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Checklist of the Birds of A. E. Wilson Park (Regina, SK)
as of 18 July 2005
By H. D. (Sandy) Ayer
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Introduction
This checklist is intended to supplement my article “The Joys of Urban Birding:
Regina’s A. E. Wilson Park.” The Blue Jay 58 (December 2000): 168-77. Hence it covers
not only the park proper but also “LeConte’s Field,” the excellent chunk of grassland
habitat at the western end of the park that is bounded by Dieppe neighborhood on the
south, Wascana Creek on the west and north, and the power lines on the east.
I hope that this checklist will encourage more birders to visit the park regularly
and that it will stimulate local naturalists to ensure that the park and its environs
are protected from any development that would harm wildlife. Who knows whether one
day our combined efforts might increase the list from its present 179 species to 200
or more? At very least someone, during spring migration, ought to be able to beat my
personal best single-day record of 60 species (set 30 May 2004)—consider this a
personal challenge! More intensive birding of the park would also give a clearer
impression of which species breed in the park. It would also help to provide a more
accurate assessment of the relative abundance of the less common species on the list,
for my observations are based on 15 years of birding the park an average of only one
day (i.e. three hours) a week, or perhaps two days a week during migration.
Explanation of Symbols
| Sp | Spring | March-May |
| S | Summer | June-mid-August |
| F | Fall | mid-August-October |
| W | Winter | November-February |
| a | Abundant | Always seen |
| c | Common | Usually seen |
| u | Uncommon | Sometimes seen |
| r | Rare | Not recorded every year |
| e | Extremely Rare | 2-3 records |
| ca | Casual | Only 1 record |
| acc | Accidental | Outside of normal range |
| b | Breeds or Has Bred |
| ? | Possible Breeding Species |
Species
Sp
S
F
W
Notes
| Common Loon | ca | | | | May 2002? |
| Red-necked Grebe | r | r | | | b (sporadic)
| | Horned Grebe | c | | u | |
| | Eared Grebe | r | | r | |
| | Pied-billed Grebe | c | u | c | |
| | Western Grebe | u | | r | |
| | Clark’s Grebe | ca | | | | Present 4-9 May 2002; all 6 grebe species seen 8 May 2002
| | American White Pelican | u | r | | | Has landed in creek (early Aug.)
| | Double-crested Cormorant | u | r | c | | One seen 8 April 1995
| | American Bittern | | ca | | | Record is from summer 1985
| | Great Blue Heron | r | | r | |
| | Black-crowned Night-Heron | r | | | |
| | Tundra Swan | r | | r | |
| | Canada Goose | a | c | a | | b
| | Greater White-fronted Goose | ca | | | | 11 May 2002
| | Snow Goose | u | | u | |
| | Wood Duck | | | e | |
| | Mallard | a | a | a | | b
| | Gadwall | c | u | c | | b
| | Northern Pintail | u | r | r | | b
| | | | | | |
Species
Sp
S
F
W
Notes
| American Wigeon | a | a | a | | b
| | Northern Shoveler | a | a | c | | b
| | Blue-winged Teal | a | a | a | | b
| | Green-winged Teal | | | u | |
| | Canvasback | u | r | u | | b
| | Redhead | r | e | r | |
| | Ring-necked Duck | e | | | |
| | Greater Scaup | r | | | |
| | Lesser Scaup | u | | u | |
| | Surf Scoter | | | ca | | 9 October 1994
| | Common Goldeneye | u | | r | |
| | Bufflehead | u | | u | |
| | Hooded Merganser | r | e | r | | 5 records for 1995; 27 June 1999
| | Common Merganser | e | | | | All sightings from early April
| | Red-breasted Merganser | ca | | | | April 1994
| | Ruddy Duck | u | | u | |
| | Northern Harrier | u | u | u | |
| | Sharp-shinned Hawk | u | | u | |
| | Cooper’s Hawk | e | | e | |
| | Broad-winged Hawk | e | | e | |
| | | | | | |
Species
Sp
S
F
W
Notes
| Swainson’s Hawk | u | u | u | |
| | Red-tailed Hawk | u | u | u | |
| | Rough-legged Hawk | | | ca | |
| | Osprey | r | | | |
| | Merlin | c | u | c | |
| | American Kestrel | r | r | r | |
| | Peregrine? Falcon | ca | | | | large falcon sp. 22 May 1999
| | Gray Partridge | | | | e |
| | American Coot | u | | c | |
| | Sora | u | | u | | b?
| | Sandhill Crane | u | | r | |
| | Black-bellied? Plover | ca | | | | Plover sp. May 2002?
| | Killdeer | c | c | c | | b
| | American Avocet | u | | u | |
| | Greater Yellowlegs | | c | c | | Earliest arr. 20 June; >20 sometimes present in fall
| | Lesser Yellowlegs | | | u | |
| | Solitary Sandpiper | u | | | |
| | Willet | c | | u | |
| | Spotted Sandpiper | c | c | c | | b
| | Upland Sandpiper | | ca | | | 12 August 1997
| | | | | | |
Species
Sp
S
F
W
Notes
| Marbled Godwit | ca | | | | 11 May 2002
| | Semipalmated Sandpiper | ca | | | | 18 May 1996
| | Long-billed Dowitcher | | | ca | | 24 August 1994
| | Wilson’s Snipe | u | | u | |
| | Wilson’s Phalarope | e | | | | May 1989?
| | Bonaparte’s Gull | ca | | | | 8 May 2002
| | Franklin’s Gull | u | | u | |
| | Ring-billed Gull | a | a | a | |
| | Common Tern | u | | u | |
| | Forster’s Tern | c | u | c | | Formerly bred (late 1980’s)
| | Black Tern | | u | | |
| | Mourning Dove | c | c | c | | b
| | Rock Pigeon | a | a | a | | Usually only 3-4
| | Black-billed Cuckoo | | ca | | | 12 July 2005
| | Short-eared Owl | r | r | | | Seen 2-3 times some years
| | Great Horned Owl | e | e | | |
| | Snowy Owl | ca | | | | 30 April 1993
| | Burrowing Owl | | | | | b extirpated (early 1980’s ?)
| | Common Nighthawk | e | e | | |
| | Ruby-throated Hummingbird | e | e | | | Always on Boreal Island
| | | | | | |
Species
Sp
S
F
W
Notes
| Belted Kingfisher | u | | u | | Best time is late April
| | Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | u | | u | |
| | Downy Woodpecker | u | | u | u |
| | Hairy Woodpecker | u | | u | u |
| | Northern Flicker | u | r | r | |
| | Olive-sided Flycatcher | e | | e | |
| | Alder Flycatcher | e | | | | 3 seen 27 May 2000
| | Least Flycatcher | c | c | c | | b
| | Eastern Phoebe | e | | e | |
| | Say’s Phoebe | ca | | | | 6 May 2000
| | Eastern Kingbird | c | c | c | | b
| | Western Kingbird | c | c | c | | b less numerous than Eastern
| | Northern Shrike | r | | r | |
| | Loggerhead Shrike | r | r | r | | May have bred in 1988
| | Red-eyed Vireo | u | r | u | |
| | Warbling Vireo | c | c | c | | b
| | Philadelphia Vireo | ca | | | | 15 May 1999
| | Blue-headed Vireo | e | | | |
| | Blue Jay | | | e | |
| | Black-billed Magpie | c | c | c | c | c in summer since late 1990’s
| | | | | | |
Species
Sp
S
F
W
Notes
| American Crow | c | c | c | | Probably breeds in Dieppe Place
| | Purple Martin | c | c | c | | b up to 50 seen in late August
| | Bank Swallow | ca | | | | 1988 or 1989
| | Tree Swallow | c | c | c | | b numbers fluctuate (ca. 2-ca. 15)
| | Cliff Swallow | r | r | | |
| | Barn Swallow | a | a | a | | b up to 30 seen in late summer
| | Black-capped Chickadee | u | | u | u
| | Red-breasted Nuthatch | u | | u | |
| | House Wren | c | c | c | | b
| | Winter Wren | ca | | | | 30 September 2000
| | Sedge Wren | | u | u | | b, arr. June, absent some years
| | Marsh Wren | | | r | | Former breeder?
| | Golden-crowned Kinglet | | | u | |
| | Ruby-crowned Kinglet | u | | u | |
| | Eastern Bluebird | e | | | |
| | American Robin | a | a | a | | b
| | Swainson’s Thrush | u | | u | | More common than G-c or Herm.
| | Gray-cheeked Thrush | u | | u | |
| | Hermit Thrush | u | | u | |
| | Gray Catbird | u | u | u | | b?
| | | | | | |
Species
Sp
S
F
W
Notes
| Brown Thrasher | c | c | c | | b
| | European Starling | e | | | e |
| | Bohemian Waxwing | | | r | |
| | Cedar Waxwing | | c | c | | b Earliest arrival 10 May 1998
| | Orange-crowned Warbler | c | | c | |
| | Tennessee Warbler | u/c | | u/c | |
| | Nashville Warbler | | | ca | | 5 October 1997
| | Yellow Warbler | a | a | a | | b
| | Chestnut-sided Warbler | e | | e | |
| | Magnolia Warbler | r | | | |
| | Cape May Warbler | e | | e | |
| | Yellow-rumped Warbler | a | | a | | Singing male 5 June 1994
| | Palm Warbler | r | | u | |
| | Blackpoll Warbler | u | | u | |
| | Black and White Warbler | r | | r | |
| | American Redstart | u | | u | |
| | Ovenbird | r | | r | |
| | Northern Waterthrush | r | | r | |
| | Connecticut Warbler | ca | | | | Heard 22 May 2000
| | Mourning Warbler | e | | | |
| | | | | | |
Species
Sp
S
F
W
Notes
| Common Yellowthroat | c | c | c | | b
| | Wilson’s Warbler | r | | u | |
| | Rose-breasted Grosbeak | r | e | r | | Singing male 29 July 2000
| | Spotted Towhee | e | | | |
| | American Tree Sparrow | u | | u | |
| | Clay-colored Sparrow | a | a | a | | b, summers in LeConte’s field
| | Chipping Sparrow | a | c | a | | b
| | LeConte’s Sparrow | c | c | c | | b, absent some years
| | Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow | | | ca | | 7 September 1996
| | Savannah Sparrow | | | u | |
| | Vesper Sparrow | | | u | |
| | Lark Sparrow | e | | | |
| | Harris’s Sparrow | c | | c | |
| | Golden-crowned Sparrow | acc | | | | 26-27 April 1998,) 24th confirmed record (unofficially) for Sask.
| | White-throated Sparrow | c | | c | |
| | White-crowned Sparrow | c | | c | |
| | Fox Sparrow | | | r | |
| | Song Sparrow | c | c | c | | b?
| | Lincoln’s Sparrow | c | e | c | | Seen 2x summer 1999 (Boreal Is.)
| | Swamp Sparrow |
|
| r | |
| | | | | | |
Species
Sp
S
F
W
Notes
| Dark-eyed Junco | c | | c | u |
| | Western Meadowlark | a | a | a | | b, 4-5 pairs, declining
| | Bobolink | u | r | u | | b? LeConte’s field only
| | Brown-headed Cowbird | c | c | | | b
| | Yellow-headed Blackbird | r | | r | |
| | Red-winged Blackbird | a | a | a | | b
| | Brewer’s Blackbird | u | u | | |
| | Rusty Blackbird | | | u | |
| | Common Grackle | a | a | a | | b
| | Baltimore Oriole | c | c | u | | b
| | Purple Finch | | | e | |
| | House Finch | c | c | c | | b? first seen 7 September 1996, common as of 2000
| | Red Crossbill | r | | r | |
| | White-winged Crossbill | r | | r | |
| | Common Redpoll | | | u | |
| | Pine Siskin | u | u | c | |
| | American Goldfinch | | c | c | | b?
| | House Sparrow | a | a | a | a | b less common since 2000
| | | | | | |
Updated February 19, 2006
Webmaster: David Halliwell
© Nature Regina, H. D. (Sandy) Ayer 2005, 2006