It was a beautiful day, Saturday June 14th, and the site of the 2025 Bio Inventory gave us access to a new aspect of the Bighill Creek drainage. It was a privileged one, not normally available to the public and one rich in landscape and species. This year we again accessed the 1800 acre Hutchinson Conservancy lands, also known as the Oxyoke Conservancy and the Nature Conservancy of Canada lands, on the west tributary of Bighill Creek. This time we accessed from the south, just off Hwy 567. Tracks led people down the escarpment to ponds and wetlands where the water was an attraction to many bird species, including a loyal pair of Trumpeter Swans who raise a family there each year.
BCPS thanks Susan and Stan Church for providing access to their lands and for accompanying the group for part of the day. Thanks too, to Save On Foods, Cochrane for providing a variety of snacks for the group. Thanks to all who came out and for your contributions to iNaturalist. Close to 300 listings were recorded for the day.
Several Red Winged Blackbirds were found in the cattails along the pond.