Although smoky on the morning of August 8th, the birding itch just had to be scratched. Elaine donned her camo outfit. I dressed in tasteful shades of green. For a moment, we couldn't find each other when standing in front of the trees in the yard. Rusty Red, complete with inflated tires and just enough gasoline to become airborn, we headed north to Rocky Pond, located just east 3 miles of Crossiron Mills Mall. It's quiet on a Saturday and with no traffic, save Rusty's squeaks, the southeast corner of Rocky Pond had opportunities for the itching birder. With intense heat enveloping the Calgary area the past five weeks, the now lower level of the pond provided some silty shoreline for shorebirds that would surely satisfy the need for satiation.
Scattered in notable numbers, numerous duck species and geese became immediately aware of our presence and without hesitation, fled to the west end of the pond several hundred yards distant. I recalled that I hadn't brushed my teeth or used a breath freshener. Is there a connection? After sitting on the short, dry grass with Canons in hand, we had a fine vantage point, overlooking open shoreline, clumps of reeds and tall grass, and the location of a slow inflow of water trickling through a culvert.
As the moments passed, a variety of shorebird species settled slowly into a morning routine of foraging for sumptuous delicacies hidden in the ooze. Pectoral sandpipers, Baird's sandpipers, American Avocets, Black-necked Stilts, Killdeer, a Willet, Lesser Yellowlegs, Semi-palmated sandpipers, a Franklin's Gull and a lone Long-billed Dowitcher were concentrated in this small area, each diligently sticking bills of varying lengths into the depths of silt, only recently revealed. With Canons a-clicking, we were enjoying the potpourri of feathered friends, seemingly a community at peace.
And then it happened! Black-necked Stilts we've discovered over the years, seem to be the species living on the edge of crankiness. An avocet had landed onto the minute mud-island. One of the three stilts took offense, leapt into the air and with a single wing beat, charged the avocet. Startled, the avocet hurried off, heading west as quickly as it could. The aggressive stilt then turned its attention to a second stilt. Agitated squawks and downright noise filled the air. A pair of Lesser Yellowlegs, another long-legged species short on patience, added their sounds of alarm as they jumped into the air. The sandpipers, intent on breakfast, simply shuffled their respective positions and resumed the search for food. With the disturbance reaching a bit of a crescendo, the dowitcher and yellowlegs fled the scene, looking for a quieter shoreline refuge.
A moment later, silence, foraging and “world peace” returned. Each shorebird, self-interested, continued its habitual routine. Elaine and I had been treated to a feathered flurry of aggravated avians for a few quick moments. It reminded me of days past, when a schoolyard scuffle started and ended just as quickly, with tranquility in the yard or pond returning in a wink of time. The brawl ended. Birds were birds. We were birders. It was a quiet Saturday morning.