Alberta 2024 - Acknowledgements

The Black-caped Chickadee is still my favorite Canadian bird after two trips

My second visit to Alberta turned out to be even better than the first, and for many reasons:

• This time, I had my entire family with me, and we all had a blast.
• I was able to spend extended, meaningful time with my uncle and aunt.
• And of course, the birding was simply fantastic, thanks to some local birders.

I want to say a big thank you to my uncle and aunt for opening their home and allowing my family and me to share their space for an entire month. Their hospitality made this trip truly special.

In total, I recorded 145 species, including 29 lifers. One person played a huge role in making that possible—Keith Miles. I first met Keith during my 2019 visit, and we quickly became friends. When he heard I was returning to Calgary, he promised to take me birding. True to his word, he took me out not once, but three times.  Thanks to Keith, I was able to see several of my target birds, including the White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) and the Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus). He also surprised me with lifers I hadn’t expected, such as the Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons) and the Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis). In all, he helped me secure 14 of my 29 lifers. Beyond the birds, as we travel to various hotspots, he allowed me to see Alberta’s stunning landscapes, from Brown-Lowery Provincial Park to Frank Lake.  Thank you, my friend, for spending your time with me and helping make my vacation wonderful. Another friend I must acknowledge is John MacGillivray. Despite not being in the best of health, John still joined us for birding outings. His effort and companionship meant a lot, and I am truly grateful.

We faced challenges with canceled flights, both from Calgary to Toronto and from Toronto to Barbados, on our way back home - thanks Air Canada. One young lady, Sarah Al-ajele, at Calgary International Airport went above and beyond. Though she had already clocked out for the day, seeing how we were being turn around by the Air Canada checking staff, she returned to help us. She worked tirelessly on the phone for what felt like hours, eventually securing a way home for us and arranging accommodation near the airport. Her dedication turned a stressful situation into a manageable one, and we all owe her a big thank you.

These are just a few of the many people—named and unnamed—who helped us along the way. To all of them, I extend my deepest gratitude.

This won’t be my last visit to Calgary. In fact, I’m already thinking about returning in winter to try for some of those iconic cold-weather birds, including the Snowy Owl but I am not sure if I can handle the cold, but I am thinking about it.

Alberta 2024 - Bonus Days (September 11 - 14)

I should have been back home in Barbados on September 11. Instead, thanks to Air Canada canceling our flights from Alberta to Toronto and then onward to Barbados, our vacation stretched by four extra days. The detour took us through Grenada—yes, Grenada in the Caribbean—because that was the only available routing.

White-throated Sparrow

We were hosted at a hotel near the Calgary airport. The weather was miserable—rainy and freezing—but I managed to squeeze in a few minutes of birding during breaks in the showers. At the pond close to the hotel, a Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus) put on a nice show, while a resident pair of White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) kept me company both days at the hotel. From my room window, I also spotted a pair of Wilson’s Warblers (Cardellina pusilla) flitting through the shrubs. That was the extent of it; the rain kept me from exploring further. 

Our next stop was the Marriott Airport Hotel in Toronto where I saw my first Maple Leaf. After the issues we faced at the Calgary hotel—including missing items—we arrived skeptical. But the Marriott quickly erased those worries with excellent service and food. I was excited to spend a little extra time in Toronto, hoping to finally see the iconic Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), a bird I’d been told was common there. Despite my efforts around the city, the cardinal remained elusive. On the morning of September 14, we boarded a five-hour Air Canada flight to Grenada. 

Stepping off the plane at Maurice Bishop International Airport, the Caribbean heat hit me like a wall—a stark reminder that the vacation was truly ending. After weeks away, I hadn’t felt temperatures like that in over a month. With four hours to spare before our connecting flight, I wandered around the airport and was rewarded with my final lifer of the trip: a Yellow-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila nigricollis). That sighting was a fitting finale to the journey.
Eventually, we boarded our last flight—a short 45-minute hop on Caribbean Airways—and finally touched down in Barbados. Bring an end to and eventful and rewarding trip to Alberta, Canada.

Week 4 |Home | Acknowledgements

Alberta 2024 - Week 4 -Days 23 - 29 (September 4th - 10th)

Palm Warbler, one of my three lifers during the week

My final week in Alberta was nothing short of spectacular. Each morning from September 6th to the 10th, I followed a familiar routine: starting at Fish Creek – Burnmead, winding my way down to Sikome Lake, and then looping back.  By the end of the week, I had added eleven more species to my 2024 trip list. Even better, four of those were new records for my Canada list—and three were lifers.  

The lifers were especially memorable:  

• Evening Grosbeak (Hesperiphona vespertina)  
• Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  
• Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)  

There were standout moments beyond the lifers too. One morning, a Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) landed on my hand, curious and searching for food. That close encounter was pure magic, a beautiful moment but also a reminder of why it is encouraged not to feed wild birds, animal in general, it desensitizes the animal and causes to associate humans with handouts, which can be dangerous for the animal and the human. (getting off my soapbox) Hull Woods itself was a warbler haven, and as you might know, warblers are my favorite family of birds—so every flutter in the branches was of interest to me even it turned out to be a ubiquitous Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata). 

Pileated Woodpecker feeding

At Sikome Lake, I had one of the trip’s true highlights: a prolonged encounter with a Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus). For more than ten minutes, I watched it hammer into a tree, then use its astonishingly long tongue to probe deep into the wood for insects. It was raw, powerful, and mesmerizing—a perfect display of this species unique feed technique.  

Not every target bird showed itself, though. I had hoped to reconnect with the Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), a star bird of the area that I first saw in Calgary back in 2019. Reports placed it between Sikome and the Boat Launch, but despite my efforts, it remained elusive. That’s birding for you—sometimes the chase is as memorable as the find.  

Swamp Sparrow, a lifier

My Alberta farewell was filled with lifers, rare encounters, and unforgettable moments. Even without the owl, the week was deeply rewarding and only strengthened my love for Calgary and Fish Creek Provincial Park. It has truly become one of my favorite places on earth, and I know I’ll return again.

But the adventure didn’t end there. Thanks to Air Canada, I was gifted a few unexpected bonus days of birding—not just back in Calgary, but also in Toronto and Grenada. Those surprise outings added a whole new layer - both positive and negative - to the journey, and I’ll share all the birding details in my next post.

Trip Stats:  New Birds for the Trip: 10 | Lifers: 3| Total Trip Count: 144 | Total Lifers: 28 | Trip Report

September 04: Red-eyed Vireo, Lincoln's Sparrow, Blackpoll Warbler; September 06: Ring-necked Pheasant, Gadwall; September 07: Palm Warbler, Pileated Woodpecker; September 08: Red-tailed Hawk; September 09: Solitary Sandpiper; September 10: Evening Grosbeak, Swamp Sparrow.

Week 3 |Home | Bonus Days

Images From September 4th - 10th

The Warblers

Palm Warbler

Unidentified Warbler - Orange-crowned, 

The ubiquitous Yellow-rumped Warbler 

Yellow-rumped Warbler 

Yellow-rumped Warbler 

Common Yellowthroat

Wood Duck (M)

Wood Duck

American Wigeon

Common Merganser

My 2025 Checklist (updated 24/11/2025)

It’s been a whirlwind month since my last post, and I’ve barely had a moment to sit down and write. In my previous update, I celebrated passing my 110th bird of the year and set a bold target of 115+ species. Fast forward to now, and I’ve not only crossed that threshold—I’m sitting at 117 species, just three shy of 120 in a single calendar year. That number once felt impossible to reach, but it’s quickly becoming a reality. What makes this stretch even more thrilling is the quality of the birds. My last four additions have all been rare finds, including one lifer: the Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).  While my birding is never just about the tick—with only three species standing between me and that 120 mark, I’m officially in big year mode. Who knows what the next outing will bring? One thing’s certain: the adventure isn’t over yet.

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117.White-winged Tern - Chlidonias leucopterus

Key: Rare birds; Barbados Purple lifer; W.I Lifers; World Lifer * Rare for the time of year

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117.White-winged Tern - Chlidonias leucopterus
116.Brown Pelican - Pelecanus occidentalis
115.Eurasian Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus
114.Ruff - Calidris pugnax
113.Common Ringed Plover - Charadrius hiaticula (173;222;417)
112.Blackpoll Warbler - Setophaga striata
111.Red-eyed Vireo - Vireo olivaceus (172; 221)
110.Lesser Black-backed Gull - Larus fuscus
109.Bank Swallow - Riparia riparia
108.Merlin - Falco columbarius
107.Yellow-billed Cuckoo - Coccyzus americanus
106.Buff-breasted Sandpiper - Calidris subruficollis
105.Southern Lapwing - Vanellus chilensis
104.Grey Heron - Ardea cinerea
103.Upland Sandpiper - Bartramia longicauda
102.Eurasian Spoonbill - Platalea leucorodia
101.Cuban Martin - Progne cryptoleuca
100.Bridled Tern - Onychoprion anaethetus
99.  White-rumped Sandpiper - Calidris fuscicollis
98.  Red Knot - Calidris canutus
97.  Sandwich Tern - Thalasseus sandvicensis
96.  Willet - Tringa semipalmata
95.  Hen Harrier - Circus cyaneus (171;220;416)
94.  Black Swift - Cypseloides niger
93.  Roseate Tern - Sterna dougallii
92.  Common Swift - Apus apus
91.  Least Tern - Sternula antillarum
90.  Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus
89.  Western Sandpiper - Calidris mauri
88.  Bobolink - Dolichonyx oryzivorus* (seen in May)
87.  Pectoral Sandpiper - Calidris melanotos* (seen in May)
86.  American Oystercatcher - Haematopus palliatus
85.  Striated Heron - Butorides striata
84.  Black-necked Stilt - Himantopus mexicanus 
83.  White-tailed Hawk - Geranoaetus albicaudatus
82.  Common Tern - Sterna hirundo
81.  Cliff Swallow - Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
80.  Stilt Sandpiper - Calidris himantopus
79.  Pacific Golden-Plover - Pluvialis fulva
78.  Fork-tailed Flycatcher - Tyrannus savana
77.  Long-billed Dowitcher - Limnodromus scolopaceus
76.  Ruddy Duck - Oxyura jamaicensis
75.  Black-throated Blue Warbler - Setophaga caerulescens (170;219;415)
74.  Northern Parula - Setophaga americana
73.  Pearly-eyed Thrasher - Margarops fuscatus
72.  Brown Booby  - Sula leucogaster
71.  Laughing Gull - Leucophaeus atricilla
70.  American Wigeon - Mareca americana  
69.  Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - Nyctanassa violacea
68.  Prothonotary Warbler - Protonotaria citrea
67.  White-crowned Pigeon - Patagioenas leucocephala
66.  Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 
65.  Black-crowned Night-Heron - Nycticorax nycticorax 
64.  Red-billed Tropicbird - Phaethon aethereus
63.  Masked Duck - Nomonyx dominicus 
62.  Gadwall - Mareca strepera 
61.  Glossy Ibis - Plegadis falcinellus
60.  Green-winged Teal - Anas crecca 
59.  Northern Pintail - Anas acuta 
58.  Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica 
57.  Short-billed Dowitcher - Limnodromus griseus
56.  Northern Waterthrush - Parkesia noveboracensis
55.  Orange-winged Parrot - Amazona amazonica
54.  Little Blue Heron - Egretta caerulea
53.  Purple Gallinule - Porphyrio martinica
52.  Eared Dove - Zenaida auriculata
51.  Ring-necked Duck - Aythya collaris
50.  Yellow Warbler - Setophaga petechia
49.  Shiny Cowbird - Molothrus bonariensis
48.  Rose-ringed Parakeet - Psittacula krameri
47.  Black-whiskered Vireo - Vireo altiloquus
46.  Caribbean Elaenia - Elaenia martinica
45.  Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus
44.  Osprey - Pandion haliaetus
43.  Lesser Yellowlegs - Tringa flavipes
42.  Solitary Sandpiper - Tringa solitaria
41.  Wilson's Snipe - Gallinago delicata
40.  Magnificent Frigatebird - Fregata magnificens
39.  Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla
38.  Grassland Yellow-Finch - Sicalis luteola
37.  Little Egret - Egretta garzetta
36.  Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps
35.  Common Ground Dove - Columbina passerina
34.  Caribbean Martin - Progne dominicensis
33.  Semipalmated Sandpiper - Calidris pusilla
32.  Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola
31.  Rock Pigeon - Columba livia
30.  Pacific Golden-Plover - Pluvialis fulva
29.  Gray Kingbird - Tyrannus dominicensis
28.  Belted Kingfisher - Megaceryle alcyon
27.  Great Egret - Ardea alba
26.  Green Heron - Butorides virescens
25.  Snowy Egret - Egretta thula
24.  Tricolored Heron - Egretta tricolor
23.  Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca
22.  Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius
21.  Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus
20.  American Coot - Fulica americana
19.  Sora- Porzana carolina 
18.  Lesser Scaup - Aythya affinis
17.  Blue-winged Teal - Spatula discors
16.  Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - Dendrocygna autumnalis
15.  Sanderling - Calidris alba
14.  Western Cattle Egret - Bubulcus ibis
13.  Royal Tern - Thalasseus Maximus
12.  Black-headed Gull - Chroicocephalus ridibundus
11.  Black-faced Grassquit - Melanospiza bicolor
10.  Barbados Bullfinch - Loxigilla barbadensis
9.    Bananaquit - Coereba flaveola
8.    Carib Grackle - Quiscalus lugubris
7.    Common Gallinule - Gallinula galeata
6.    Antillean Crested Hummingbird - Orthorhyncus cristatus
5.    Green-throated Carib - Eulampis holosericeus
4.    Zenaida Dove - Zenaida aurita
3.    Ruddy Turnstone - Arenaria interpres
2.    Eurasian Collared-Dove - Streptopelia decaocto
1.    Scaly-naped Pigeon - Patagioenas squamosa

Alberta 2024 - Week 3 -Days 15 - 22 (August 28th - September 3rd)

One of week three's Lifers Greater White-fronted Goose

Week three in Calgary unfolded with a quieter rhythm, at least from a birding perspective. Most of my outings centered around Fish Creek Provincial Park, particularly the southeastern stretches—Hull Woods, the Boat Launch, Lafarge Meadows, and, of course, multiple pilgrimages to Mallard Point in search of warblers.  It was during one of those warbler quests through Hull Woods that I finally locked eyes on a long-standing nemesis: a Cooper’s Hawk (Astur cooperii). This bird kept alluding me during my first trip in 2019 and for most of this one but is now my first lifer of the week.  The second lifer came on a trip to Frank's Lake with John MacGillivray and Keith Miles. Rather than heading straight to the main lake by the lookout, we paused at a roadside pond, just opposite an intersection and there it was among hundreds of ducks a Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons). This medium to large in size goose, brownish-gray plumage, a bright orange bill, and a bold white undertail— stood out with quiet eleganc 

The targeted bird for the locals, John and Keith, was a Great Egret (Ardea alba), which we quickly found.  An additional bonus for them was a s Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) feeding among the many Long billed ones, two birds quite common here at home but causes a stir in Alberta. It’s a reminder of how perspective shapes our appreciation, and how birding connects us across geographies.

On August 30th, while scanning the edges of Lafarge Meadows, I flushed two small birds from separate spots along the water’s edge. The second bird darted off with a strong, direct flight—warbler-like in motion, round-bodied, and short-tailed. Despite my best efforts, it remained unidentified, a mystery that still lingers. this is the one that got away.  Week three though not moving the lifer needle much was still a good week of birding. Other than the two lifers, I was able to photograph a few new species and improve the image quality of some I already had in my library.  On to week four, our last week in beautiful Calgary.

Trip Stats:  New Birds for the Trip: 12 | Lifers f: 2| Total Trip Count: 125 | Total Lifers: 26 | Trip Report

August 29: Orange-crowned Warbler, Cooper's Hawk; August 30: Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Horned Grebe; August 31: Greater White-fronted Goose, Green-winged Teal, Short-billed Dowitcher, Stilt Sandpiper, Forster's Tern, White-faced Ibis, Great Egret.

Week 2 |Home | Week 4 

Pied-billed Grebe

American Coot

Canvasback

Global Big Day 2025 A Fantastic Day of Birding (Part 1)

Global Big Day 2025 was a fantastic experience birding with the family! It was wonderful to reunite The Moore Birders, our family birding team, for the first time since COVID. We were all eager to see as many birds as possible on World Migratory Bird Day, May 10th.

The night before, we held a team meeting to strategize. We assigned tasks to ensure smooth transitions between locations and to guarantee we identified and accurately recorded every bird on our list in our eBird trip report (www.ebird.org). Our plan was to start early, hitting our first birding spot by 5:15 AM, with a highly anticipated visit to a special location scheduled for 6:00 AM. The excitement was palpable!

05:00

The house is quiet, with everyone asleep! What a way to start the day. We were up and moving by 5:15 AM, with my wife preparing breakfast and lunch for us to take along. I decided to head to our first stop, the pond at SBRC, just a short five-minute drive away. My target birds were the Black-crowned Nightheron (Nycticorax nycticorax) and the rare Striated Heron (Butorides striata). While getting ready to leave home, I managed to log my first six species of the day, all common birds found around the house. I then drove to the SBRC Pond at Mangrove, St. Thomas, where I added four more species, including one of my targets - the Black-crowned Night Heron. I saw six of them, of various ages, in the water lettuce-filled pond, but there was no sign of the Striated Heron. By the time we were all on the road, we had already tallied ten species! Unfortunately, we were now running late for our 6:00 AM appointment, so I called ahead to apologize. Due to our late start and the appointment, we decided to skip two other locations.

The New Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary 

The Famous Egrets Island at Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary

Our appointment was at the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary, thanks to the management allowing me and my team to do the first World Migratory Bird Day count at this Important Birding Area (IBA), RAMSAR site, the first time in nearly twenty years.  I was given a tour while it was being worked on, and was excited to see it close to completion and preparing for it grand opening on May 30th.  While we were excited, we didn't forget our task, even though it was difficult keeping everyone from being distracted by all the purposeful distractions that would tantalize while educating the guests to this iconic facility. Our main targets were the less common of the two nightherons on the island - the Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea), and the Orange-winged Parrot (Amazona amazonica), both were seen. We spent about one and a half hours at Graeme Hall and added fifteen species. The reopening of the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary will be a welcome occasion for locals and visitors alike and will have something for all. I will post on our sister blog,  Bird of Barbados, on a later date, but a special thanks to Mr. Da Silva and Mr. Graham Cumberbatch. 

South Coast

Whimbrel @ Chancery Lane - Year-bird

After leaving GHNS, we made a series of stops along the south coast: Oistins, Silver Rock, Inch Marlow, and finally Chancery Lane. This route added another nine species to our tally, including my first of two "year birds," a Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), which we spotted during our stop at Chancery Lane in Christ Church. Unfortunately, we missed a few species that were on our list, namely the Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii) and Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) at Oistins, and the Sanderling (Calidris alba) at Inch Marlow. Following our stop at Chancery Lane, we headed inland to several private locations in and around the parish of St. Philip.

In and Around St. Philip

Black-necked Stilt at a wetland in St. Philip

Our first stop was Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge (WSR), which was surprisingly dry. However, I was pleased to find over fifty Zenaida Doves (Zenaida aurita) feeding in one of the dry areas. Even better, we spotted a single Eared Dove (Zenaida auriculata) among them, adding another species to our day's count. After leaving WSR, we stopped at two private locations, where we added a few more species, including the rare Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus). By this point, we were well past our scheduled breakfast time, so we opted for brunch instead.

At this break, we had reached a total of 43 species (see the full list here). In Part Two, we'll begin our journey north.

Images from GBD2025

Images From Global Big Day 2025

Zenaida Dove

Hybrid Little/Snowy Egret

Little Egret

Peeps - L - Western Sandpiper, R- Semipalmated Sandpiper

Another Hybrid at Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary

Black-necked Stilt

Western Cattle Egret

Western Cattle Egrets at Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary

Black-whiskered Vireo

Orange-winged Parrot

Green Heron keeping a watchful eye on a Common Gallinule 

Green Heron

Nonbird - Green Monkey in Red Mangrove

Egret Island @ Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary

Whimbrel

Great Blue Heron

Snowy Egret @ Silver Rock