The Perfect Complement to the Wood Warbler Study Course.
Cost = $40.00 field trip fee (cash or cheque to Jim Butler).
Also, there is the option of the Additional Pre-Warbler Field Trip at Wolf Lake on June 7-8 (see other post for more info).
When: June 8-10, 2012 (Friday evening thru Sunday afternoon)
Where: Lund’s Point Area of Cold Lake Provincial Park just on the east side of Cold Lake.
Driving Time:
Edmonton to Cold Lake 4 hours driving time — about the same distance as Edmonton to Jasper town site in Jasper National Park
How to Get There:
- From Edmonton go east on 16 to Vermilion. Turn north on Rt. 41 to Rt. 28. Turn right (east) on Rt. 28 to Bonnyville (most birders pause at Bonnyville’s waterfowl sanctuary. Continue on Rt. 28 east and north into the town of Cold Lake. You are now on 8th Ave. Turn right (south) onto 12th Street, then turn left onto 16th Ave. Follow this road, which becomes Township Rd 632A, into Cold Lake Provincial Park.
Campsites:
Campground reservation information (link)
- The bird weekend will centre out of the lower (downhill) campsites of E-loop in the park campground. The lower campsites of F-loop (also in the spruce fir zone) are also excellent campsites and quite accessible. Look for announcements on the Bulletin Boards. (Dr. Butler is camping in site E-76, which will be the gathering point for evening campfire and slide presentations and hopefully flying squirrel viewing.)
- The lower campsites of loops E and F are within the rich Boreal forest of the wood warblers where Myrtles, Cape Mays, Bay-breasteds, and Blackburnians may be seen from the campsites. The morning bird walks begin here, and the evening campfire gatherings take place here, usually with flying squirrels coming to the birdfeeder and accompanied by the voices of Swainson’s thrushes, red-necked grebes and western grebes. One of the largest nesting colonies of western grebes occurs on the lake. Expect western tanagers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, and three-toed woodpeckers.
- This park is one of the finest wood warbler viewing places in Alberta and home to more than 20 species of breeding warblers. The trip is timed for the migration of other warblers as well. One trail from the day use area funnels migrants along a narrow shrubby zone where many species, including Redstarts, Wilson’s, Blackpolls, and usually the rare Nashville warbler as well, may be met face to face. A roadside aspen forest beside the campground is a predictable showcase for the Chestnut-sided warblers, which barely reach Alberta in this park. The park trail near the camping loop skirts the rim of the forested bluff, allowing you to look directly into the spruce and fir tops where many warblers make their homes. Canadas, Magnolias and Blackburnians are easily accessible on trails that begin near the boat launch area. All the trails are level and easily accessible.
Trip Plan:
The morning bird walk begins at first light (7:00 am), returns for lunch and relaxation. There are many restaurants available in town, with American Golden Plovers usually accessible en route in a favourite field. Afternoon walks visit other locations, focused on warblers on the move. Evening talks around the campfire summarize the day’s discoveries. Participants generally depart around noon following the Sunday morning bird walk, visiting other birding locations en route back to Edmonton.
Cold Lake Weekend Schedule:
Friday evening:
Gather at Professor Butler’s campsite (E76) at 8:30pm around the campfire (site E-76) with the voices of loons, red-necked grebes, western grebes, Swainson’s thrushes and perhaps even a barred owl in the background. Jim Butler will present a slide presentation on the birds and other wildlife of Cold Lake with an emphasis on those around us in the campgrounds and the wetlands of the lake who are not wood warblers such as owls, sparrows and wildflower highlights. This is the peak of the spring wildflowers of the northern forest this weekend, and we’ll see them on our bird walks.
Saturday morning:
Gather at first light (7:00am) at Butler’s campsite (E76) for the morning bird walk, (with an emphasis on early morning song identification) followed by short drives to three nearby locations. Return to the campground for lunch and short relaxation or many choose to have lunch in the town of Cold Lake at Clark’s General Store and Eatery. At 2:00 pm, depart by cars from Butler’s site (E76) for afternoon birding locations and the golden plover fields nearby. Dinner in town is an option or in the campground.
Saturday evening @ 8:00pm:
Meet at Dr. Butler’s campsite (E76) for an around the campfire recap of the day’s birding highlights
Sunday Morning:
Meet at first light (7:00 am) to mix with the wood warblers when they’re most active. Return to camp for drive to Redstart/Chestnut-sided Warbler Ridge and the Nashville Warbler/Willow Sandspit and the final bird list tally at the marsh viewing platform. Return for lunch or departure. Birding stopover locations en route to Edmonton will be on your own. A few usually choose to camp over another night on their own.
Very important reminder:
Reserve your campsite at Cold Lake early. You can use the online reservation system at www.reserve.albertaparks.ca/ or call the Contact Centre at 1-877-537-2757. (Remember Wolf Lake campsites are on a first-come, first serve basis. But it will not be busy at this time of year.)
Don’t forget:
Bring folding chairs, binoculars, field guides. Study your CD “Songs of the Wood Warblers of the Western Boreal Forest” (includes 21 other prominent voices of the Boreal Forest).
Pre trip Workshops:
When: May 22, 28, and June 4 (Section A) May 23, 29, and June 5 (Section B)
Where: The Wildbird General StoreTM
Time: 7 to 9 pm
A three-night course of illustrated lectures, video clips, and interactive identification drills is dedicated to the field identification and ecology of the wood warblers, the family Parulidae. The course is followed by an optional Boreal Forest field trip at the peak of the spring warbler migration (June 7-10). Register with the Wildbird General Store. (780-439-7333) (info@wildbirdgeneralstore.com
Lecture 1:
Monday May 22/Tuesday May 23
Society’s Love Affair with Wood Warblers; Early Naturalists & Literary Heroes And Warblers; Warblers With Strange Names; New vs. Old World; Odd Balls of the Family; What Is A Wood Warbler?; Hybrids and Classification; Superspecies, Complexes, Allospecies; The Most Spectacular Bird Radiation; Wood Warblers of the Tropics; Behavioral Ecology; Conservation Biology
Lecture 2:
Monday May 28/Tuesday May 29
Personal Reflections on Wood Warblers; Wood Warbler Migration; The Very Rare Warblers: Kirtland’s, Bachman’s, Semper’s, Tupui Warblers; Nailing the 27 Alberta Wood Warblers Part I: Yellow-breasted Chat, the Northern Parula, American Redstart, Black-and-white, Blackpoll; Quiz
Lecture 3:
Monday June 4/ Tuesday June 5
Nailing The 27 Wood Warblers Part II: Magnolia, Canada, Quiz, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Myrtle (yellow-rumped), Audubon’s (yellow-rumped), Chestnut-sided, Quiz, Yellow, Wilson’s, Common Yellowthroat, Orange-crowned, Tennessee, Palm, Quiz, Cape May, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Black-throated Green, Quiz, Connecticut, Nashville, Mourning, MacGillivray’s, Quiz, Final Quiz
