Birders from Saltcoats, Melville, Yorkton and Saskatoon, all members of The Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail Association (YFBTA), recently spent a few hours as guests of fellow-birders Kenn and Nancy Wood. The 24 enthusiasts responded to an invitation to explore and observe lands in the vicinity of Cussed Creek, just north of Yorkton.
The tour began with a discourse, given by Kenn, on the Wood families involvement with the land. Wood described characteristics of the sandy-loam soil and the challenges it presents to land managers. He shared his vision of increasing soil productivity through sustainable practices and described various practices that he has been employing during his tenure on the land. He also gave an overview of the tour to come. The birders were then invited to hop aboard a trailer with rows of bales to be used as seats (pictured).
During the tour Wood shared his passion for land, for cattle and for natural processes. He also shared observations that he has made during his many years on the land. He talked of periods and abundance and then disappearance of Richardson's ground squirrel (gophers). He philosophized about relationships among Northern Pocket Gophers and soil fertility, touching on the interrelationships among mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds. The group stopped at a couple of sites to observe the impact of beavers upon the land. Wood pointed out the beneficial effects the beavers have provided for his cattle. The group was shown a maple forest which Wood believes exists as a result of the beaver continuously removing poplar and birch trees from the area while rejecting maple.
The group also stopped at one point to view a section of Cussed Creek where Wood had observed an interaction among two otters and a coyote stating that "that was one of the best nature sightings I have ever experienced." Other stops were made to observe remnants of earlier settlement and there was conversation about earlier occupation of these areas by Aboriginal people.
The group recorded sightings of geese, hawks, various species of warblers and migrating sparrows. A Great Blue Heron was one of the more notable sightings.
