This past Wednesday David, my friend Jack, and I went for a paddle down Mud Lake at the Ridges Sanctuary.

The weather was gorgeous, but the water temperature was a tad chilly at 40 degrees F.

During the trip we saw a variety of birds, frogs and fish. The Ridges Sanctuary is known for a large variety of flora and fauna in the wetlands area and boreal forest. We heard the potent call of the small spring peepers. Although we didn’t see any, they were very audiable. Frogs are indicator species, which means they are the first to be affected by pollution and changing habitat conditions. With this said, it was quite a joy to hear such an ample amount of these frogs. Besides the Spring Peeper, we heard the Western Chorus Frog, and possible echoes of the faint but resonant call of the American Toad. Also, I have included some short audio clips of the frog calls. They’re pretty easy to hear once you know what they sound like.

Spring Peeper

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Western Chorus Frog

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American Toad

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In the Aves department, we had a few sightings. Although none of us are experienced birdwatchers, we managed to decipher a few species. Some of the most exciting sightings were:

Peregrine Falcon Cardinal Sucker Fish

We also thought we saw spawning salmon, only to realize that they were in fact, “large lipped” sucker fish.

As we were returning from our paddle, Jack and I decided to take the “easy” exit, while Dave decided to brave the ominous tunnel rapids. We were mystified as he flew through the spider- infested tunnel towards Moonlight Bay.

Overall, we all had a marvelous time and learned a lot. I even got to drive the kayak bus for the first time. And let me tell ya, backing up is surely an art that takes a lot of practice!

written by Sara