Seven birders were out December 7, 2024 with Chris Olsen to join the walk in Riverbend Golf and Recreation Area. Chris reports that the morning started well with a mature Bald Eagle flyby over the entry gate. We could see a few ducks from the footbridge, but the real news there was a mink that popped out of the water and onto the ice to survey his domain for a moment. We also saw a juvenile Bald Eagle from the bridge.
Back on the start of the forest trail, we were swarmed by the usual horde of habituated Chickadees. Notably, we actually had a mixed feeding flock there, with two late-staying White-throated Sparrows foraging on the ground below. Shortly thereafter, we were treated to the sight of a Sharp-shinned Hawk winging through the canopy.
There were nearly a hundred mallards at the outflow, but the best news there was a wary woodpecker - we followed quiet tapping and chipping sounds for a while before he showed himself - a handsome male Black-backed Woodpecker. Lynette got some good photos and so watch for those on Facebook! While we watched the woodpecker, a small flock of birds flew into the crown of a dead conifer above us. They were difficult to identify from directly below, but as they moved into the open, we had a good look - remarkably, a late-staying group of Cedar Waxwings.
Back on the perimeter, we added many more Downy Woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatches - the habituation is really out of control! We finished the morning with another mature Bald Eagle, many more Mallards and Common Goldeneyes, two Common Mergansers, and a lonely male Bufflehead. Not a species richness record, but quite a remarkable sample!
Join us next weekend for a walk in the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary if you can. Else, come for coffee and cake at our annual ‘wrap-up’ in the Kerry Wood Nature Centre at about 1:00 p.m.
Chris Olsen
Here is the eBird Report:
River Bend Golf, Red Deer, Alberta, CA
Dec 7, 2024 9:53 AM - 1:20 PM
Protocol: Traveling, walking
4.988 kilometres
Checklist Comments: Red Deer River Naturalists, Bird Focus Group outing.
19 species
7 Participants
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 4
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 185
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 1 One male feeding on the Red Deer River with a group of Common Goldeneye.
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) 58
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) 1 Observed by several in our group as it flew at canopy height near the woodland road we were walking. Classic Accipiter flight and shape, and too small for a Cooper’s Hawk.
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 3
Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) 1 Male bird clearly observed scaling bark near us.
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 9
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 3
Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) 4
Common Raven (Corvus corax) 4
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 75
Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus) 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) 2
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 12
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) 6
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) 8 Small flock landed in a tree above us. Clearly seen and identified by several in our group - no Bohemian Waxwings among the group.
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 3 Feeding on the forest floor and along down-log material below a flock of Black- capped Chickadees. Observed by several birders in two separate groups.
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S204751824
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| Male Black-backed Woodpecker - Photo by Lynette Eileen |
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