Date: 03/05/2012

Number: 1

This afternoon I saw a loose flock of 25 American Robins on the hill above the Glencoe Club, 29th Ave SW in Calgary. As I watched some of the robins, a flock of 7 Cedar Waxwings flew in to join them.

It is interesting to speculate whether these are over-wintering birds or early migrants. I walk in this area frequently, and had seen 6 American Robins there on February 29, but no Cedar Waxwings since last fall. Both species over-winter in Calgary in small numbers and our Christmas Bird Count this year had 61 American Robins and 10 Cedar Waxwings. However, most of these (34 American Robins and 7 Cedar Waxwings) were found by Route W-4, which covers a stretch of the Elbow River valley to within 1 km of where I saw the birds today. So it is possible that the birds I saw today have survived in the area throughout the winter, and are just now becoming more active again, covering more territory in their daily search for food, and therefore more observable.

Forwarded by Ken Moore

Calgary, AB

Latitude: 51.1 Longitude: -114.1

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