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Victoria Day Big Day 2012

May28

Posted by Dan Arndt

Long weekends are always a great time to get some extra birding in, and this one was no exception. I had initially intended on just making a morning of it with Gus Yaki’s Monday morning group with the Friends of Fish Creek Birding course at Mallard Point, but those plans went by the wayside when I was invited to join the annual Victoria Day Big Day.

What is a “Big Day”, you ask? The idea behind a Big Day is to get as many species as possible in 24 hours of birding. Some really hardcore birders begin at 12:01 AM and go all the way through until 12:00 AM the following morning, covering a huge area and generally getting a very high number of species. For instance, the current record for an Alberta-wide Big Day is somewhere around 235, and the participants started up around Cold Lake, Alberta and trekked all the way south to the SE corner of Alberta. When I heard that number, I was absolutely stunned. Not only by the magnitude of species seen, but also by the huge distance covered.

Traditionally, the Victoria Day Big Day is restricted to the Calgary city limits, and is organized by locally well known birder Tony Timmons. Instead of a competition style event, like some can be, this one is attended by all participants, with some coming and going throughout the day. This year, we started at 5:30 AM at Votier’s Flats and spent most of our time in the south end of the city, finally finishing up at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary around 6:30 PM. A long day, that’s for certain.

Both Bob Lefebvre and myself participated, and due to a bit of luck and determination, we were able to count the full 116 species reported by the group as a whole, along with 2 bonus species. One seen on the way down to Votier’s Flats, and the second in Confederation Park before Bob dropped me off at home.

I’ve posted the map and rough timeline of our locations below, along with the new species that we added to our total at each location. Oh, and of course I’ve added some photos as well!

Enjoy!

Victoria Day Big Day Locations

Victoria Day Big Day Locations

Crowchild Trail & Memorial Drive – Incidental – 5:15 AM

– Osprey

Votier’s Flats – 5:30 AM

  1. – Canada Goose
  2. – American Wigeon
  3. – Mallard
  4. – Blue-winged Teal
  5. – Bufflehead
  6. – Common Merganser
  7. – Ring-necked Pheasant
  8. – Sharp-shinned Hawk
  9. – Spotted Sandpiper
  10. – Belted Kingfisher
  11. – Downy Woodpecker
  12. – Northern Flicker
  13. – Least Flycatcher
  14. – Black-billed Magpie
  15. – American Crow
  16. – Northern Rough-winged Swallow
  17. – Tree Swallow
  18. – Bank Swallow
  19. – Barn Swallow
  20. – Black-capped Chickadee
  21. – Boreal Chickadee
  22. – Red-breasted Nuthatch
  23. – House Wren
  24. – American Robin
  25. – Gray Catbird
  26. – European Starling
  27. – Cedar Waxwing
  28. – Tennessee Warbler
  29. – Yellow Warbler
  30. – Spotted Towhee
  31. – Chipping Sparrow
  32. – Clay-colored Sparrow
  33. – Song Sparrow
  34. – Lincoln’s Sparrow
  35. – White-throated Sparrow
  36. – Red-winged Blackbird
  37. – Brown-headed Cowbird
  38. – Baltimore Oriole
  39. – House Finch
  40. – White-winged Crossbill
  41. – Pine Siskin
  42. – American Goldfinch
  43. – House Sparrow

Weaselhead – 7:30 AM

  1. Common Goldeneye
  2. Great Blue Heron
  3. Bald Eagle
  4. Swainson’s Hawk
  5. Red-tailed Hawk
  6. American Kestrel
  7. Merlin
  8. California Gull
  9. Rock-pigeon
  10. Rufous Hummingbird
  11. Calliope Hummingbird
  12. Hairy Woodpecker
  13. Pileated Woodpecker
  14. Eastern Phoebe
  15. Blue Jay
  16. Common Raven
  17. Cliff Swallow
  18. White-breasted Nuthatch
  19. Swainson’s Thrush
  20. Savannah Sparrow
  21. White-crowned Sparrow
Cliff Swallows collecting mud for nests

Cliff Swallows collecting mud for nests

American Goldfinch

American Goldfinch

North Glenmore Park & Glenmore Reservoir – 9:30 AM

  1. Gadwall
  2. Lesser Scaup
  3. American Coot
  4. Killdeer
  5. Baird’s Sandpiper
  6. Pectoral Sandpiper
  7. Bonaparte’s Gull
  8. Franklin’s Gull
  9. Ring-billed Gull
  10. Red-necked Grebe

53rd St and 22X – 10:45 AM

  1. Snow Goose
  2. Green-winged Teal
  3. Ruddy Duck
  4. Eared Grebe
  5. Sora
  6. Wilson’s Snipe
  7. Vesper Sparrow
Snow Goose

Snow Goose

Sora

Sora

Spruce Meadows Slough – 11:20 AM

  1. Cinnamon Teal
  2. Redhead
  3. Northern Shoveler
  4. Pied-billed Grebe
  5. Black Tern
  6. Marsh Wren
  7. Common Yellowthroat
Marsh Wren

Marsh Wren

South Calgary Bluebird Boxes – 11:45 AM

  1. Mountain Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird

Mountain Bluebird

South Calgary Ravine – 12:00 Noon

  1. Cooper’s Hawk
  2. Mourning Dove

Sikome Lake – 12:45 PM

  1. Horned Grebe
  2. Great Horned Owl
  3. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
  4. Eastern Kingbird
  5. Warbling Vireo

Shepard Slough #1 – 2:20 PM

  1. Northern Pintail

Shepard Slough #2 – 2:32 PM

  1. American Avocet
  2. Willet
  3. Wilson’s Phalarope

Shepard Slough #3 – 2:37 PM

  1. Western Meadowlark

Shepard Slough #4 – 2:41 PM

  1. Canvasback

Shepard Farmhouse – 2:51 PM

  1. Brewer’s Blackbird
  2. Common Grackle
Brewer's Blackbird

Brewer’s Blackbird

Ring-necked Pheasant

Ring-necked Pheasant

Shepard Slough #5 – 3:07 pM

  1. Lesser Yellowlegs

Shepard Slough #6 – 3:30 PM

  1. Black-necked Stilt
  2. Least Sandpiper
  3. Semipalmated Sandpiper

White-faced Ibis Flyover – 4:07 PM

  1. White-faced Ibis

Main Shepard Slough – 4:11 PM

  1. Double-crested Cormorant
  2. Stilt Sandpiper

Shepard – 4:31 PM

  1. Eurasian Collared Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove

Eurasian Collared Dove

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary – 5:33 PM

  1. Wood Duck
  2. Harlequin Duck
  3. Hooded Merganser

Confederation Park – 7:45 PM

  1. Alder Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher

Alder Flycatcher

Sunday Showcase: Spring Birds of the Calgary Area

May27

Here are some recent photographs of birds from in and around Calgary, by David Lilly.  See more on the Canadian Bird Photographer website, and on David’s website.

Western Meadowlark

Tree Swallow

American Kestrel

Northern Shoveler

Blue-winged Teal

Cinnamon Teal

Wilson’s Snipe

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: May 24

May25

Have you seen an unusual bird in Calgary? If it is on this Reportable_Birds (PDF), please report it to the Nature Calgary Rare Bird Alert line at 403 221-4519 and leave a message after the beep at the end of the recording. If you would like some help with species identification, email us at birdscalgary@gmail.com.  To report injured wildlife call the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society at 403 239-2488, or the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation at 403 946-2361.

Compiler: Terry Korolyk (CFNS & IBS)

Bird Sightings:

May 18
–WESTERN KINGBIRD (2), near Linden, Corinne Griffin.

May 20
–WHITE-FACED IBIS (200+), Frank Lake (E of High River), Marcel Gahbauer.
–HERMIT THRUSH, South Weaselhead, W end of Glenmore Reservoir, same.
–CEDAR WAXWING (20), Fish Creek Provincial Park, Gus Yaki and FFCPP.
–CAPE MAY WARBLER (5), Brown Lowery Provincial park, Plummers Rd., near Millarville, MG.

May 21
–SNOW GOOSE, W of 53rSt. SW, Calgary, Tony Timmons.
–BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (39), E side of Third Lake, 2 km. S of Hwy 552 and 224th St. SE, Terry Korolyk.
–SEMIPALMATED PLOVER (7), same, same.
–RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, Douglasdale neighborhood, Calgary, Jim Daws.
–WHITE-EYED VIREO, Wyndham-Carseland Provincial Park, willows along shore of riverside trail downriver from picnic area parking lot just N of weir, Nick Bartok, Ryan Baxter, TK, bird was photographed, first provincial record.
–CASSIN’S VIREO, N of picnic area below Carseland Weir, TK.
–MACGILLIVRAY’S WARBLER, same, same.

May 22
–BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD, Mountain View, Nancy West.
–EASTERN KINGBIRD (2), near Linden, Corinne Griffin.
–COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, same, same.

Recent Sightings in Brooks area
–GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH.
–GRASSHOPPER SPARROW.
–BAIRD’S SPARROW.
–LECONTE’S SPARROW.

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Monday May 28.

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: May 21

May22

Have you seen an unusual bird in Calgary? If it is on this Reportable_Birds (PDF), please report it to the Nature Calgary Rare Bird Alert line at 403 221-4519 and leave a message after the beep at the end of the recording. If you would like some help with species identification, email us at birdscalgary@gmail.com.  To report injured wildlife call the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society at 403 239-2488, or the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation at 403 946-2361.

Bird Sightings:

May 14:
CURVE-BILLED THRASHER, Wyndham-Carseland PP, Mary Coughlin, June ?
TURKEY VULTURE, near DeWinton , Ali Bursten.

May 19:
RED-BREASTED x COMMON MERGANSER female, storm water pond, Votier’s Flats, Terry Korolyk.

May 20:
WHITE-FACED IBIS (21), east edge of Calgary, Bob Lloyd.
AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER , Third Lake, Richard Clarke.
SANDERLING, Pine Coulee Res. dam, TK.
RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, SEMI-PALMATED SANDPIPERS, TUNDRA SWAN, TRUMPETER SWAN, Clear Lake, TK.
PURPLE FINCH, male, Griffith’s Woods PP, Bob Lefebrve, Dan Arndt.
GOLDEN EAGLE, as above,several groups.
ROCK WREN, north of old gravel rd, Nose Hill Pk, Steve Kassai.
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, west of Calgary, Marilyn Sanders.

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Thursday May 24.

Griffith Woods – New surprises at every turn

May21

Posted by Dan Arndt

As I wrote in my original post about Griffith Woods with the Winter Birding course,  I haven’t had much opportunity to visit this beautiful park on the edge of the city, and Sunday morning was only my second visit. The route we took this week was almost identical to the one we took in March, but the birds we saw were vastly different.

 

Griffith Woods

Griffith Woods – 5km Walking Route

We started by walking east from the parking lot, where we were inundated by a huge number of birds singing. Not only new birds for the year for many of us, but for myself at least one new life bird, and great views of others that I’d only seen in the distance or through foliage. Both White-crowned and White-throated Sparrow species were present and singing, but we also heard and saw a single male Purple Finch.

White-throated Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

 

White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

 

On the river itself, a few Spotted Sandpipers searched for food along the shore, while a pair of Belted Kingfishers patrolled the river in search of small fish.

Spotted Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

Further east, on the banks of the large eastern ponds, we had great views of an adult and a juvenile Red-naped Sapsucker, a House Wren at the entrance of a nest hole, and a Gray Catbird who flew in for a closer inspection as we played back a recorded call.

Red-naped Sapsucker

Red-naped Sapsucker

House Wren

House Wren

 

Gray Catbird

Gray Catbird

To top off those great views, we also spotted a pair of what we identified as Least Flycatchers along the edge of the ponds before they disappeared into the deeper brush.

Least Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher

We left the ponds after searching a bit longer for some other birds that we could hear nearby, but only the briefest glimpses confirmed the songs of the Yellow Warbler, Lincoln’s and Song Sparrows, and the ever present Clay-colored Sparrows buzzed in the background.

Turning back west, we continued past the parking lot and deeper into the spruce forest of Griffith Woods, which meanders through a number of small tributary channels of the Elbow River, very small ponds and wetland areas, but is dominated by the White Spruce that make up a significant portion of the foliage. The birds were heard more than seen, and while we heard a number of Pine Siskins, White-winged Crossbills, Boreal Chickadees, and both Hairy and Downy Woodpecker species, it was hard getting our binoculars on them, let alone the camera lens!

Coming to one of the first bridges, we saw a pair of sandpipers, which initially we thought were also Spotted Sandpipers, as before, but the white breast, greenish legs, and drastically different demeanor identified them as Solitary Sandpipers, which can sometimes nest in trees, as we noticed a few minutes after this shot was taken.

Solitary Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

We meandered for the next half hour with very few birds seen, but heard Chipping Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and what we thought was a flock of Black-capped Chickadees mobbing a predator, but turned out only to be an unusually vocal flock. A moment later, the call of the Audubon’s subspecies of Yellow-rumped Warbler was heard only a few meters away. Once again, we had great views of it as it was protective of its territory, indicating that it would very likely be breeding in the area if it can find a mate this season.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's)

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s subspecies)

Our last really great views were of the male Pileated Woodpecker that we originally saw back in March, once again protecting the nest hole in an abandoned power pole near the condominium complex.

Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

On our way out, we did get one other new bird on the year in Calgary. High above us soared a juvenile Golden Eagle, with bright white patches under the wings, and that incredible golden brown hue over the rest of its body. While my camera couldn’t quite zoom in far enough to get a decent shot of it, my binoculars gave me good enough views that I’m looking forward to getting back out into the country to see these birds up close again. As for Griffith Woods, I look forward to exploring it once again this summer, and into the fall once the warblers begin heading south once again.

 

Sunday Showcase: Rufous Hummingbird

May20

These fantastic photos of a male Rufous Hummingbird were taken by Marilyn Sanders just west of Calgary in the community of Stonepine, off of Highway 8.

Bird Profile: Western Tanager

May19

Posted by Matthew Sim

Each year, spring migration brings something different. The year I first bought my camera, migration brought to me several brilliant male Western Tangers. This was the first time that I was really enthusiastic about birding and, with birds like this in my backyard, it is not difficult to see why.

The Western Tanager has to be, in my honest opinion, one of the top 5 most beautiful species that we can see in Calgary. Its red, yellow and black plumage make it stand out during migration, when the trees are still bare of leaves, but be warned, once the leaves come out, this brilliant songster all but disappears into the forests, becoming rather inconspicuous despite its bright colors.

A bright-red head combined with black wings, back and tail and canary-yellow underparts and neck are what make the male so beautiful. The female, considerably duller, is green olive above and yellow below. Arriving in southern Alberta in early to mid-May (they arrive later in the month in the mountains), the Western Tanager heads to boreal and montane forests to breed. Though the species prefers coniferous and mixed forests for nesting, during migration, it frequents a wider range of forests.

The Western Tanager can be seen in the city in areas such as Bebo Grove in Fish Creek or Edworthy Park during the summer. Outside of the city, they can be seen in the mountains and in the Water Valley area, among other locations. During the month of May,you might even spot one in your own yard- they are most often seen among the higher branches of trees so remember to look up!

Did you know…

The red on the Western Tanager’s face is formed by the pigment rhodoxanthin, a pigment not usually found in birds. The other tanagers (such as the Scarlet Tanager) make the pigments that give them their bright colors however, rhodoxanthin is not manufactured by the Western Tanager  meaning that they must obtain it from the food that they eat (probably insects who in turn gain this pigment from the plants they eat).

Postcards from Texas: Migration highlights

May18

Posted by Matthew Sim

Last time I wrote a ‘Postcards from Texas’, I bemoaned the weather and fate for whisking away any migratory birds from my binoculars and my camera. This time, however, weather and fate were both on my side for a full 3 days, bringing warblers, thrushes, flycatchers, orioles, buntings, catbirds and cuckoos to my very neighborhood.

Saturday morning, something told me to go out birding. Trusting instinct, I went out to the neighborhood patches that occasionally turn up good birds. When I got to the pond, I heard a distinctive ‘chirp’ coming from the trees and shrubs lining the pond. Then came another ‘chirp’. And another. I soon was in a very excited mode, dashing this way in that, my camera turned up at the trees. A storm the night before had slowed migration, forcing migratory birds to land at the first green patch they saw, and for this reason, there were now dozens of migrants here at my local pond.

Male Chestnut-sided Warbler

Female Magnolia Warbler

Male Magnolia Warbler

Female American Redstart

As I gazed upwards into the bushes and trees, I managed to see Wilson’s, Canada, Kentucky, Black-throated Green, Magnolia, Yellow, Tennessee and Chestnut-sided Warblers, American Redstart and Common Yellowthroat. Soon, I was seeing Gray Catbirds and even a male Baltimore Oriole.

Baltimore Oriole

As I admired the oriole, an even bigger surprise came up in the form of my first ever Indigo Bunting, They are quite stunning birds!

Male Indigo Bunting

After that, I found a Olive-sided Flycatcher, identified by the  two white spots on its back.

Olive-sided Flycatcher

And then some of the regulars too…

At one point, upon seeing a large bird in one tree, I investigated, expecting to find some rather unusual bird. Instead, I found a rather common Green Heron- but in a tree?!

Green Heron-in a tree!

So maybe migration wasn’t so bad after all!

Wednesday Wings: The Down in Downy

May16

Posted by Bob Lefebvre.

I have three Downy Woodpeckers that come to my feeders regularly.  They are not shy, and I managed to get some close-up photos that show the prominent nasal tufts of this species.  These help to keep wood chips (and nut chips) out of the bird’s nostrils.  It is sometimes said that Downy Woodpeckers are named for these downy feathers at the base of their bill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: May 14

May15

Have you seen an unusual bird in Calgary? If it is on this Reportable_Birds (PDF), please report it to the Nature Calgary Rare Bird Alert line at 403 221-4519 and leave a message after the beep at the end of the recording. If you would like some help with species identification, email us at birdscalgary@gmail.com.  To report injured wildlife call the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society at 403 239-2488, or the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation at 403 946-2361.

May 11
— RED-EYED VIREO, Fish Creek PP, Terry Korolyk

May 12
— SANDHILL CRANE, north of Cochrane, Rosemary Healey(?)
— NASHVILLE WARBLER, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Colin Young

May 13
— WHITE-FACED IBIS 200, Frank Lake, Paul Lehman
— NORTHERN GOSHAWK, (former) Cochrane Ranche PP, Joan&Malcolm McDonald
— RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, same, J&MM
— ROCK WREN, same, J&MM
— AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, Frank Lake, Andrew Hart
— BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, Third Lake, PL
— STILT SANDPIPER 4, same, PL
— CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD, Weaselhead, Bill Wilson
— CASSIN’S VIREO, Lowery Gardens, Marcel Gahbauer
— PACIFIC WREN, same, MG
— BLACKPOLL WARBLER, same, MG
— PURPLE MARTIN 15, Chestermere martin houses, PL
— MAGNOLIA WARBLER, Weaselhead, reporter unknown

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Thursday May 17.