It was time today to get outside and get some exercise. This is something that I don't do enough. If I do make the effort to walk and get my heart rate up, it is on a treadmill, not out in nature. In the bitter cold of winter this is understandable. But, during a beautiful summer morning after several days of refreshing rain? No, it was time get outside.
I decided to take a look at a place that I have never been before in Regina - the McKell Wascana Conservation Park just off of the southeast outskirts of the city.
The park is basically a slice of old farmland along Wascana Creek right on the edge of the city that has been preserved as a nature refuge. The ground was incredibly soggy and I had to be careful where I put my feet. It wasn't raining but lots of low-hanging clouds were potentially threatening rain.
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| The park was opened in 2005 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh |
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| Wascana Creek flowing through the McKell Wascana Conservation Park |
There was a indeed a great deal of wildlife within the conservation area. Yet, it was difficult to get a glimpse of it. I had some luck seeing lots of red-winged blackbirds along with this grey and yellow bird that I have yet to identify.
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| What is this bird? |
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| Red-winged Black Bird sitting on a sign |
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| Some of the birds in the pictures have definitely left 'deposits' on this sign |
The birds were flitting around quite freely, probably because there was no one else in the park but me. Eventually a man came along with two dogs. As he passed he waved. It was a small friendly gesture that I greatly appreciated.
Among the kilometers and kilometers of prairie grass there are a number of flowering bushes growing. These flowers were a lovely sight.
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| Where there is now standing water, there was nothing but blowing dust several days ago |
Eventually I made my way along Wascana Creek and out of the conservation park. There was a lot more of the park that I wanted to take a look at but there was just simply too much water. In some places, I would have been up to my knees in water and mud. So, time to move on back into some suburban parks not far away.
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| Tall wild grasses growing on the edge of the city |
Perhaps due to their proximity to the McKell Park, there was lots of wildlife among the houses of these nearby suburban parks. I do wish that I would have taken along a telephoto lens though - I could not get close enough to the ducks and other birds that I encountered.
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| Mallard duck and some other type of duck feeding in suburban pond |
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| No thin ice today |
Ultimately, getting out into nature and getting some exercise this morning was worthwhile. It is a great way to reduce stress. The fresh air. The cool breeze. The birds. The gophers. It was all quite glorious. Regina is in the middle of the Canadian Prairies. Not exactly the vacation capital of Canada. But what a great walk around. The recent rains have brought everything back to life. I was brought to life this morning. Eventually the sun peaked out from behind the clouds. What a great way to end off a beautiful morning.
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| The sun and blue sky showed itself for the first time in days |
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