Edmonton doctor paddles to work
Every spring, as soon as the North Saskatchewan River is fully thawed, Darren Markland begins paddling to work. The Edmonton emergency room doctor commutes by canoe.
His day begins by hitching his canoe to his road bike and making an urban portage from home to the Sir Wilfred Laurier boat launch in west Edmonton. Unloading his canoe and placing his dismantled bike inside, he paddles to downtown, where he docks and again hitches boat to bike. He then bikes to the Royal Alexandra Hospital and begins his regular 15-hour shift.
Instead of traffic jams and hurried pedestrians, his morning commute includes sweeping views of the river valley, singing birds and jumping fish. "I've found people who've been panning for gold and there's people out here fishing," he said. "By the time I get to work, my batteries are totally recharged. Read more at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-doctor-paddles-to-work-canoe-commute-1.5627240
Catchy sparrow song goes viral across Canada
The white-throated sparrows of British Columbia have devised a new song that has gone viral across Canada. For years, the small songbird’s traditional descending whistle featured a three-note ending. But researchers have tracked how a unique two-note-ending version of the male bird’s call has rapidly spread 3,000km eastwards from BC to western Quebec during this century.
According to biology professor Ken Otter, “As far as we know, it’s unprecedented. We don’t know of any other study that has ever seen this sort of spread through cultural evolution of a song type.”
In 2004, the data showed Alberta's sparrows were still trilling away with the triplet ending typical to the species. Ten years later, all the males in our region had shifted to a doublet ending. By 2015, it had spread to central Ontario and in 2019 it reached western Quebec. Listen to the new song at https://www.sciencealert.com/this-sparrow-song-went-viral-across-canada-and-it-s-unlike-anything-we-ve-heard-before
The beneficial roles mosquitoes play in our environment
Mosquitoes play a vital role in the food chain. Their larvae and full-grown forms provide food for several different animals and organisms. For example, dragonflies feed on mosquitoes and their larvae, as do bats. Fish often eat the larval forms and even snack on adult mosquitoes that linger too long on the surface of the water when they are laying their eggs.
Another positive effect that mosquitoes have is that they help pollinate certain plants, especially the aquatic or near-aquatic plants that they spend much of their lives around. By doing so, mosquitoes help perpetuate these plants, which can provide cover and shelter for other animals and organisms. Increased plant life is also helpful as plants engage in the necessary process of photosynthesis, ensuring there is enough oxygen.
Because of the role mosquitoes play, there are a greater number of species in the environment. For instance, chickadees, swallows, house wrens, bluebirds, warblers, vireo, and sparrows all catch flying insects while those insects are in the air, allowing the birds to consume the bugs without perching and themselves potentially falling victim to predators, thus helping to ensure the survival of different bird species. Read more at
https://sciencing.com/positive-effects-mosquitoes-8513632.html
Giant Hyssop good for hummingbirds, butterflies and tea
Giant Hyssop is a member of the mint family which makes this Alberta wild plant edible. It is one of the easiest plants to grow and blooms throughout July, August and into September. They attract bees and butterflies coming for a drink from the nectar filled flowers.
It is good as a fresh, cut flower and dries well for arrangements with long, sturdy stems. The flowers dry to a distinctive navy blue. You can plant directly into the garden in mid-June. Its seedlings are fast growing and can be moved to their permanent location by late summer.
The licorice flavoured leaves make fine herbal teas and jellies or can be included fresh in salads. Learn more about this plant, including how to make your own Giant Hyssop tea at
http://www.naturenorth.com/summer/hyssop/Fhyssop.html Share river valley event, job posting, or news
If you have a river valley event, job posting, or news that you would like to see published in this newsletter, please send the info to nsrivervalley@gmail.com
Sincerely yours,
Harvey Voogd
North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society
780.691.1712
nsrivervalley@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/NSRVCS/
http://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/