Wednesday, May 16
7:20 am
It is +12 °C, with a high forecast of +29 °C.
From the Environment Canada website:
Today A mix of sun and cloud. Wind becoming west 30 km/h this afternoon. High 29. UV index 7 or high.
Tonight Partly cloudy. Wind west 30 km/h becoming north 20 near midnight. Low 7.
11:30 am Birding
We are back from a 2 hour and 15 minute walk around the Elizabeth Hall Wetlands. In that time we saw 25 different species of bird, making this one of our most successful days in Canada. We saw the following birds, listed in the order we first saw them:
- Belted Kingfisher [1] (new for 2012)
- Mallard [6]
- Red-winged Blackbird [12]
- Northern Flicker [1] (new for 2012)
- American Robin [6]
- Canada Goose [20]
- Spotted Sandpiper [2] (new for 2012)
- Swainson's Hawk [1] (new for 2012)
- Brown-headed Cowbird [2] (new for 2012)
- Black-billed Magpie [1]
- Tree Swallow [3]
- Hairy Woodpecker [1] (new for 2012)
- House Wren [3]
- Northern Rough-winged Swallow [3] (new for 2012) (lifer for Alberta)
- Baltimore Oriole [1] (new for 2012)
- Wood Duck [3] (new for 2012) (lifer for Alberta)
- Redhead [6]
- Yellow Warbler [1] (new for 2012)
- Killdeer [1] (new for 2012)
- Violet-green Swallow [1] (new for 2012) (LIFER)
- Swainson's Thrush [1] (new for 2012)
- American Goldfinch [1] (new for 2012)
- Eastern Kingbird [2] (new for 2012)
- Northern Waterthrush [2] (new for 2012) (LIFER)
- Western Kingbird [1] (new for 2012)
The Violet-green Swallow and the Northern Waterthrush are new lifers for us. The Northern Rough-winged Swallow and the Wood Duck are Alberta lifers. I posted a report to eBird. Before this report I had completed 13 reports and identified 27 different Alberta species. My rank in the province was #79. I have now completed 14 reports and have identified 44 different Alberta species (in 2012). My ranking has moved up to #61.
Here are a few photos:
Belted Kingfisher
Spotted Sandpiper
Hairy Woodpecker
Tree Swallow
Baltimore Oriole
Wood Ducks
Swainson's Thrush
Northern Waterthrush