Red Deer River Naturalists Bird Focus Group Walk November 16, 2024

A frosty morning warmed nicely along Waskasoo Creek November 16, 2024. Fifteen birders joined Chris Olsen under sparkling blue skies, walking from Rotary Park, through Barrett, Coronation, Galbraith and Stephenson Parks, to a finish in lower Gaetz. Crews have been busy in Barrett Park, and a number of old white spruce have been felled along the trail - the trunks appear sound and the loss of woodpecker habitat is a real concern. Perhaps due to the recent disturbance, we did not see any Black-backed or Pileated Woodpeckers through this section.

Of note, Yvaine S. caught a glimpse of a Mustelid on the creek, and over the next hundred meters or so others glimpsed the animal travelling on the ice and in the water - almost certainly an American Mink.

Along the trails, we had House Finches overhead, and the usual assortment of small woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees. Black-billed Magpies and Blue Jays were sighted all along; there were large numbers of Canada Geese and Mallards on the river. We finished the morning with a mature Bald eagle circling high overhead. 

Chris Olsen

Here is the eBird report:

Waskasoo Creek, Red Deer CA-AB (52.2693,-113.8017), Red Deer, Alberta, CA
Nov 16, 2024 9:45 AM - 12:48 PM
Protocol: Traveling, walking
4.45 kilometres
Checklist Comments: Red Deer River Naturalists, Bird Focus Group outing.
18 species
15 Participants
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  255
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  23
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon))  3
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  9
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  1
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)  4
Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus)  3
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  6
Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia)  19
Common Raven (Corvus corax)  1
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  26
Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus)  1
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  4
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  4
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)  3
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)  5
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  28
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S202703628

Red Deer River Naturalists Bird Focus Group Walk Field Trip November 9, 2024

The lakes of central Lacombe - Barnett, Elizabeth and Cranna proved to be a popular destination and 16 birders joined together on November 9, 2024 for the Bird Focus Group Walk. Thanks to Jane for the suggestion, and especially to Cathy for guiding our walk around Barnett and Elizabeth lakes. The trails are well-maintained and traverse diverse rich habitats - you seldom see slopes of mature birch and white spruce and there are some beautiful examples here. Throughout, the understory was super rich with mountain ash, red elderberry, snowberry, and beaked hazelnut. Less welcome were occasional patches of invasive common buckthorn. Nonetheless, this will be a great place for winter birds this year, and also a destination for spring birding!

Waters on the lakes were partially frozen, but we did see some waterfowl, beaver and numerous Muskrats. Two Bald Eagles, several Common Ravens and small flocks of Canada Geese were observed overhead. We saw two groups of Common Flickers and a large flock of House Finches. Notable observations otherwise were a Golden-crowned Kinglet and at the last a small flock of Pine Grosbeaks feeding on a lone green ash tree.

Chris Olsen

Here is the eBird report:

Barnett Lake, Red Deer, Alberta, CA
Nov 9, 2024 9:57 AM - 12:58 PM
Protocol: Traveling
6.259 kilometres
Checklist Comments: Red Deer River Naturalists, Bird Focus Group outing.
17 species
16 Participants
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  55
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  4
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  2
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)  4
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  2
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)  5
Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  5
Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia)  1
Common Raven (Corvus corax)  6
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  48
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  2
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)  2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  2
Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator)  5
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  25
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S201933161

The Birds Are Moving

     On Tues. Oct. 25, I happened to be looking out the window just as a couple of robins went by. Now they were flying north west so they weren't migrating south unless they were taking the long way south. It doesn't surprise me to see robins the end of October. I have seen robins in every month of the year at Red Deer. 

     A few minutes later I saw some Bohemian waxwings fly by. The waxwings were a little more than tree level high while the robins were probably 80 -100 m high.

     At the same time there were seagulls meandering by. I could not identify the seagulls. 

    So there's a mixed bag here. The robins should have been out of here.  It's early for waxwings to show up. Some gulls hang around here until mid to late December.

    It all makes for some interesting sightings from a city window.

A Huge Flock of Brewer's Blackbirds in Red Deer

    During fall migration there can often be some awesome sightings that if you blink you'll miss it. 

    Yesterday was one of those days when there seemed to be a flock of birds in every tree. Brewer's Blackbirds were visiting and they made their presence known by sheer numbers. They seemed to be weighing down every branch and flying in all directions. They were here for about an hour and then they were gone. Usually Grackles and Rusty Blackbirds are with them but I did not have time to check and see if the other species were here.

    These birds usually hang around for a few days and then they leave the area. It's also interesting how wide spread they are in an area. Other birders report large flocks at the same time I see large flocks. 

    So these migrants my just be the first group and the others may soon join them. 

    Have you been seeing large flocks of Blackbirds this fall?

Fall Migration Time

       It's still August but the fall migration of many birds is already underway. I find this time of year to be very active for birding as many of the birds we don't see in the summer are now slowly passing through this area.

      This week I have had yellow warblers in my urban yard. I grow a vegetable garden which at this time of year has become a jungle. The yellow warblers have a field day foraging through potatoes, turnips, beats etc. for insects. Later on other warblers will appear. Yellow rumped warblers seem to spend the longest time around my yard. Along with warblers there are many sparrows the go through . I've already had a white throated sparrow. The sparrows also like my out of control vegetable garden. They run around under the heavy foliage. It's tough to bird watch as they are hidden most of the time. That's why they're in my garden as it's rather safe. The bird watching can be done from my bedroom window. Pretty soft eh!

     If you are out in natural areas you will see many more birds slowly passing through. They feed heavily on the many insects which are available.

    Later on we will see the large flocks of ducks and geese as they move south later. It seems like the crows had a productive year as they are now flying in vast groups.

    So take a look around you. You'll probably see something interesting.