We are so fortunate to have many different Provincial and National Parks in Canada to visit. One of my favourite parks is Algonquin Park. Recently I travelled there and was able to capture some images of the wildlife living there.

Many Blue Jays make their home in Algonquin Park, their bright flash of Blue against the snow when I was there was very striking. They are a beautiful bird and have a very distinctive call. Another bird that I saw was the Gray Jay. This beautiful bird is banded and tracked in the park. It is also known as a Whisky Jack or a Canada Jay. 

There are two types of Grouse in the park. I only saw a female Ruffed Grouse but there are also Spruce Grouse living there. At the main visitor’s centre, they have a board where people fill out their sightings of the various wildlife they have spotted that day. They also have feeders and you can watch a livestream from home that is available December through March. You can find their live webcam feeds on the Algonquin website. I had hoped to see a Pine Grosbeak when I was there, but I wasn’t lucky enough to see one.

I did see Evening Grosbeaks, Red Polls and Pine Siskins. All three of these birds do come as far south as Caledon some winters and I have had them at my feeders in my backyard, but this is not common. It depends on how much food is available to them and they will head further south some years in search of food. 

A highlight for me was seeing the American Martens. People often call them Pine Martens. I have never seen this cute little animal before, and I was lucky enough to spot a few of them. 

Take time to go visit one of the parks near you and enjoy the beautiful scenery, trails and wildlife in them.