I usually take my son camping at the end of June into the early part of July. This year we went to Kakisa and Sambaa Deh which is in the Deh Cho region of the Northwest Territories. To get there, we have to cross the mighty Mackenzie River which is a wonderful spot for birding.
A few years ago, the Deh Cho bridge which spans the Mackenzie just outside of Fort Providence was finally completed. The bridge design went through a technical review process with Environment Canada to examine the potential impact of the bridge on migratory birds. You can see the report and recommendations here: http://reviewboard.ca/…/EA03-008_Environment_Canada…
The bridge has specific lighting to reduce collisions with migratory birds particularly in times of fog and bad weather. The report anticipated use by raptors and swallows in particular and I can attest to the use of the bridge as a nesting platform for swallows! There are hundreds of them nesting there.
When we travelled across the bridge earlier this year, there were two sentinels standing watch a pair of juvenile bald eagles on either side. I am always surprised at the size of these birds! They seemed uninterested in our presence, ignoring me while I took a few photos.
That’s all for this Sunday. I hope you enjoyed the story and the images. We’ll see you again next week.