Named for Dr. James Curtis Bird who owned land in the area, the hills of glacial deposits in the area are a natural resource that continue to be extracted and contain a record of glacial history.
More than 10,000 years ago as the glacier hovered over this area, it halted. Gravel, boulders and sand that were collected during the glaciers' southern movement, now were deposited here as the glacier melted. The most noticeable glacial hitch-hiker are the boulders or erratics that are scattered throughout the park. These are mainly granite originating from the Canadian Shield northeast of here. As the glacier continued to melt, rivers formed and carved through the glacier depositing large amounts of sand and gravel. As the area dried up, the sand and gravel remained as ridges called eskers. Birds Hill is believed to be a formation of several eskers. Along Garven Road south of the park, you can find two large gravel ridges which converge in the park. You will also see several of the still active gravel pits in the area.
This cache is located within Birds Hill Provincial Park with permission from Manitoba Parks and Natural Areas. A provincial park pass is required to visit the park.
Birds Hill Provincial Park is a mosaic of landscapes not commonly found in such close association, such as esker ridges, dry prairie, wet meadows, bogs, and aspen-oak and mixed boreal forest communities. Classified as a Natural Park, its purpose is to preserve areas that are representative of the Aspen/Oak Parklands Natural Region, and accommodate a diversity of year round recreational opportunities such as hiking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, mountain biking and wildlife viewing and camping.
Everyone wishing to find the cache must submit the correct answers to the following questions.
At the co-ordinates you are at an exposed area of an esker ridge.
1. Find a good spot that illustrates the geology and post a picture. No pictures of the erratic please.
At the erratic waypoint (N50 00.274 W96 55.020) you'll find one of the many examples of the large boulders that were deposited by the glacier.
2. To get some sense of the force involved in moving these boulders, estimate the size and weight of the boulder. The density of granite is 2750kg per cubic meter.
3. How much of the erratic appears to be missing?