A beautiful Sunday morning brought 16 birders to Victoria Park in Souris to look for migrating spring warblers. The Warbler Walk, organized by the Westman Naturalists, was a great success with a total of 48 bird species spotted including 11 species of warblers.But the big surprise of the day was the appearance of a Red-bellied Woodpecker. This large colorful woodpecker is an accidental visitor to Manitoba, so it’s rarely seen. It has been spotted in Brandon a few times over past years, but this is the first report of this bird for Souris. And it was a “lifer” for many of the birders on the Warbler Walk (a “lifer’ is a bird that you see for the first time in your lifetime).If you live in Souris, you might see the Red-bellied Woodpecker in your yard as it likes to visit bird feeders. The Westman Naturalists would like to thank the Town of Souris for accommodating our parking needs for the Warbler Walk.Westman Naturalists are thinking of. a bird walk in Virden for local birders with a walk along Scallion Creek. If you are interested in learning more about the Westman Naturalists and their upcoming activities, please check them out at https://westman-naturalists.github.io/
