Red Deer River Naturalists Bird Focus Group Walk Field Trip October 3, 2026

Chris Olsen Report

Bird Focus People:

Nine birders joined us at Crimson Lake on October 3, 2026 to walk and bird a beautiful fall day on the Amerada Trail. Welcome to Julia B. and Dani L., newly joining us from RDP! We began a little tentatively as people navigated by, or diverted around an accident just across the North Saskatchewan River. An oilfield semi had skidded across the road and blocked all but a narrow ditch edge. There were debris and bystanders on the road when I went by, but people following also saw a car on fire in the ditch, and emergency responders were on scene. 

After a late start we found the trail surprisingly quiet. Brown Creepers and Golden-crowned Kinglets could be heard amongst roving flocks of Boreal and Black-capped Chickadee’s. The cattail slough offered Mallards but was otherwise deserted. We added Downy Woodpeckers and the first of two pairs or Canada Jays on the first half. Blue jays, Crows and Ravens completed the Corvid count. Overhead, the sky was busy with numerous low-flying aircraft, a noisy intrusion on an otherwise peaceful fall day.

At lunch we added more Mallards and some Ring-necked Ducks. Further along the open lake shore we saw large groups of Common Mergansers and Buffleheads, perhaps staging for migration. Dark-eyed Juncos and a lone White-breasted Nuthatch were the last species added to our very modest species count.

Enjoy!

Chris

Here is the eBird report:

Crimson Lake Provincial Park, Clearwater County CA-AB 52.45105, -115.03274, Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, CA
Oct 3, 2026 9:53 AM - 2:33 PM
Protocol: Traveling, walking
9.647 kilometres
Checklist Comments: Red Deer River Naturalists, Bird Focus Group outing.
15 species
9 Participants
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  9
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)  4
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  30
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)  40
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)  3
Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis)  4
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  3
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  2
Common Raven (Corvus corax)  6
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  16
Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus)  6
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  8
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  1
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)  2
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  6
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S399625918