Rare eBird Highlights

By Nick Carter

A little “virtual exploration” on eBird.org reveals a variety of memorable and rare bird sightings in the province during the summer and fall of last year. Great egrets continued to be regular sightings in both the Edmonton and Calgary areas. In early July, a northern mockingbird drew birdwatchers northwest of Beaverhill Lake. Lesser black-backed gulls were discovered in Calgary over the summer and fall. In southwestern Alberta, black-chinned hummingbirds made appearances throughout the area, and Anna’s hummingbirds were glimpsed in several locations over the summer. To the north, a long-tailed duck was identified at Saskatoon Island Provincial Park on July 20. And in late July, a whooping crane was present for several weeks west of Calgary. 

Lark sparrows were observed in both Lacombe and Calgary in early August. Nashville warblers made several noteworthy appearances in Calgary, Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, and Park Lake Provincial Park. Through the second half of August, buff-breasted sandpipers were spotted at Murray Marsh north of St. Albert, Cooking Lake, Beaverhill Lake, and Weed Lake. A ferruginous hawk soared above Cooking and Beaverhill Lakes. Four parasitic jaegers darted across the sky above Saskatoon Lake Provincial Park. Cottagers at Gull Lake spotted a red-throated loon and, at the start of September, noted a harlequin duck! Perhaps the biggest sighting for September, though, was a black-legged kitiwake in Calgary. 

While whooping cranes have recovered over the past century after nearly going extinct, this graceful species remains rare enough to be a thrilling sighting for any Alberta birdwatcher. SYNDEY MOHR

October started off with a prairie warbler flitting around in Edmonton. A Pacific loon was afloat at Genesee Lake, a western sandpiper was spied at Weed Lake, and both short-billed and Iceland gulls were observed across the province throughout October. A Barrow’s goldeneye was spotted at Little Fish Lake Provincial Park, a western cattle-egret appeared at Kitsim Reservoir, and a tundra bean goose enchanted birders at Cochrane Lake!

You can explore recent sightings and contribute your own observations to the birding community at eBird.org. Common or rare, all sightings contribute to our shared pool of knowledge about the distribution and status of birds.

Nick Carter is a naturalist and science communicator from Edmonton and is Nature Alberta’s Nature Kids Coordinator. He studied biology at the University of Alberta and has had a lifelong fascination for all things in the natural world.