Back in 2019 while on a return trip from Cross Iron Mills Outlet Mall, traveling on Secondary Road 564, what looked like a slough, caught our attention. Turning left, we headed into what was the Rocky view Campus, where county vehicles and administration are located. As a part of the design, an beautiful Enhanced Wetland was created. Complete with a few benches, paved walking trail and rapidly growing trees, planted along the trail, the site is a fine habitat for a variety of birds. To the north of the campus border, lies “Rocky Pond”, a noted birding hotspot. With all of the rain last summer and this spring, a “bonus” slough fills an area to the west, holding numerous wildfowl species.
Since August of 2019 we've made 17 trips to the ponds and sloughs. Most of the time, we are alone. At lunch time, county employees come out to enjoy a walk around the ponds. Traffic is infrequent so the quiet of nature can be enjoyed. In addition to the main ponds additional smaller ones can be found on site. As a seasonal site, the spring is normally the best as well as the return of birds during their southerly migration. The Enhanced Wetland area provides hiding spots for nests and young. Large numbers of Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds enjoy the protection of the large bulrush stands. Sora Rails emit their most unusual calls and often remain unseen. Ruddy Ducks and Coots, move stealthily along the reeds, escorting their hatchlings.
The small slough to the west is home for eared grebe nests and ideal territory for shorebirds, such as Spotted Sandpipers, Marbled Godwits, American Avocets, Black-necked Stilts, dowitchers, various sandpipers species and Killdeer. Cinnamon and Blue-winged Teals join the Gadwalls, Scaups and Mallards in a leisurely float well away from any dangers.
Rocky Pond is a much larger body of water, with a small inflow in its southeast corner. This corner attracts shorebirds as the soft soils and clay make for excellent foraging. It's important to have a spotting scope or binoculars handing to scan the expanse. It's not uncommon for smaller sandpipers to fly in large flocks, much like starling murmurations, over the water. Far shorelines can be more closely explored with a little technology.
Smaller birds are harder to come by as most of the area is void of trees for perching birds. Savannah Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows and Tree Swallows do live in the area. The single warbler we noted was a Northern Yellow Warbler, a common summer warbler for the Calgary region.
If you are looking for a quiet setting, with the Rockies to the west as a backdrop, the Rocky view Campus provides the bird watcher with a new experience
.
