Red Deer River Naturalists Bird Focus Group Walk Field Trip March 22, 2025

We’re underway with our 2025 RDRN Bird Focus Group, spring birding schedule! Six birders made the trip to Calgary’s Carburn Park March 22, 2025. We enjoyed a beautiful spring day along the Bow River trails, and although we were treated to a lot of waterfowl and woodpeckers, we only managed 22 species. The unusual gulls (Glaucous, Icelandic, Lesser Black-backed) that were seen recently in some Calgary wetlands were not there for us, and even some of the occasionals’ like Harlequins, Wood Ducks and Barrows Goldeneye were absent. Join us next weekend March 29, 2025 in Riverbend Golf & Recreation Area in Red Deer and with the warming waters perhaps we can do better there!

A reminder that we still have 2 or 3 places left for the Wainwright Sharp-tailed Grouse Watch on April 26th, 2025 and so there is still time to join that group (pre-registration only) - you can book a tour at the Snow Goose Festival for the same weekend! Visit [www.rdrn.ca]for more info.

Enjoy!

Chris

Here is the eBird report:

Carburn Park, Calgary CA-AB 50.97382, -114.02591, Calgary, Alberta, CA

Mar 22, 2025 10:10 AM - 1:20 PM

Protocol: Traveling, walking

4.427 kilometres

Checklist Comments: Red Deer River Naturalists, Bird Focus Group outing.

22 species

6 Participants

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 46

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 77

Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) 4

Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 40

Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) 14

Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) 10

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia 2

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 4

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 2

Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 5

Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus) 1

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) 2

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 8

Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) 3

Common Raven (Corvus corax) 4

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 14

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 3

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 1

American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 3

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 12

House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 14

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) 2

View this checklist online at [https://ebird.org/checklist/S220064966](https://ebird.org/checklist/S220064966)

Chris