Hull's Wood Family Walk
Families | Family Walks | Glad You Asked . . .

Stop # 1:      In front of the washroom at Hull's Wood       WILLIAM ROPER HULL     

Before beginning your walk, take a look around. This area was named after William Roper Hull, a former owner of much of the land in this part of the Park. William Roper Hull established the Bow Valley Ranche in 1892. When the original log buildings were destroyed by a fire, he replaced them in 1896 with the finest country home in the province, now known as the Bow Valley Ranch House. It became the centre of social activity in Western Canada. The ranch soon became famous across Canada for its huge crops. By using irrigation, Hull was able to get crops that averaged 2 meters in height! In 1902, Patrick Burns purchased the Bow Valley Ranch and meat operations from Hull who had decided to move into the town of Calgary.

Although the area was originally settled as a ranch, wildlife has always been present in this area. Throughout this hike you and your family will have an opportunity to take a look at the diversity of wildlife that can be found at Hull's Wood. As you walk to your next stop, imagine what it must have been like to have been a rancher during the early settlement years. What wildlife might they have seen in those days?

Face the washroom doors. Take the shale trail that is on the right side of the washrooms. Follow the trail to a bench beside Fish Creek (about 120 metres to the next stop).

Stop # 2:          At the bench beside the creek        FISH CREEK

Fish Creek starts in the foothills near Mount Quirk southwest of Bragg Creek. It then flows eastward where it eventually runs through the Park into the Bow River. The creek is about 70 kilomtres long and drains an area (watershed) of about 460 square kilometres. Fish Creek, however, is a small creek and during the summer can stop flowing completely, becoming a series of isolated puddles along its bed. August is usually when the water levels are lowest and early June is the most common month for high water levels. High flow is characterized by waters that are carrying silt, sand and nutrients down stream. These materials are deposited along the entire length of the creek, creating suitable habitat for many plants and animals.

Early settlers discovered vast numbers of fish within the creek. Now, although populations appear to have declined, there are still a variety of fish species to be found, either living in Fish Creek or moving from the Bow River to use it as spawning grounds.

Activity: Look at the fish species pictured below. Which ones do you think can be found in Fish
Creek? Answers are given at the end of stop # 7.

During the warmer months, green floating plant-like organisms called algae can be found in the water. It is an important source of food for many aquatic animals. Algae, in a different form, can also be found on land. As you move to the next stop, watch the trees. Can you guess where the algae are?

Face the bench back. Turn to your right and follow the shale trail east along Fish Creek towards the Bow River (approximately 160 metres to the next stop).

Stop # 3     Large tree on your right across the trail from fallen log     LICHEN

Lichen is a plant made up of two different plants. Alga provides the lichen with the ability to make food through photosynthesis. Fungus provides the lichen with protection from the environment through a rigid physical shape. The fungus also retains water for the plant. Lichen can grow anywhere the air quality is good: it is an indicator species for air pollution. In the past, people have used lichen to dye cloth, make toothpaste and lotions and even perfume. Lichen comes in a variety of colours and shapes.

Activity: Look at the lichen on the tree trunks. Notice the irregular patches it grows in. Let your imagination help you find faces, animals and flowers in the lichen patches.

Throughout the remainder of your walk, continue to watch tree trunks for lichen. Using the chart below, check off the different colours and shapes of the lichen you see.

Continue east along the shale trail about 125 metres until you reach the picnic tables on the bank of the Bow River.

Stop # 4      Picnic tables      BOW RIVER

The Bow River starts at Bow Glacier, near Lake Louise on the Banff/Jasper Parkway and eventually drains into the South Saskatchewan River. It has three dams: one at Seebe Lake, one at Ghost Lake and the last one at Bearspaw Lake. This river is important to Calgarians because it supplies the north half of the city with drinking water (the south end gets its water from the Elbow River). Along its course, there are numerous wastewater treatment plants that release treated and warm water into the river. Sometimes this prevents the river from freezing during winter, and provides ducks and geese with areas of open water for feeding. The duck species that you are most likely to see on the Bow River is the Mallard.

Activity: Ducks are divided into two groups: diving ducks and puddle ducks. Carefully watch the behaviour and physical appearance of each duck you see and decide, based on the chart below, if it is a diving or a puddle duck.

The Bow River meets not only the needs of aquatic plants and animals but also provides groundwater for trees. These trees in turn provide the food and shelter needed by animals, including birds. As you move to the next stop, watch the trees for signs of birds feeding and nesting.

Follow the shale trail along the Bow River approximately 145 metres. Stop at the trail junction.

Stop # 5      At trail junction, look at the dead trees on your left      WOODPECKERS

Woodpeckers use their strong beaks to make a hole in tree trunks to build their nests. Look at the trees around you. Can you find a woodpecker nesting hole? The large rectangular holes are made by the pileated woodpecker, a large black bird with a red crest on its head. The smaller, round holes are made by the hairy and downy woodpeckers. Woodpeckers knock the bark off the tree trunks, looking for insects to eat. They will pick up the insects with a tongue that is four times the length of their beak! Woodpeckers have a special adaptation that allows them to hammer at a tree without hurting themselves. Their brain is tightly packed in a flexible skull. They also have strong muscles in the neck and skull to cushion the impact.

Activity: Some species of woodpeckers eat bark beetles. These beetles leave amazing tunnel patterns as they feed on the layer of wood under the bark. Look for sections of a tree trunk that appear to be carved. You can take home a copy of this natural artwork by placing the blank space below over the tunnels. Holding the paper firmly in place, rub the side of a pencil lead back and forth across the paper. The pattern of tunnels will appear on the paper.

Bark Beetle Tunnel Rubbing

In addition to numerous bird species, the Park also has a wide variety of mammals living here.
Often, these animals leave behind their "calling cards": signs that they are in the area. As you move to the next stop, take a look around for some of these signs.

Take a sharp right at the trail junction and walk away from the Bow River about 20 metres to an open area.

Stop # 6      Open area of grasses and short bushes      ANIMAL TRACKS

Many of the Park's animals are active at dawn and dusk, others only come out at night. You may not see many of the animals but you know they are in the Park by the signs you might see. One sign that is often found is tracks in the snow or mud.

Activity: You can take home a permanent record of the tracks you find in the Park by doing some "Plastic Tracking". When you visit the Park bring a water spray bottle, some clear, heavy plastic and a permanent marking pen. When you find a set of tracks in the snow, spray a fine mist of water over the tracks and wait for it to freeze and harden. Gently place the plastic over the tracks and trace them with your permanent marker. The following animals commonly leave tracks in the open areas and along the trail edges in the Park.

Coyote
· 6x7 cm (front) and 6x7 cm (hind), smaller than a dog's
· Perfect walkers, they place their hind paw in the front track
· Track shows claws with five pads

Deer
· 6.5x9 cm (front) and 6.5x9 cm (hind)
· Perfect walkers
·Tracks have two toes and may show dewclaws
· Deer follow the same paths through the woods

Snowshoe Hare
· 4x4 cm (front) and 9x13 cm (hind)
· May be able to see tail in tracks
· Use pathways over again
· Large hind feet allow easy travel across the snow

Mouse
· 7x7 mm (front) and 7x7 mm (hind)
· Have four finger prints
· Like to tunnel to avoid predators

 

The mouse and snowshoe hare must be careful as they move about. One of their predators may be lurking in the woods, waiting for them. As you move to the next stop, look in the trees for a winged predator.

Continue walking west through the open area until you reach the large trees about 120 metres in front of you.

Stop # 7      Large trees at trail junction      GREAT HORNED OWL

The Great Horned Owl is the provincial bird of Alberta and can be found throughout the province. They are the largest owl and are easy to identify by the feather tufts on top of their head. Like other owls, great horned owls cannot move their eyes side to side or up and down because they are fixed in place. The owls are, however, able to move their entire heads 180 degrees in any direction. These owls eat mice, snowshoe hares, grouse and skunks. They do most of their hunting at night. One way of locating the owls in the Park is to listen for a mob of crows. They often harass the owls, trying to make them move to another area.

Activity: Complete our "Owl Scavenger Hunt" by looking for the following clues that show owls may be living in this area:

Large nests made of sticks: owls will take over hawk nests, cleaning out some of the old material which you may find discarded under the tree.

Animal tracks that suddenly stop: owls swoop down on the prey from above, catching the animal in their very sharp talons (claws). You may see a faint imprint in the snow where the owl's wings touched down.

Pellets: owls eat their prey then their stomachs sort out the parts that cannot be digested (usually bones and fur) and pack them into a dry, gray pellet. The owls then cough up these pellets. Great horned owl pellets are about 6 cm long and 3 cm in diameter. Look for them under trees.

Feathers: large brown feathers streaked with white, beige and black may belong to a great horned owl. Owl feathers are very, very soft and flexible. If you find a feather, look at the feather edge: the outer edges are fringed, muting any sounds that might be produced during flight. This enables the owls to sneak up on their prey.

The following fish, pictured in the stop # 2 activity, are among the fifteen different species that can be found in Fish Creek:

brown trout     fathead minnow     mountain whitefish     rainbow trout     brook stickleback

CONCLUSION:

Alberta's Parks and Protected Areas, including Fish Creek Provincial Park, are living legacies of the beauty, diversity and wonder of Alberta's natural regions. They are landscapes that have been set aside to preserve our province's natural and cultural features.They are also places to come and recreate, reconnect and rediscover.

We hope you have enjoyed this winter walk in one of Alberta's provincial parks and will return time and again to enjoy the peace, beauty and time together in Canada's largest urban park.

Comments and suggestions about our Family Walk are welcomed. Please click on Park Office at the bottom of this page to email us.

To reach the parking lot, follow the shale trail past the wooden stage and seats.

Environmental Education Links: Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre | 
Bow Valley Ranch Visitor Centre | Self-Guided Field Studies | Youth Groups | Families