Search Results for: birds and beers

Birds and Beers: A Social Get-together for Birders

Jan22

Birds and Beers, Tuesday January 27, 2015, 6:00 pm.

Royal Canadian Legion, 9202 Horton Road SW Calgary.

Whenever birders get together, they love to talk about birding – what’s being seen locally, where to find good birds, and everything that’s happening in the world of birding. Often these discussions are brief chats before and after meetings, field trips, and bird counts. A few years ago Sharon Stiteler of the Birdchick blog came up with the brilliant idea of arranging informal get-togethers for birders to just meet face-to-face and discuss anything they want. These “Birds and Beers” events are now very popular and have been held in many states and provinces.

We here at the blog have done three previous Birds and Beers events, and they were all well-received and a lot of fun. This is something we plan to continue, and we will hold several of them during 2015 in conjunction with the eBird Calgary 2015 Birding Competition.

Next Tuesday, January 27, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm (or perhaps until closing if it goes really well), we will have our first Birds and Beers of 2015 at the Royal Canadian Legion #285, 9202 Horton Road S.W. Calgary. Food and drinks are available. We will be inviting all the eBird competition participants and I’m sure some of us will be discussing the competition and eBird, but anyone with an interest in birding in the area is welcome to come, and you can talk about anything birding-related. It is very informal. Unfortunately this is an adults-only venue in the evenings, but we plan to have some child-friendly get-togethers this year too.

For a map to the location and more information, see the Birds and Beers Calgary meetup page on Facebook. There is no need to register or let us know you plan to attend; just come at any time after 6:00 pm and join us.

IMPORTANT – upon arrival, mention to the staff that you are there for Birds and Beers, and they will direct you to the room.

See you there!

Birds and Beers reminder – August 28

Aug26

Posted by Dan Arndt

Just a reminder to all those interested that the next instalment of Birds and Beers is this coming Tuesday, August 28, at Pat Bumstead’s. Her back yard is host to, as counted at the June B&B, Mourning Doves, House Finches, American Robins, and a number of other birds flitting in and out to the feeders while we engaged in some lengthy conversations and a few drinks. To RSVP, email us at birdscalgary@gmail.com for directions!

Hope to see you folks out there!

 

Calgary Birds and Beers #3 – August 28, 2012

Jul29

Posted by Dan Arndt

Once again, it’s time for our eager birders to assemble, share stories, share a few drinks, and bask in each other’s company and the glory of all our accomplishments of this all-too-short summer. Pat Bumstead has once again volunteered her yard as the venue for this upcoming Birds and Beers event, scheduled for August 28, at 6:30 PM.

If you are planning to attend and need directions or any more information, send us an email at birdscalgary@gmail.com

Hope to see many of you out there!

Birds and Beers Reminder and Update

Jun25

Just a reminder to RSVP if you’re planning to attend Birds and Beers this coming Thursday night!

A few clarifications for those of you who will be attending:

1) This event is strictly BYOB. From what I understand, some snacks will be provided by our gracious host, but drinks and any other food you might require will be on you!

2) This is also an all-ages event. Since we’re at a private location, anyone is welcome to come, bring their children, and just have a nice relaxing evening with like minded birders.

 

See you on Thursday!

Birds and Beers – June 28!

Jun16

After we had a wonderful turnout at our last Birds and Beers event at the Joyce on Fourth Irish Pub, a few suggestions for the next venue were put forward, and ultimately we decided on the back yard of one of our own bloggers here.

Pat’s yard list is incredibly extensive, and she’s written about it for Birding is Fun! over here. She’s also opened up her yard for us to host the next event, scheduled for June 28th. You can find the event on Facebook to RSVP, or just leave a comment here so Pat can email you the address and directions to her place!

Let’s hope the weather cooperates, and I am definitely looking forward to this being another great evening!

Birds and Beers (or, getting to know your fellow birders)

May2

Posted by Dan Arndt

As a relatively new “serious” birder, I have a confession to make. Until about a year ago, I couldn’t tell you the difference between a Gadwall and a Northern Shoveler, a Bohemian Waxwing and a Cedar Waxwing, or in most cases, a Red-tailed Hawk and a Swainson’s Hawk. A lot of my job entails a lot of detail oriented work, that can be relatively monotonous, and I found that listening to something helped while away the time. I stumbled across Sharon Stiteler’s Birdchick podcast, and immediately knew that I’d found something great.

It’s not for everyone, and can sometimes get a little “blue”, but I find that it covers a lot of great birding news and information in North America, and it’s incredibly funny too. One of the things that Sharon has been great at promoting is the idea that birders really should just get to know each other better. Whether it be just to chat, share stories and experiences, or just as importantly, to be approachable not only to each other, but to folks who are completely inexperienced and who want to become more “serious” birders.

One of the greatest ideas for this is her “Birds and Beers” meetups, which are held semi-regularly, and generally well attended. I’m involved in a similar sort of meetup here in Calgary, with another group that I am involved with, the Calgary Skeptics, and we’ve run these events solidly for the past three years with good success and good turnout.

I agree with Sharon. Birders, especially those with a ton of experience, can be a little intimidating to talk to. Gulls, flycatchers, warblers, shorebirds, and many, many other groups can be very hard to identify properly, and no one wants to say “Hey, look at that Tennessee Warbler!” when you’re not entirely sure if it’s a Tennessee, a Nashville, an Orange-crowned, or even just a female Wilson’s Warbler. That goes doubly so when you’ve got incredibly experienced birders around who, one might expect, would be quick to chastise you for making an incorrect ID. What I’ve learned though, is that EVERYONE misidentifies birds. Even the most experienced and revered birders in the Calgary community have made mistakes, and will continue to make mistakes in the future. It’s really one of the only ways to get better!

But don’t take it from me. Come out to Calgary’s inaugural Birds and Beers on Thursday, May 10, 2012. We’ll be meeting at the Joyce on Fourth Irish Pub at 7:00 PM, and I definitely hope to see you and many others in Calgary’s birding community out there!

Birdsong Talk, and Discussion – Birds & Beers

Oct24

Join us this Friday, October 30, for our monthly Calgary Birds & Beers social get-together. This month, in addition to our usual informal chatting about anything we want to discuss (mostly bird-related of course), we will be treated to a short talk about Birdsong by Gus Yaki. This will be followed by a question-and-answer and discussion of the topic. The talk will begin at about 7:30 pm, after everyone has had a chance to visit and have something to eat and drink. It’s fine to arrive late if you can’t make it at 6:00. Everyone is welcome, including children if accompanied by an adult.

IMG_4775

A local songbird.

Birds & Beers is an informal social gathering in which you can meet other birders and talk about birding. If you wish, you can have a drink or a meal as well. Prices at the Legion are very reasonable and the food is excellent.

This month’s event will be held at our usual location:

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch #285

9202 Horton Road SW

Friday October 30, 6:00-9:00 pm

This is one block west of Macleod Trail, between Heritage Drive and Southland Drive. See the Event’s Facebook page for a map and more information.

We will be meeting in a private room in the back  of the building. When you arrive at the front lobby, the door will be locked so you will have to buzz and wait for someone to let you in. Then proceed to the back, past the food counter. There will be signs with directions.

If you haven’t attended a Birds & Beers meeting before, or have attended only once or twice, come out and hear Gus’s talk and join the discussion! We plan to have a talk each month, so if you have a topic you’d like to speak about at a future Birds & Beers, let us know.

If you are planning to attend and need directions or any more information, send us an email at birdscalgary@gmail.com.

Bob Lefebvre

 

Birds & Beers, Thursday October 24, 2024

Oct20

With a presentation by Myrna Pearman.

Birds & Beers resumes on Thursday evening at the Horton Road Legion in Calgary (9202 Horton Road SW). The meeting starts at 5 pm in the big ballroom. At about 7 pm there will be a presentation by Myrna Pearman.

Mountain Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird, photographed by Dan Arndt.

Myrna is a very well-know naturalist who lives in Sylvan Lake in central Alberta. She was a Biologist and Site Services Manager at the Ellis Bird Farm (now Ellis Nature Centre) from 1987-2020. The Centre has done pioneering work in the conservation of Mountain Bluebirds and other secondary cavity-nesters. Thanks to Myrna’s leadership, it is now a world-renowned conservation, education and research centre. Myrna has written several books and many articles. See her website for more information.

Everyone is welcome to attend Birds & Beers. The Legion has food and drinks available for reasonable prices, so you can come early if you want to eat, or just want to spend more time socializing. Come any time before 7 pm to attend the presentation.

Upcoming Birds & Beers Meetings:

Thursday November 28: John Gapp will present on Trees in Fish Creek Provincial Park.

After the December break, we resume with meetings from January through June. All are on Thursday evenings.

January 9th
February 13th
March 13th
April 10th
May 22nd
June 12th

Birds & Beers, Thursday September 12, 2024

Sep5

With a presentation on Birding in Northern Tanzania and the Serengeti, by Gordon Sick.

Grey Crowned-Crane
Grey Crowned-Crane, photographed at night by Gordon Sick.

Our monthly Birds & Beers meetings resume next Thursday, September 12. All meetings take place in the big ballroom at the Horton Road Legion, 9202 Horton Road SW. Everyone is welcome to attend these free meetings (we have to collect a small fee for the room, but this amounts to less than a dollar per person and it is optional to contribute). The Legion has food and drinks available for reasonable prices, so you can come early, anytime after 5 pm, if you want to eat or just to spend more time socializing. It is a completely informal social gathering for birders.

We will have a presentation at each meeting on a birding or nature topic. These begin just after 7 pm, so it is fine to arrive at 7 if you can’t make it earlier. This month, Gordon Sick will present on birding in northern Tanzania and the Serengeti.

Here is Gordon’s summary of the talk:

In February, 2024, a group of us took a 12 day Safari in Northern Tanzania. The group included two photographers, whose pictures we will present. We had two 4×4 safari vehicles, each with an African guide who was knowledgeable about birds (most African guides aren’t), and a Canadian naturalist, who was also knowledgeable about birds. We photographed 186 bird species, and 37 mammal species. People who go to this area to see the famous mammals have a lot of quiet time when they see nothing, so looking for birds makes the safari much more interesting. The trip started at the town of Arusha and proceeded to Arusha National Park, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge, and finally using the Ndutu Lodge as a base to visit Serengeti National Park.

Saddle-billed Stork
Saddle-billed Stork (female). Photo by Gordon Sick.

Please join us for another fun and informative year of Birds & Beers!

Upcoming Meetings:

Thursday October 24: A presentation by Myrna Pearman.

Thursday November 28: John Gapp will present on Trees in Fish Creek Provincial Park.

After the December break, we resume with meetings from January through June. The dates have not yet been set.

Birds & Beers, June 13th, 2024.

Jun9

With a presentation on a trip to Belize and Guatemala, by Bob and Diane Leonhardt.

Limpkin
Limpkin. Photo by Bob Leonhardt.

The final Birds & Beers of the 2023-2024 season is this coming Thursday, June 13th. As usual, we meet from 5 to 9 pm in the big ballroom at the Legion, 9202 Horton Road SW. We will feature a presentation by Diane and Bob Leonhard about their recent trip to Central Amercia.

Here is the presentation description:

Between January 28 and February 7, 2024, we spent ten days with Eagle Eye Tours in Belize and
Tikal National Park, Guatemala. During this time we saw approximately 270 species of birds,
including 75 lifers. After starting in Belize City, our first few days were spent at The Jungle
Lodge in Tikal where we encountered some incredible birds, such as the Ocellated Turkey, Boat-
billed Herons, several wood-creepers, the rare Orange-breasted Falcon, the spectacular Agami
Heron and numerous others. We then returned to Belize, where we spent three nights at the
Jade Jungle Lodge in the hills of western Belize. Here the highlights included the fabulous food
and an incredible look at a spectacular Spectacled Owl. In the Mountain Pine Ridge area we got
a good look at the huge King Vulture and excellent views of a very co-operative Rusty Sparrow.
Our final few days were spent at Birds Eye View Lodge in the Crooked Tree area north of Belize
City. Here we got great looks at many new birds including, Yellow-lored Parrots, Yucatan Jays,
Yellow-headed Parrots, Aplomado Falcons, Black-collared Hawks, Snail Kites and many more. A
real treat was the excellent look at the scarce and secretive Yellow-breasted Crake. It was a
wonderful tour with two excellent guides and a nice group of participants.

This presentation, with many photos of the birds, will begin at about 7 pm. Come early if you want to visit or have a meal and a drink. Everyone is welcome!

Support Birds Calgary at “Buy Me A Coffee”