Spring in Alberta

This photo was taken yesterday, 6 April 2014, when I went with a group of 10 friends to Frank Lake for several hours. Posting this image to show how the area near the bird blind (hide) is flooded and frozen over. The wooden boardwalk leading to the blind was pure ice and I didn't bother going, knowing that most of the lake was still frozen over, so there would be no, or very few, birds to be seen. On 15 March 2014, the area looked completely different - see photo in comment box below.

Will add Tony Timmons' report for today's Frank Lake trip - thanks, Tony, both for writing up the list and for taking us down to one of my favourite areas outside the city:

"Eleven people were on the trip today, birding Frank Lake and area. We tallied 35 species. Most of the lake is still covered in ice.

As many as 10,000 Northern Pintails were seen in the fields,sloughs and flying overhead. Two hundred swans were feeding in the fields.

Of note were two Eurasian Wigeons spotted in the shallow sloughs.

Canada Goose
Tundra Swan
Trumpeter Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Eurasian Wigeon
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Rough-legged Hawk
Coot
Killdeer
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Great Horned Owl
Horned Lark
Robin
Rock Pigeon,Magpie,Crow,Raven,Starling,House Sparrow"

As you can see from the list, birds are returning after being elsewhere all winter. Only very distant views of them all, except for one Great Horned Owl on her nest - impossible to get a proper shot because she is hidden by a tangle of branches.