The Wildbird General Store

The Wildbird General Store™ is Proud to Present:

The Great Spring Warbler Migration Field Trip to

Cold Lake Provincial Park (June 3-5)

and Wolf Lake Provincial Recreation Area

(optional on June 2-3)

With Dr. Jim Butler

Guest Birding Leader Dan Heinrichs from The Wildbird General Store

When: June 3-5, 2011 Friday evening thru Sunday afternoon

Where: Cold Lake Provincial Park

Lund’s Point Area

Park Campground map (link)

Campground reservation information (link)

Getting There: (Edmonton to Cold Lake 4 hours driving time — about the same distance as Edmonton to Jasper townsite in Jasper National Park)

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 8^th Ave. Turn right (south) onto 12^th Street, then turn left onto 16^th Ave.  Follow this road, which becomes Township Rd 632A, into Cold Lake Provincial Park.

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.

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 Nashvilles 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.

The morning birdwalk begins at first light (7:00 a.m.), 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 following the Sunday morning birdwalk, visiting other birding locations en route back to Edmonton.

Very important reminder:

Reserve your campsite early.  When you reserve a campsite at Cold Lake online to call      1-877-537-2757 to tell the reservations people that you will not arrive until after 2:00 p.m. or your campsite may be given away. You can’t do it online.

The Extended Warbler Bonus — Wolf Lake Boreal Forest

Add one more day of great wood warblers with Jim Butler en route to Cold Lake

When: June 2-3 (Thursday and Friday morning)

Where: Wolf Lake Provincial Recreation Area (a great Boreal warbler migration pathway)

Keen birders who are able to get away Thursday morning will want to join us Thursday for an afternoon/evening and early morning birding visit to Wolf Lake Provincial Recreation Area. Camping is the only accommodation available at Wolf Lake. There is no power at the campsites, no reservations and the fee is $20.00 per night. We’ll cluster together in the small campground which shouldn’t be crowded this early in the season and midweek. We’ll locate our site where the most bird action is after we arrive. I have heard wolves howling from this campsite at night. And this rustic lakeside forested campground is packed with migrant birds at this time of year. The southern edge of Wolf Lake in the campground and boat launch area can be fabulous for migrating warblers who are moving from east to west along the woodland shoreline. And we are guaranteed to meet birds here that we won’t meet elsewhere this weekend. Please call the store if you are interested in birding at Wolf Lake and we’ll be watching for you.  Wolf Lake is only 52 miles (85 km) from Cold Lake Provincial Park.

Where to meet:

2:00 pm Boat Launch parking area (Dr. Butler will be driving a white Nissan Pathfinder.)

Last year at this time there were waves of warblers moving east to west from willow to willow and across the boat launch road. Redstarts, Wilsons, magnolias, mournings, etc., etc., face to face, here in the afternoon. We’ll bird the lake margins along the campground here and spend the night in the campground, closing the day with a cozy and crackling campfire. The Wolf Lake shoreline is one of my favourite warbler migration routes across the southern Boreal, and I have written about it. A fresh wave of new warblers that migrated through the night would probably await us for the 7 AM morning birdwalk from the campground. Learning the birdsongs is always emphasized on the morning birdwalk. We’ll depart for lunch in Cold Lake.

Getting There: (Edmonton to Wolf Lake driving time 4 1/2 hours):

Go east on 16 to rte 41 at Vermilion and turn north (left).

Go north on rte 41 past Bonneyville and up to rte 55 at La Corey.

Turn west (left) on rte 55 to Iron River and turn north (right) on Range Rd 72A.

Then left on Township road 644 and Right on Range Rd 74A. Follow the signs to Wolf Lake (a great Boreal forest location)

Cold Lake Weekend Schedule:

Friday evening:

Gather at Professor Butler’s campsite (E77)  at 8:30pm around the campfire with the voices of loons, red-necked grebes, western grebes, Swainson’s thrushes and perhaps even a barred owl in the background. Join us for a welcome by Dan Heinrichs. Jim Butler  will present a slide presentation on sharpening your warbler identification skills using some of his worst warbler pictures where a key identification mark may be all that’s visible through the leaves. If you make it through this, you’ll be ready for anything that follows the next morning.

Saturday morning:

Gather at first light (7:00am) at Butler’s campsite (E77) for the morning birdwalk, followed by short drives to three nearby locations.  Return to the campground for lunch and short relaxation.  At 2:00 pm, depart by cars from Butler’s site (E77) 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 a campground location to be announced for an around the campfire recap of the day’s birding highlights followed by a very special first-time event. Participants will show the best, favourite or most challenging of their bird photographs of the trip, projected onscreen: the benefits of the new digital age. Dan Heinrichs will host this session and it should all be fun, fresh and challenging.  All are invited to contribute.

Sunday Morning:

Meet at first light (7:00 am) to mix with the wood warblers when they’re most active.  Return to camp for lunch or departure and a last update of the trip birdlist. Birding stop-over locations en route to Edmonton will also be provided. A few will choose to camp over another night.

Pre trip Workshops

The Wildbird General Store is hosting two primer workshops for our Cold Lake/Wolf Lake field trip.  “Warblers are eye candy,” says the popular naturalist, Professor Jim Butler, who has had a love affair with these enigmatic birds for more than fifty years.  By popular demand and repeat of Jim Butlers Feb 10 talk “The Wild and Wonderful World of the Wood Warblers”.

Wednesday, May 18, 7:00 pm

Jim will share with us his insights and experiences in this new, beautifully illustrated talk on the family of the colorful and popular wood warblers: the Parulidae. You’ll hear about what defines a wood warbler; the family’s oddball members; the offbeat choices behind some of the warblers’ names; the most rare and endangered warblers (e.g., Semper’s and Bachman’s); the charm and romance that inspired artists to paint warblers and Robert Frost and Henry David Thoreau to write of them.

May 19, 7:00 p.m.

How to identify Alberta wood warblers: a focus on field identification with an emphasis on the 20 warbler species and a few other Boreal birds that we’ll be searching for on the Wolf Lake/Cold Lake Field Trip on June 2-5, 2011.