Like it's neighbour Saskatchewan, Manitoba has a reputation for being flat and uninteresting. There certainly is a scarcity of mountains, but the land is not billiard-table smooth. We found plenty to interest us.
From the literature generously provided by the Manitoba Tourist Authority, the wildest parts of the province are well to the North. They are certainly attractive, but the time and money involved in another foray towards the higher latitudes was too much. What we got from the 2017 brochure (mailed gratis to New Zealand) was a July lily festival in Neepawa. In the 2018 equivalent document we spotted a reference to the Oak Hammock Marsh Wildlife Management Centre. We aimed at these two destinations.
We arrived in Neepawa (slight stress on the 1stand 3rd syllables) in August, far too late for any festival, but we did get directions to the Lily Nook and went for a dekko. It is a commercial lily-growing enterprise started by the enthusiasm of the current owner's father. So late in the season the flowers were well past their best, and some had shrivelled away entirely. We almost gave it up as a bad job, but Eve got into conversation with the owner, who told us that there were plants just coming into bloom in the growing field, about 4km further along the road. We were invited to go and have a look. There are indeed late-flowering lilies, and they made a gorgeous display.
A sign on the main road pointed us at a bird sanctuary. “Pelicans!”, I cried, as Gregory veered wildly across the road. As well as the avians on the lake, there are cages with exotic birds, including a pair of emus.
An Australian in captivity.
American white pelicans.
This is a grebe preening itself. It has a red neck so, from the printed field guide, it *might* be a Red-necked Grebe. But it might equally be a Horned Grebe without its breeding crest. On the other hand the Audubon app would appear to eliminate the possibility that it is a non-breeding Horned Grebe and doesn't list the Red-necked Grebe at all.
Juvenile Franklin's Gulls
Walking round the lake Eve saw our first snake. All I saw was a tail disappearing into the grass. Garter snakes are common and not very poisonous, and this one was of a retiring disposition. A good first snake to see.
We were overdue to let the world know some more about our travels and Neepawa was the perfect place to do this. It is a small town with a good library, where free Internet was available, and a laundromat. It also has one of the nicest, and most reasonably priced, campgrounds outside the provincial parks. For only $20 we had a site with electricity laid on and access to a modern, clean ablution block. In the neighbouring park there was a swimming pool, which we really should have taken advantage of, and disc golf.
Part of the campground from across the river.
We arrived at Oak Hammock Marsh in the evening. The interpretive centre was already closed, but the information boards described the trails, and we went on a ramble. The ponds and reeds were alive with birds and the light was good enough for photography.
A large flotilla of Canada Geese
A Mallard in flight
The plover in the foreground is known as a Killdeer, which seems a most inappropriate name. The bird behind it is a Greater Yellowlegs.
Young barn swallows in the nest.
There were no signs prohibiting overnight parking so we put the stabilisers down and stayed the night.
In the morning we followed a different trail and saw a range of mammals as well as lots more birds. The rabbit and the weasel ducked back into the herbage before the camera could be brought to bear, but the ground squirrels sat up and posed.
Either a Marsh Wren or a Sedge Wren.
An Eared Grebe with its chick.
A Marsh Wren with its breakfast.
Common Yellowthroat.
A Sedge (?) Wren takes off.
A 13-striped Ground Squirrel.
A large flock of Franklin's Gulls. We had never seen gulls flock like starlings before.
Red-winged Blackbirds in the rushes.
An American Goldfinch.
A Common Grackle.
By the time we finished this circuit the interpretive center was open. Importantly, the cafe was open and we expressed our gratitude for the facility by purchasing breakfast there.
Almost too late, we discovered that some birds were being netted and banded that day, and we were allowed to watch. We were in time to see the last two of the morning. The young woman in charge gave a commentary as she worked, explaining the whole process.
A flycatcher being shown off by the banding lady. It is one of two species that cannot be distinguished by appearance, even in the hand.
A Yellow Warbler that has just been banded.
Didn't we mention amphibians before? This is a Leopard Frog.
Our route to Ontario took us across country and we missed Winnipeg entirely. A shame, but we don't have time to see all of Canada's interesting places. Our last stop in Manitoba was a rest area at Rennie, where we brewed a cup of tea. A deer came silently through the trees, stood elegantly still long enough for a couple of photos and then departed.
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