Red Deer River Naturalists Bird Focus Group Walk April 6th, 2024

A group of nine birders joined Chris Olsen, April 6th, 2024 to walk McKenzie Trails Recreation Area from the parking area, to the work compound, up to the field and along the loop trail back; a modest 4.77 km under leaden skies, but a surprisingly pleasant walk without more snow, rain or significant wind.

The ponds were noisy with Canada Geese and the river very active with waterfowl. Surprisingly, we saw at least 5 Pileated Woodpeckers in flight, in widely separated areas. The Merlin app picked up Golden-crowned Kinglet calls in a couple of places along the escarpment, but we were hard-pressed to hear the high-pitched notes among the Chickadees, Pine Siskins, White-breasted Nuthatches and Brown Creepers. If you’re at the McKenzie Trails Recreation Area keep a lookout to see if we can confirm with a sighting of these little beauties.

The last sighting of the day (17 species) was a Bald Eagle carrying a large stick southward. Perhaps a second nest along the river?

Chris

Here is the eBird report:

Red Deer--McKenzie Trails Park, Red Deer, Alberta, CA
6-Apr-2024 9:53 AM - 12:17 PM
Protocol: Traveling, walking
4.771 kilometer(s)
Checklist Comments: Red Deer River Naturalists, Bird Focus Group outing
17 species
Nine Participants
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 55
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 9
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) 10
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) 1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 1
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) 5
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 1
Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) 2
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 7
Common Raven (Corvus corax) 3
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 10
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 3
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) 2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 1
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 6
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) 4
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S167420116