Business as Unusual

In late June and early July I made two trips to Calgary, Alberta for a couple of business meetings. Although I travelled only from the airport to the downtown business core, I did pick up a couple of year-birds. On the first trip I spotted American White Pelican from the airplane as we approached the airport from the south, low over the Bow River. Shortly after landing a I spotted two Swainson's Hawk's soaring over Deerfoot Trail. On my second trip to Calgary I picked up Yellow-headed Blackbird in a small slough that was sure to ploughed under by this time next year as the Calgary Airport undergoes expansion. Thankfully, Alberta wetlands lost due to development are being compensated for through the creation or restoration of other wetlands. Time will tell how successful these efforts are.