In the Canadian Badlands, never say never: When you’ve got hundreds of bird species hanging out all year, unique takes on a whole new meaning. Thanks to an array of topography, temperate climate and open spaces, the Canadian Badlands is one of the best bird watching areas in North America, boasting more than 300 species.
The birds of this region are accessible for both serious and casual bird watchers with many species easily viewed in the region’s provincial parks and protected city river valleys.
Visit the Canadian Badlands website at www.canadianbadlands.ca, click on touring routes, then activity tours to find the Birdwatching section. Get your binoculars ready because you won’t want to miss a thing!
If you were in the Lethbridge area, the Helen Schuler Coulee Centre reminds you that more than 250 species of birds live in the Oldman River Valley.
Over in Coaldale, the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre gets you up close and personal with that aforementioned eagle, not to mention a few raptors, a few owls and more than a couple ducks that charm your socks off.
Driving along you might not think much about birds but randomly stop and check out whatever scenery you’re near. You just might turn up a tiny burrowing owl or a partridge.
One hidden gem is Pakowki Lake near Etzikom, which is a vital site in the spring and fall for tens of thousands migratory and nesting birds including northern pintails and long-billed dowitchers.
Keep your eyes peeled as you explore Lake Newell, Dinosaur Provincial Park, Medicine Hat or Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. Not only will you be struck by the stark habitat contrasts, from desert-like badlands to rough fescue grasslands, but by the variety of birds. Be sure to look for the Canada geese, prairie falcons or endangered American white pelicans.
Over in Elkwater, wild turkeys have been known to march through town like a bunch of tough hombres, oblivious to the rules of the road.
One general rule for birding is to stray off the beaten path. After all, birds like their space.
You’ll still see the odd heron in Hanna but if you head northeast past Consort to Sounding Lake, you’ll stumble on one of the world’s largest concentrations of stilt and Baird’s sandpipers.
Up in Red Deer, the region’s ecosystems are quite different than the southern grasslands. Still, the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary has been visited by 188 different species. Whether it’s mergansers or mallards, swallows or swans, you’re likely to find them on your tour.
If the choices sound overwhelming, it’s because incredible birding experiences in the Canadian Badlands are simply infinite. Now’s the time to spread your wings and discover some of them for yourself.
