Perch Supply
Alberta · 52.38°N

Birds of Blackfalds

What has actually been seen around Blackfalds: 226 species, the most recorded backyard birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record
226 within 6 mi
Observation records
44,112 since 2010
Most recorded bird
Black-capped Chickadee
Busiest month
May
Elevation
2,874 ft
Daylight, June / December
16.8 h / 7.7 h

What the records say about Blackfalds

226 bird species have been recorded within 6 mi of the centre of Blackfalds (Alberta) since 2010, across 44,112 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker and Canada Goose.

Blackfalds is backyard-bird country: 68% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and yard trees. Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Black-billed Magpie and White-breasted Nuthatch make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

19 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Bald Eagle, Osprey and Red-tailed Hawk.

Records peak in May and are lowest in January — about 4.2 times as many in the busiest month. Part of that is birds (migrants and breeding arrivals), part is people: more birders are out in good weather, so treat the curve as activity, not a census.

Lacombe, 6 mi to the north, has fewer species on record (199 against 226). Birds logged far more often around Blackfalds than there include Common Merganser, Osprey, Double-crested Cormorant and White-winged Crossbill.

At about 2,874 ft above sea level, Blackfalds sits higher than most places in Alberta. Spring arrives a little later with height, and feeders matter more in cold snaps — keep a supply of high-fat food going through late winter and early spring.

Daylight runs from 16 h 49 min at midsummer to 7 h 41 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:39 AM in mid-April and 5:12 AM in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Blackfalds

#BirdRecords
1Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus2,358
2Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens1,709
3Canada GooseBranta canadensis1,667
4MallardAnas platyrhynchos1,663
5Black-billed MagpiePica hudsonia1,488
6White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis1,457
7American RobinTurdus migratorius1,285
8Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula1,253
9Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis1,183
10Common RavenCorvus corax1,162
11Boreal ChickadeePoecile hudsonicus1,125
12American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos1,120
13Blue JayCyanocitta cristata1,074
14White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis785
15Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum780
16Song SparrowMelospiza melodia773
17Common MerganserMergus merganser732
18Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus728
19Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus694
20Yellow WarblerSetophaga petechia663

Records by month

What to put out in Blackfalds

Foods for the most recorded backyard birds here, from our species notes.

Seasonal bird notes for Alberta

What's arriving, what to feed and when to clean feeders, written for Canadian backyards. One email a month at most.

Nearby places

Frequently asked

What birds visit backyards in Blackfalds?

The most recorded backyard birds within 6 mi of Blackfalds are Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Black-billed Magpie, White-breasted Nuthatch and American Robin, based on 44,112 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Blackfalds?

226 species have at least one record within 6 mi of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).

When is the best month for birds in Blackfalds?

Observation records peak in May and are lowest in January. Sunrise in late June is around 5:12 AM.

Sources

  1. GBIF occurrence search (birds, class Aves, 2010 onward)
  2. GeoNames gazetteer (place, population, elevation)

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.