We received the following email from a reader, and wanted to pass it along.
“On Sunday June 16th I stopped at Weed Lake around 2 PM to see which birds might be around, only to find that there were almost no birds there. That was because someone was kitesurfing on the lake. I called the Report a Poacher line to report it, and then went in to tell the doofus that Weed Lake is a wetlands conservation project (just in case he couldn’t read that really large sign that says “wetlands conservation project”) and that these activities are not allowed in a wetlands area. I also told him I’d reported him and given the Fisheries Department his license plate number. He didn’t seem too concerned.
I have no idea if reporting it will make any difference but I hope so. Those of us who love and want to protect the species who use the wetlands may need to step up to the plate and police the area as best we can. Please stress to your readers how important it is to report every violation and every threat to the wilderness and wetlands areas we love.”
Heather Cuthill
Chestermere Lake is home to lots of different birds, due to the wetlands and different habitats. I live at the bottom of the lake by the wetland area. At the moment I have 4 nests of very aggresive blackbirds in my garden. They have attacked my husband while’st cutting the grass, my neighbours dogs will not go out and I cannot sit on my deck as they Are harassing me and everyone else that walks down the canal path. What are these birds and why are they so aggresive. We have lived here for 17 years in this house and only the past two years have they been a bother. Does anyone know why this is and do other people have this problem. We have planted lots of mature trees and love birds. The other birds are chased away.
Are your birds by any chance Common Grackles? They are black birds but the males have a glossy blue head and yellow eyes. I have them in my Calgary yard, and we’ve heard from someone else recently who was asking about their attacking behaviour. This is normal for them in the spring when they’re protecting nests and fledglings. The young birds are now wandering around on the ground so the adults are even more feisty than usual. The youngsters will soon be on their own and the adults will calm down considerably. Fortunately they didn’t choose to nest in my yard this year, but they have many times in the past, restricting our use of the back yard for a brief period. Pat
Regarding the blackbirds in my Chestermere home. We believe the birds to be rusty blackbirds. The fledglings are now hopping around and I can understand that the adults Re now protecting their young. They were very aggressive even when nesting. I have talked to other people around the lake and they have become a menace in the past few years.
They are unlikely to be Rusty Blackbirds. They are quite uncommon and generally don’t breed this far south. Grackle is more likely – check the size of the bill. Send a photo if you can get one.
What about red winged blackbirds? I have several coming to my feeders and chasing away all the smaller birds. They are bold and not easily chased away, but definitely red winged blackbirds. Any suggestions on how to discourage them as they are eating all the seeds I put out for the smaller birds – American Gold finches, Purple finches, etc.
If you live near where they nest and they come to your feeders all the time, you might have to switch the type of seeds you put out or the type of feeder so they can’t get at them, but I’m not sure what would work.
Is there anyway to find out if there was any follow up by the Authorities?
David
Much to our surprise, it appears to be legal for any idiot to go kitesurfing on Weed Lake or Dalmead Reservoir. Not sure why they even bother to set up wetland conservation areas… Pat