Nature

Respecting Nature

Do not feed wildlife, including birds.

• Wildlife live in the park because they are able to meet their needs for food, shelter and water.  Feeding them is not necessary.
• Wildlife stays healthier eating foods they find in their ecosystems.
• Unconsumed bird seed may germinate in the spring.  This can introduce non-native plant species to the park's ecosystems.
• Feeding results in unnatural population numbers of other species, like mice, that also access the bird seed.
• Concentrating birds in one area with a feeder makes them more susceptible to domestic and wild predators.

Do not encourage birds to land on your hand.  Do not attempt to handle or pet any wildlife.   When wildlife lose their fear of humans and approach people, wildlife often suffer.

Do not harass wildlife as it is very stressful for them. Quietly observe them.

You may encounter young wildlife that seem to be abandoned and defenseless. Leave young wildlife alone and do not approach.

• Their parents may be close by and may react defensively if their young are disturbed.
• Many times mothers have left their babies hidden while they forage for food. They are well camouflaged and many have no scent which protects them from predators.  If the young are handled by humans, their parents may not reclaim them.

Do not cut, deface, pick or remove any plant, fossil, rock or other park material. 

• Leave ant hills, nests and rotting logs alone and intact. These are the homes of a variety of life forms. The decaying objects add nutrients to the soil that plants need to survive.
• Picking, cutting, collecting or removing any plant material threatens the health and survival of individual plants and ecosystems.

Wildlife

Fish Creek Provincial Park is home to a variety of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.  Different habitats attract and are home to different combinations of these animals.  Visiting various areas of the park will allow people the opportunity to observe different wildlife species.  

• Amphibians in the Park (Park Notes)
• Birds in the Park (Park Notes)
• Great Blue Herons in the Park (Park Notes)
• Living With Coyotes (Park Notes)
• Wildlife safety tips

Plants

• Plants including invasive plant species

Natural Regions

Fish Creek Provincial Park contains two natural regions.

• Grassland to the east
• Parkland to the west