Ahh, springtime in Alberta. Rain, snow, wind and temperatures just above the freezing point.
Needless to say, this past weekend was yet another non-starter for camping. We did manage to make a day trip out to the lake though. There was no precipitation, but the wind was just howling in from the west, and the birds were trying their best to fly.
We took a walk down to the boat launch, and found a little gem of a birding area. A row of tall shrubs borders the west side, and a small grassy area leads down to cattails along the lake shore. This sheltered area was clearly the place to be for flying bugs, which in turn brought in the birds.
A stand of willows nestled behind the shrubs was home to a few Yellow Warblers. The grassy area held robins, grackles, cowbirds and Red-winged and Yellow-headed blackbirds.
The cattails produced an Eastern Kingbird, and two pair of Western Kingbirds. I’ve ever seen both of them at the same time before.
But the real highlight of this birding bonanza was the Tree Swallow Tree.
These tiny, aerial acrobats were clearly having a very tough time in the high wind. Any attempt to fly generally blew them back to where they started. There were hundreds of them perched facing the wind. Every once in a while, a small flock would erupt into the air, attempt to circle out over the lake for a few minutes, and then struggle to get back to the trees.
I could have stayed there for hours. My husband actually had to drag me away, using the excuse that we were well past the dog’s lunch time, and she was hungry. Not a reason I could argue with, but next time I visit this little treasure of an area, I’m packing food.
Bird List for the day:
- Eastern Kingbird
- Western Kingbird
- Yellow Warbler
- Ring-billed Gull
Total Species to date: 41
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That’s a lot of Swallows! I probably would have to be drug away too. Excellent captures!