It's official. Spring is here.

This morning I saw the first group of Canada geese flying north over Winnipeg.

By the time the snow melts, there'll be tens of thousands of them flying north over the city.

There's a huge wetland marsh located due north of Winnipeg. It's about 14 square miles of wetlands that are ideally suited for ducks and geese to nest and breed. It's called Oak Hammock Marsh, and it's said that ducks and geese that are born there will return to that same marsh the following spring to nest and breed with other ducks and geese. So, that marsh is like a duck and goose factory.

My understanding is that the Oak Hammock Marsh gets a lot of the money it needs to operate from Ducks Unlimited, and Ducks Unlimited is really the duck hunters of Canada and the USA. So, having that huge wetland north of Winnipeg helps ensure a large and healthy duck and goose population in North America.

They have a hiking trail through Oak Hammock marsh, and I've hiked it, but it's only open in the fall when the young ducks and goslings have already taken wing. I guess they're concerned about people disrupting the ducks and geese during the mating season in the late spring and early summer.

About Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre