The Binocular Site
Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba
Riding Mountain is a forest found in the Manitoba Escarpment, which is near the geographical center of Canada.
Three distinct ecological zones provide homes to a wealth of different wildlife and plants.
The forest rises dramatically from an “ocean” of surrounding farm-lands across the prairie landscape. Over 260 bird species are found in Riding Mountain, including great gray owls and ducks such as mallards, shovelers, and pintails. The escarpment itself is formed by a shelf of sedimentary rock, and extends into Saskatchewan.
Evergreen and hardwood forests are found along with valleys, lakes, streams, and rolling hills. Prairie, boreal, and deciduous life come together. A profusion of vines, berry bushes, mushrooms, flowers, and prairie grasses make this forest a tumbling sea of botanical beauty. Lynx, cougars, coyotes, deer, hares, and ground squirrels live in abundance here, along with wolves, elk, moose, and bears.
Several visitor services such as accommodation, restaurants, and shopping are available in a park town site known as Wasagaming, and several hiking trails along with Agassiz tower's panoramic view make this a popular site for hiking as well as birdwatching.
The provincial bird of Manitoba is the Great Gray Owl and you can find a checklist for birding activities in Manitoba here.
Photo credit to Jamie Blankenship, used with permission under the creative commons license. You can learn more about the available activities, history and trails of the Riding Mountain National Park and find visitor information here.If you've visited Riding Mountain National Park, please take the time to share your experience and any tips or insight you have about this Manitoba bird watching location below.
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