Right OutsideUpdated Aug 16 · Calgary
← Everything happening this week
Sandpipers & plovers
Peaking · Birds

Fall migration is already happening

Peak weeks nowtapering through September

Migration doesn't wait for fall. Sandpipers and plovers that nested on Arctic tundra are streaming south right now, pausing on muddy lake edges east of the city. The adults came through in July. This month it's mostly juveniles, making the trip for the first time and navigating entirely on their own. Some are bound for South America.

Small, busy birds working the waterline; binoculars help but aren't required
Any time; evening light is kindest
Frank Lake (High River), Weed Lake (Langdon), Glenmore Reservoir when levels are low
SourcesGBIF occurrence records within 200 km of Calgary, license-filtered (CC0/CC BY) and effort-normalized, Aug 2026
Photo: USFWS Alaska · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons
Spotted an error? Report a correction