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Explore the nature and history of Kejimkujik!

The Nature of Kejimkujik

With 381 square kilometres of rolling hills and waterways, Kejimkujik is a wilderness where generations of families have canoed, camped, and connected to nature. Keji is a biodiversity hotspot. It protects a collection of rare southerly species and is home to the greatest diversity of reptiles and amphibians in Atlantic Canada. Walk through Keji’s Acadian forest and you’ll see windswept pines, old-growth hemlocks, and red maple floodplains. The story of past ice ages can be read in a glacial landscape of drumlin hills dotted with boulders. Diverse habitats teem with wildlife. Sit by your campfire and watch a wilderness sunset over the lake.

A Mi’kmaw Cultural Landscape

The entire landscape of Kejimkujik is designated as a national historic site. It is a cultural landscape that attests to the presence of the Mi’kmaq and their ancestors since time immemorial. With rich Mi’kmaw heritage, rock carvings known as petroglyphs, traditional encampment areas and canoe routes, this history gives us a strong sense of place.

A Coastal Wilderness

Kejimkujik’s Seaside Adjunct is 22 square kilometres of protected wilderness on the Atlantic coast: pristine whitesand beaches, astonishing turquoise waters, coastal bogs, an abundance of wildflowers, rich lagoon systems, and coastal wildlife.

For more information about camping, canoeing and kayaking, hiking, biking, swimming, interpretation activities, school programs, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, and all other activities at Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site drop by the Visitor Centre, call 902-682-2772, or visit www.pc.gc.ca.

Searching for salamanders - August 2010

Hatching eggs tend to be associated with the spring season, but for some animals, this new life arrives a bit later in the year. Just last week, when looking under a series of artificial cover boards used to monitor the abundance of eastern red-backed salamanders in Keji’s forests, we found a most wonderful surprise. Not only was a salamander hiding in this dark, moist habitat, but there was also a curious cluster of tiny cream-coloured eggs nestled amid the leafy debris. The adult salamander promptly burrowed under a leaf, which reminded us that we were intruding on its domain. After the few moments it took for all of us to see the protruding tip of the salamander’s tail and the nearby egg mass, we gently replaced the cover board and moved on to discuss our findings.

Adult female red-backed salamanders lay between four and 17 eggs from late May to June. The female stays close to her eggs, protecting them until they hatch in August or September of the same year. Unlike some of Nova Scotia’s other salamanders, this species is entirely terrestrial and does not have an aquatic larval stage.

We can only speculate that what we saw was, in fact, a female red-back tending her eggs. That said, we were thrilled to have found a salamander at all – whether or not it was associated with the nearby egg mass. Red-backed salamanders tend to keep a low profile, so we considered ourselves lucky to have encountered one in our travels.

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Watchers in the woods - July 2010

“I know of no other occupation so fulfilling as that of being a watcher.”
(Louise DeKirline Lawrence, Canadian ornithologist)

I came across that quote years ago, and it has stayed with me. It strikes a particular chord today, having just returned from my weekly walk on the Flowing Waters trail. Along with the six visitors who joined me this morning, I have just had a most “fulfilling” encounter.

Starting down the trail, we were greeted by the crystal clear notes of a hermit thrush. Save for this lone flutist, the forest was still, so its song followed us down to the river’s edge. Along the Mersey, a green frog was plucking its banjo string, and the distinctive “witchity-witchity-witchity” of a common yellowthroat rang out from the wetland. Overall, it was business as usual in the Flowing Waters neighbourhood.

But then another sound caught my ear: a most eerie hissing noise that I thought could only be one thing. With my fingers crossed, I led the group further down the trail. When we were even with the wispy call, we began to scan the trees in search of the orator. The sound continued, and in fact multiplied, as it was joined by a second and even a third caller.

Our patience paid off as we spotted movement in the trees. A barred owl glided through the forest, silent on its heavy wings. It landed on a branch, immediately blending into its surroundings in the dappled light. Now that we had finally spotted it, we didn’t want to let this majestic creature out of our sight. With dark barring on its chest and deep brown eyes, a barred owl is quite a sight to behold.

This one was a juvenile, already fledged from the nest, but still lingering in the treetops with its siblings. The haunting call we had heard was a request for food; barred owl parents continue to feed their young throughout the summer as the juveniles learn to hunt for themselves.

We stayed there watching the young owl - and it watched us - for quite some time. As is often the case when captivated by one of nature’s wonders, time seemed to stand still. The spell was eventually broken by the approach of other hikers, and we continued along, energized by the moments we had spent gazing into those beautiful dark eyes.

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Spring at the Park - June 2010

Photo: Peter Hope Spring has sprung here in Keji, and the park is abuzz with activity. The ferns are unfurling, the wildflowers are blooming, and the spring chorus is in full swing.

On this still, overcast morning, we have just been treated to one of the most special sightings of this time of year. While watching a white-tailed deer nibble on the long grasses along the edge of the Grafton Woods trail, we were delighted to see that she had a sidekick. A miniature version of the doe trailed behind, a replica of its mother save for its spotted back. The fawn stopped to lay down under a red maple, but its rest was cut short when its mother returned to hasten along her offspring. Though sure on its feet, the spindly-legged fawn seemed so small and delicate at its mother's heels. The tips of its ears didn't even reach its mama's knees! It's incredible to think about how much that little fawn will grow and develop over the coming months.

We watched the pair for less than two minutes before they disappeared from our sight, but that was long enough to remind us of the beauty and magic of this time of year. It's the season of rebirth, and the perfect time for us re-energize as we celebrate the new life all around us.

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17-Jun-2010

Richard

Thanks for this, looking forward to hearing what's happening at the park...

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