Have you ever done a bird walk? There are so many choices in and around the city. Yesterday Dave and I decided we would venture down to Weaselhead as we have heard from our customers that there is lots of activity, and boy were they right. Within the first 5 minutes we came across Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers. My husband had never seen a Hairy and could not believe the difference in size, a Downy is 6 3/4″ and a Hairy is 9 1/4″. For some people, like myself, numbers don’t mean much but when you see these two side by side you can really see the difference. Walking on down the hill and within 2 minutes of where we saw the woodpeckers we came across another area where there was lots of activity. Chickadees of course were everywhere and who doesn’t want to see them, they are so adorable. We did see lots of feeders and seed around which of course keeps them close to the pathway. Next we saw Nuthatches, this is another one of those size differences that until you see them side by side you can’t appreciate the difference. Red Breasted nuthatches are 4 1/2″ and White Breasted are 5 3/4″ and the White Breasted aren’t often seen within the city so always nice to see. We saw lots of Downy and Hairy woodpeckers in this spot too as well as finches. We decided to cross the bridge over the river and once on the other side we saw a Slate Colored junco. So I encourage you to take advantage of the lovely parks within the city and here is a list of them: Weaselhead, Carburn Park, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Bebo Grove, Hulls Wood, Lafarge Meadows, Votier Flats and Shannon Terrace. If you are looking for something outside the city here are some really great trips: First, and my personal favorite is Ellis Bird Farm (east of Lacombe-opens in May), Frank Lake, Sandy Cross Conservation and Ralph Klein Nature Park. Check them all out, as each of them have something to offer, from songbirds to birds of prey and water fowl. If you need help finding these locations pop in to the store and ask to see the map. We also have FREE bird walks that we do every second Saturday starting at 9:00am. Here are the next three – March 25th at Hulls Wood, April 8th at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and April 22nd at Weaselhead. Feel free to share your experiences with us in person or on Facebook.