As I was unfortunately ill for the May 28th walk, there will be no report on that other than to note that in my absence, they found a Grey Catbird and several other good species on a sunny Sunday morning.

The weather has been quite unusual in the Bow Valley recently, and perhaps because of this, the birds have not really arrived in force like normal. Early wildfires are blazing away up north, pouring tonnes of smoke across the province, and a massive storm cloud held poor conditions over the area for several weeks. This notwithstanding, a couple of exciting birds have made it to Policeman’s Creek, and last Sunday’s bird walk was definitely a success.

We started slowly, but the engaging antics of the Wilson’s Snipe and Red-winged Blackbirds claimed some attention. Once we reached the midway point, participants were treated to a special sight indeed – a pair of Soras picked their way down the bank before turning and swimming across the creek in full view.

I had all but given up on re-finding the Harlequin Ducks I’d seen on Friday, but the pair sped underneath the bridge and alit on their favourite perch for some truly excellent views.

Another low species count for this time of year, with only 30 on the checklist, but some great views and interesting birds. Check out the Canmore Spring Bird Walks eBird profile to see any of the lists from this year or past, and see my other posts on these events here.