Autumn Days ~ MacArthur Island Park ~ Kamloops, BC

Autumn or ‘Fall’ as we often call it usually conjures up visions of colored leaves in reds, oranges and yellows.  We see the leaves are falling from the trees, the days are shorter and the sun shines less frequently.  We are having shorter days of daylight and this is the transition season that takes us into winter, or did I miss a whole season?

October snow on Mt. Paul in Kamloops, BC

We had some early snowfall and with the cold snap we were experiencing, it began to feel we were going to miss the fall season.  We woke up one morning in mid October to see snow on Mt. Paul and in many neighborhoods in the higher levels.  Brrrrrrr….. it is too soon for this and thankfully does not last for long.

Thompson River and Rabbit Island, Kamloops, BC

I stopped on the Summit Extension corner to see the colors of the trees on Rabbit Island, which sits across from McArthur Park on the Thompson River, and the North Shore from this vantage point.  The clouds were low but breaking up to give us some blue sky and a possible break in the weather.  Those autumn colors always show better when the sun shines and we are going to have a fall season.

The Slough reflects colors of McArthur Island

I’d been hoping for another chance to see how pretty autumn is in our city of Kamloops and that happened just Sunday afternoon when the sun came through the clouds and warmed up the day so off to McArthur Island Park we went.

More colors on McArthur Island in Kamloops, BC

The days that the leaves are still on the trees and the sun shines is a great time to get out there and enjoy what may be the last days of autumn so it was a perfect day for a walk through McArthur Island Park.  I passed several others who were out there doing the same.

Assorted views of McArthur Island on a Fall day

We do live in a semi-arid part of the province and are not going to get all the colors of autumn that other climates get but with parks and plantings we get to see some of them, we just need to look in the right places. 

The view from the footbridge over the Thompson River Slough

The slough is the canal that wraps around McArthur Island Park, creating the island that has been developed into this beautiful park over the years. There is a path that follows around the outer edges of the island following the river and the slough and there is a bridge over the slough that leads to the park from a residential area on the North Shore.

This mallard swims away from the large flock of ducks

The slough is the home of several kinds of water fowl and the occasional beaver, so I’m told and there are usually some ducks nearby to catch any food scraps that passersby may throw into the water for them.  

The geese swim on the Thompson River

The river level is very low by this time of year with only enough water for the gulls, ducks and Canada Geese also lining the shores, to enjoy.  The river is quiet and calm when the levels are this low during the fall season much unlike the summertime with all the boats that like to cruise our great rivers.

Canada Geese wander the soccer fields of McArthur Park

The Canada Geese are here for awhile yet before they begin their travels south for the winter.  I’ve seen them here during the winter months in recent years and was surprised they didn’t migrate but perhaps that is dependent on how cold the winter gets, they may have some ‘inside’ information that we humans are not privy to! (:   Note the snowfree Mt. Paul in the distance.

Views of Kamloops and the Thompson River from McArthur Island Park

As my walk around the park comes to an end I enjoy the view of the city and the sandy beaches of tree covered Rabbit Island, I am pretty happy with the way the weather has turned out today.  This was a beautiful bonus day after hearing the weather forecast and a day we can be so thankful for especially after learning weather conditions in other parts of the country……   there is just no place like home! 

McArthur Island Park ~ Autumn ~ Kamloops, BC

The frost was definitely on the pumpkin this morning but with that came the crisp autumn air and bright sunshine in a beautiful blue sky!  What a perfect morning for a walk and photos, can't leave home without my camera.  So we headed down to McArthur Island Park, a great place to do some walking and enjoy Mother Nature's autumn treasures.

The Great Blue Heron stands quietly at the waters' edge

On this fall morning, there is not much activity in the park like there is in the summer months, but there are plenty of our feathered friends there on our visit today. We saw some ducks down by the boat launch with one lonely great blue heron sharing the water.

A lone runner on McArthur Island path

There is a 3.1km paved walkway around the perimeter of the park and we followed that with many stops and diversions.  We passed a lone runner and several walkers who find this a great place for their morning exercise routine. Summertime there are a lot more walkers and lots of roller bladers enjoying the park walkway, too.

The gulls on the Thompson River

The gulls congregate along the edges of the sandy beach, barely visible here.  The morning sun casts some great shadows and shapes on the hillside on the south side of the Thompson River.  The clear blue sky and hills are reflected in the water, which doesn't appear to be moving too quickly until we watched a duck floating in the middle of the river at a pretty fast pace.

The last of the  cottonwood leaves

The last of the leaves are still hanging onto a few of the cottonwoods and brighten up from the sunshine on this gorgeous morning. This view is across the Thompson River to the sandbar that isn't visible in the early springtime when the river is high. This location offers beaches when the river is at its' summer levels but not as much as it shows now.

Canada Geese on the soccer field at McArthur Island Park

There was a time that Canada Geese were expected to fly south for the winter but it seems that in recent years, some have decided that Kamloops is far enough south and many of them stay here for the winter.  There is no one using any of the soccer fields at this time of year so I guess the geese feel they can.  I do believe some of them will decide to leave once winter gets in full swing... or will they?

McArthur Island Park pathway

The path is visible from the parking areas for most of the perimeter of the park but there is a portion that is behind the McArthur Island golf course and today we are out on a nature walk away from the bustle of the city.  The park has much to offer including the Gregson Butterfly Garden and a xeriscape garden at other locations in the park.  More info on them by clicking on their names.

Squirrel stands to get a better view

The squirrels are busy collecting their winter food supply and seem to think that we may have something for them.  They may find treats from the many people who do use the park whether it is for golf, soccer, football or baseball, there are thousands of people who frequent this beautiful park every year.

Squirrel hoping for some treats

These little guys are quite brave and one came within an arms length from me while I was taking some pictures, he didn't appear to fear me being so close. This photo was taken at the seating area near the footbridge over the Slough where there is usually much going on for us and the little critters in the area.

McArthur Park has much to offer with the Sports and Events Centre for year round use and the McArthur Island Youth Centre for youth activities and is home for the Boys and Girls Club of Kamloops. The Kamloops Skatepark is a great place for the kids and their skateboards which sees lots of activity during the summer months. The Norbrock Stadium and the Lawn Bowling are quiet at this time of year but offer lots during the summer months, too. We are very fortunate to have such a great center for all to use and enjoy... and so are the Canada Geese.

Tranquille Wildlife Management Area ~ Herons ~ Pelicans ~ Kamloops, BC, Canada

We love Kamloops for all that it has to offer and that includes the visitors that we get. We were enjoying a nearby park recently and I was surprised to find one of those visitors, who flew up into a tree while I was looking at the flowers ! I did not know what he was, but was taking lots of pictures and now I was on a mission to find out. The first thing I had to do was get my pictures onto my computer to get a better look at him. The next thing I would do is put the binoculars in the car for future surprise visitors !

 

Visiting heron on McArthur Island

What I had taken a picture of was a visiting heron. He wasn’t exactly the color that I was familiar with but then, I hadn’t seen herons in Kamloops before. There are more than one kind and this one appears to be a different color from the Great Blue Heron (clik here to read more) that we had seen on our RV adventures.

Tranquille Wildlife Management area in July

We had visited the Tranquille Wildlife Management area in July and the water covered a much larger area then. In 1989 there were 245 hectares of land designated as the Tranquille Wildlife Management Area in order to manage valuable wetland habitat for waterfowl and other species that were dependent on the wetlands. 

Tranquille WMA with high water

This area 18 km (10 mi) west of Kamloops where the Thompson River enters Kamloops Lake, is typically flooded from mid May to mid July due to the spring runoff into the Thompson River and is part of the Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected area.

Canada Geese sit on fencepost

The Canada Geese were using fence posts to perch on due to the high water in July.  They are regular visitors, if not residents at many places in Kamloops. Typical fowl found in the wetlands aside from the Canada Geese are swans, mallards, Goldeneye and Wood Ducks.

Canada Geese and goslings in July

With the water so high, it came close to the roadside. I was able to see the Canada Geese and their young as they swam over the fence ! The best birdwatching time at the Tranquille WMA is March, April, May, Sept, Oct., and November but it looks like we have visitors during summer months, too.

 

Tranquille WMA with low water in August

Now that we knew the park visitor was a heron, we were on our way out to see the Tranquille Wildlife Management area again as my search for answers had said that there were visiting herons out there. Now we know where the visiting heron was likely headed to, he had just missed his target by 18 km (10 mi) !

A flock of heron at Tranquille WMA

We found the rest of his flock, hopefully he did, too. The article (clik to read that article) I found said that there were Great Blue Herons out there, and this was written by Rob Butler, so I will believe they were gray herons. The same article said there were other visitors out there, too and this I had to see with my own
eyes !

Pelicans at Tranquille WMA

These wetlands are resting areas for spring and fall migration but nothing would have made me expect these visitors in the middle of our summer months, let alone these ones. There were four large white pelicans swimming around the pond.

 

Visiting Pelicans in Kamloops, BC, Canada

It isn’t possible to get close to the pond so it was difficult to get pictures of the pelicans. They were busy diving for food and were swimming very quickly but I did manage to get some proof that they were really visiting Kamloops on this August afternoon. The only other time we’d seen white pelicans was on our visit to Texas during our RV adventure.

We know that Kamloops is the chosen destination for many visitors but these ones are here without many people knowing it, and I am glad to be one that does.

This tells another reason why we love Kamloops ~ there is just no place like home.