Posted by Dan Arndt
Better late than never, right? After another washout at the Weaselhead last Sunday morning with minimal visibility, high winds, and few birds anywhere to be found, I figured I’d be better off saving these birds until today!
Brown-Lowery Provincial Park is about half an hour south-west of Calgary, just west of Priddis, and south of Bragg Creek. There are a number of great trails through the park, though some of the hills are not for the faint of heart. Old growth white spruce, lodgepole pine, and a few rather boggy areas gave me some memories of my trips this past summer to the boreal forests of Northern Alberta, but also provide absolutely perfect habitat for two of the rarer woodpeckers in the Calgary area, both the American Three-toed and the Black-backed Woodpecker, as well as a good number of Ruffed Grouse that were scared up by our intrusions!
Enjoy the pictures, and good birding!
male American Three-toed Woodpecker
Brown-Lowery Provincial Park
female American Three-toed Woodpecker
Brown-Lowery Provincial Park
male Black-backed Woodpecker
Brown-Lowery Provincial Park
Ruffed Grouse
Brown-Lowery Provincial Park
I’ve lived here more than 30 years and never heard of this park. I think I’m putting it on our list of places to go! Thank you.
It’s really an awesome park, and while it does get a bit icy in the winter, it’s really a bit of a habitat island for a lot of the trees and birds that can be found there.
– Dan
Thanks, Dan! Very good shots of all three, all that I want to see myself in good light.
Thank you!
Thank you for the beautiful pictures. They are greatly appreciated as always. You have a wonderful talent and it is so generous of you to share it with the rest of us.
Thanks so much Claudia!
– Dan