Bow Valley Winter Bird List

For the purposes of this list, the Bow Valley area is defined as almost all of the area that drains into the Bow River in the Canadian Rockies. This means:

Anything west of Hwy 1X/Seebe Dam and Hwy 40, to the BC border
Anything seen east of Highway 40, so long as the observer is on Hwy 40 or west of it
Highway 93 north to Bow Summit and south to the BC border

Examples of areas included: Bow Lake, Lake Louise, Lake Minnewanka, Spray Lake Reservoir, Kananaskis Lakes

Sightings of species not listed below, during the December through February time period, should be reported to the Facebook group Bow Valley Birding or the email list albertabird@groups.io

	Species	25-26	24-25	23-24	22-23	21-22	20-21	19-20	18-19
Ducks, Geese, and Swans	Canada Goose	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Trumpeter Swan	X	X	X		X	X	X	X
	Tundra Swan			X			X
	Gadwall	X
	American Wigeon	X	X	X	X
	Mallard	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Northern Pintail		X
	Green-winged Teal	X	X	X	X		X
	Redhead		X
	Ring-necked Duck						X
	White-winged Scoter					X
	Long-tailed Duck	X				X
	Bufflehead	X	X	X		X	X	X	X
	Common Goldeneye	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Barrow's Goldeneye	X			X	X	X	X
	Hooded Merganser	X	X		X		X
	Common Merganser	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Red-breasted Merganser					X	X
Grouse and Pheasants	Ruffed Grouse	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Dusky Grouse		X		X		X	X	X
	White-tailed Ptarmigan	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Spruce Grouse	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Pigeons and Doves	Rock Pigeon	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Eurasian Collared-Dove		X
Rails and Coots	Virginia Rail						X	X
	American Coot				X
Plovers	Killdeer	X	X	X				X	X
Sandpipers	Wilson's Snipe	X	X	X	X		X	X	X
Gulls	Glaucous Gull	X
Grebes	Horned Grebe						X
	Red-necked Grebe						X
	Western Grebe		X	X	X	X	X
Loons	Pacific Loon					X
	Common Loon	X				X
Bitterns, Egrets, Herons	Great Blue Heron				X
Hawks and Eagles	Golden Eagle						X
	Sharp-shinned Hawk				X				X
	American Goshawk	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Bald Eagle	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Rough-legged Hawk			X		X	X
Owls	Snowy Owl	X
	Great Horned Owl	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Northern Hawk Owl	X	X	X			X	X
	Northern Pygmy-Owl	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Barred Owl					X
	Great Grey Owl		X		X			X
	Long-eared Owl	X
	Boreal Owl		X	X			X		X
	Northern Saw-whet Owl					X	X		X
Kingfishers	Belted Kingfisher	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Woodpeckers	American Three-toed Woodpecker	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Black-backed Woodpecker	X		X	X	X	X	X	X
	Downy Woodpecker	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Hairy Woodpecker	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Pileated Woodpecker	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Northern Flicker	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Falcons	Merlin	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Gyrfalcon			X
Shrikes	Northern Shrike	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Corvids	Canada Jay	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Steller's Jay	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Blue Jay	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Black-billed Magpie	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Clark's Nutcracker	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	American Crow	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Common Raven	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Chickadees	Black-capped Chickadee	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Mountain Chickadee	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Boreal Chickadee	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Kinglets	Golden-crowned Kinglet	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Nuthatches	White-breasted Nuthatch	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Red-breasted Nuthatch	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Creepers and Wrens	Brown Creeper	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Pacific Wren	X							X
	Marsh Wren								X
Dippers	American Dipper	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Starlings	European Starling	X	X	X	X		X	X	X
Mockingbirds, Thrashers	Grey Catbird					X
Thrushes	Townsend's Solitaire	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Varied Thrush	X			X	X
	Hermit Thrush					X
	American Robin	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Waxwings	Bohemian Waxwing	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Old World Sparrows	House Sparrow	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Finches	Evening Grosbeak	X	X		X		X
	Pine Grosbeak	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Grey-crowned Rosy-Finch	X	X	X	X	X	X		X
	House Finch			X	X
	Redpoll	X	X
	Redpoll (Common)	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Redpoll (Hoary)					X			X
	Red Crossbill	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	White-winged Crossbill	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Pine Siskin	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	American Goldfinch	X			X
Longspurs, Snow Buntings	Snow Bunting	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
New World Sparrows	Clay-coloured Sparrow	X
	American Tree Sparrow			X	X		X		X
	Dark-eyed Junco	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	White-crowned Sparrow	X
	Harris's Sparrow	X							X
	White-throated Sparrow	X	X		X	X	X	X	X
	Song Sparrow	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
	Lincoln's Sparrow								X
	Spotted Towhee					X
Icterids	Red-winged Blackbird					X
	Rusty Blackbird	X	X	X		X	X	X	X
	Brewer's Blackbird			X
	Common Grackle		X				X
New World Warblers	Yellow-rumped Warbler			X

	Total	74	68	67	67	68	74	60	65

	Cumulative total	110
	Previous years average	67.0

Species

25-26

24-25

23-24

22-23

21-22

20-21

19-20

18-19

Ducks, Geese, and Swans

Canada Goose

Trumpeter Swan

Tundra Swan

Gadwall

American Wigeon

Mallard

Northern Pintail

Green-winged Teal

Redhead

Ring-necked Duck

White-winged Scoter

Long-tailed Duck

Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye

Barrow's Goldeneye

Hooded Merganser

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Grouse and Pheasants

Ruffed Grouse

Dusky Grouse

White-tailed Ptarmigan

Spruce Grouse

Pigeons and Doves

Rock Pigeon

Eurasian Collared-Dove

Rails and Coots

Virginia Rail

American Coot

Plovers

Killdeer

Sandpipers

Wilson's Snipe

Gulls

Glaucous Gull

Grebes

Horned Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Western Grebe

Loons

Pacific Loon

Common Loon

Bitterns, Egrets, Herons

Great Blue Heron

Hawks and Eagles

Golden Eagle

Sharp-shinned Hawk

American Goshawk

Bald Eagle

Rough-legged Hawk

Owls

Snowy Owl

Great Horned Owl

Northern Hawk Owl

Northern Pygmy-Owl

Barred Owl

Great Grey Owl

Long-eared Owl

Boreal Owl

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Kingfishers

Belted Kingfisher

Woodpeckers

American Three-toed Woodpecker

Black-backed Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Falcons

Merlin

Gyrfalcon

Shrikes

Northern Shrike

Corvids

Canada Jay

Steller's Jay

Blue Jay

Black-billed Magpie

Clark's Nutcracker

American Crow

Common Raven

Chickadees

Black-capped Chickadee

Mountain Chickadee

Boreal Chickadee

Kinglets

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Nuthatches

White-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Creepers and Wrens

Brown Creeper

Pacific Wren

Marsh Wren

Dippers

American Dipper

Starlings

European Starling

Mockingbirds, Thrashers

Grey Catbird

Thrushes

Townsend's Solitaire

Varied Thrush

Hermit Thrush

American Robin

Waxwings

Bohemian Waxwing

Old World Sparrows

House Sparrow

Finches

Evening Grosbeak

Pine Grosbeak

Grey-crowned Rosy-Finch

House Finch

Redpoll

Redpoll (Common)

Redpoll (Hoary)

Red Crossbill

White-winged Crossbill

Pine Siskin

American Goldfinch

Longspurs, Snow Buntings

Snow Bunting

New World Sparrows

Clay-coloured Sparrow

American Tree Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

White-crowned Sparrow

Harris's Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow

Spotted Towhee

Icterids

Red-winged Blackbird

Rusty Blackbird

Brewer's Blackbird

Common Grackle

New World Warblers

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Total

Cumulative total

110

Previous years average

67.0

Bow Valley Winter Bird List

Last updated 2026-01-21
Alberta Edmonton Calgary

Area Map

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Bow Valley Winter Bird List

Last updated 2026-01-21Alberta Edmonton Calgary

Area Map

More stats

Download

Last updated 2026-01-21
Alberta Edmonton Calgary