We would never have gone to Vegreville if it had not been for a friend that lived there. We were very fortunate to spend two weekends on our friend’s family farm. 

Vegreville is home to the worlds largest Ukrainian Easter Egg – a Pysanka. It is a rural town servicing the local and outlying area. It has a Walmart, Canadian Tire, Tim Hortons (yes, of course we went there), several supermarkets and many other stores, so it really has everything you need.

The first weekend we were there, we were driving down a road and spotted what I thought was a dog on the side of the road, but once we got up to it, realised it was not a dog, but a coyote and it very much had its eye on something across the road. It wasn’t easily spotted until we were right on it as its colourings really blended into the landscape. It was amazing to see, but only because we were in the safety of a vehicle. I can say that it was actually really scary looking.

That weekend we also saw some moose in the distance across a field. Unfortunately, these were fleeting moments so we did not have a camera on hand. We also went for a walk up to a hill located on the 800 acre farm, but were warned to say on the well-used trails as a couple of bears live there!

Okay, so probably should have flagged it, but no, we did not. We didn’t see a bear, but we did hear a thumping sound coming from the bush and once we were back safe and sound at the farm, we were advised the thumping noise was a mating call from a male Grouse and is actually quite rare to hear. 

Back in Edmonton, I decided that my iPhone camera just didn’t quite cut it when taking photos in the distance, so we purchased a new camera, nothing fancy but with much better zoom.

Back for our second weekend on the farm, armed with our new camera, we went for a drive down the same road we saw the moose on, in the hope we would see them again. We did not see the moose, but we saw a bear instead! It was quite some distance away and at first, we weren’t sure what it was as it wasn’t moving, then all of a sudden it stood up on two legs. Please note, it was very far away so we felt safe in the car. We managed to get one photo of the bear before it ran off,  the quality isn’t very good, but here it is nonetheless. 

Unfortunately, we didn’t see any other wildlife over the weekend, but it did get very smoky due the wildfires, so the wildlife was probably lying low.

Vegreville has a very special place in my heart and I will be eternally grateful to our friend for letting us stay out on the farm. In our short time there, we saw a coyote, moose (although in the distance), heard a Grouse mating call and a bear. It has sparked something I never knew I had, a real interest in wildlife and photography.

Next up – Bison!