Each nesting pair of Great Blue Herons where successful at hatching 2-4 chicks per nest. That unfortunately was not the number of Heron chicks to be fledged from each nest. As with any nesting season for the Herons, there would be the natural order of things ruling the outcome of the Heronry. Each nest does not fledge all hatched chicks. In many cases at least one chick per nest is lost as the weakest or sickly of the hatch. This chick will either not receive enough food, due to the competition amongst it’s siblings, or a chick will succumb to illness. This is the way for the strongest of hatchlings to fledge to adulthood.

Another loss to the Heronry was weather. This year in both the front and the rear heronries, a major branch on a nesting tree, and an entire nesting tree, fell to the ground, due to the high winds that move through the lowlands where the heronries are located. These two loses took 3 nests in the front heronry and another 3 nests in the rear heronry. That would have been 50 nests this year. It shows how delicate these Heron nesting sites can be. If not for the huge success rate, at new nest building there, these 6 lost nests would have been extremely critical to the Colonies growth. But due to the successful expansion of both heronries, even the loss of 6 nests resulted in a total net growth of the heronries as a whole, from 39 nests in 2011, to 44 active nests in 2012. Still a very successful season, and still the largest Great Blue Heron rookery in Southeastern Michigan.

We hope that Shelby Twp. will continue to cherish the fact that more Herons reproduce there at Holland Ponds, in Shelby Twp. then any other place in this corner of the state. We hope they continue take care of this rare place for future generations to learn and marvel at this unique setting, and that the majestic Great Blue Heron will continue to thrive in a Colony that has consistently grown in size for over 8 years now.

DOWNLOAD THE 2012 HERON NESTING REPORT HERE

DOWNLOAD A 3 PAGE STUDY OF GREAT BLUE HERONS IN MICHIGAN

Each nesting pair of Great Blue Herons where successful at hatching 2-4 chicks per nest. That unfortunately was not the number of Heron chicks to be fledged from each nest. As with any nesting season for the Herons, there would be the natural order of things ruling the outcome of the Heronry. Each nest does not fledge all hatched chicks. In many cases at least one chick per nest is lost as the weakest or sickly of the hatch. This chick will either not receive enough food, due to the competition amongst it’s siblings, or a chick will succumb to illness. This is the way for the strongest of hatchlings to fledge to adulthood.

Another loss to the Heronry was weather. This year in both the front and the rear heronries, a major branch on a nesting tree, and an entire nesting tree, fell to the ground, due to the high winds that move through the lowlands where the heronries are located. These two loses took 3 nests in the front heronry and another 3 nests in the rear heronry. That would have been 50 nests this year. It shows how delicate these Heron nesting sites can be. If not for the huge success rate, at new nest building there, these 6 lost nests would have been extremely critical to the Colonies growth. But due to the successful expansion of both heronries, even the loss of 6 nests resulted in a total net growth of the heronries as a whole, from 39 nests in 2011, to 44 active nests in 2012. Still a very successful season, and still the largest Great Blue Heron rookery in Southeastern Michigan.

We hope that Shelby Twp. will continue to cherish the fact that more Herons reproduce there at Holland Ponds, in Shelby Twp. then any other place in this corner of the state. We hope they continue take care of this rare place for future generations to learn and marvel at this unique setting, and that the majestic Great Blue Heron will continue to thrive in a Colony that has consistently grown in size for over 8 years now.

DOWNLOAD THE 2012 HERON NESTING REPORT HERE

DOWNLOAD A 3 PAGE STUDY OF GREAT BLUE HERONS IN MICHIGAN

It is increasingly difficult to approach the rookery through the tall grasses. Much of the grass is now five feet tall. All of it is hip high. We have had lots of rain during the past week here in southeastern Wisconsin, so these wetlands are living up to their name. Because of terrific thunderstorms and high winds, I’m pretty sure that at least one of the nests was destroyed.

Here are three of the photos taken this past week. As you can see, the chicks are starting to look like adults with bad hair.

Two Chicks in a Crowded Nest

Two Chicks

The following image of a solitary adult keeping watch over the nest poses a question. I watched this bird for an hour, but I never spotted a chick in the nest. In the other fifteen to twenty nests that I could see there were lots of chicks clearly visible. I’m wondering if the chick or chicks fell out of this nest but the adult keeps watch nonetheless.

Keeping Watch

Sometimes I simply cannot visit all the nests that I try to monitor often enough. The chicks fledge before I really get time to properly observe them. Such is the case with the great blue heron (Ardea herodias) rookery at Baum Lake (Shasta County CA).

The last time I checked the heron rookery, all the great blue heron juveniles were practicing their flight skills. About 50 juvenile and adult herons were in the two ponderosa pine trees holding their nests. Their loud, hoarse calls filled the air. Suddenly all of the herons took flight at once and circled low above my head. What a sight!! After several turns around the trees the herons all began to land on the branches and in their nests again. Many of the herons had difficulty landing, aborted and made several attempts before finally settling down. After about five minutes all the birds took off again, circled and settled back with varying degrees of proficiency. Again and again all the herons repeated this exercise. The juveniles were practicing their flight skills. What a treat to watch the youngsters perfect this gift. Probably the next time I return to the rookery all of the great blue herons will have dispersed and the noisy rookery will be eerily silent.

Although I took many photographs of adults and juveniles in the rookery, these are all young great blue herons as evidenced by their dark upper mandible.

(For those interested, these photos were taken with a Canon 40D using a Sigma 50-500 mm. Effective focal length was 800 mm.)

Looking Out at a New World

Trying out new wings

Well, as these things are wont to happen, the weather didn’t quite cooperate; even when there was blue sky behind the objects of my affection, the sun was screened through a moving mat of high and ever-thickening clouds.  I spent three hours trying, but left knowing that I’d be back for more goes at this magical tableau.

The rookery is in a stand of dead trees in a beaver-flooded hollow:

I counted at least a dozen nests, some not evident until a croaking heron circled and landed, or took off from something much less evident than this one:

Thanks for the help, guys!

And I say “guys” because most of the nests which were close enough to observe had a sitting bird, which I’m assuming is female and incubating eggs (as they almost never  left their nests,) and a standing  bird, who seemed to be watching their environ by quadrants, either for danger or opportunity:

I could almost hear the conversation as they interacted: “Heads down*, Alice, I’m goin’ out to get lunch.”  “Ralph, you’re always  going out to get lunch!”

* Herons never say “duck,” as they consider that to be fowl language.

Anyway, my objective for the day (besides getting shots of front-lit herons) was to try to get herons in flight.  This is a big leap for me, as Gizmo is a 400mm lens without image stabilization, meaning any movement of the lens (including touching it) blurs the photo, so tracking birds, even with a tripod, is out.  Add to that the sorry fact that for many of these shots I was using a 2X tele-extender which  a) slows the shutter speed by two full stops,  b) magnifies the shake inherent in touching the camera and  c) makes the lens’ auto-focus inoperable, and I had a situation where I had to  a) boot the ISO up substantially,  b) pre-aim the camera, guessing where my flying subject would be, and shoot with a cable release so I didn’t have to touch the camera, and  c) pre-focus on God-knows-what and hope something good would come of it.

So here, against all odds, are the results.

A trio of “guard” herons, with one taking flight:

Obviously, I hadn’t guessed correctly which bird would “chicken” first.  Oh well.

Here’s one preparing for take-off, posing as a Buick hood ornament:

Good one, Bird!

…Then, launching into flight:

That’s an impressive wing-span there!

And lastly, the same bird returning to its roost, playing Night-time, Daytime:

I find the feather separation on the up-flap impressive, and marvel at the engineering inherent in such an organic design.

Anyway, that’s all I got before the clouds moved in and I got tired of sitting in cold, wet moss.

But if I’m right in my assumption that the females are sitting on eggs, return trips might prove productive.

Time will tell, eh? 

Well, I went there and found the nests, and though the light was behind them, got a few shots worth sharing.

A tree with three nests and two sitting moms-to be:

There were a number of nests with sitting birds, which I’ll guess were the females, while another set of birds flew about, landing on other nests and branches:

My sense was that these were the males, though I’m no ornithologist.   I graciously assumed they were patrolling the perimeters, rather than dodging their parental responsibilities.  At any rate, they were beautiful to watch:

They were backlit, meaning they weren’t colorful, but they had strong lines.

And, as it turned out, their beaks were translucent, and positively glowed in that backlight:

I was happy with the shots from this first visit, but I think I need to see it at/near sunrise, which means getting there in the pre-dawn pall and setting up before the action commences.

That’s awfully early, but I’ll try.  I think the shots may be worth it.

took me a couple hours to get this sketch

This sketch is in burnt umber pastel. Things change so fast around here in the spring. when I drew this, the leaves were only starting to come out. now they’re almost all filled in on the trees. Now I have to go back and do some sketches of the herons.

Since spring is in the air, I decided to stick with last week’s theme on nesting in my local city of Richmond, VA. Unbeknownst to many people, including myself just a few years ago, the Richmond area is home to two large Great Blue Heron rookeries. Some biologists and wildlife experts have even gone so far as to call the nesting grounds “Richmond’s great hidden treasure.”

 Great Blue Herons at the Richmond Rookery.
By: Mary Elfner, From: http://birds.audubon.org

On an island in the James River, just west of the 14^th street bridge, about 40 pairs of Great Blue Herons congregate to build nests and raise their chicks. Even a few pairs of Great Egrets nest in this area as well. Richmond City’s Great Blue Heron rookery is particularly unique because it is located in an urban setting, and herons are known for being shy birds that like to stay far away from people. However, the Richmond rookery is in a fairly isolated location along the Pipeline Rapids. The Pipeline Trail following the bank of the James offers a great view of the nests, but the rocky island itself is not easy for people to reach, making it tolerable for the herons.

Pipeline Rapids in downtown Richmond, VA.
By: Phil Riggan, From: http://rotj.wordpress.com

Wildlife experts are pleased that the nesting grounds continue to grow each year. According to them, the presence of the herons shows that the James River is becoming a healthier habitat once again, providing enough fish to sustain the parents and their chicks.

This is a video of the Great Blue Herons’ full nesting cycle from last year. You can see the pools, streams, and rushing rapids for fishing as well as the trees that provide such a great habitat for the birds.

The other heron rookery is located in the Dutch Gap Conservation area in Chesterfield County. The nesting grounds can be found along the original James River channel and are accessible through Henricus Historical Park. Dutch Gap’s 840 acres of tree-lined lagoons and tidal basins are closer to what we tend to think of as prime habitat for the Great Blue Heron. While this rookery started small years ago, it has since grown to over 60 nests.

Friends of the James River and the Richmond Audubon Society have partnered to provide rookery tours on Saturdays this spring. Even though March is gone now, there are still plenty of opportunities to see the Great Blue Herons in April. If you live in the greater Richmond area, this would be a wonderful outing for families or for nature-lovers. The tour guides suggest bringing along water, binoculars, and a good telephoto lens for your camera. You can find a calendar of various tours at this link.

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think in the comments. I hope all of you are having the same gorgeous spring weather that we’re having right now and that your allergies aren’t too bad.

With 21 nests in the original front Heronry and another 18 nests in the newer rear Heronry, the park is ready to welcome back the Great Blue Herons for nest year, with 39 solid nests. The Heronry is growing quickly!

The newer rear Heronry, only in existence for the last three years, has grown tremendously. This years count was 18 nest. 7 of those nests where just built this last season. There are plenty of secluded and private trees in this rear Heronry, and we expect this area to become the main Heronry over the next couple of years.

With a total of 39 solid nests waiting for the Herons return in 2012, we expect a banner season for the entire Heronry.

A NOTE:  These heronys are restricted areas. Especially when the Herons are on the nests. They spook very easily and this can destroy an entire heronry. I got permission to count the nests at Holland Ponds, in advance, and only during this period of time when ALL the Herons had left for the season.

On the west side of the Clinton river is where the Shooting Range, Woodall Baseball diamonds, Bike Paths and Skate Park are located. This eastern section of River Bends Park, is where the Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center is located. The Nature Center watches after Holland Ponds Park.

Take a look around the site and discover the many things to do and experience at River Bends and Holland Ponds Parks.

I also saw a Chestnut-sided Warbler – my first there and for my Macomb County list, and I think for my Michigan lists. Yes, Allen – I was using binocs; I could never have even seen it – or especially shot it – with my “old way” of “camera first”.  After having great views at Magee Marsh (even a pic or two) this year, I know it well. It is truly a memorable bird! I think it is maybe my favorite warbler!

Whee! FOY Green Heron and fantastic warbler! Great day!

Notes: We met a photographer who kept ducking into the newly cleared “holes” in the Phragmites along the main park road (thanks Dan Farmer and Shadbush for clearing holes???) Now if we could only get rid of the rest of the Phragmites…! After sharing tales and minor bonding, the photographer shared some pics he took two days ago. He had shot a Horned Grebe (crest up and gorgeous!) and 12 little “greblings” – fantastic pics! Neither he nor we relocated them. But the “kids” were obviously young – maybe a first swim? How long does it take for them to fly? I suspect they want to be hidden until they are able to fend for themselves. WOW!

We met another guy – just walking, no optics – who told tales of sighting a Bald Eagle over Pontiac recently. He said he had been told there was a pair nesting on the buildings in downtown Pontiac. He also said that a Bobcat had been sighted at Holland Ponds. (Shush! Do not pass along … believe what you will…) I am not sure what else he might have told us – I went back to shooting the Green Heron.

We also met our friend John who had spent much of the day photographing a Green Frog. He had great pics of all stages of throat-swelling during the process to make the recognizable “boing” sound. So cool – this guy is patient!

The Red – Winged Blackbird nest that Judy so admired (and actually the reason we had to go today to check progress) just off the dock on Waterfowl Pond (I reported this before) had been brought down by the recent storms and lay in the pond below. Now it was just a soggy bunch of tangled weeds. Judy asked if she (the RWBB momma) would be sad.

I offered that birds work more on instincts than feelings. If eggs are there, sit on them. If you have no eggs, make some. Try again. Yes, it was sad. We had been so hopeful to watch the entire nesting, hatching, feeding, etc. so close to view.

The lightly-anchored nest was obviously vulnerable to the recent strong winds and rain. It was lucky for us to observe it then, there. It was the first time we actually saw one – especially with eggs! Normally they are deeper in the Phragmites along the shore and hidden from view. We just hear the sounds.  From my earlier PBase pic y’all could see it was not such a firm foundation. Sad. That’s life- and it goes on…  We had the blessing to see it as potential.

 Anyway, three points:

1)      Warblers are around still – remember that a few days ago I had a Blackpoll at Holland Ponds as well.

2)      If you visit Holland Ponds soon, be especially aware of the small ponds in the Phragmites to the north of the “main road” for the Horned Grebe and “greblings”. Please give me a shout if you see them!

3)      It is probably a good time to get Green Herons there. Look for something that looks like a branch on a log in the water. Unless they move, you might miss them. Some fish do miss heron recognition!

And, sure – for granted – check out the nesting Great Blue Herons! What fun! Where else can you see so many!

“Dr. Bob” Setzer

Streamwood Estates, Rochester Hills (Crooks & Hamlin), Oakland County

“Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day.”   Teaching a man to “bird” is much harder!

Stop in at Dr. Bob’s Blog at:  Dr. Bobs Bird Blog

By Gordy Leach, WCCO-TV

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The North Minneapolis tornado damaged many homes, including the nests of dozens of herons who live along North Mississippi Regional Park.

While many of the adult birds survived, most of their chicks were not as lucky.

Watch Gordy Leach’s report.

So far, this nest has produced two healthy youngsters. Most Herons produce two or three youngsters a nesting season. Once hatched, the youngsters grow at an amazing rate. Which means both heron parents spend most of every day, taking turns in going hunting and bring food back to the nest. One adult stays with the chicks, while the other fetches food. And so it goes, all day, every day, until the chicks are fledged from the nest.

We will be watching this here on the HM Blog as well as on the Holland Ponds Park……Facebook page. We will be taking new video about every 4-6 days as the young Herons grow quickly. Stay tuned for the next installment. There are two videos taken before this one, and can be viewed either on the HM YOU-TUBE web site, or on the Holland Ponds facebook page at:   HOLLAND PONDS FRIENDS

Come and join us for a wonderful experience at Holland ponds and visit the Nature Center afterwards with us. You can download more details and map to the Park here:  Holland Ponds

The park is a Shelby Twp. park, maintained by the Burgess-Shadbush Nature center, just south of the park on Ryan road. The Nature Center is a wonderful place in itself, and will be the Groups stop, after we have Hiked and seen the Herons and other nesting wildlife there.

Holland Ponds is a “Baby Making” area. Many birds and other wildlife rear their young in this well food stocked park. All the ponds and all the food sources make for a great place to raise your young. Nesting Owls, Egrets, Hawks, Ducks and Geese are just some of the many birds who make the Park home not only in the Springtime, but visit throughout the year.

Join us for a unique opportunity to see the Herons up close as they re-build their nests, bond, mate and go about the business of raising there chicks. You can download a Flyer with more details, and a map to the park here:

HOLLAND PONDS HIKE Also get one of our new detailed park maps at this Link:

HOLLAND PONDS Park MAP

I guess I need to accept the fact that I’m kind of a bird freak. I learned that about myself when I was sorting through some 10,000 photos in my archives, and I realized that 9,000 of them are of birds. Okay, not quite, but there was a clear imbalance towards winged creatures (except bats, which I hate, but that’s another story).

But let’s face it, if you’re going to be a bird lover, you really can’t do better than this stretch of the Mississippi River. Winona is blessed to be on a main flyway for migrating birds, many of which pause for a while, or for a season, to enjoy our beautiful river.

Winona loves its blue herons – a stroll through town will reveal a sizable number of six-foot-tall heron statues artistically painted and set outside storefronts and homes for passersby to enjoy. Part of the Blue Heron project a couple of years ago, the statues represent not only Winona’s deep arts culture, but also the fact that more than 1,000 nesting pairs of the regal birds call this stretch of the Mississippi home from spring till fall.

Their distant cousins, gorgeous white egrets, are nearly as plentiful, and a walk or paddle along any backwater offers a pretty stunning display of groups of birds sunning themselves, fishing and preening. My favorite place to take pictures of egrets is the Verchota Boat Landing on the Prairie Island Dike, though you have to walk a little bit to get to their hiding spot. From the boat landing, a little deer path cuts along the shore to the left leading to a small, shallow inlet hard to see from the boat landing itself. I can’t remember how I found it originally, I was probably lost or something. But there had to be 20 or 30 egrets back there that day and I was mesmerized. I haven’t been back there yet this year, but I believe the egrets have a rookery there and I think they’ll be back.

I know. I  just told you all a secret and now there will be 200 birders back there that I’ll have to climb over for a shot. But you know what? I don’t care. It’s a secret too good to not share, and anyone who would slog along the shore on a deer path is okay in my book. Bring your camera, and pack a lunch. You’re going to want to stay for a while.

Nature Center Walk.

Mr. Farmer led a group of about 12 persons to the log cabin and then along a 30 minute walk down the stairs to the lower trails on a hunt for Skunk Cabbage blooms. Tree identification was the other major focus. Mr Farmer was informative and humorous the entire journey. Upon entering the unlit cabin a cordless screwdriver was used to open one of the windows for light. Mr Farmer remarked that one of the hardest things to overcome during pioneer times was finding the cordless screwdriver to open the window. After just three questions we would move on to the trails. The 60 steps down the wooden staircase were disputed, jokingly, by another hiker as we walked down, -later, on our returning journey, Mr. Farmer counted 61. Or was it 40 or 41? How many steps are there? I guess we will have to visit again to find out. Continuing on, describing the hike, it was mentioned that during a nature walk we would stop often. Not a through hike. Several times did we stop noticing some interesting fact. It was not going to be a ‘Sierra Club’ trek through the forest. Tree ID was a major focus. The dark potato chip like bark tree described was a Black Cherry. At several times during the hike we were quizzed on this particular tree, looking about, where we stood, always observing several. The Beech tree was discussed, that a disease was slowly making its way to Michigan. We were warned that this magnificent tree may by in danger over the next few years, like the others that have succumb to disease in the recent past. Other trees identified were Ironwood -the hardest wood in Michigan, Musclewood, Red Oak by its ‘ironed off ridges’, Maple and White Oak -whose bark was similar. Mr Farmer noted his love for trees and it showed. Meandering our way down the lowlands we entered what seemed to be the lowest point and we were asked to cup our ears in a particular direction and listen. What would we hear but the subtle sound of a creek, the calming gurgling sound of water rushing. “Do we get to hear enough of this sound?” “No”, everyone predictable remarked. We made our way to the Skunk Cabbage blooms. One was identified, then two then twenty, they were all around. Exotic, purplish green, when picked sends out a rather skunky smell to the nose, then, over time, the olfactory sense subsides and the smell becomes that of a pencil eraser. It was presented as great mystery, interesting and entertaining. Did native Americans eat this to subside? It was speculated but not substantiated. Time constraints limited the walk to this point. We headed back sometimes stopping briefly for one of the many quizzes as people asked questions, careful not to walk off the trails, stepping on the wild flowers which were not there yet. Earlier a family was spotted up the hill and redirected to the trail path as it erodes the hill, walking down the side of it. Many other interesting things were mentioned but will have to just be in the collective consciousness of enjoying the wilderness hike. It was an informative and humorous at times hike and I respect the out-of-doors even more than I did before.

You can download more details and map to the park here:

http://www.hikingmichigan.com/PDFinfo/HollandPondsHIKE.pdf

You can download a nice Map of the actual park here:

http://www.hikingmichigan.com/PDFinfo/HollandPonds.pdf

Standing on a lateral moraine looking over Sibbald Flat where Sibbald Creek, Bateman Creek, Moose Creek and Jumpingpound Creek converge, we can easily imagine the presence of paleo-Indians who hunted here as the glaciers retreated.

The camping tradition at Sibbald Lake which spans several cultures and at least 11, 000 years continues today. It is with cruel irony that this area should be named after Howard E. Sibbald, an Indian agent (1901-1904) turned Banff National Park game warden (1909-). He was the Indian agent when the outer boundaries of Banff National Park were enlarged to encompass nearly all the hunting grounds of the Stoney-Nakoda First Nations and although he understood that the Stoney “took the enlargement of the Banff National Park very hard” he became a fierce opponent of First Nations hunting rights. So there it is, visitors to this area come away with his name on their photos! This region is associated with some of the oldest archaeological evidence of paleo-Indian hunting dating from the Plano Period (10,000 – 8,000 BP) as the glaciers retreated (now revised to as far back as 13, 000 years ago), the Assiniboine hunters of the 1700s and the Siouan-speaking Nakoda-Stoney who probably arrived in Banff in historic times-almost certainly after 1790, and perhaps not until the mid-1800s but they knew the place well by 1870. Surveyors and explorers of the late nineteenth century typically turned to Stoney guides, and as a result many landforms in Banff National Park are still known by their Stoney names.

Howard E. Sibbald was the the Indian agent on the reserve when the outer boundaries of Banff National Park were enlarged to encompass nearly all the hunting grounds of the Stoney-Nakoda First Nations. In his annual report (1902) he wrote that the Stoney “took the enlargement of the Banff National Park very hard.” In 1903 he added that

“I consider these Indians have behaved very well under certain restrictions put upon them in connection with their hunting in the National Park; this was a hard blow to some of the old hunters who have hunted over this ground all their lives, but the majority see the benefits to be derived from this preserve in years to come (Sibbald 1902, 1903 Binnema and Niemi 2006)”

A Selected Timeline Related to Critical Events in this Region

11,000 years ago Prehistoric hunters chipped stone spearpoints to hunt in the hot grasslands. The Plano Period (10,000 – 8,000 BP) About 10,000 years ago the climate began to change and grasslands spread across southern Alberta. Mammoths and many other Ice Age animals became extinct, A beautiful example of an Alberta point. While other animals flourished including antelope and a new, smaller species of bison. This period, known as the ‘Plano’ period after the Spanish word for plains, lasted up to 8,000 years ago. http://www.abheritage.ca/alberta/archaeology/overview_pg3_planopr.html

1670-1821 The forefathers of the Nakoda Nation, identified as the Mountain Stoney and the Wood Stoney, lived during the fur trade era (1670 – 1821). “It is probable that all the Stoney Nakoda groups interacted and camped with one another during the pre-contact and early fur trade period, and gradually intermingled with other Assiniboine and Siouan speaking families over the centuries (Abawathtech.)

1700s Assiniboine hunted bison with bows. Aspen trees were already established. Prior to the arrival of Anthony Henday in central Alberta in 1754, Aboriginal people from the area were trading with Europeans either directly by visiting posts to the north and east themselves, or indirectly by trading with Cree and Assiniboine groups. These Aboriginal traders exchanged goods they had acquired from fur trade posts for furs, Beaver Indians at trading post. horses, food and other products. In turn, they then traded furs and other goods at posts for more goods that they could trade later. In this way European trade goods reached Alberta in unknown qualities for at least half a century before the first European arrived in person to trade.

1790 – “The Siouan-speaking Stoney (Nakoda) probably arrived in Banff in historic times-almost certainly after 1790, and perhaps not until the mid-1800s but they knew the place well by 1870. Surveyors and explorers of the late nineteenth century typically turned to Stoney guides, and as a result many landforms in Banff National Park are still known by their Stoney names [1] (Binnema and Niemi 2006).”

1875- Cattle ranchers had already arrived. Pine trees were already established.50 years ago Stoney Indian wove freshly-cut willows into the walls of a sweat lodge. There was already an open meadow.

1875 The Ontario family Andrew Sibbald came to Morley, AB from Ontario to teach at George and John McDougall’s mission at Morley. In May 1900, Andrew Sibbald’s son, Howard E. Sibbald became the farmer in charge at Morley, and from 1901 to 1904 he was the Indian agent there.

1880s Indian agents did tolerate or even encourage Indians to hunt for subsistence during the winters during the 1880s and early 1890s, and even later in more remote regions, but they believed that when a sedentary agricultural way of life was feasible for any given community, that community should be dissuaded from hunting. Thus, from the perspective of some Indian officials, the restriction of aboriginal hunting rights might be a blessing in disguise.

1895 Quebec established its 2,531-square-mile Laurentides National Park in prohibiting all hunting in the park.

1900 Quebec deputy superintendent general reported that the aboriginals’ loss of hunting rights in the 2,531-square-mile Laurentides National Park near their reserve was one of the important factors that led them to direct their efforts towards agriculture.

1900 The last known wild passenger pigeon was killed around 1900.

1902 Howard E. Sibbald was the the Indian agent on the reserve when the outer boundaries of Banff National Park were enlarged to encompass nearly all the hunting grounds of the Stoney-Nakoda First Nations. In his annual report (1902) he wrote that the Stoney “took the enlargement of the Banff National Park very hard.” Reflecting on the enlargement of Banff National Park, wrote “I hope it will be for the best, for as long as there was any game so close to the reserve, it was hard for them to get down to work.”

1903-02 The Canadian Magazine published its obituary for the wild passenger pigeon species.

“[L]aws for the protection of our fish and game we have in plenty, but laws that are not enforced, and which are not supported by public sympathy, are worse than useless.” See Binnema and Niemi 2006.

1903 In his annual report Indian agent, Howard E. Sibbald, wrote that although hunting restrictions were “a hard blow to some of the old [Siouan-speaking Nakoda-Stoney] hunters, … the majority see the benefits to be derived from this preserve in years to come.” By that time, more Stoney had taken up paid work as guides even in the national park. He added that

“I consider these Indians have behaved very well under certain restrictions put upon them in connection with their hunting in the National Park; this was a hard blow to some of the old hunters who have hunted over this ground all their lives, but the majority see the benefits to be derived from this preserve in years to come (Sibbald 1902, 1903 Binnema and Niemi 2006)”

1903 In his annual report Howard Douglas argued that,

“Moose were frequently seen, elk, and black tail deer, big horns, and goats were plentiful; now some of these have totally disappeared… [and] there can only be one opinion on the subject. The Stony Indians are primarily responsible for this condition of affairs. They are very keen hunters, and have always been, and they are the only Indians who hunt in this section of the mountains. For years, from their reserve, they have systematically driven the valleys and hills and slaughtered the game. Their lodges are full of wild skins and meat. From thirty to fifty of the lodges are continually in the mountains from September 1 till Christmas … [T]he old haunts are deserted, the sheep runs are falling into disuse, and the greatest game country the sun ever shone upon is fast becoming a thing of the past. True, within the last few years, there has been a close season in which the Indians are supposed to stop harassing the game, but no notice has been taken of the law, and in short time this vast tract of mountain land, abounding in all that is required for the sustenance of wild animals, will be deserted, unless the Indians are compelled to live on their reserves. Laws are useless unless they are enforced. There seems to be a feeling that it would not do to press the more radical feature of the law amongst Indians. I feel that we have reached the time, when we can take a step in advance, when we can apply the laws more forcibly than we have, without creating any adverse sentiment. Let the line be drawn now; if we wait longer, the game will be gone (Douglas 1903).”

1904 In his annual report Howard Douglas made an appeal for game wardens as the noted that with the expansion of the boundaries of the park, that there were increased difficulties in enforcement. What was not clearly explained in his annual report was that the new boundaries prevented the Nakoda-Stoney from hunting on almost all their hunting grounds! Douglas called for “the establishment of a rigid and thorough system of game guardians to maintain the legislation needed for the enforcement of much more severe penalties for its infraction.”

1909-06 The Canadian government provided for the hiring of game wardens in national parks. Douglas believed that the Nakoda-Stoney were the most serious threat to the game of Banff National Park and he therefore chose Howard E. Sibbald as the first chief game guardian.

1910 In Glacier National Park in Montana, William R. Logan, the park’s first superintendent, was the former Indian agent on the Blackfoot reservation.

1911 The Canadian government passed the Dominion Forest Reserves and Parks Act, which established the Dominion Parks Branch-the world’s first national park service-and helped institutionalize the Warden Service of the national parks. This altered the boundaries of national parks so that areas that were not important tourist destinations were removed from the national parks. As a result much of the land in Banff Park was reallocated to a forest reserve. The Stoney only briefly took heart. In August 1911, the assistant secretary of the Department of the Interior sent a sternly worded letter to the secretary of the DIA announcing that it intended to enforce a new regulation that stipulated that no one was allowed to enter the forest reserves without special permission from the Department of Forestry. The documents suggest then, that the policies of barring aboriginal people from Banff National Park were rooted primarily in the goals and values of conservationists and sportsmen. But aboriginal subsistence hunting also frustrated one of the central goals of the DIA at the time: the civilization and assimilation of aboriginal people. When he was still the Indian agent at Morley, in 1903, Howard Sibbald opined that “as long as they can hunt you cannot civilize them. I have lived alongside of them for twenty six years, and with the exception of a few of the younger ones they are no more civilized now than they were when I first knew them, and I blame hunting as the cause.”

1930s By the 1930s, few Nakoda-Stoney could depend on full-time subsistence hunting.

1991

1996 RCAP

2008 Harper’s Apology

Notes

1. Luxton, Banff, Canada’s First National Park, 49–50. For the Kutenai, see Raoul A. Andersen, “Alberta Stoney (Assiniboine) Origins and Adaptations: A Case for Reappraisal,” Ethnohistory 17 (1970): 48–61; and Theodore Binnema, Common and Contested Ground: A Human and Environmental History of the Northwestern Plains (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2001), 81–82. For the Blackfeet, see Spence, Dispossessing the Wilderness, chap. 5; Brian Reeves and Sandra Peacock, “‘Our Mountains Are Our Pillows’: An Ethnographic Overview of Glacier National Park” (Glacier National Park, 2001); Brian O. K. Reeves, Mistakis: The Archaeology of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park (Bozeman: Montana State University Press, 2003); and Binnema, Common and Contested Ground, chap. 2. The ancestors of the Stoney were among the Assiniboine who broke from the Sioux sometime before 1640. Some of their descendants were in the forests and foothills of the Rocky Mountains by the late 1700s, and in the area of present-day Banff Park by the mid 1800s. See Hugh A. Dempsey, Indian Tribes of Alberta (Calgary: Glenbow Museum, 1988), 42–43. Also see Luxton, Banff, Canada’s First National Park, chap. 4

Bibliography and Webliography

Binnema, Theodore (Ted) and Melanie Niemi, ‘Let the Line be Drawn Now’: Wilderness, Conservation, and the Exclusion of Aboriginal People from Banff National Park in Canada. Environmental History. 11.4 (2006): 33 pars. 15 Jun. 2008 <http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/eh/11.4/binnema.html>.

Hildebrandt, Walter; Carter, Sarah; First Rider, Dorothy. 2008. The True Spirit and Original Intent of Treaty 7: Treaty 7 Elders and Tribal Council With Walter Hildebrandt, Dorothy First Rider, and Sarah Carter. Mcgill-Queens Native and Northern Series. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press. ISBN: 0-7735-1522-4 408pp. http://mqup.mcgill.ca/book.php?bookid=1419

http://www.heritagecommunityfdn.org

http://www.albertasource.ca/treaty7/treaty/perspectives_elders.html

The industrial-size cries of the young heron reminded me of scenes from Jurassic Park. Their loud squawking can be heard long before you can see them.  The activity in the nest is so aggressive and loud you would think an eagle was attacking. The huge nests balance on the tops of alder trees.  This active rookery of about 50 nests is situated at c. 48°44’21.80″N, 123°37’38.78″W.  On June 17, 2007 the young were visible with the naked eye. They are awkward and seem to be over-sized for their nests which sway as they fight over food that the adult heron bring.

As we chatted we could see a steady stream of herons flying back and forth between the food sources at low tide on the Cowichan Bay estuary and the rookery at the edge of the ravine that cuts deeply behind Pritchard Road. Dell Bumstead’s mature, magical garden is at the end of Pritchard just on the edge of the ravine. Dell remembers when one flock of seventy heron flew over her garden c. 1997.