Coulees Cottonwoods - City of Lethbridge

Birds
Over 230 species of birds have been recorded in the city limits. Although the
greatest diversity can be found in the river valley, older residential parts of the city
can also harbour some interesting bird species.
Coulees
Spring bird song fills the coulee grasslands in May and June. Western
meadowlarks, Sprague’s pipits, vesper sparrows, and lark sparrows nest in these
areas. Lazuli buntings, although not common, nest in isolated areas in southern
Alberta and can be found in the arid coulee bottoms or east-slope meadows
around thick shrubs and bushes. Brown thrashers and spotted towhees nest in the
shrub thickets found in coulee bottoms.
Bluebird trails, made up of nest boxes, have been established in the coulees
within Cottonwood Park. The nest boxes are used by both mountain
bluebirds and tree swallows.
High Level Bridge
Visitors to Lethbridge are often surprised to notice a noisy pair of ravens that
have chosen to nest on the girders of the bridge every year since 1989. These
early nesters begin nest building in late February and early March, taking nearly a
month to complete construction. Other birds that have been recorded nesting on
the bridge include Canada geese, red-tailed hawks, great horned owls, and rock
pigeons.
River
Throughout the winter, much of the Oldman River is frozen, but parts of it remain
open below the weir in Botterill Bottom Park and below the waste water treatment
plant in Peenaquim Park and Alexander Wilderness Park. The open water attracts
thousands of Canada geese, mallards, and common goldeneyes. The high
numbers of waterfowl in turn attract hunting bald eagles, which migrate to the
Lethbridge area for the winter.
In the spring and summer, large bank swallow colonies and nesting belted
kingfishers can be found along the river banks. Look for American white pelicans
fishing in the river around the weir in spring and summer, as well as at Alexander
Wilderness Park. Common nighthawks can be found flying over the river at dusk
during summer months at Cottonwood Park.
Bird tidbit: A ‘twitcher’ is a bird watcher who travels great lengths to collect
sightings of rare birds.
16