Red Deer River Naturalists Bird Focus Group Field Trip October 19, 2024

Wow, what an incredible day on the Amerada Trail at Crimson Lake, Alberta October 19, 2024! The winds held off and the weather was warm enough for shirt sleeves. Our group of five walked the Amerada trail clockwise around the lake and there was only a remnant of water on the formerly flooded area. The leaves and needles were a golden carpet among diverse stands of white spruce and poplar uplands and black spruce and tamarack lowlands. The gently rolling trail was perfect for what is likely to be a last walk before the snow.

Birding was slow in the forest and we managed only ten species. There was a very large raft of waterfowl on the lake, but without a scope we could only determine that there were large gulls and diving ducks. A young Common Loon drifted by closer to shore. In the forest, the story of the day was a male Spruce Grouse that we found on the trail. True to his kind he was trusting and entertained us by feeding along with us for a while. We heard Golden-crowned Kinglets on several occasions, and finally in response to a call both Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets came down to the lower canopy and gave everyone a show. They are so tiny, quick and brilliant!

Chris Olsen

Here is the e-Bird report:

Crimson Lake Provincial Park, Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, CA
Oct 19, 2024 10:10 AM - 3:02 PM
Protocol: Traveling, walking
11.7 kilometres
Checklist Comments: Red Deer River Naturalists, Bird Focus Group outing.
10 species
5 Participants
Spruce Grouse (Canachites canadensis)  1
Common Loon (Gavia immer)  1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  2
Common Raven (Corvus corax)  8
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  20
Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus)  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula)  2
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  10
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  1
Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)  1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S199545348