Warblers, Warblers everywhere!

I haven’t had a chance to post lately, but I have been walking.  Today I want to write about some wandering Mark and I did at Minnewashta Regional Park on Friday.  It was an overcast day, and a bit cool, but that made for great walking weather!  We took the Woodland Trail, which winds along the lakeshore for a good portion of the way and, as advertised, it’s all woodland.  The path is primarily grassy, which made a nice change from all the paved trails we’ve been walking lately…although there were one or two areas that we had to navigate due to a little mud (see photo)…

Actually, the muddy bits were few and the navigating was pretty easy – even the ruts in the photo weren’t as bad as they look – so don’t let a little mud deter you if you’d like to visit this park!

Birdlife has been abundant over the past week as migrants move through, and that includes Minnewashta Park.  Warblers made up many of the species we spotted, such as Black and White Warblers, Chestnut-sided Warblers, a Mourning Warbler, American Redstarts, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, Blackpoll Warblers, and especially Yellow Warblers, such as the one pictured here.

For those interested in birds, we did see other species as well…  several species of sparrow, Red-winged Blackbirds, a Caspian Tern soaring and diving over the lake, a Great-crested Flycatcher, and this handsome Gray-cheeked Thrush.

The woods were quiet (aside from the section which borders Highway 41), and we only saw a couple of other people along the way.  Of course, we were there on a weekday, which might explain some of the quiet!

This ramble was largely focused on birds, since there were so many around us.  But the trail is beautiful even without so much birdsong and bird activity, and the woods serene.  It wasn’t a long walk, but we spent a couple of hours lingering along the lakeshore and all through the forest.  I certainly recommend this park to anyone who would like a short, peaceful break.

I’d also like to mention that tomorrow begins an initiative called the Rewild Your Life 7 Day Challenge.  The challenge is to spend at least 30 minutes out in nature every day for seven days, and the idea is to help you relax, begin to improve your health, and to connect with nature.  I will be taking the challenge, and encourage you to do the same.  If you’re interested, you can check it out in more detail on the inspiring We Are Wildness Facebook page. There you will find a guidebook that can be downloaded at no charge.  The book contains recommendations for your time in nature, inspirational content, space to write your own thoughts or sketch what you find on your walks, and even a nature scavenger hunt.  If you take the challenge, I’d love to hear about your adventures and insights – and I will certainly be sharing mine with you!

Until then… a little Common Blue Violet from me to you…