Canmore Spring Bird Walks – June 2nd

As I was unfortunately ill for the May 28th walk, there will be no report on that other than to note that in my absence, they found a Grey Catbird and several other good species on a sunny Sunday morning.

The weather has been quite unusual in the Bow Valley recently, and perhaps because of this, the birds have not really arrived in force like normal. Early wildfires are blazing away up north, pouring tonnes of smoke across the province, and a massive storm cloud held poor conditions over the area for several weeks. This notwithstanding, a couple of exciting birds have made it to Policeman’s Creek, and last Sunday’s bird walk was definitely a success.

Black-and-White Warbler I found a week ago on Policeman’s Creek

We started slowly, but the engaging antics of the Wilson’s Snipe and Red-winged Blackbirds claimed some attention. Once we reached the midway point, participants were treated to a special sight indeed – a pair of Soras picked their way down the bank before turning and swimming across the creek in full view.

Sora

I had all but given up on re-finding the Harlequin Ducks I’d seen on Friday, but the pair sped underneath the bridge and alit on their favourite perch for some truly excellent views.

Male Harlequin Duck

Another low species count for this time of year, with only 30 on the checklist, but some great views and interesting birds. Check out the Canmore Spring Bird Walks eBird profile to see any of the lists from this year or past, and see my other posts on these events here.

Canmore Spring Bird Walks – April 28th & May 12th

April 28th

With typically frosty weather, a low number of participants ventured out for the first bird walk of the year. Those who braved the snow, however, were well rewarded with migrants forced down by the precipitation. American Pipits and Savannah Sparrows galore, with a couple other new arrivals mixed in – Wilson’s Snipe and White-crowned Sparrow for some.

Canmore-Spring-Bird-Walks 28-04-19 (6 of 7)
Savannah Sparrow

A male Bufflehead, Bald Eagle and Merlin all made an appearance, while Yellow-rumped Warblers gradually warmed into movement with each advance of the sun.

Canmore-Spring-Bird-Walks 28-04-19 (2 of 7)
Yellow-rumped Warbler

First-of-year Lincoln’s and American Tree Sparrows mixed with the resident Song and House Sparrows. All in all, 26 species on a chilly April day is a good return, and promises more to come on the next walks.

May 12th

As a beautiful morning dawned in the Rockies, ten birders met for the second Bird Walk of the year, hoping to find new migrants just arrived from down south, and overwintering birds setting up territories and nests.

Red-winged Blackbirds were on of the many species piercing the clear spring air with their breeding calls.

Birds were slow to wake up, but we eventually heard a first-of-year Sora, glimpsed the quick-moving Orange-crowned Warblers, and had excellent views of another new-ish migrant to the valley – Lincoln’s Sparrow!

Lincoln’s Sparrow

As the final few participants gathered at the conclusion of the day, a Common Grackle alit upon a tree across the pond. These feisty birds are not a common sight in Canmore, and those who stayed to the end were fortunate to see it.

Common Grackle

Thanks to those who were with us for these two walks, and I hope that those who couldn’t make it this time will be able to make it in two weeks time! For anyone who is interested, the eBird lists can be found here: April 28th and May 12th. The next two walks are May 26th and June 2nd respectively, starting at 7:00am at Canmore’s Big Head.

SOSP-400ml (2 of 2)
Song Sparrow

Canmore Spring Bird Walks 2019

The Canmore Spring Bird Walks are back for another season. When I started this bi-monthly spring event two years ago, I had no idea that there would be the kind of interest that has arisen. It’s great to see everyone getting out – even through the rain, sleet and snow – to experience the many bird species migrating through or residing in Policeman’s Creek.

SPTO
Spotted Towhee

This year, the walks will be held on the following dates, at 7:00 am. We meet at Canmore’s famous Big Head sculpture on Main Street.

April 28:

YRWA
Yellow-rumped Warbler

 

Early passerine migrants will be arriving about now.
We expect around 20-25 species, hopefully including
Yellow-rumped Warblers, Osprey and one or more
shorebird species.

 

May 12:

COYE
Common Yellowthroat

 

Chipping Sparrows, Soras and Red-winged Blackbirds
should be back in full force, and the first of the
flycatchers and Catharus thrushes will be arriving.
Hardy warblers such as the Northern Waterthrush
and Orange-crowned Warbler may also be sighted.

 

May 26:

BPWA`
Blackpoll Warbler

 

Most of the common birds will be back, with American Redstarts, Warbling Vireos and the like being the most recent arrivals. This is one of the best times of the year for rarities passing through – who knows what could turn up!

June 2:

NOFL
Northern Flicker

 

By now, the first of the baby birds will be popping up all across town, and the possibility of late migrants – Brewer’s Sparrow, Connecticut Warbler and Rose-breasted Grosbeak – is still strong. A good checklist on Policeman’s Creek can tally 40+ species.

 

No year is like another, but one thing is consistent: Policeman’s Creek will continue to surprise us. When I started birding it eight years ago, it wasn’t even a hotspot, and now it is tenth in Banff county, with a count of 168 species on eBird. Join us this spring at 7:00 on the above dates to explore Canmore’s best birding location.

RWBL
Red-winged Blackbird

Canmore Spring Bird Walks – May 27th Trip Report

The third edition of Canmore Spring Bird Walks began quietly, oddly lacking the usual morning chorus. This would be the theme of the first half of the walk, in which we saw and heard little apart from American Robins, Lincoln’s Sparrows and Red-winged Blackbirds. Once we got to the backside of the creek, however, that changed.

A slow paced musical trill reverberated across the marsh, as participants got serenaded by a relative rarity, the charismatic Swamp Sparrow. The Harlequin Ducks have departed for faster mountain streams in which to breed, but a female Northern Pintail made a fly-by appearance.

HADU
The Harlequins had stayed over a week, but vanished just when we needed them!

Strolling back via the boardwalk, we were treated to excellent views of Yellow Warbler, Lincoln’s Sparrows and this male Common Yellowthroat.

COYE
Common Yellowthroat

Towards the conclusion of the walk, we relocated the Swamp Sparrow, along with Song Sparrow and juvenile Mallards. The really special birds didn’t come until the final fleeting moments of the walk, though. As the group began to dissipate, a Calliope Hummingbird hovered mere feet from the Big Head statue, and a female Yellow-headed Blackbird perched on the Main Street bridge.

YHBL
Female Yellow-headed Blackbird

This is the first time a Yellow-headed Blackbird has been reported to eBird here, but I know that I saw one many years back, on Policeman’s Creek. If anyone wants to see the full list for the day, click here for my checklist. I hope to see everybody out next time, on June 10th. By then, most of our birds should have arrived, and we’ll be looking for birds like last year’s vagrant Bullock’s Oriole. On Policeman’s Creek, there’s always a good chance for unusual individuals!

Canmore Spring Bird Walks 2018 – May 13th Trip Report

Eight people made their way to the walk on this fine spring morning in Canmore. We started early, heading down the boardwalk and then back via the Mallard Pond overlook, catching a total of 27 species. Yellow Warblers are still yet to arrive, but the first Sora of the year whinnied from the reeds, and a plethora of sparrows buzzed and whistled across the marsh.

MALL
Mallards shone in their breeding plumage.

The real highlights, however, were the many blackbirds. Brown-headed Cowbirds fluted their notes above, while the “Ko-kaaachunk!” of the Red-winged Blackbird reverberated around the creek. Also present were Brewer’s Blackbirds setting up their territories, and a lone Common Grackle flew over towards the end of the walk.

BRBL
A male Brewer’s Blackbird lays claim to its home patch.

For those who want to see the full list, click here. I hope to see you all out for our next walk, on May 27th at 7:15! By then, we can expect a good many more species, including the likes of Yellow Warbler and American Redstarts.

Great Canadian Birdathon 2018

Sorry for not posting in a while – I’ve been busy with school and sports, but that should be cooling down for a few weeks before my final exams, so I should be posting more soon.

As more and more birds stream into the province, the annual assortment of birding events, festivals and counts begins. Already, the Global Big Day has been and gone, with 6,098 species reported by over 28 thousand observers on May 5th. One of the biggest events yet to come (at least for me) is the Great Canadian Birdathon. This will be my 6th birdathon, and my 2nd as part of the Saw-it Owls team. I’ll be joining up with Gavin McKinnon of Calgary once more, searching for roughly 125 species in Southern Alberta. While we failed to reach that target last year (112 species), we have high hopes and a completely different route this May, hitting some of the best habitat in Alberta.

The highlight of last year, Harlequin ducks are looking pretty unlikely with the altered route.

For those who don’t know what the birdathon is, it’s a fundraiser run by Bird Studies Canada with intent to protect our birds and preserve their habitat. Participants accept donations either as flat amounts (e.g. $25) or by a per-species gift (e.g. $1 for every species found). Then, we choose one 24 hour period in the month of May to go out and find the most bird species possible. It’s always been a great time, and all for a worthy cause.

GCB Shirt
The 2018 GCB t-shirt design

Anybody interested in helping out with the fundraiser can go here to donate, or sign up through the Bird Studies Canada Birdathon Page. Thank you everyone who has donated already, and if you haven’t, consider joining the cool crowd by doing so, to keep our backyard beauties in fine feather!

Photos from previous years:

2013
Raven eating pigeon
Common Raven eating a Rock Pigeon
2014
Eared Grebes
  2015
Indigo Bunting
2016
Eastern Phoebe
Marbled Godwit
Marbled Godwit
2017
American White Pelicans
American White Pelicans
Rufous Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
See the posts for these years here:

2013                            2014 pt. 1

2014 pt. 2                   2015

2016 pt. 1                   2016 pt. 2

2017 pt. 1                   2017 pt. 2

Don’t forget to donate here!

Canmore Spring Bird Walks 2018 – April 29th Trip Report

It was a cold, wet kickoff for the Canmore Spring Bird Walks this year, but well worth being out! In the early morning chill, a Great Blue Heron flapped across the boardwalk, where Song Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers and some newly arrived Lincoln’s Sparrows burbled out their cheerful melodies.

Great Blue Heron

Four American Pipits feeding amongst the rocks in the big pond were nice, and almost made it as the highlights of the day. Sadly, we missed the Sora which came in on Friday, but towards the end of the walk we ran into a large mixed flock of White-crowned Sparrows, Lincoln’s Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Song Sparrows. Scanning the flock for Orange-crowned Warblers, a loud, harsh “Veeeeer” rent the air behind us. Warbling Vireo! This bird is the first reported in Alberta this year. I unfortunatly failed to procure any photos, but there is no doubt about the identification.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

The usual mix of starlings, chickadees and robins rounded off the trip, but the Vireo took the cake. May this be a lesson to you who chickened out because of the rain – twice the first walk has been in poor weather, and twice it has turned up great birds (See May 7th 2017).  I hope to see you out for the next walk on May 13, rain or shine!