Souris River Valley

This is one of my favourite local drives - along the Souris River, east of Roche Percee, SK.  

Blogversary!!

Oh my goodness, an entire 365 days have passed since I set up this little effort and posted my first aimless little post.

I'm here; I have a blog

Oh yay. I have a blog. This is it. What to write?   

Pretty clever, huh? 

Yes, there has too been a bit of progress here at SLWB!  For example, I now know how to get more than one photo into the post, and I know how to link to stuff.

In anticipation of this first anniversary of my blog & me, I returned to Delta Marsh - or I tried to....

The place is still flooded - I mean, the cottage, the beach, the research facilities, the visitor's centre and boardwalk into a bit of the marsh is off-limits.  No Entry!  Nossir, no one gets past the guard shack unless one is a cottage owner. 

I reluctantly turned the JVD unit around and headed back to Portage la Prairie, but not before having a little discussion, with the private security guard, about not seeing any signs about the No-Entry thing anywhere along the route.  He agreed it was too bad no body thought signs might be a good idea, you know, especially since Delta Marsh is a bit of a well-known birding mecca. 

Oh well, it was still nice to be sort of at the marsh.  I saw some Am. White Pelicans, many duck species, Double-crested Cormorants, Great Blue Herons, White-crowned Night-Herons and Red-winged Blackbirds.

Delta Marsh - One of my Favourite Places

I love this place.  Miles and miles of wetlands.  Very interesting and very peaceful, except in duck hunting season.

As per the Manitoba government website about the marsh  (my photos, their text)
Delta Marsh is an extensive freshwater coastal wetland at the southern end of Lake Manitoba. It stretches from Lynchs Point in the west to St. Ambroise in the east. The protected portion of the Delta Marsh Wildlife Management Area encompasses 8,125 hectares. These protected lands are free from logging, mining, hydroelectric, oil and gas development as well as other activities that could significantly and adversely affect habitat. The total size of the wildlife management area is 11,000 hectares.

Outstanding Features

The Delta Marsh in south central Manitoba is one of the largest and most important marshes in the Canadian prairies, occupying approximately 18,000 hectares at the south end of Lake Manitoba. In 1982, the Delta Marsh was listed as a wetland of international importance under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Ramsar Convention. It is recognized provincially as a “Manitoba Heritage Marsh” and nationally as an Important Bird Area due to its significance for waterfowl and neotropical migrants.

The marsh formed between 2,500 and 4,500 years ago when the ancient Assiniboine River flowed into Lake Manitoba. It is composed of a network of interconnected shallow bays separated from Lake Manitoba by a wooded barrier beach.