Nature Regina

Wandering Wednesdays - Winter Edition starts today! Explore A.E. Wilson Park You’ll discover two secret islands in the city, what birds make it home in the winter (30 different species!), what plants help birds out in the winter, what is happening under the ice and discover a beaver lodge (with real live beavers inside)!... We'll be releasing a new edition of Wandering Wednesdays every other week. Tune in to Global News Morning every other Wednesday to see what location Wandering Wednesdays will explore that week! To download the full coloured 5 page guide for A.E. Wilson Park visit www.natureregina.ca

If you are heading over to A.E. Wilson Park for some winter birdwatching check out this simple two page guide. Photos and facts about the most likely birds you will spot. Check out Wandering Wednesdays - Winter Edition for A.E. Wilson Park. You can download the full 5 page free Get Outside! Outdoor Adventure Guide at https://www.natureregina.ca/get-outside-family-hikes... Let's get outside and have an outdoor adventure today!

Please help us in honouring the ~30 year life of Cecil the Great Horned Owl. Cecil’s story starts when he was found as a very small chick and taken away from hi...s nest site. The story goes that he was in human care since he was quite a young bird. He may have partially imprinted on his own owl parents and partially on his human caregivers. At some point, he became a resident at the University of Saskatchewan, Veterinary College (WCVM) and became part of their Wildlife Care Unit where budding veterinarians got hands on experience with wildlife medicine. He spent ten years there and many veterinarians will remember him from their days as students. Cecil came into our care in the summer of 2004. He was recruited to do a job as part of a study for a biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service. We were asked if we could provide summer residence for him during the times he was not working. We agreed to do this and at the end of that summer, it was thought that he might still be needed for the following summer so we agreed to keep him overwinter and into the next summer. That turned into a third summer and gradually, Cecil just stayed for good. He stayed in a nice wooded setting for a few years and was sometimes taken out for photo ops he has been photographed by author and naturalist Wayne Lynch and appeared in some of his beautiful books. He has also appeared in many government publications, photographed by biologist Gordon Court. The Great Horned Owl in the Alberta Government Owls of Alberta poster is none other than Cecil! Cecil was always a very photogenic bird and didn’t mind standing and staying in sometimes unique backgrounds to get his picture taken. He never ever tried to fly away. When WILDNorth partnered with Nature Conservancy Canada for our current property in Parkland County he moved into his much larger retirement space situated beside the forest. Though not technically an education bird (Cecil actually didn’t like people all that much) nor a display bird, Cecil would provide companionship for many young Great Horned Owls youngsters they could be fostered or rehabilitated and released. Olaf the barbed wire owl spent two years with him. Gradually, Cecil’s eyesight started to deteriorate and he was diagnosed with cataracts. At this fall’s wellness exam, Xrays revealed arthritis in one wing. Careful observation in his environment revealed that he was not moving much at all anymore staying on the same perch, sometimes staring at the same spot. We came to understand that Cecil’s quality of life was no longer what is had been and we made the painful decision that it was time to let him go. A part of Cecil will always be with us he has shared so much of WILDNorth’s history. May you feel the wind beneath your wings again, Cecil. Fly free! If you are interested in making a donation in Cecil's memory, or to help support the care of the thousands of animals that come through WILDNorth's doors every year, you can click the link below. https://wildnorth.ca/support/

Kevina Mullock, an amazing Nature Regina volunteer explains how much fun winter birdwatching can be! Learn more about winter birdwatching, beavers and what is happening under the ice at a Get Outside! Free Public Event at A.E. Wilson Park on Saturday, December 5th. Advanced registration is required at www.natureregina.ca/events.

Just noticed this specimen, a male Bombus bohemicus, that we collected in 2013 in the @royalsaskmuseum native prairie garden. That makes three at-risk bumble bees that co-occur in this little patch of prairie in the middle of Regina!

Nature Regina and Birds Canada are joining forces for a Get Outside! Free Public Event on Saturday, December 5th at A.E. Wilson Park. With a hike leader you’ll discover two secret islands in the city, what birds make it home in the winter (30 different species!), what plants help birds out in the winter, what is happening under the ice and a beaver lodge (with real live beavers inside)! Advanced registration is required at www.natureregina.ca/events.... We have consulted the Saskatchewan Health Authority and have COVID 19 health and safety guidelines in place. Please be prepared to wear a mask (even though we are outside), hand sanitize, social distance and answer COVID 19 symptom checker questions before the event. Staggered start times and a maximum of 15 people per group with each hike leader. Let's get outside and have an outdoor adventure (to support positive mental and physical health)!

Members know this likely, and this is an excellent article.

Nature Regina and Birds Canada joined forces for a Train the Trainer event at A.E. Wilson Park on Saturday, November 14th. Sixteen volunteers (in two different sessions) joined us to learn about winter birdwatching, wildlife in the park, Grandfather rocks, native plants in winter and what is happening under the ice! The volunteers will share this knowledge either at a Get Outside! Kids Club event or Get Outside! Free Public Event at this location in the next month. We will be... having pre-registered, private family group guided hikes with mandatory masking, sanitizing and social distancing. Thanks to LeeAnn Latremouille (Birds Canada) for the great introduction to birdwatching. Thanks to Jordan Rustad (seasonal manager of the Last Mountain Bird Observatory with Nature Saskatchewan and Nature Regina volunteer) for the great birdwatching information. Thanks to Shannon Anderson from the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation for sharing information about their Classrooms On Ice program. If you want to find out more about Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation programs and learn about what is happening under the ice, check out https://swf.sk.ca/classrooms-on-ice-in-the-marsh/ Stay tuned for the launch of Wandering Wednesdays - Winter Edition on Wednesday, November 18th featuring A.E. Wilson Park. Check back on Wednesday for the full Get Outside! Outdoor Adventure Guide for A.E. Wilson Park. Let's get outside and have an outdoor adventure today!

December's Native Prairie Speaker Series is almost here! Topic: Droughtproofing Tuesday December 1st at 12:00pm CST Speaker: Rob Gardener... Register Free: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/regist/2717032181832119054 This presentation is FREE! Tune in from anywhere! Everyone welcome! More Information: SK PCAP at 306.352.0472 or [email protected]

The Train the Trainer event at A.E. Wilson Park took place on Saturday, November 14th. Nature Regina and Birds Canada joined forces for this event! We were joined by 16 volunteers (in two sessions) who learned all about the birds, native plants, rocks, wildlife and what is happening under the ice in winter! They hope to share this knowledge with you at a Get Outside! Kids Club and Get Outside! Free Public Events at A.E. Wilson Park in the next month. We are coming up with an ...extremely COVID safe way to have these events (registered family groups for private hikes with a guide, mandatory masking even though we are outside, mandatory social distancing and hand sanitizing, et cetera) A huge thanks to LeeAnn Latremouille for the great introduction to birdwatching for our trainers. Also, a great big thanks to Jordan Rustad who works seasonally at the Last Mountain Bird Observatory and joined Nature Regina as a volunteer for the event. Thanks to Damon Chernick for presenting about the different types of rocks at A.E. Wilson Park and a special furry friend. Thank you also to Shannon Anderson from the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation for sharing all about what is happening under the ice at this time of year. Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation has a great Classrooms on Ice program https://swf.sk.ca/classrooms-on-ice-in-the-marsh/ Thanks so much to all of our amazing volunteers who joined us for the Train the Trainer session. Stay tuned to the Nature Regina Facebook page for more information about upcoming events. Let's get outside and have an outdoor adventure.

Great ideas for education and connectivity with nature in Regina.

Lacey Weekes, Conservation and Education Manager at Nature Saskatchewan shows how to make a simple bird feeder and how you can participate in Project Feederwatch (a Birds Canada program). Become a citizen scientist in your own yard!