Last week, I mentioned that I’d post a few photos of the wildlife in Wood Buffalo Park- most of the photos I took were too far away to get a good 3D Photo, so these are all normal photographs. They aren’t all the best photos(mostly they were taken during cloudy evenings, from a distance), but they give an idea of the common wildlife in the park
Among the animals that I saw, but didn’t get a photo of, are a wolf(or coyote- I only had a quick glimpse of it), deer, beavers, and muskrats.
So, lets start off with bison again.
The bison here had a broken horn- a small spruce sapling is wedged into it. Perhaps a result of rutting behaviour? It didn’t seem to affect the animal very much.
Bison were the most common animal I saw in the park- in fact, they’re fairly common as far away as northeastern BC. I saw both adult bison foraging alone during the daytime:
… and calves playing in the evening.
There were plenty of smaller animals too. After dusk, I saw over 30 rabbits on Pine Lake Road(IE- the only road that goes deep into the park).
I also had shrews run across the paths while I was hiking.
And of course, the black bears. I already mentioned the bear cubs…
… here is the mother.
And then there are the birds. I never saw an whooping cranes, but their more common cousins, the sandhill crane, also frequent the park.
I’ve mentioned the flocks of Canada Geese before.
Loons are also common…
as are grouse.
My highlight was being watched by an owl- it flew off quickly after I noticed it, but I did get one photo first.
In case you’re wondering, the green thing is a caterpillar- don’t ask me the species(for the caterpillar or the owl).
I never saw any pelicans- they nest on the Slave River in the town of Fort Smith. The town is right on the edge of the park, so I’m sure they must visit. I took photos of them in the town, so it wasn’t a big deal to see them again.
Finally, there are the fish in Pine Lake. The lake is created from a sinkhole. The lake is fed from water flowing through the limestone, and there is no surface water flowing into it.(an fact, a chain of such lakes can be seen in satellite photos leading to the Peace River). Despite the lack of flowing water above-ground, the lake is perfectly clear and great for swimming(as long as you don’t mind cold water). Fish can’t easily move into or out of the lake- those species that do live in it are very small.
Those are the species I photographed- there are many more in the park. It’s a fairly isolated region, but for wildlife, Wood Buffalo Park is well worth the drive.
Parallel Views 