Algonquin Park in Early January 2018
Our first overnight outing of 2018 was a trip to Algonquin Park. A yurt was available, so we booked 2 nights and headed to the park. We arrived on Sunday, January 7 and we were surprised to see that there was much less snow than we are accustomed to. However, it started to snow as we arrived and continued until our departure on Tuesday afternoon. The fresh snow made the park a beautiful winter wonderland.
Another noticeable difference was the lower number of birds. Although we saw a variety of species, the amounts of each species was a lot less then we usually see. That does not necessarily mean there were less birds in the park, it could be that we were not at the right place at the right time. This could also be because we did not hang out at any of the parks established feeding stations like Spruce Bog trail, Visitor Centre or the Opeongo Road winter gate.
Blue Jays definitely dominated the campground at Mew Lake. A few Black-capped Chickadees, Common Ravens, a single Downy Woodpecker and a pair of Wild Turkeys visited our site over the three days. We were surprised to see quite a few Dark-eyed Juncos in the park. On our hikes and excursions we did see Goldfinches, Red-breasted Nuthatches and Grey Jays.
Tracks showed that foxes and wolves wandered through the campground during the long dark nights. There was a Pine Marten spotted prowling around a few campsites and only a couple of red squirrels seen during our visit.
It was so good to be back in the park. It was very quiet during our stay. Most yurts were occupied, but, other than the host, only a single camper in a RV arrived on our last night. We enjoyed the evening campfires, breakfast with the birds and the winter solitude.
