Welcome to Prairie Birder — birding from the Alberta prairies
Prairie Birder
Wide prairie landscape with tall grasses and a distant slough under a big open sky, muted golds and soft blues
// Welcome

A personal birding blog by Charlotte, documenting sightings across the Alberta prairies — from annual species lists to conservation updates and resources for young birders.

Posts

How to build a simple owl box for your farmBarn owls and southern boobooks have hunted rodents across Australian paddocks for centuries, yet many growers rely on baits and traps. A well-placed nesting…
When to visit Riding Mountain National Park for birdsFor a birder planning a Canadian prairie trip from halfway across the Pacific, Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba reads like an invitation. It sits on a…
My Photo Essay: A Prairie Falcon HuntThe first sign of the prairie falcon was not the bird itself. It was a brief scatter of meadowlarks above the pasture, their flight suddenly loose and urgent.…
Sorting Crows and Ravens in Australian SkiesAustralia hosts five native corvids, and most of them carry the word "raven" in their name even though their behaviour and lineage lean closer to true crows.…
The Gray Partridge: An Introduced Prairie ResidentThe Gray Partridge is one of the prairie’s quiet success stories. Introduced from Europe, this compact game bird has established itself across parts of…
Shorebird spotting at Chaplin Lake, a hemispheric staging groundTucked into the rolling cropland of south-central Saskatchewan, Chaplin Lake is one of the largest and most important inland shorebird staging areas in the…
Sage Grouse in Saskatchewan: A Field Guide for the Prairie BirderThe Greater Sage Grouse ranks among North America's most extraordinary birds, a heavyweight grouse that gathers on traditional strutting grounds each spring.…
How to Walk Gently Around Ground-Nesting BirdsGround-nesting birds rely on camouflage, stillness, and a quiet stretch of habitat where predators do not notice them. From the saltpans outside Adelaide to…
The Quiet Power of a Simple Field NotebookEvery weekend in Australia, thousands of birders fill the thermos and head out. From the Daintree to the mallee around Gluepot, the kit list runs the same:…
Birding the Peace River Country: A Remote AdventureThe Peace River Country stretches across north-western Alberta and into north-eastern British Columbia, a vast landscape of muskeg, river valleys, aspen groves…

// Latest Posts

Small bird perched on a bare branch against a pale sky

Birding News #95 — Holiday Edition

December 2014
Close-up of a bird nest atop a bare tree against blue sky

Great Canadian Birdathon 2016 Results

May 2016
Two storks standing on a twig nest on a wooden platform under grey sky

Tofield Snow Goose Chase

April 2016
Dried sunflower head on a stalk in snow beneath evergreen branches

Giveaway Winner — Best Places to Bird in the Prairies

April 2018
View all posts →

Alberta Bird Lists →

Annual species lists from 2011 through 2018, tracking every bird spotted across the province.

Bird Conservation →

Citizen science projects, the Great Canadian Birdathon, and the WildResearch Alberta Nightjar Survey.

Birding Events →

Coverage of the Tofield Snow Goose Chase, Young Naturalists' Corner, and community gatherings.

Young Birder Resources →

Christmas Bird Count guides, CBC4Kids materials, and resources for new birders of all ages.

Explore the site

Whether you're looking for detailed Alberta species records, tips on bird identification, or news from the birding community, there's something here for every prairie bird enthusiast.

The Alberta Birds section archives year-by-year species counts — from 131 species in 2011 to a high of 175 in 2015. The Conservation category covers volunteer surveys and citizen science opportunities. Events highlights community involvement, and the Resources section is built especially for young birders getting started.

Check out the Birding News series for curated links and stories, or browse book reviews covering field guides and prairie birding literature from publishers like Greystone Books.