The Draining of Rafferty Reservoir

Or at least a partial drain of this vast reservoir on the Souris River....in prep for Spring run-off.



There is an enormous amount of snow this year

 

Impatiently Waiting for Spring

I went for a drive yesterday afternoon - the first drive-about I've done in a long time.  There's too much snow, plain and simple.  The roads are icy, the ditches are level-full of snow and it is still very, very cold here.  No, I can't seem to stop grumbling about this never-ending Winter.

Anyway...in spite of the vast snow cover, it IS the time of year when the first migrants start showing up.   As well, I wanted to check on the Souris River.  Water has been released from Rafferty and Boundary all winter.

This is the river south of Shand Power Plant.  The water level is very high - this area was all under-water two Springs ago.

 
First of all, there are small herds of deer grazing for whatever poor quality grass is left to nibble.  These are White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

 
And their sentinel.

What is this big ol' woolly-looking bundle trundling along the rim of Boundary reservoir?

Mr. or Mrs. Yellowquill, I believe.  The North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) My trusty Kaufman Field Guide to Mammals of North America informs that this is our second-largest rodent and that it's sharp quills are actually modified hairs.

And then there were the tree-top grouse.  To me, there are some birds which just do not suit being at the top of a very tall tree among the more spindly branches.  (Cormorants are undoubtedly the silliest.)  A plump Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) at the top of a poplar looks rather awkward, or something. 

  

I guess the view is better; the buds probably taste about the same as the lower ones.

When I was driving back out of the little park at Boundary, I saw something sort of moving up ahead on the road.  I slowed...really?  Is that a...???

Yes, a young Richardson's Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus richardsonii), most affectionately known simply as 'gopher'.  It was only partly alert to its surroundings, probably not entirely awake from hibernation...and I could have picked it up easily enough.  (I didn't).  

 
I have no idea where it came from, as there were no bare spots of ground showing along the road or ditches for some distance.  Poor little buddy; I hope it found its way back to its home.

This is the Souris River at Woodlawn bridge.  The resident Canada Geese (Branta canadensis)  have been enjoying the open water on the river; some appear to be pairing off.  Also in the picture are three pairs of Northern Shovelers (Anas clypeata).  They are Spring arrivals.

Many signs of Spring out there.  Now, if this snow would melt....except that's bound to bring a lot of flooding.  It's going to be one of those years.

Roche Percee Park - Last Sunday

Okay, then, still in the process of re-grouping after having been without a computer for a week or two.  What has happened to me!?!  I feel more like getting outside and into the garden than sitting here fiddling about with my blog, my photos, and generally wasting my time in a fine and lazy style.

But...but...but...I love wasting time....

As I've said and blogged about before (many, many times), there's too much water around my area.  A week ago I went down to my favourite Spring birding and walking park near the tiny village of Roche Percee.  It's about 20 kms SE of Estevan.

This is the road into the park, er that little water fall...not supposed to be there. 

The dear old Souris River just couldn't contain itself....

There is a pretty little marsh in this photo, now 5-6 meters under water

In a normal year, this small marsh at the bottom of a narrow, deep coulee looks like this, complete with Wood Ducks coyly hiding in the reeds and cattails.  Not this year

I haven't seen a Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) this year.

Click on pix for clearer & bigger, if you want to.

Souris River Yesterday

We got more rain over the weekend.  Yesterday I went out to check the river levels.

At the bridge on #47 south of Estevan

South from the lookout/parking lot above the greenhouses at Shand Power Plant

At the bridge on #39 east of Roche Percee

At Taylorton Bridge

Rafferty Dam

High water at Rafferty Dam.  I've never seen the reservoir this high

Water is pouring over the spillway - apparently only so much to keep the water within the river banks (Souris) downstream

More than that is coming into the reservoir though, as every day I go out, the water is higher

This is the boat launch/marina at Rafferty a week ago

This is the boat launch yesterday

Seems like a good place to wash a truck - but, jeez, this guy had flip-flops on and there's still a layer of slushy ice on the main body of water...

Click on the pix to enlarge, if you want to