Red Deer River Naturalists Bird Focus Group Field Trip June 8, 2024

Six hardy birders put on their rain gear June 8, 2024 and followed the trails of Kuhnen Park, with Chris Olsen, around the largest slough and over the ridge to the south tip of Lacombe Lake. Despite the rain and chill there were a lot of birds active although, we saw few raptors and missed some expected woodland species. With that we recorded 42 species.

Don’t forget that we have the Ferry Point and Medicine Lake weekends to finish our spring schedule. Ferry Point will have outings Sat and Sun, June 22 & 23, 2024 and is sure to offer an interesting mix of riparian, wetland and bad-land species. At Medicine Lake June 29, 2024, we’ll walk a boreal woodland trail in the morning and then kayak in the afternoon to see what the shores offer (always Loons, Grebes, Kingfishers, Ospreys, Eagles and waterfowl). While Medicine Lake camping appears ‘booked out’, there are two non-reservable sites in each loop, and those are usually available to access on-site.

Enjoy!

Chris

Kuhnen Park, Red Deer, Alberta, CA
Jun 8, 2024 9:48 AM - 1:33 PM
Protocol: Traveling, walking
4.801 kilometres
Checklist Comments: Red Deer River Naturalists, Bird Focus Group outing
42 species
6 Participants
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 22
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 8
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 10
Redhead (Aythya americana) 3
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) 6
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) 14
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) 4
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 2
Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena) 6
Sora (Porzana carolina) 3
American Coot (Fulica americana) 4
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 2
Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) 36
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) 1
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 1
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) 1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 1
Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus) 22
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 5
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) 9
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) 7
Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) 1
Common Raven (Corvus corax) 4
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 8
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 3
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) 16
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 1
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 3
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 11
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) 16
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 7
Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida) 7
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 11
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 13
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) 4
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) 4
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 43
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 8
Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) 1
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 24
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S180218075