Calgary birders and photographers have been flocking to the Inglewood Chicken Sanctuary in latest weeks, hoping to catch a glimpse and perhaps a photograph of the uncommon and endangered red-headed woodpecker.
Native photographer Rika Raes says she’s by no means seen a red-headed woodpecker earlier than, though she’s taken loads of pictures of different birds on the sanctuary.
“Its simply very uncommon, its very thrilling,” says Raes, who snapped fairly a couple of pictures of the chook final week. “I took about 2,000 footage in about three hours so it takes me a very long time to undergo it.”
Birders and photographers could possibly be seen strolling the paths of the sanctuary on Monday afternoon, together with photographer Carla Stringari Pudler, who was additionally hoping to snap a photograph of the elusive chook.
“They are saying in the event you see a chook and also you’re capable of seize an excellent picture … you win the lottery,” says Stingari Pudler. “That’s the chook that everyone’s coming right here to see if they’ve an opportunity to seize and even simply see.”
In a press release to International Information, the town of Calgary says “the uncommon woodpecker was first sighted on the Inglewood Chicken Sanctuary a few weeks in the past. Nevertheless, Metropolis employees have heard from park guests that they haven’t been capable of efficiently discover the chook on the sanctuary immediately (Monday).”
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What’s it about this chook and the hype that has photographers itching to snap a photograph?
Jody Allair with Birds Canada says its as a result of the red-headed woodpecker is a uncommon “jaw-dropping attractive chook” usually present in Ontario, southern Quebec, Manitoba and northern components of the USA with solely about one or two recorded in Alberta yearly.
“That is in all probability a chook that in all probability has originated from the U.S., the Midwest U.S., and it’s simply pushing north to see if you could find new appropriate habitat,” says Allair.
Birds Canada estimates that there to round 6,000 of the red-headed woodpecker dwelling in Canada, in keeping with its most up-to-date rely.
Whereas it’s listed as endangered on the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA), Allair says the inhabitants has been on the rebound in Western Canada over the previous decade after a pointy decline within the Seventies.
“It’s extra a sign of this increasing inhabitants that we’re seeing in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and down additional into the Midwest U.S.,” says Allair.
“There’s nonetheless theories about why that inhabitants is doing effectively in the meanwhile and the hope is that it’s not a blip and that, you understand, it’ll proceed to develop like this.”
He additionally says that there’s been a little bit of red-headed woodpecker habitat restoration in a number of the conventional vary within the Midwest U.S.
“I believe that’s in all probability resulting in what we’re seeing now with these type of people searching for, going past their regular vary and appearing as outliers,” says Allair.
Allair says likelihood is slim that this lone woodpecker will nest on the Inglewood Chicken Sanctuary, however provides that the sanctuary meets “their conventional habitat wants” that may be present in southern Manitoba.
Town says whereas a “go to from a chook we don’t usually see in Calgary may be very thrilling,” it recommends that guests take steps in lowering stress on all wildlife, together with uncommon birds which incorporates conserving a distance from the chook, collect in small teams, and communicate in low tones in the event that they’re close to the chook.
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