Birding

Birding is one of the most popular ways to get out and enjoy nature. Here are several birding opportunities and resources to explore.

Birding for Beginners

Wayne A. Oakes is the naturalist of the Whitemud Reserve, having taken 250,000 photos documenting 185 species in the area. Wayne is a member of the Edmonton Nature Club who enjoys sharing his passion of exploring nature with others. Here, he shares his very best tips and advice to get you set up for success on your birding journey:

Every trip into a wilderness area or habitat requires varying degrees of planning and preparation. Respect should always be a first consideration. We must respect all aspects of nature; the land being travelled upon, and all creatures, both big and small. All animals and birds require a lot of space. Watching from a safe distance helps to ensure sustained environments which can be enjoyed and shared by everyone, now and for generations that will follow in our footsteps.

Where Can I Go to Find Birds?

Start in your own yard, and walk your neighbourhood
Search local community parks, playgrounds and green spaces
Travel to nearby river valley trails, parks, ponds, and picnic areas
Visit the Explore Alberta page for information on ecosystems, parks, natural areas, public lands, and Important Bird Areas
Conduct an online search for local birding hotspots - eBird is a great place to start
Join one of Nature Alberta's Member Clubs on their birding walks
Ask in your favorite store that sells bird feed and related items
Ask folks you encounter while out in nature, most are eager to share
Every place is likely to have at least some different bird species

No matter where you go, make sure you have permission to be there. Always stay on maintained trails to minimize your impact - precious things are always underfoot.

Where Should I Look to Find the Birds?

Up, Down, and All Around!

Food & water are the #1 factors for all birds and animals so look up in the trees, down in the water, and everywhere in between!
Habitats vary depending on the species. You will find songbirds in the trees and shrubs and find ducks and geese in the grassy fields and waterways.
Birds can be seen anywhere:
- Scurrying on the ground
- Flitting in the shrubs
- Nesting in tree holes, stick nests, and on the ground
- Singing in the tree tops
- Swimming or foraging on any body of water
- Soaring high above in the sky

How Do I Identify the Birds I Find?

Write down observations about the bird you see including:
- size: tiny, small, medium, big, very big (ginormous).
- colour and notable markings
- beak colour and shape
- if you know a similar bird species, compare the new sighting to what you know
- habitat it was spotted in
In the Spring, birds often have brighter colors than in the fall because they are in their breeding plumage.
Sometimes females and males of the same species look very different. Good examples to look up include mallard, ruddy duck, and red-winged blackbird.
Sometimes females and males look the same, for example a blue jay, and a great horned owl.
Baby birds look quite different than their moms and dads even during their first year of life. For example, a bald eagle is well know for its white head and tail however, young eagles do not attain this colour of feathers until they are 5 years old!
A picture can be worth a thousand words - take one if you are able to without disturbing the bird. Experts on iNaturalist or Alberta Birds Facebook Group can help you identify it.
Search for your new found bird in identification guidebooks, or on The Cornell Lab's All About Birds website.
Use the Merlin Bird ID app or download an area specific photo bird ID guide from Birds Canada website here.

What kind of birder am I?

What ever suits you, will be best.

Just a looker: amble along and take it all in.
- Some like to walk at a steady pace.
- Some like to pause & look around.
- Some like to sit, watch and wait.
- Time, luck, patience & location are all key factors.
Some like to just look around.
Some want to use binoculars.
Photographers want great pictures of everything.
Don’t overlook your hearing; listen for bird & animal calls.

What Should I Prepare For?

Bring food, water and your medication.
Fill the gas tank, check tire pressure & fluid levels.
Carry a fully charged cell phone.
Heed weather forecasts; sun screen, insect repellent, etc.
Dress in layers, be ready for sudden changes.
Wear sturdy footwear appropriate for the trail you intend to take.
Check trail condition reports before heading out.
Share your travel plans just in case you may need help.
A notebook and pencil are great for taking notes.

What are the Best Photography Tips?

Should I Keep Track?

Keeping a list of your sightings is a fun part of birding and helps you keep track of what you have seen and what you have yet to see
New discoveries are exciting and rewarding
A great way to keep your list is to use the eBird app on your phone. Not only does it help track your sightings over the course of a day, it allows you to review your sightings back to day one, including species, dates, and locations. You can even upload photos. And it's all free of charge. As an important bonus, the data you submit to eBird becomes part of an enormous database that supports bird science and conservation. See our Getting Started with eBird page for more information.

Whether you are looking for new hobby, helping a young person appreciate nature or just love being outdoors; bird watching can fulfill so many aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Getting to know more about our wilderness areas and their inhabitants can help to create a better and richer understanding of everything in our great outdoor environments.

Birding Apps & Resources

Birding apps for your smartphone can bring a world of expert knowledge to your fingertips, and are easily accessible when actively out birding. Here are a few excellent apps that can help you on your journey.

eBird

iNaturalist

iNaturalist is the world’s largest citizen science platform devoted to general biodiversity. There are now more than 2 million iNaturalist users who have collectively contributed close to 100 million observations. Behind the scenes, a community of volunteer naturalists works to help identify the species submitted to the database. An iNaturalist observation consists of a photograph or a sound recording of an individual species. Check out our Citizen Science page to learn more and get started on iNaturalist.

Merlin Bird ID

Merlin is an app developed by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds. It will help you identify birds you see and hear. The app provides a step-by-step bird ID quiz to help you determine a species you observe; helps identify a bird song you are hearing in real time through your smart phone microphone; identify a species from a picture you snap; save bird species to your life list; and explore lists of birds near you!

All About Binoculars

Binoculars are a great tool used by birdwatchers of all levels. Using binoculars allows you to see birds much closer and in greater detail than with just the naked eye. They can also be great accessibility tools for people with low vision since they make the birds look larger in their view. Here are a few things to consider when selecting a pair of binoculars.

How binoculars work

Binoculars are basically two telescopes mounted side by side that enable the user to view distant objects with both eyes. They magnify what you’re looking at by gathering light through the lenses and then refracting that image to your eyes. They all have the same basic parts, and understanding how these parts work together will help you choose the right binoculars for you.
The objective lenses are the large outermost lenses. They gather the incoming light and focus it to create an image. A helpful way to remember - objective lenses are the ones you are pointing at the object you’re looking at when you hold binoculars up to your eyes.
Eyepiece lenses are the lenses that are nearest to your eyes when looking through binoculars. They magnify the focused image from the objective lens to your eye to make it larger. Sometimes there are multiple eyepiece lenses per eye to get higher magnification.
Inside the body of the binoculars are two sets of prisms. These are placed in such a way that the image from the objective lens is reversed and inverted so that the image is correctly oriented when viewed through the eyepieces.
The focus mechanism is typically in between the two binoculars. Turning it allows you to adjust the clarity of the image.

Binocular optics diagram. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

How to choose what binoculars to buy

Consider a size

Choose a size that works best for you. Binoculars come in a variety of sizes, from pocket-sized to large ones that use a tripod stand. If you want to be able to carry them with you wherever you go, pocket sized are likely a good choice, but they typically offer less magnification. With larger binoculars comes greater magnification, so a medium sized pair of binoculars can provide a higher magnification but with a little more weight. Finally, if you want maximum magnification, large binoculars can provide that at the cost of being quite cumbersome. They can also be used for astronomy, so they can serve a dual purpose if that hobby is also of interest to you.

Select a magnification

Magnification is based on two numbers and is typically displayed on the binoculars in the format #x# (for example 8x30 which when said aloud would be said “eight by thirty”)
The first number indicates the magnification (in our example this means 8 times the magnification, so the image will be 8 times larger.)
The second number refers to the diameter of the objective lens. Bigger objective lenses mean more light is gathered and thus the image is brighter, clearer, and more detailed. In our example the objective lens is 30 mm in diameter.

Choose the magnification based on your needs. Having a higher magnification will mean you can see greater detail, but it also narrows the field of view. This can make getting birds into your line of sight trickier. Higher magnification not only magnifies the image, but it will also make any movement of your hands more noticeable. If you have shaky hands, go for less magnification or use a tripod.

Other features

Decide how important any other options are and how you’ll be using your binoculars.

Do you want them to be waterproof? Will you be using them at dusk or during the daytime? How portable do you want them to be? Do you want them to be stylish? There are a multitude of options available to purchase online, so considering extra features like these will also help guide you to choosing the right binoculars for you.

Winter Birding Tips

Don’t let Alberta’s cold winter deter you from bird watching. As the temperature dips, birding opportunities can arise. It’s a great time of year to encounter seasonal visitors not present in the summer. Moreover, trees are bare, sunrise is late, and there are fewer bird species to tease apart. And there are no bugs biting you! Robyn Perkins, with the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory, offers these great tips for winter birding in Alberta:

Put out bird feeders

Birds of a feather flock together

Narrow down your search

Look down

Birding Events

Many local nature clubs host birding events throughout the year. Going out with a group is a great way to learn about birding and meet people who share your passion for nature. Check out our Events page to find out when and where these outings are happening. Here are three of Alberta’s most popular birding events:

May Bird Count

A fun annual spring event for everyone from beginning birders to eagle-eyed veterans. Everyone is welcome to participate in the May Bird Counts, held at several locations across Alberta. Most of the counts occur on the last weekend of May. The May Bird Count provides an unsurpassed opportunity to identify more birds in a single day than any other time of year. Enjoy the company and camaraderie of other birders, the chance to enhance your birding skills (or share them with others), and the prospect of winding down around a campfire, and it all makes for an awesome day.

Christmas Bird Count

The Christmas Bird Count is our oldest and longest-running citizen science initiative. It is conducted in over 1,800 localities across North America. Each local group of birders picks a day between December 14 and January 5, defines a circular study area 24 km in diameter, and does their best to count all the birds within that area on the selected day. Local rivalries and the long history of the count have made it one of the biggest events in the birding world. More important for bird conservation is the huge database on the distribution and numbers of North American birds that the Christmas Bird Count has amassed. The Christmas Bird Count is managed by Birds Canada and the Audubon Society, with additional partners.

Snow Goose Festival

The Snow Goose Festival on the south shore of Beaverhill Lake, 45 minutes east of Edmonton, was launched in 1993. The festival was established as a celebration of spring migration, providing an opportunity for nature enthusiasts, bird watchers, and the general public to come out and view the many species of birds that stop over in the Beaverhill Lake region during their northward migration. This family-oriented celebration provides transportation, guided tours, and hikes in the Beaverhill Lake region led by volunteer naturalists. The event is held in April and is organized by several local organizations, including the Beaverhill Bird Observatory, the Edmonton Nature Club, and Nature Alberta.