. In spring, salamanders rush to forest streams, ponds, and lakes to mate and lay their eggs there. At the larval stage, most salamanders from temperate regions are aquatic. Their tadpoles have three pairs of external gills and a long laterally flattened tail. Tadpoles breathe through their gills. At the end of the aquatic stage, they transform into adult salamanders through the metamorphosis process, becoming similar to small lizards. After the breeding season, adult salamanders will return back to the forest, where they will be almost invisible, as they lead a twilight and nocturnal lifestyle. During the day they hide in secluded recesses under the forest floor, stones, and trunks of fallen trees. The diversity of salamanders is rich in the eastern part of North America. So, we hope to see at least several different salamander species at night.

But not only salamanders will be the goal of our excursion. We will also listen to the voices of spring, which can be heard on the distance in the leafless forest. First of all, we will determine whether tiny tree frogs have already woken up – spring peepers, whose melodic whistle resembles the singing of invisible little birds. Also, we will be able to see in the evening dawn how Wilson’s snipes and American woodcocks fly over the forest openings and over wetlands with the characteristic sound of a propeller. We will listen to see if the secretive American Bittern has already appeared near the reservoirs and hide in dry aquatic vegetation near the lakes. And also, we will be able to hear the night conversation of owls – the barred owls and eastern screech owls.

A year ago, during such an excursion, we also saw a bear mom with three cubs, who had just come out from their winter den and were looking for food under the oak trees. Having noticed our small group, the bears immediately tried to hide in the nearest ravine. We could spot three 3 species of salamanders that occur in Gatineau Park and heard the night call of the barred owls.

How to dress?

It is expected lots of rain in the next week. The rain will destroy the snow, but the forest will be damp.  Please, watch the weather forecast to be prepared for a trip. It can be also chilly in the evening time. So, it is better to have warm jackets and good shoes that are most comfortable for a trip on wet forest paths.

What else might be needed?

Do not forget the flash-light. It is great if you have your binoculars for bird observations, and your cameras, or telephones for photos. It would be also good to have light snacks and water.

Sunset in Gatineau Park: Evening hike around P8 (Chem. du Lac Meech)

This event is organized for those who like adventures. This is a guided hike to Gatineau Park for evening nature observation.  We invite amateurs to explore the evening life of Gatineau Park in the area near Meech Lake. We’ll meet on Friday evening, April 15, at 6:00 pm on the P8 in the Park.  This guided hike will be in English and Russian.

Place and Subject of the Excursion:

We invite you to participate in a sunset adventure in Gatineau Park. We organize an evening hike to a small lake in Gatineau Park. The snow had just melted or still remained in some places in small clumps in shady places. But spring is rapidly approaching, and with it, migratory birds return to their breeding sites. In the evenings, silhouettes of flying Wilson’s snipes and American woodcocks can be seen above the lakes at the edges of the forest. They fill the neighborhood with their characteristic sounds. The typical winnowing flight of Wilson’s snipe resembles the sound of an airplane. The sound of American woodcock flight is also very distinctive. Amphibians wake up and we hope to listen to the chorus of the first Spring Peepers. Spring peepers are “heralds” of the spring season. These tiny amphibians came out from ponds and sing from the branches of trees, where males climbed up quite high. Salamanders come out of their hibernation places on the forest floor – they rush to reservoirs and vernal pools to lay eggs and give rise to offspring. In the evenings, beavers become active, they leave their huts to feed and find construction materials for the renovation of their lodges after a long winter season. Later, in the forest, you can hear the dialogue of barred owls or calls of eastern screech owls. This is the time when owls are still very active and you can not only see them but also hear them.

We’ll meet at Parking 8 (P 8) at 6:00 pm, which is very close to the Visitor Center of Gatineau Park in Chelsea. There is an opportunity for carpooling from Ottawa (2 places).

Dress:

It can be humid after rains in the last few days. It is recommended to have waterproof shoes and rainy jackets. Prepare a flashlight or headlamp for observations in dark.

Rustles, shadows and voices of the night forest in Greenbelt area (in Russian)

We organize a night hike to the forest in Ottawa Greenbelt that to learn about the nightlife of the woods. We learn about birds, amphibians, and other animals active at night and try to see and listen to some of them. The size of the group is limited to 15 people. Time of hike 2 – 2.5 hours.

В эту субботу вечером мы организуем вечерний поход в лес, чтобы послушать, какие из лесных обитателей активны на вечерней заре и позднее. Мы собираемся на закате (в 7:30 вечера) на парковке No 8 у Chipmunk Trail (Stony Swamp area). Сначала мы пойдем к болоту, где сейчас начинается вечерняя тяга у недавно прилетевших американских вальдшнепов. Мы послушаем, как токуют эти интересные птицы, а может быть даже и увидим, как они летают над болотом. Эти кулики обычно активны ночью и увидеть днем их можно только случайно. Также мы послушаем и посмотрим, какие другие обитатели леса и водоемов подают в это время свои голоса. Затем мы дойдем до бобрового пруда, где мы тоже остановимся, чтобы проверить – проснулись ли бобры и плавают ли они уже по ночам. Далее мы по тропе пройдем в хвойный лес, где зимой были активны несколько дикобразов. Конец марта – начало апреля – это время, когда активны совы. Некоторые из них возвращаются на свои постоянные участки, которые они занимают много лет подряд. Другие – в это время спешат назад к своим местам гнездования в тайге. Мы узнаем, какие совы гнездятся в зеленой зоне Оттавы, и позовем их, используя специальную методику учета ночных птиц по голосам. Если нам повезет, то мы сможем услышать, как кто-то из них откликается.

Длина маршрута – 2 -3 км. Согласно прогнозу, ожидается довольно хорошая погода (дождя быть не должно и будет не очень-то холодно). Тем не менее, желательно всем быть в непромокаемой обуви – так как мы пересечем несколько ручьев – и в теплой одежде, а также всем иметь при себе фонарики. В лесу темнеет быстро.

На снимке бекас Вильсона, который еще не прилетел, но тоже скоро будет летать над болотами и прудами, оповещая о своем возвращении звуком, напоминающим пропеллер самолета. Это самцы токуют таким образом, привлекая к себе внимание представительниц противоположного пола.

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