The weather held and drying continued on the Dry Island Buffalo Jump Park Bird Focus Group Field Trip on September 14, 2024 so Chris hosted the walk. Four birders managed the trip, but were able to navigate around a few slippery patches and made the entire loop through the fossil beds, and around and over the ‘dry island’. Walking was great, but bird numbers were somewhat unusual. At one point we saw 12 Turkey Vultures rising from near the river and circling south - something dead and tasty over there! Later, 4 more vultures drifted north over us. We saw few song birds, but there was a murmuration of European Starlings circling a large flock of crows above the northern escarpment. Last but not least, an American Goshawk gave us a great flight display along the edge of the riparian forest.
Here is the eBird report:
Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, Kneehill County CA-AB 51.94581, -112.96564, Drumheller, Alberta, CA
14-Sep-2024 1
0:31 AM - 3:27 PM
Protocol: Traveling, walking
7.719 kilometres
Checklist Comments: Red Deer River Naturalists, Bird Focus Group outing.
13 species
4 Participants
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 1
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 12 Rising from near the Red Deer river and circling to the south. Additional 4 birds seen overhead shortly after, but given the proximity assumed to be part of the original group of 12.
American Goshawk (Accipiter atricapillus) 1
Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus) 3
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 1
Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) 3
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 70
Common Raven (Corvus corax) 5
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 8
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) 3
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 250
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S195147755
Photo by Chris Olsen
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