FAN 2009 May Species Count for Birds 2009 MAY SPECIES COUNT for BIRDS Provincial Summary Compiled by Judy Boyd Eurasian Wigeon were seen at Medicine Hat and Cardston; Yellow Rail at Calgary and Cold Lake; The number of species was up this year: 270 to Hammond’s Flycatcher at Banff and 280 and the number of individual birds also went BowKanBirders (with count week birds seen at up: 269,851 up from 211,229. In 2008, the most Crowsnest Pass); Pacific-slope Flycatcher at numerous species was the Tree Swallow with BowKanBirders and Calgary (with count week 13,085. Second was the Red-Winged Blackbird birds seen at Crowsnest Pass); Steller’s Jay at with 12,625. Third was the Franklin’s Gull with Waterton and BowKanBirder; Mourning Warbler 11,740. This year, the most numerous species was at Lac La Biche and Cold Lake; Canada Warbler the Franklin’s Gull with 37,211. Second was the at Cold Lake and Fort McMurray; Nelson’s Canada Goose with 13,347. Third was the Red- Sharp-tailed Sparrow at Calgary and Cold Lake; winged Blackbird with 13,266. Lapland Longspur at Fort McMurray and Lac La Biche; Rusty Blackbird at Fort McMurray and Lac Last year 17 species were seen in only one location La Biche (with count week birds seen at Milk and 12 species were found in only two locations. River); and Pine Grosbeak at BowKanBirders and This year, 27 species were seen in only one location Claresholm. and 12 species were found in only two locations around the province. Of the single sightings: Greater Last year we had seven species seen in all areas. White-fronted Goose, Snow Bunting, Common This year we had only five species seen in all areas: Redpoll were each seen at Lac La Biche; Cackling Canada Goose, Mallard, Northern Flicker, Goose at Cold Lake (with a count week bird seen American Robin, and Yellow Warbler. Last year at Taber-Vauxhall); Wild Turkey at Cypress Hills; four species were found in all but one area and Great Egret at Brooks; Gyrfalcon at Cardston; eleven species were observed in all count areas Peregrine Falcon at Brooks; Ruddy Turnstone at except two. This year three species (Blue-winged Lac La Biche; Dunlin at Brooks (with a count week Teal, Tree Swallow and Red-Winged Blackbird) bird seen at Calgary); Long-billed Dowitcher at were found in all areas except one and eleven Brooks (with a count week bird seen at Calgary); species (Bufflehead, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Sabine’s Gull at Cold Lake; Northern Pygmy-Owl American Crow, Swainson’s Thrush Chipping and Northern Saw-whet Owl each seen at Sparrow, Clay-coloured Sparrow, Savannah Claresholm; Common Poorwill at Cypress Hills; Sparrow, and Brown-headed Cowbird) were Lewis’s Woodpecker, Red Crossbill each seen at found in all areas except two. Calgary; Northern Shrike at Medicine Hat; Western Bluebird at Crowsnest Pass; Wood The Provincial Summary of the May Species Count is Thrush at Brooks; Bohemian Waxwing at provided to all those interested as a free service of the Cardston; Sedge Wren, Nashville Warbler, Federation of Alberta Naturalists. Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler were each seen at Cold We welcome your comments! Lake; and Golden-crowned Sparrow at Federation of Alberta Naturalists BowKanBirders. 11759 Groat Road Edmonton, Alberta T5M 3K6 Of the species found in two locations: Tundra www.fanweb.ca Swans were seen at Calgary and Central Alberta; [email protected] 1 Federation of Alberta Naturalists Banff Other species seen during count week: none Highlights: There were three species which Date: May 31, 2009 appeared for the first time in this 13-year old count: Compiler: Mike McIvor (3) Double-crested Cormorants, (2) Brown Participants: Jill Beleyme, Fumie Craven, Kyle Creepers and (1) Wilson’s Warbler. For the second (child) Craven, Tomo Fujimori, Carlos Garcia, Toni time only, Turkey Vulture, Sandhill Crane and Hess, Masami Ito, Brenda Lepitzki, Dwayne Townsend’s Solitaire were recorded. The Sandhill Lepitzki, Diane McIvor, Mike McIvor, Maho Crane was sitting on a nest. Okamura, Rhonda Owchar, Peter Poole, Jill-Marie Spence, Rylan (child) Spence, Eva Sylvestre, Paul BowKan Sylvestre, Ed Whittingham, Mariko Yamada, Nana Yamada. Date: May 30 and 31, 2009 (June 1 for Area Covered: Banff and Lake Louise area Kananaskis Country) Weather: Compiler: Cliff Hansen Temp. 4 to 21oC Participants: Cliff Hansen, Hugh Brook, Kevin Wind speed: 0 to 5 km/hr. Barker, Marion Barker, Andre Gareau, Mary Wind direction: west Dumka, Dene Cooper, Jean Cooper, Anita Walker, Precipitation: 0 Hanne Seidel, Rose Reid, Laura Reid, Dan Team Distance/Hours: Measer, Jason Leong, Monica Dragosz, Bert Total team Mileage 170.5 km; by vehicle 142; on Dyck, Marilynn Dyck, Joel Duncan, Marg foot 28.5. Jorgenson, Jim Jorgenson, Lee Sproule, and Barry Total team hours 32 hr; by vehicle 11 hr; on foot 21 Sproule. hr. Area Covered: The BowKan Birders area is a Number of Species: 85 circle centred south of Exshaw. The area takes in Number of Birds: 707 the Bow Valley from (and including) Bow River Campground, just East of Canmore, to Nakoda Beauvais Lake Provincial Park Lodge along Highway lA, Seebe and along the Trans-Canada to the Highway 40 overpass. To the Date: May 28, 2009 North, all the valleys and mountains from Grotto to Compiler: Teresa Dolman Yamnuska are included. To the South, all the Participants: Denise Coccioloni-Amatto, Douglas valleys and mountains including Wind Ridge, Dolman, Teresa Dolman, Merilyn Liddell, Lois Pigeon, Heart, McGillivray, Lorette and Highway Johnston, Bree Stefanson-Korobanik 40 south to the bridge over the Kananaskis river on Area Covered: Within Park boundaries the road to the Nakiska Lodge are included. Weather: Weather: Temp. 7 to 22oC Day 1: Wind speed: 7 to 26 km/hr. Temp. 27 to 9oC Wind direction: west Wind speed: 0 to 5 km/hr. Precipitation: nil Wind direction: variable Team Distance/Hours: Precipitation: nil Total team mileage: 20 km; by vehicle 2, on foot 18 Comments: very pleasant weather km. Day 2: Total team hours: 10.5 hr; by vehicle 0.5 hr; on foot Temp. 26 to 9oC 10 hr. Wind speed: 0 to 5 km/hr. Number of Species: 61 Wind direction: variable Number of Birds: 376 Precipitation: nil 2 FAN 2009 May Species Count for Birds Comments: very pleasant weather and mammal count in our portion of the Evan- Day 2: (Kananaskis Country) Thomas Provincial Recreation Area and Highway Temp. 27 to 9oC 40 north to the Trans-Canada Highway (Des Allen, Wind speed: 0 to 5 km/hr. as in the past, completed the flowering plant count Wind direction: variable on schedule). It became necessary to reschedule Precipitation: nil the bird and mammal portion of the count. Joel Comments: very pleasant weather Duncan from Calgary kindly re-arranged his Team Distance/Hours: schedule to assist us on the Monday, 01 June. A Total team mileage: 176.5 km; by vehicle 122, on one day late count is much better than “no count” in foot 54.5 km. this environmentally very important area. Total team hours: 114 hr; by vehicle 4 hr.; on foot 110 hr. Spring arrived late this year, in fact, repeated Number of Species: 124 episodes of cold weather and snow almost to the Number of Birds: 3199 end of May made it feel like winter would never Other species seen during count week: Cougar end (more cold weather and snow was still to come 1 (heard snarling in trees), Coyote 3, Elk 13, Mule in early June). Bird migration north was delayed Deer 8, White-tailed Deer 4, Bighorn Sheep 1, and was still in progress during our count. Plant life Muskrat 1, Snowshoe Hare 2, Red Squirrel 26, was also delayed. Trees were sparsely leaved and Columbian Ground Squirrel 50, and Yellow Pine most blooms were in their early stages. In the end, Chipmunk 4. the innate pressure to migrate and to bloom in spite Comments & Highlights: The “BowKan of the weather won out. During our count, pleasant Birders” is an informal group of local naturalists weather prevailed and we recorded an above who share an interest in enjoying and protecting our average count for bird species, number of birds, local wildlife and habitats. Loosely organized, with and for blooming plants. some sixty members, there is no President, Chairperson, Secretary or Treasurer. However, Since our beginning in 1993, our average number they do need a Coordinator currently covered by of birds on May counts is 121 species covering Cliff Hansen of Exshaw. Twice each year, end of 2848 birds (count day and count week data May and the Christmas/New Year’s period, they included). The corresponding numbers for this fan out in the BowKan Birders designated area (a count are 124 species covering 3199 birds. The 15 km diameter circle centered on the north face of high and low corresponding numbers are 136 Mount McGillivray) and complete a species count species (2003) with a low of 83 (1993), and 3765 for birds and mammals, and in May, include birds (1999) with a low of 2001 (1993). flowering plants. The main purpose of the information is to build a data bank that can be Although this bird count was above average, some useful to any individual or organization that may changes in the distribution by species and group require local environmental information. were noticeable. The numbers of most water birds, gulls (in fact down to zero), and shorebirds were We planned to complete our spring species count noticeably down, for example, the numbers of on the last full weekend of May, this year it fell on Canada Geese, a usually high count species, were 30 and 31 May.