First off, say ‘wetland’, not ‘swamp’. Just as geologists avoid the word ‘dirt’ (try ‘soil’), people who study the world’s wet places have no use for the word ‘swamp’. There are just too many kinds of swamps. Is that squishy spot a bog, peat bog, string bog, fen, rich fen or muskeg?

Ah, the language of science. ‘Fen’ works for most water-meadows in the Canadian Rockies, but we have a few bogs. In a bog, water doesn’t move—in a fen, it does. Water moves downhill, and there’s lots of downhill in the mountains.

A typical Rockies fen is a marshy area by a stream, or a beaver pond filled with vegetation. Fen water is clear, rich in dissolved oxygen and not acidic like bog water. Fens are biologically friendly, home to many species of water plants, insects and fish. Beavers and muskrats swim about, ducks dabble for seeds on the bottom, warblers nest in the willows, weasels gobble the voles that nibble the vegetation, moose wade out to eat water plants, coyotes sneak along the shore to grab ducks, and so on.

If you like to watch wildlife—especially birds and tropical fish—then visit a fen. (Tropical fish? Read on!)

WHERE TO GO
The Rockies boasts world-class wetlands, and you don’t have to slog around in waist-deep water to enjoy them. There’s no need to get your feet wet at any of the must-sees listed below.
• Cave & Basin Marsh Steps from the famed Cave & Basin National Historic Site at the end of Cave Ave in Banff is where you find those tropical fish. Warm runoff from nearby hot springs allows sail-fin mollies and jewelfish to survive. The park service introduced mosquitofish in 1924 to eat mosquito larvae and thus improve the bug situation at the Cave & Basin swimming pool (didn’t work), while local aquarists (illegally) added the others. This unique fen offers the best viewing setup of any area wetland—boardwalk trail, interpretive signs, viewing platforms and a bird-blind.
• Vermilion Lakes Near downtown Banff, along Vermilion Lakes Dr, is one of the larger wetlands in the four mountain national parks. It provides the classic view of Mt Rundle, so bring your camera. If you like to walk, take Fenland Trail—‘Fenland’ as in ‘fen,’ eh?
• Cottonwood Slough (say ‘slew’, not ‘sluff’) This extensive wetland (featured on the front cover of this magazine) is only 2 km (1.2 mi) from Jasper townsite, up Pyramid Lake Rd—pull in left at the first parking area. Stroll 50 m (50 yds) beside the road to a pleasant pond that nearly always has ring-necked ducks and swallows darting about. Continue to the well-used trail, turn left, and walk 1 km (.6 mi), to a great marsh overlook.
• Talbot Lake Thirty km (19 mi) east of Jasper along Hwy 16 is another big wetland, one of the few places to hear yellow-headed blackbirds meowing to one another (these birds produce very weird sounds). There are roadside pull-outs, and a boat launch (rent a rowboat from On-Line Sport & Tackle in town, 780-852-3630). Watch for northern pike moving stealthily among the bulrushes. Up to 100+ cm (3+ ft) long, these predatory fish that look like small submarines with big teeth are popular game for fishers.
• Pocaterra Fen In Kananaskis Country, this beautiful spot is a 50 km (31 mi) drive south of Hwy 1 along Hwy 40. Take Kananaskis Lakes Tr (signed Peter Lougheed Park Facility Zone) to the Pocaterra Day Use Area. Tallish water vegetation provides cover for exotic wetland birds, such as sora rails and bitterns, and you might get lucky and see a moose. Nearby Peter Lougheed Visitor Centre offers interpretive displays, and is a good place to picnic indoors on a rainy day.

WHEN TO GO
Hardcore fen-fans get up early because the bird action is best shortly after dawn. But wetlands are interesting at any time of day. After-supper naturalists often see beavers and sometimes wading moose that are typically active around dusk. Wetlands are wonderfully spooky at night—especially when snipes fly from their hidden perches in the middle of the marsh. They make a ghostly ‘woo-woo-woo’ sound, over and over.

WHAT TO SEE
• Water plants Cattails (of course) and various species of willows. Pond lilies produce lovely yellow flowers between big floating leaves. Note the lily pad-like (but smaller) leaves of pondweed, and the tall, green, whip-like stems of bulrushes. Mare’s tails stick up just a little from the water, and have lots of tiny leaves on their stems. You may see pretty pink flower clusters of water smartweed, or the small yellow flowers of water buttercups.
• Insects Mosquitoes (of course), so wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and consider bringing some repellent. But most years they are annoying only in June, and there are never as many as farther north. Friendlier water dwellers include dragonflies (hold their wings out to the side when they alight) and beautiful blue damselflies (fold their wings back); water striders that flit about the surface on long, skinny legs; and little black whirligig beetles that swim on the surface quickly, randomly and en masse. Look below the surface for amphipods (freshwater ‘shrimp’) that swim on their sides, and backswimmers (one pair of very long legs) that do, indeed, swim on their backs.
• Fish Small minnows (mostly). The big fish you see are typically white suckers, although you may see trout. And don’t miss those tropical fish in the Cave & Basin Marsh.
• Birds Ducks galore, including Barrow’s goldeneye (yellow eyed, like that of the ring-necked duck, which you will also see; but there's no white on the goldeneye's bill), teal (blue or green band on the wing, seen in flight), wigeons (broad white stripe atop the head) and mallards. You may see Canada geese, ospreys, bald eagles, northern harriers (they used to be called ‘marsh hawks’, have white patch on the bum), red-winged blackbirds, violet-green swallows, rufous hummingbirds, yellowthroat warblers and yellow-rumped warblers. You may hear the ‘ka-GUNK’ of a bittern, the squawking of a sora rail, or that snipe ‘woo-woo’.
• Amphibians Fewer frogs and salamanders (unfortunately), because so many die from a fungal disease that is killing amphibians worldwide. But the Rana sylvatica (wood frog) has been less affected—watch for a small frog sporting a black mask, à la raccoon.
• Snakes They aren’t common, and we have no dangerous ones. But western terrestrial and red-sided garter snakes love to hang out around wet places.
• Turtles None—it’s too cold in winter for them to survive.
• Mammals Beavers (bigger than muskrats, smooth wake as they swim, may slap the water with their tails), muskrats (like small beavers, leave a churning wake), river otters (not common, playful swimmers), mink (dark-furred weasels) and water voles (like big mice, but with tiny ears).

WHAT TO BRING
• Binoculars (of course), and a spotting scope if you’re keen.
• Camera, preferably with a telephoto lens to get close up shots of all those animals.
• Sunglasses, and a hat that shades your eyes.
• To help identify wildlife, a natural-history guide such as (blush) my own Handbook of the Canadian Rockies, which has lots of pictures.
• When the sun is behind a cloud, the wind always seems to come up and the open water gives it fetch. So pack a jacket, preferably a rain jacket.

Enjoy your outing, but please remember that you’re in national and provincial parks, most part of the Canadian Rocky Mountains World Heritage Site. Tread lightly; protect the wildlife. No feeding the ducks.

GO BY CANOE
Canoeing is a quintessential Canadian activity, and rentals are available in Jasper, Lake Louise and Canmore. In Banff, prime wetlands are accessible by canoes rented at Blue Canoe - Bow River Docks near downtown. Paddle gentle 40 Mile Creek into Vermilion Lakes for the best wildlife viewing and enjoy the views of Rundle, Cascade, Sulphur, Bourgeau and Norquay mountains en route. Don’t worry if you’re a first-timer—basic instruction is no extra charge. Reserve (403) 762-7768.

GO WITH A GUIDE
Visiting wildlife habitat with a professional guide can be an enriching way to learn about animals, plants, and human and natural history. Nature tour companies employ local guides with local knowledge who know the whereabouts of hidden gems often overlooked by those exploring on their own. Guide Murray Morgan of Jasper Adventure Centre notes that his 6:30 pm Cottonwood Slough trip to “the best beaver and bird habitat in the park” sells out so often that he has to arrange additional departures. Reserve (780) 852-5595.

Publication Date: 5/2006