By James Fox

The American Birding Association produces a birding journal titled North American Birds. NAB is a quarterly publication consisting of thirty-four regional reports, organized in taxonomic order and produced by some of North America’s top birders. Alberta is part of the Prairie Provinces Region and we need your help. Recently a few birders, biologists and ornithologists formed a team and have taken on the role of submitting reports to the regional editors on behalf of Alberta. Our goal is to submit reports that cover the entire province and reports comprised of records that have supporting documentation such as photos, audio or video.

If you have any rare or notable bird records, please contact James Fox at fox.james.ed[at]gmail.com. Rare or notable has a few meanings; it can mean an unusual species or exceptionally high numbers or a species out of range for that given time of year. If you have seen any of the birds on this list from the Alberta Bird Record Committee, then for sure it’s a rare bird. If you’ve seen a bird but it’s not on the list and you think it might be rare, contact James.

Purple Sandpiper at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary. A rarity, seen on fewer than eight occasions in Alberta (one occasion in this case). Photo by Dan Arndt.

The mission of the journal is to provide a complete overview of the changing panorama of North America’s birdlife, including outstanding records, range extensions and contractions, population dynamics, and changes in migration patterns or seasonal occurrence. The North American Birds regional network represents the tip of an iceberg whose main mass consists of North America’s largest, widest and best-established networks of field birders. The network extends to regional editors, sub-regional editors and then to many thousands of local field birders. By sending in your records to the Alberta compilers, you’ll be ensuring that Alberta’s data is part of the bigger picture and you’ll be part of the team!

Hooded Warbler, Fish Creek Park, Calgary. Reported less than eight times in Alberta. Photo by Dan Arndt.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact James Fox, NAB Alberta Compiler, fox.james.ed[at]gmail.com, 780.999.0642.

Brown Thrasher. A breeding bird in Alberta, but if seen in the winter it should be reported as a seasonal rarity. Photo by Dan Arndt.