Red Deer River Naturalists Bird Focus Group Walk November 15, 2025

Chris Olsen Report

Bird Focus People:

Eight birders joined together November 15, 2025 for a frosty morning walk through the parks along Waskasoo Creek. We started by taking the trail up to the top of the escarpment along Spruce Drive, picking up a young female Pileated Woodpecker along the way. The long stair down to Waskasoo Creek was mostly quiet, but as we moved through Barrett Park on the right bank, we saw several groups of Black-billed Magpies. Every such ‘mischief’ suggested perhaps a mobbing, but alas we saw no owls or diurnal raptors for the day. Our count was at least 34 magpies - they and the red squirrels seemed to be everywhere as the sun brightened and warmed the trails. We were lucky to get close to a second Pileated Woodpecker in Barrett, among small bands of Black-capped Chickadees, Blue Jays, and Red-breasted Nuthatches. 

The Coronation and Stephenson Park trails were relatively quiet, but very pretty as the morning warmed. Birding picked up in Galbraith, and we added White-winged Crossbills and a Boreal Chickadee to our tally, while House Finches entertained us with song. As we approached Gaetz Park we saw several flocks of Canada Geese overhead. There were flocks of Canada Geese, Ring-billed Gulls and scattered Mallards on the river. Among the Canada’s, two Cackling Geese stood out by virtue of sound and diminutive size.

We finished the morning with a look at the right bank of the river along 45th Avenue, and a brief discussion of the East Lincoln proposal to build one or more apartment buildings on the former school fields. As illustrated by our walk this morning, Red Deer has an amazing park system - riparian, treed land and meadow connect the Piper Creek headwaters to the SE, right along the downtown core, and northward to Gaetz lakes, McKenzie Trails, Riverbend and out to the Blindman River watershed. The only ‘broken link’ in this system is the 250 m or so along 45th Avenue - it numbs the mind to think we would risk this amazing linkage to allow apartments; built far from transit and amenities, but crowding the last bit of open space adjacent to the road and trail to the Kerry Wood Nature Centre. How ironic.

On a more positive note, the Waskasoo Community Association reports that more than 60 letters were sent to MPC by the Friday deadline. Thanks to the birders that were on that list! Development apparently needs more time to get everything on the agenda and so the MPC meeting has been moved back a week to 9:00 a.m. Wednesday November 26^th, 2025. That meeting is in City Council Chambers and open to the public. We’re hoping to get as many supporters out as possible - wear blue to show your support!! For more info and complete background check out the Waskasoo Community website (Planning and Development tab) at www.waskasoo.com.

Enjoy!

Chris 

Here is the eBird report:

Waskasoo Creek, Red Deer CA-AB (52.2693,-113.8017), Red Deer, Alberta, CA
Nov 15, 2025 10:01 AM - 12:19 PM
Protocol: Traveling, walking
3.456 kilometres
Checklist Comments: Red Deer River Naturalists, Bird Focus Group outing. Walk Waskasoo Creek from Rotary Park through Barrett Park, Coronation Park, Stephenson Park, Galbraith Park to Gaetz Park on the Red Deer River.
16 species
8 Participants
Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii)  2
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  144
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  11
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  20
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)  2
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)  2
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  2
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  10
Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia)  34
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  24
Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus)  1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  2
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)  3
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)  6
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  4
White-winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S284639432