So You Think You Can Dance

The other week it was time for our Naturalist Society’s annual field trip to Camp Wainwright, Alberta, to view the Sharp-tailed Grouse dance.

It was my sixth time waking up before sunrise to watch the birds on their lek. Until this year, I had been using point and shoot cameras to photograph the grouse, but this year I was eager to use my new DSLR! Luckily the morning was nice and sunny, through we had to leave just as the light was getting really good. All the photographs I took were with the Nikkor 200-500mm lens. I so enjoyed taking photos with my D610 and I can’t wait to use it more throughout the spring and summer.

The grouse seemed to be very active behind the blinds, and I was hoping to photograph the males sparring, but I guess they weren’t in much of a fighting mood that morning. Our group counted eight displaying males this year, and two females.

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/250, ISO 6400, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/250, ISO 5000, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/250, ISO 3200, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/250, ISO 3200, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/320, ISO 3200, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/320, ISO 3200, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

A female looking at the males,

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/400, ISO 2000, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/400, ISO 2000, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/400, ISO 2000, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/400, ISO 2000, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/400, ISO 1600, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/400, ISO 1600, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/400, ISO 1600, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/400, ISO 1600, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/500, ISO 1600, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/500, ISO 1600, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/640, ISO 1600, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/800, ISO 1600, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

Nikon D610, handheld, f5.6, 1/400, ISO 1600, Nikkor 200-500mm, natural light

The Sharp-tailed Grouse tours are hosted every year by the Wainwright Wildlife Society. This year they’re holding the tours until May 7th, so if you’re interested in watching this amazing spectacle, bookings are still available. Contact ljhoover AT hotmail DOT com or phone 780-842-2399 to register. The cost for the tour is $10 for students and $15 for adults.

You can find the Wainwright Wildlife Society’s website here and you can “Like” them on their Facebook page here.

Alberta Birding and Nature Festivals

Festivals are a terrific way to connect with other birders, learn about birding hotspots, hear new speakers, and learn from experts on guided tours. They are also great for outings with family and friends.

Alberta offers some fantastic bird and nature festivals, so I decided to compile this year’s listing as a handy reference. If you know of an event to add to the list, please let me know in the comments below so I can make the changes.

— April 23-24, 2016: This year marks the 17th annual Tofield Snow Goose Chase organized by the Edmonton Nature Club and the town of Tofield. In the morning, stop in at the town hall to see the displays and exhibits from the Edmonton Valley Zoo, Beaverhill Bird Observatory, John Acorn “The Nature Nut“, and Pete Heule from the Royal Alberta Museum. I’ll be there too with the Young Naturalists’ Corner. There will be an owl banding talk and public bus trips for viewing the Snow Geese, swans, and other spring migrants.

—  April 23-24, 2016: The Friends of Saskatoon Island along with Alberta Parks celebrate the return of Trumpeter Swans to the Peace Country by holding the Saskatoon Island Swan Festival, features guided tours, presentations, and activities for families.

—  May 28-29, 2016: The Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory holds a Songbird Festival in Slave Lake, Alberta. The event kicks off on Saturday with a pancake breakfast followed by guided birding hikes, workshops, and tours of the migration monitoring station.

— Saturday, June 18, 2016: The Camrose Purple Martin Festival will be celebrating its seventh annual festival this year with keynote speakers, bus and walking tours to Purple Martin colonies, activities for kids, and tips and techniques for making a wildlife-friendly yard.  

— June 19-23, 2016: The Waterton Wildflower Festival celebrates Waterton as the wildflower Capital of Canada. The festival features guided walks on plant identification and park ecosystems, family programs, and photographic presentations. Last year the festival offered birding sessions with experienced guides, so they might be available this year too.

— July 1st, 2016: The Ellis Bird Farm Bluebird Festival near Lacombe, Alberta, focuses on the Mountain Bluebirds that nest around the farm. Come to the farm for free crafts for children, a talk on Purple Martin and Mountain Bluebird migration research, and a Neighbour’s Market.

— July 23rd, 2016: The Ellis Bird Farm BioBlitz will feature biologists on site to share their expertise on all the wildlife at the farm, as well as site tours.

— August 6, 2016: The Ellis Bird Farm’s Bug Jamboree opens with a performance by John Acorn, “The Nature Nut”, and a butterfly count. Garden tours and children’s crafts are also part of the event.

— September (date to be announced): Waterton also hosts a wildlife festival in September, celebrating the park as one of the best places in the Rocky Mountains to view wildlife, especially mammals. Bighorn sheep, elk, deer, bears, and foxes, more than 200 species of birds, six species of amphibians, four species of reptiles, and 24 species of fish have been found in the Park. Workshops, presenters, and guided walks are some of the activities at the festival.

— October (date to be announced): Canmore celebrates the migration of Golden Eagles over the Alberta Rockies with a Festival of the Eagles. The weekend celebration includes guided hikes, bird walks, interpretive displays, and guest speakers. Spotting scopes are set up at Canmore Collegiate High School to view the migrating eagles.

Sharp-tailed Grouse in Wainwright

Last Thursday, birding started bright and early at 3:45 in the morning — it was the annual field trip to Camp Wainwright to see the Sharp-tailed Grouse dance. This was the fifth year I’ve watched the Sharp-tailed Grouse on their lek at the base. Even though the morning starts very early, it’s one of my favourite birding events.

You can find the Wainwright Wildlife Society’s website here and you can “Like” them on their Facebook page here.

Our group counted nine displaying males this year, and one female — down from last year’s count of 15 males and no females.

Here’s my blog post from last year.

The view from inside the blind,

A lone female grouse came to the lek. The females can be distinguished from the males by their lack of both the yellow eye-combs and the purple air sack on the neck,

Two grouse landed on one of the blinds and even danced there,

It was difficult to photograph the birds as they moved between sunny and shady spots very quickly,

I’m pretty happy with my photos this year between the better weather and knowing my camera a little more.