Posted by Bob Lefebvre
In May, Ethan Denton completed his 2017 Great Canadian Birdathon to raise money for bird research and conservation. He was part of a team with Gavin McKinnon, called the Saw-it Owls. Here are just a few photos of birds the team saw on their birdathon.
Harlequin Duck (male), Lake Minnewanka, May 20, 2017. Photo by Ethan Denton.
Harlequin Ducks (female on left, male right), Lake Minnewanka, May 20, 2017. Photo by Ethan Denton.
Common Loons, Vermillion Lakes, May 20, 2017. Photo by Ethan Denton.
Sharp-tailed Grouse (male) on lek, southern Alberta, May 14, 2017. Photo by Ethan Denton.
Sharp-tailed Grouse (male) on lek, southern Alberta, May 14, 2017. Photo by Ethan Denton.
You can read about Day One of their birdathon on Ethan’s blog, Bird Boy.
The Great Canadian Birdathon (formerly called the Baille Birdathon) is a program of Bird Studies Canada. Participants are sponsored to count as many birds as they can every May. You can contribute to Ethan’s personal donation page here. Gavin McKinnon’s page is here. Please help them to reach their fundraising goals!
I am Horrified, This is looking like a day late and a buck short scenario. Like the writer I had imagined a large structure like the one over the Bow – leaving mother nature to get on with it below. We all know that it is IMPOSSIBLE to restore natural habitat,even were they to agree to the alternate -which they won’t- the damage has been done. The infill or whatever they do will NOT = natural wet land, I understand they plan to make the other end of the dam higher ….so more water can flow over the top? Reroute the Elbow ? Don’t recollect that being discussed. This will be devastating to the area to the west as well. I Expect the $ are not there to meet our wishes. After all, In the beginning the farmers never wanted Genmore dam in the first place. Can Any Compromise be reached? low pillars for the bridge so wetlands can be maintained ? just good enough for beavers and birds Talk about not doing minimal damage! Never let a man loose with a large destructive machine…..
Once the agreement for the route was signed the work started moving really fast. I think a lot of us were shocked at how quickly this happened and how much habitat degradation is involved. We can’t assume things will be done properly and we need citizen groups like YYC Cares to be involved in the process. Sign the petition – it’s not too late to try to minimize the long-term damage. – Bob