Birding Notes

The photo for the Marbled Godwit turned out well:

 

Here is our first lifer of the day: a Green-winged Teal:

 

Another shorebird that photographed well was the Short-billed Dowitcher:

 

Here are two photos of our target bird for the day: a Cinnamon Teal.

 

 

Here is a table summarizing the day's observations.

Name	Photo	Time	Location	ID#	2007 #	Lifer
Northern Harrier	.	9:45 am	Hwy 5 south of Lethbridge	14	33	.
Double-crested Cormorant	Yes	10:05 am	Michelson's Marsh on Hwy 5	122	60	.
Northern Shoveler	.		Hwy 61, slough 13 km west of Stirling	115	50	.
Northern Pintail	.		"	113	39	.
Marbled Godwit	Yes	10:24 am	"	128	69	.
Horned Lark	Yes		Hwy 61, slough 15 km west of Stirling	130	72	.
Killdeer	Yes		"	53	23	.
Green-winged Teal	Yes		"	131	73	Yes
Northern Shoveler	Yes		"	115	50	.
Northern Pintail	Yes		"	113	39	.
Marbled Godwit	Yes		"	128	69	.
Short-billed Dowitcher	Yes		"	101	74	.
Western Meadowlark	Yes		Hwy 61	5	56	.
Mourning Dove	.		Hwy 61 west of Foremost	73	75	.
Cinnamon Teal	Yes	1:00 PM	Pakowki Lake	132	76	Yes
American Coot	Yes		"	20	25	.
Black-necked Stilt	Yes	1:03 PM	"	124	64	.
American Avocet	.		"	120	58	.
Green-winged Teal	Yes	1:03 PM	"	131	73	.
Ruddy Duck	Yes		"	116	51	.
Greater Scaup	Yes		"	117	52	.
Bufflehead	.		"	42	30	.
Redhead	Yes		"	24	14	.
Northern Harrier	Yes		"	14	33	.
Blue-winged Teal	Yes		"	21	40	.
Northern Shoveler	Yes		"	115	50	.
Marsh Wren	Yes	1:26 PM	"	6	77	.
Northern Pintail	Yes		"	113	39	.
Wilson's Phalarope	Yes	3:08 PM	Hwy 41 5 km north of Hwy 501	133	78	Yes
Tree Swallow	.		Hwy 41	38	79	.
Red-necked Grebe			Elkwater	31	53	.
Wild Turkey	.		"	134	80	Yes
Osprey	.		"	32	81	.

SUMMARY of the session: This was our very first venture where we had a target bird to find: the Cinnamon Teal. Our "Birds of Alberta" field guide mentioned that Pakowki Lake was a good location for this bird. The lake had a large number of water fowl on it, and as soon as we raised our binoculars to our eyes we saw a Cinnamon Teal. Mission accomplished! We also noticed another lifer, the Green-winged Teal, in two different locations. We have now seen all of the ducks that are commonly seen in Alberta. The remaining waterfowl are all categorized as rare and vagrants. We will keep our eyes open for a "new" duck, but will be specifically searching for one, at least while in Alberta. We noticed two such new birds on a slough off Highway 41 - they turned out to be Wilson's Phalaropes. Finally, while driving through Elkwater we saw three wild turkeys. Much too our surprise they are recognized as a legitimate wild bird (they were introduced to the Cypress Hills in 1962). We saw 4 more lifers today. Our Canadian lifetime list is now at 134 and our 2007 Canadian list is at 81.