Medicine Hat Birding

A quiet place to bird watch.

Ian Langill works in Medicine Hat where there is unkept nature. It’s not groomed. It’s not maintained. It sits in a more natural state, which helps him and many others connect with the outdoors, and all other life living in it.

Police Point Park is where many gather to stroll the paved-trails and learn about the flora and wildlife in the area. Specifically, many birds have chosen the park and Medicine Hat as their habitat or stopping point. With a consistent large number of birds choosing Medicine Hat as their home from spring to spring, ranging from 120 to 140, bird watching or “birding” has become a way for many to slow down in a rushed society.

“It’s such a calming experience,” says Langill, who’s worked with Police Point Park for just over two years. “So many people will do their normal stroll, but with binoculars and cameras. Birding allows you to stop, listen, and take the time to look at everything around you. You become a little closer to nature.”

More comes into focus, growing flowers, dancing branches and leaves, and flying birds from tree to tree. And an urge to endlessly learn inspires a larger understanding of the wildlife and environments surrounding us. Medicine Hat is home to a range of ecosystems, many we don’t usually find in Alberta. A semi-desert climate, with a mix of grassland and prairie ecosystems, and a river valley, a lot of birds have lived in these areas for a long time.

Medicine Hat is also part of a migratory corridor, where birds stop for one or two days, or a whole month, and then continue to fly north.

“We’re in a great spot. Medicine Hat has many natural chokecherry areas. We saw a record number of robins stay this year than in previous years,” says Langill, who’s been birding for over 10 years. “Even 45 minutes from here is Elkwater in Cypress Hills, where there are different ecosystems and a whole bunch of birds can be seen there, too.”

In Southeast Alberta, there are 347 different bird species. Some are rare and some are common, but to have the possibility of seeing a certain species while underneath the sunshine is worthwhile to hold in one hand, while binoculars are in the other.

Recently moving to Medicine Hat, Langill loves to see the sagebrush, pronghorns, and the variety of different wildlife and nature in the area.

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“The grasslands are so diverse. My joy is exploring and finding out what everything is. That’s how I got into birding. I like to walk around in nature and hear the sounds, and you become more observant the more curious you are. Everything starts to become more connected,” he says. “There’s always something to be learned, and birding has become a big thing in my life that I do.”

Kin Coulee Park is another spot for prime birding. For those looking to learn with a group, who are newly interested or avid birders, Police Point Park hosts free bird walks. And for those who are curious and have questions, the Nature Centre at Police Point Park is a wonderful resource for information. Specifically for bird counts, the Nature Centre participates in the Spring Bird Count and Christmas Bird Count.

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