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13 March 2012

March Bird Calendar


A quick list:

Here are some species to watch for arriving or leaving this area in March.

(southern East Kootenay Trench - between the US border and roughly Skookumchuck.)

Of course, a few individuals of some species remain all year, and some brave ones come back early.  This is meant as a general guide.

Don’t forget to try to record the last time you saw the winter visitors, like Bohemian Waxwing and Common Redpoll.



March
 

Perching birds

Pacific Wren
21-Feb-10
B. Baerg - eBird
Cassin’s Finch
01-Mar-01
Mildred White
Mountain Bluebird
5-Mar-06

Western Bluebird
8-Mar-05

Western Meadowlark
8-Mar-05

Say's Phoebe
11-Mar-05

Horned Lark

rare – Feb, Mar
American Robin

some over-winter, become more common in early March
Varied Thrush
11-Mar-10

Tree Swallow
11-Mar-05

Spotted Towhee
18-Mar-07

Violet-green Swallow
21-Mar-00

Common Grackle
24-Mar-11
K. Knight - eBird
Bohemian Waxwing
24-Mar-76
winters here, this is the latest date seen, from Mildred White’s records



Raptors

Northern Harrier
11-Mar-05

American Kestrel
16-Mar-06
B. Baerg - eBird
Turkey Vulture
11-Mar-10

Osprey
29-Mar-92
Mildred White



Water - side Birds
Killdeer
8-Mar-05

Tundra Swan
9-Mar-00
higher numbers are seen around Invermere
Bufflehead
9-Mar-12
small pockets may be seen in winter
American Wigeon
11-Mar-10

Northern Pintail
11-Mar-10

Green-winged Teal
11-Mar-05

Pied-billed Grebe
11-Mar-05

Great Blue Heron
14-Mar-92
most start arriving (some here all winter)
Redhead
21-Mar-08
D. Nicholson - eBird
Ring-necked Duck
25-Mar-04

Lesser Scaup
27-Mar-10

Wood Duck
25-Mar-04

American Coot
20-Mar-04

Marsh Wren
16-Mar-99
R. Johnston - eBird
  

Yes, these dates are a little earlier, in some cases, compared to records going back to 1974.

Hope to have the month of April up soon, stay tuned!


PS - if you should meet me in person: I don't have a good memory for details so if you ask me "when do bluebirds come back?" I probably won't remember, (one of the hazards of living "day to day", perhaps) but I'd probably remember where to get the link for this, which I can give you.

Happy birding!



11 March 2012

2012 Effort Recommendations - BC Breeding Bird Atlas

Updated - 31-May-2012

Following is a summary of recommended squares to finish off in 2012 for the British Columbia Breeding Bird Atlas in Region 1 Southern Trench.

Please contact me or Greg Ross if you are planning on doing any atlassing in the Region. You can dig up our emails off the Breeding Bird Atlas website (or respond to this email if you are receiving this through your BBA email).


This table can also be viewed on Google Docs at:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e3fMdjetixnnRpctAUbvp7ZO9wRTh29N6tqzKZ2TQ7Q/edit


You can just Google the square number to get to the existing BBA data.

PS - I have not submitted this to Christopher yet, hehe, so there may be some edits to this. I will let you know if there are. ^ ~ ^

Region 1 Breeding Bird Atlas
2012 Square Recommendations prepared  by Dianne Cooper

Square
Name
PC / BE
to Go
Comment
Priority
Atlasser as of 11 Mar 2012
11NQ76
Moyie Range North
3 / 3
High priority
2
11NQ77
Lumberton Mid / Negro Lake
10 / 4
High priority
4
11NQ86
Moyie Lake North
10 / 6
Easy one
4
Patrick S.
11NQ87
Hidden Valley
9 / 0
13 hrs BE done, high priority
5
11NQ89
Cranbrook Airport
4 / 0
24 hrs BE done
5
Dianne C.
11NR75
Findlay Creek FSR Mid E
9 / 0
20 hrs BE done
3
11NR80
LD Ranch Rd
8 / 6
High priority
5
Done
11NR82
Moen Rd
1 / 0
17 hrs BE done
5
Dianne C.
11NR83
Larchwood Lake
10 / 10
Easy one
4
11NR85
Canal Flats
7 / 5
High priority
5
11NR90
Bummer's Flats
8 / 0
27 hrs BE done
5
Done
11NR92
Skookumchuck Prairie
4 / 6
High priority
5
Dianne C.
11PQ04
Cherry Lake
4 / 5
1
Greg & D. C.
11PQ16
Colvalli Road
5 / 6
High priority
2
11PQ17
Wardner
7 / 0
13 hrs BE done
5
Done
11PQ18
Bull River
10 / 8
5
(Greg R.)
11PQ24
Englishman Creek Newgate
10 / 4
High priority
5
Dean N.
11PQ34
Dorr Cut Off Road
10 / 0
14 hrs BE done
5
11PQ35
Baynes Lake East
10 / 10
Easy one
5
Dean N.
11PQ49
Fernie E
5 / 0
29 hrs BE done
3
Kevin K.
11QQ13
Kishinena Peak
6 / 4
1
11PR50
Michel - Olson
10 / 6
2
11PR51
Sparwood
10 / 10
Kevin K.
11PR54
Fording R Rd S
10 / 0
10 hrs BE done
3
11PR60
McGillivray
10 / 8
4

Here is what has been done so far, and what could still be done.

Dark red = Breeding Evidence done to 10 hour-standard.
Diagonal lines = Point Counts done to 10 pc-standard
Light red = some Breeding Evidence done
Green square = recommend we finish these off
Yellow flower = easily accessible square begging attention.

You may access these on my flickr - links below - where you can download (warning - large file), or at least view "original" size, to zoom in. Resolution should be good enough for you to see place names.


Block NQ http://www.flickr.com/photos/kestrelm/6972955615/





Block NR http://www.flickr.com/photos/kestrelm/6826841756/





Block PQ http://www.flickr.com/photos/kestrelm/6972960515/






Thank you so much! - to everyone who has contributed to this provincial effort. Did you have some adventures - like me? Wasn't it fun! - snooping around with a purpose. Did you learn some new birdsong?

And more importantly, do you feel the satisfaction in knowing you have contributed to the knowledge and awareness of not only avian distribution but also to our stewardship of Gaia (my word for the terran bioshere) through whatever this data is going to be used for in the future?

Happy atlassing!