On Saturday, May 10, 2025 the first annual Elizabeth Lake Migratory Bird Day was held.
There were several display areas showcasing many of the Rocky Mountain Naturalist Birding Activities along with a special appearance by two representatives from Birds Canada.
Cavity Nesting Ducks – Katrin Powell and her group explained the Cavity Nesting Duck Monitoring Project. The main focus of this group are the Buffleheads, Common Goldeneye, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Common Mergansers, Hooded Mergansers and Wood Ducks. All these species reside in the East Kootenays and nest in tree cavities or nesting boxes. Cavity Nesting Duck boxes are monitored at Elizabeth Lake, Cranbrook Community Forest, McGinty Lake, Spray Irrigation Fields, Rampart, and Fort Steele. As is the case with Nature, the group is also learning about other cavity nesting bird species such as Owls, Wrens and even Flying Squirrels!
The display included a nesting box, different nests found in them, as well as a collection of unfertilized eggs from different species. There was also a demonstration on how the eggs are measured and how the colours help with identification. Observations from the monitors of ducks seen in the area help to identify which bird may have used the boxes – especially as the eggs from the Common Goldeneye and Barrow’s Goldeneye can be quite similar in size.
Bats – Scott Bodaly had a fascinating Bat display under one of two Bat Boxes. He had many examples of the different sizes of bats, the ones in our area being among the smallest. Among some of the bat facts are that the female bats with their pups generally are the ones in the bat boxes, where they need to keep their babies warm.
Bluebirds – Betty Baker and Lorraine Crawley explained what the Bluebird Box Monitoring Project is all about. Western Bluebirds and Mountain Bluebirds as well as Tree Swallows use the boxes that are constructed and monitored by Club members. The display included Bluebird photos, a Bluebird box, and various nests, eggs, and feathers.
Bird Friendly Cities – Nature Canada provides guidance for cities to help reduce the negative human impact on bird populations. Habitat protection and restoration, as well as threat and hazard reduction are priorities. One of the biggest hurdles, as confirmed by others that have been involved in Bird Friendly Cities projects, are both Feral Cats, as well as domestic Cats that roam free. One solution is the use of colourful fabric collars that can be added to the cat’s existing collar. Research has shown that the bright colours seem to attract the birds’ eyes as a warning. This reduces the number of birds predated.
Waterfowl Discovery – Gretchen Whetham, Dawn Storgaard, Greg Ross, Ian Adams and Doug Hogg had four viewing scopes available at the Viewing Platform for looking at the Waterfowl on the lake that are otherwise hard to identify. Many families came through and used the scopes, to the delight of the children who had never seen many of these birds close up. Many adults were amazed to find that there were 15 species of waterfowl out there, not just ducks and geese!
Waterfowl seen: Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Ruddy Duck, American Coot, Eared Grebe.
Birds at the shoreline or in the reeds: Sora, Song Sparrow, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Brewer’s Blackbird. An Osprey also flew over the lake.
Morning Birding Walk – Marianne Nahm led a morning birding walk from the Tourist Info Center around to the blind at the Innes Avenue access area. Thanks to the spotting skills of Alan Barnard (another RMNats member), a White Throated Sparrow and a Vaux’s Swift were highlights as they are not often spotted. Violet-green Swallow, American Crow, Common Raven, Tree Swallow, European Starling, Killdeer nesting in the field, American Robin, Common Yellowthroat, and Yellow Warbler were also seen.
Afternoon Birding Walk – Stewart Wilson led the afternoon birding walk along the Lake Trail on the E side of the lake. Some of the attendees had no idea there were trails there, so their bird-watching horizons have now been opened up. The knowledge and enthusiasm of the children impressed the adults. It is wonderful to see such appreciation for nature at an early age. Several bird species were seen during the Birding/Nature Walk, which adults appeared to enjoy as much as the three children. Three adults downloaded the free App Merlin Bird ID on their cell phones, which is fairly accurate in identifying birds by sound and made good use of them while observing from the wooden bird blind.
Long-billed Curlews – In the afternoon, David Bradley and Emile Chamberland from Birds Canada brought along their infrared scope and spent time explaining the Long-billed Curlew nest count studies that are taking place across the province, including our Skookumchuck Prairie KBA (Key Biodiversity Area). While in the field, they use the infrared scopes to locate the birds sitting on the nests. They are so well camouflaged that they cannot be spotted otherwise. Once the nests are located, they are able to use drones to map where the nests are.
Birds of note at this station not seen or heard elsewhere: Virginia Rail, Sharp-shinned Hawk.
