This week’s #SpeciesoftheWeek is the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius), one of the most brilliant woodpeckers we have in the park! Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are medium-sized woodpeckers with distinct, beautiful colouration, as well as a name-giving yellow belly. They are most common in young forests and along edge habitats, as young, fast growing trees are great places to look for their favourite meal… sap! They drill both circular and rectangular wells, often in sick or wounded birch, maple and hickory trees, and then lap up the sap that comes out… that’s right, sapsuckers love maple syrup just as much as we do! They will also eat insects they find below bark or in their sap wells. Interestingly, by creating these holes sapsuckers make sap available to many other animals that love this sweet liquid. Bats, squirrels, warblers, nuthatches, hummingbirds and many others come to eat at the ‘sapsucker cafe’, and lots of insects are attracted to the sap as well, attracting yet more birds that eat them. Sapsuckers nest in trees, usually picking those that are suffering from a fungal disease that makes heavy-duty excavating easier. Females have one brood per year, each clutch being 4-6 eggs large. We often see sapsuckers along the Silver Queen Mine Trail. Have you ever seen one of these lovely birds?
Welcome! Watch this space for upcoming activities.
MINE TOURS AND OTHER PROGRAMS
Yes…there will be Silver Queen Mine Tours this summer!The park is planning to have guided tours on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 10am. Sundays will feature the regular Open House at the mine (10am to noon). The first tour will be Canada Day (July 1).Registration for all guided tours will open Monday, June 27. Space is limited so you must pre-register at the gatehouse or call 613-267-5060. Registration is not required for the open houses.ALSO!Evening Programs will be Saturday nights, starting in July. The time will change based on our daylight hours.Snake Talks will be every day at 2pm outside the visitor centre, starting Canada Day.Exploration stations, prop tables, and Kids programs will be advertised the week of on our program boards.Stay tuned for a great summer!For the latest information on COVID-19 precautions and available amenities at Murphys Point (services, facilities, attractions) during the 2022 season, be sure to check https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/murphyspoint.
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