With spring well on its way, Jasper’s feathery friends are returning to the park in droves, keeping Jasper’s birders on watch.
On Sunday, a group of eight people joined the Friends of Jasper National Park’s Bird Walk and saw more than 25 different birds in just over three hours—the most the group has seen so far this spring.
“To me birding is just about being outside and watching birds,” said Gord Ruddy, a long-time leader of the group.
“Every birder is different and wants different things from it and everyone approaches it a little bit different,” he said, explaining that some people are more competitive than others.
The group set out from Sixth Bridge at the bottom of Maligne Canyon and walked the Flower Loop along the Athabasca River, before cutting back to Morris Pond.
With binoculars in hand, the group almost immediately saw a pair of Harlequin ducks, which are becoming rare to see these days because of habitat destruction.
“Seeing rare birds is a treat,” said Terri Hunter, a birding participant.
“The learning experience is what keeps me coming back. It’s a big part of the ecosystem, the birds, and I want to understand that part too.”
During the walk, the group also spotted a Rub-Crowned Kinglet, two Belted Kingfishers, a Bohemian Waxwing and a number of Yellow-Rumped Warblers, among a plethora of other species.
“Since I got interested in birds, 50 per cent of the total population in North America has disappeared,” said Ruddy, who has been watching birds since the late 1960s.
He explained that some populations have dropped by 90 per cent, while others species have increased, such as Robins.
“When I first started birding, to see an eagle here in the summer you remembered it because you didn’t see many, and if you saw a falcon you really remembered it because you didn’t see any. Now with the Merlin there are probably six nests, and Peregrines were in town this week,” he said, explaining that when he first got into birding the pesticide DDT was decimating bird populations across North America.
Currently there are 306 different birds and 50 different species in Jasper National Park, said Ruddy. The most he has ever seen in a single day was 62.
“I don’t really make lists,” he said. “I know what my life list is and that’s a thing some birders pursue, but I don’t talk about what my life list is, it’s just not that important and I don’t want to be competitive in that way.”
To start your own list, join the group every Sunday in May and June at 8 a.m. in front of the Friends of Jasper office on Connaught Drive.
Binoculars are provided for those who don’t have a pair and people are advised to dress for the weather, including proper footwear.
Paul Clarke
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