Weekend Shorebirds

After weeks of cruely taunting Calgarians - teasing us with one or two days of warm weather only to change moods and leave us shivering and wet over a long weekend - summer has finally made its much anticpated annual appearance. Mid-July also marks the arrival of the first south-bound shorebirds, en route from their arctic nesting grounds to winter in Central and South America. Many species traverse more than 25,000 kilometres in this annual circuit. Hudsonian Godwits fly 13,000 kilometres nonstop between staging sites on James Bay and wintering areas in Patagonia, completing the journey in nine days. My 2,000 kilometres cycled so far this year seem insignificant in comparison.

Shorebird diversity and numbers have been slowly building at the slough east of the hamlet of Shepard. Cycling out to the slough via the WID Canal early Saturday morning I was soon passing through Shepard; Eurasian Collared-Doves are now established in the hamlet and I found four feeding on waste grain at Hay 'N' Oats 'Я' Us. Arriving at the slough I quickly applied some bug spray before pulling out my scope and binoculars; the wet summer has resulted in a burgeoning mosquito population. Scanning the slough, I was delighted to find a variety of shorebirds feeding in the shallow water and mudflats. Baird's Sandpiper were the most abundant 'peep' and several Stilt Sandpipers were associating with Long-billed Dowitchers. Two spinning Red-necked Phalaropes were new for the BIGBY. Suffering several bites despite the bug spray I decided to pack up and make my way home. A quick stop at a slough along the canal turned up a Marsh Wren and Common Yellowthroat singing from the cattails.

Eurotrash

Eurasian Collared-Doves were originally native from Turkey east to southern China and south through India. However, beginning at the start of the 20th century it rapidly expanded across Europe, reaching Great Britain by 1953. Though it was probably just a matter of time before Eurasian Collared-Doves breached the Atlantic Ocean and conquered North America, an irresponsible aviary owner in the Bahamas allowed it to gain a toehold in the mid-1970s. Dispersing to Florida by 1978, this species multiplied and spread rapidly across the continent, reaching Alberta around the millennium. Though uncommon in the Lethbridge-Medicine Hat region, Eurasian Collared-Doves are still rare around Calgary. One was reported in late February while I was in Palm Springs, and a second was found this past week just south of Shepard. Still needing this species for my provincial list, never mind the BIGBY, I knew where I was headed this long weekend.

It seemed appropriate, I guess, that I was chasing a dove this morning, today being Easter Friday, one of the most important dates in the Christian calendar. Signs of spring were everywhere on the ride along the WID Canal; pairs of geese were prospecting for nesting sites, magpies were busy adding twigs to their nests, and a meadowlark sang from a nearby fencepost. Navigating the cursed gravel roads and fending off aggressive farm dogs, I finally made my way to the tree farm where the dove was reported. Gunshots from a nearby firing range periodically broke the silence while I scanned the trees looking for the bird. I thought I heard a Eurasian Collared-Dove cooing in the distance, but the call was so faint it could have been a bull bellowing! Quickly growing tired of the gunfire I decided to explore some of the surrounding section roads.

Making my way north of where the first dove was found in late February, I noted a large, grayish bird perched in a dead willow on the west side of the road. Getting my binoculars on the bird, I was surprised to see that it was an Eurasian Collared-Dove! Wary of my presence, it quickly flushed along with a second dove, both disappearing into a shelterbelt further north. I slowly pedaled my way up the road, hoping to get a better look. Nearing the shelterbelt, three doves quickly flew out and headed east across the road before disappearing behind an acreage and out of sight. Continuing on my way I stopped at the slough east of Shepard. I was surprised to find it covered with a thin sheet of ice, the one small area of open water holding several Tundra Swans and a Eurasian Wigeon. Other waterfowl observed included American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, and Green-winged Teal. Back on the bike, I headed towards the canal and home, adding an American Kestrel along the way.