Is that a ruby-crowned Kinglet, or a Hutton's Vireo sitting on the deck rail beside your bird feeder? If you would have been at Thursday's Bird ID workshop a Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park's ampitheatre, you'd know.
Obviously, it's a Kinglet — you can tell by how much smaller it is by comparison, and how quickly it moves compared to the Vireo. And what about that black bar on its wing below the white stripe? Classic Kinglet marking...
For those who wanted to know more about the feathered friends of the region, the June 6 workshop was organized by Lac La Biche County, Lakeland Industry and Community Association (LICA) Environmental Stewards, and Alberta Parks. The event ran from 6-8 pm, and was part of Environment Week activities that ran from June 2-6.
The workshop taught the basics of bird identification, tips and tricks on how to distinguish different types of birds, the proper use of optical gear such as spotting scopes and binoculars, how to use field guides which contain information and photos about birds, as well as the families of birds that are native to the Lakeland region.
In addition to a presentation-which was given by Stephanie Sampson of LICA-there were boards for people to peruse containing information about various birds along with displays of physical items such as nests and skulls, including one of an Osprey.
The Boreal forest zone in Alberta plays host to as many as 150 bird species, about half of the recognized bird species in all of Canada.
Environment Week kicked off on Sunday, June 2 with a launch party in McArthur Park that featured exhibits and booths by local environmental groups, children’s games, free musical entertainment and a bbq, as well as ice cream. On Tuesday, Lac La Biche County Environmental Services hosted a Community Organic Recycling Enhancements (CORE) program workshop at McArthur Place that taught the basics of backyard composting. Environment Week activities concluded on Saturday with the annual Household Hazardous Waste Roundup and Shredding Event, which took place at County Centre from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
