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| Birds of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba - Full Synopsis |
Tempting as it is for outsiders to refer to Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as the Prairie Provinces and conjur up visions of featureless plains of wheat or frozen expanses of drifting snow, these three provinces cover as much diversity of habitats as any major geographical division of Canada. The main barriers that restrict human activities within and to the southern half or one third of these provinces also play a major role in the distribution of birds.
The great upward thrust of the Rocky Mountains restricts westward movement and directs bird migration and dispersal in a northsouth direction. The variability of habitats from the tundra dwelling White-tailed Ptarmigan to the cone eating Red Crossbills.
The second division, the Great Plains proper, extends from the Texas Gulf Coast to the mouth of the Mackenzie River, and certainly constitutes the major feature of the provinces. Biologically the plains are broken up into three major regions. The Prairies in the south are characterized by the harshest climate and the best soil. Rainfall is low and unreliable and it is little wonder that the bird life is primarily associated with pothole lakes and sloughs. Muddy, and rich in insects, aquatic plants, molluscs, crustaceans, and amphibians, the ponds support innumerable ducks, loons, grebes, herons, terns, swans and geese. Wascana Bird Sanctuary, 360 acres of manmade marshes close to Regina City, is one of the most renowned sanctuaries in North America and it supports many millions of birds. To the farmer the area is the 'Bread-basket of the World'; to the birder the lush potholes are the 'Duck Factory of North America', and produce over fifty percent of the waterfowl. A few yards away Sage Grouse or Lark Bunting move among the dessicated stubble.
The northern barrier to man and bird is climate. The Transition or Parkland Zone, where prairies and Boreal Forest intermix, follows approximately the July 60 degree isotherm. In or near this aesthetically more appealing diversity of habitats most of the major cities are situated. High-gliding hawks circle in time to the meadowlarks' song over the patchwork of forest and field. Further northward on the plains, the Boreal Forest of spruce and aspen extends hundreds of miles, until the stunted trees give way to the tundra. The forest birds: the Great Gray Owl, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cape May Warbler, Pine Grosbeak, all of which breed around the deeper lakes which support the diving ducks: the Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Surf Scoter, and Common Merganser.
The Canadian Shield, the third major geographical region of the provinces, is also largely occupied by the Boreal Forest in the south and the Tundra in the north. The proximity of the great body of water, Hudson Bay, further diversifies the bird list with a combination of true sea birds and arctic birds. |
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