Red Deer River Naturalists Bird Focus Group Camping Weekend June 13, 2026 (Morning)

 

Chris Olsen Report

Bird Focus People:

On June 13 & 14, 2026 the Bird Focus Group camped at Medicine Lake PRA and walked and kayaked Medicine Lake on June 13, 2026. In the morning we walked along the esker (a long ridge of gravel and other sediment, typically having a winding course, deposited by meltwater from a retreating glacier or ice sheet) that parallels the east shore. Five hikers joined in and we looped from the A-loop campsites north to the trailhead, and then south to the overlook. We carried on from there to the mouth of the Medicine River, and then retraced our route to the campsite access in B-Loop.

Birding was good along our route, although the insects were really the story of the day. A major tent caterpillar outbreak is underway and while Birch and Balsam Poplar trees are being spared, the Aspen Poplar trees and Beaked Hazelnut shrubs along the esker trail were completely denuded. See photo below taken from my kayak that shows stripped Aspen all along the esker top. A short video shows beetle and caterpillar activity on the forest floor. The beetles and caterpillars seemed uninterested in each other but the sheer numbers of both were disconcerting! The real challenge however was the endless webbed haze of caterpillars suspended from above - even swinging a stick ahead of our path failed to fully clear the trail and we were constantly being rained upon by falling caterpillars and their exudate. Look closely at the photo to see the webs - what it doesn’t show however is the sticky depths that never ended! A final insect example illustrates puddling - a behaviour whereby moths and butterflies aggregate on feces, in mud puddles, or on wounds to ‘drink’ mineral-rich liquids. Will kindly showed us a one-eyed sphinx moth example on his scraped lower calf!

Only select birds can digest hairy caterpillars. A very few warbler species, and some orioles, thrushes and vireos are examples. For birding, the open canopy was helpful however and we could readily spot many flycatchers, vireos and warblers that are otherwise hard to pick out in the greenery. All-in-all some really good forest bird sightings and a most interesting day in nature!

Enjoy!

Chris

Here is the eBird report:

Medicine Lake PRA, Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, CA
Jun 13, 2026 10:08 AM - 3:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
4.257 kilometer(s)
Checklist Comments: Red Deer River Naturalists, Bird Focus Group outing. Follow the walking trail from the Campground to the mouth of the Medicine River and return.
37 species
5 Participants
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 3
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) 2
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 2
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) 3
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 2
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 2
Common Loon (Gavia immer) 4
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) 1
Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum) 4
Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus) 4
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 1
Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius) 1
Western Warbling Vireo (Vireo swainsoni) 2 Western variant confirmed by song and (Merlin) and location.
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) 10
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 1
Common Raven (Corvus corax) 2
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 3
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula) 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) 2
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) 1
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 4
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) 10
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) 1
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) 3
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 1
Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 10
Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) 1
Tennessee Warbler (Leiothlypis peregrina) 4
Connecticut Warbler (Oporornis agilis) 1
Northern Yellow Warbler (Setophaga aestiva) 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) 7
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) 3
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S358918830