Great routes available for the count on May 30 or 31, 2026.
The Calgary May Species Count will be held on the weekend of Saturday May 30th and Sunday May 31st. This is a survey of bird life in the entire Calgary region, a circle of 80-km radius centred on central Calgary. This is a vast area which is divided up into many routes with birders or teams of birders assigned to each route.
As of today there are still several routes that do not have coverage, both inside and outside the city. In addition, there are routes with experienced leaders who would like some help in their areas, which is ideal for those who don’t want to take on the responsibility of leading a route. This is a great time of year to be out counting the birds so please take advantage of this opportunity!
Routes available inside the city include:
– Votiers Flats in Fish Creek Park – a mix of wooded and open areas along the creek.
– Confederation Park – small park in NW Calgary that is a great stopover for migrating birds.
– Pearce Estate Park – Wooded Park and a nice stretch of the Bow River.
– Elliston Park and 68th Street Wetlands – a great migratory hotspot for waterfowl, ducks, geese, and shorebirds in east Calgary.
Outside the city:
– Frank Lake and High River East – probably the best migratory spot for waterfowl, ducks, geese, and shorebirds in the Calgary region.
As I mentioned, there are several routes for which the leaders could use more sets of eyes to find birds. One route, a foothills area on Gorge Creek Road in the Sheep River area, has a single observer who would like some company not just to watch out for birds, but bears as well! A nice adventurous day of birding out there!
All that is required if you are leading a territory is that you try to cover your area as fully as possible, record all the birds you see on eBird, and share the results with Andrew Hart, who organizes the Calgary May Species Count.
If you are interested in taking part, please contact Andrew Hart at andrewhartch[at]icloud[dot]com or call 403.608.8918. Andrew will provide detailed but simple instructuons, and can assist you with eBird if you are new to it.
Please volunteer so that we have complete coverage of the count circle!