Kinbrook Island Provincial Park

We've just returned from a great long weekend camping trip to Kinbrook Island Provincial Park near Brooks, which is about 200km south-east of Calgary.  The park is on the east shore of a large reservoir,  Newell Lake, and the campground is basically an island covered in poplar trees and surrounded by marsh.  The existence of these three habitats together in the middle of vast prairie grassland is, as you can see below, a real bird magnet.

In the campground there were several species of flycatcher ranging from the easily identified and bold to the tricky and hyperactive.  (As usual all photos in the post are click to enlarge!)

Western Kingbird, Tyrannus verticalis

Eastern Kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus

Least Flycatcher, Empidonax minimus - OK, I heard several Least Flycatchers, this bird was close by, and it looks like a Least Flycatcher but those empids are tricky!

A birding highlight of the weekend came while I was washing breakfast dishes.  There was a flurry of activity in the understory.  A group of 4 male Brown-headed Cowbirds chasing one female were displaying to each other on branches and, ultimately, on the grass about ten yards in front of me.

Brown-headed Cowbird, Molothrus ater

Brown-headed Cowbird, Molothrus ater

There are nice walks (if you aren't freaked out by bugs like our 3 year old!) around the marshes, including an interpretive trail around the northeast area that was a little long for our crew of preschoolers.  The dominant species in this area is Red-winged Blackbirds, but spaced out among these territorial birds were Yellow-headed Blackbirds and a large number of Marsh Wrens.

Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris

Yellow-headed Blackbird, Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

During one of these walks we bumped into a group of birders doing the 13th Annual Brooks Species Count.  They commented on the lack of shorebirds, an observation supported throughout the weekend and the drive back to Calgary (one yellowlegs, one snipe, and three large shorebirds on a far off muddy field was all I saw).  I was generally surprised by the lack of birds on the main bodies of water in the park but along with the usually half dozen species of duck we did see Red-necked Grebes, Forster's Tern, and some American White Pelican.

American White Pelican, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, displaying breeding season "horn"

This relative lack of species on the open water was entirely compensated for by the continual displays of flycatchers, Tree Swallows, Yellow Warblers, blackbirds, sparrows, and ever-friendly American Robins around the campsite.  I would highly recommend this campsite as a destination for the birding-inclined camper or any family looking for a prairie getaway.

In total, 48 species were seen on the weekend getaway and a birder working the area in a more focused way would have no trouble finding many more.  For those interested here's the list of species seen either at Kinbrook or in the immediate Brooks area:

Canada Goose	Branta canadensis
American Wigeon	Anas americana
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos
Blue-winged Teal	Anas discors
Northern Shoveler	Anas clypeata
Northern Pintail	Anas acuta
Redhead	Aythya americana
Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis
Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis
Red-necked Grebe	Podiceps grisegena
American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
Northern Harrier	Circus cyaneus
Swainson's Hawk	Buteo swainsoni (on nest)
Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis
American Coot	Fulica americana
Yellowlegs sp.	Tringa sp.
Wilson's Snipe	Gallinago delicata
Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis
Forster's Tern	Sterna forsteri
Rock Pigeon	Columba livia
Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura
Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus (adult with two fledglings)
Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus
Least Flycatcher	Empidonax minimus
Western Kingbird	Tyrannus verticalis
Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus
Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia
American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos
Common Raven	Corvus corax
Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor (on nest - tree cavity)
Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica
Marsh Wren	Cistothorus palustris
American Robin	Turdus migratorius (on nest)
Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus
European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris
Yellow Warbler	Dendroica petechia
Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas
Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina
Clay-colored Sparrow	Spizella pallida
Vesper Sparrow	Pooecetes gramineus
Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia
Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus
Western Meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta
Yellow-headed Blackbird	Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
Brewer's Blackbird	Euphagus cyanocephalus
Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater
Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus

McDonald Lake - 100 Alberta Birds and Counting

McDonald Lake is just north of the city limits in an area of rapid commercial/retail development next to the now defunct Balzac Gas Plant.  I heard about this waterfowl hot spot at the Bird Study Group meeting earlier this week and took a couple of hours this afternoon to check it out.  There was some discussion at the meeting regarding access but it is currently very straightforward - north on the new Metis Trail from Stoney Trail, right on the first "Crossiron" street (Crossiron Boulevard?) and then park on the dirt road behind the huge Walmart distribution centre - basically right by the lake.  Don't bother with google maps if you are trying to figure this out - things are changing so rapidly that it currently shows the distribution centre as a big pile of dirt and shows Metis Trail as not yet going to Crossiron Mills!

Before I even arrived at the lake there were signs this was going to be a good afternoon of birding.  A Swainson's Hawk chased two pigeons across Highway 2 and landed right between the Stoney Trail off-ramp and the freeway, clutching one of the pigeons in its talons.  I wasn't aware that Swainson's Hawks took pigeons but a little research confirms this is the case and I guess when you've just flown in from Argentina you'll take what you can get!

I parked near the lake and walked across the short grass closer to the shore, flushing three Savannah Sparrows, one of which landed a short distance away and sang from the top of a tall blade of grass.  One of the first birds I saw on the lake was a magnificent male Ruddy Duck which becomes my 100th Alberta bird.  There were great scope views to be had, but no photo so I include the following from the Flickr Creative Commons site.



The were many other species to be seen including Redhead, Bufflehead, Northern Pintail, Ring-necked Duck and Lesser Scaup (the dominant duck species).  Curiously this was the first time I have ever been to a wetland in Alberta and seen no Common Goldeneye or Mallard or Canada Goose.  There were at least 50 Eared Grebes as well as a half dozen Horned Grebes.  In breeding plumage these weren't too hard to tell apart, especially with views like this:

Three Eared Grebes, Podiceps nigricollis (behind) and one Horned Grebe, Podiceps auritus (front and centre)

Standing out amongst all these ducks and grebes were the only shorebirds of the day - three American Avocet looking a little tired and windswept.

American Avocet, Recurvirostra americana

As I drove back down Metis Trail I pulled over to see my first Brewer's Blackbirds of the year, foraging beside the road and on a dirt pile in the field.

Brewer's Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus 

A little further down the road was a small slough with a bunch of old wrecked cars. A Red-winged Blackbird was staking out his territory from the top of a rusty, half-submerged tractor. He was content to continue serenading a few yards away while I sat and admired three pairs of Northern Shoveler and a pair of Gadwall.

I headed home by looping around the east edge of the city, stopping at a another small slough near the East Calgary Landfill to pick up Franklin's Gulls, American Wigeon, and Canvasback to round out the day's list.

Many thanks to the Bird Study Group presenters for the tip and the resulting fun afternoon of birding.