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Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Oct 20

Oct20

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, us email us at zoxox@shaw.ca  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.

This Bird Albert was recorded on Oct 20, 2011.

OCT 16

GREAT GRAY OWL – Grand Valley Road on the first east-west section of road past the 4-way stop, Ron Kube
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL – 4 juveniles, yard in Mount Royal, Phil Cram
TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE – on the summit of Sulphur Mtn in Banff NP, Thomas Glen
RUSTY BLACKBIRD – Found again at a slough east of Calgary on Rge Rd 28 just south of Glenmore Trail, RK

OCT 17

WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL – over 60 seen by Gus Yaki and the FFCPPSoc at Votier’s Flats in Fish Creek PP
RED CROSSBILL – 4 juveniles/females, yard in Mount Royal, PC

OCT 18

RED-THROATED LOON – on Glenmore Reservoir between Yacht Club and Canoe Club, TG
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL – 12 in Votier’s Flats of Fish Creek PP, Gus Yaki and the FFCPPSoc
RED CROSSBILL – 3, as above
NORTHERN GOSHAWK – 2, as above
PINE GROSBEAK – 1, as above; also 2 immature/female birds seen by PC in Britannia

OCT 19

WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL – more than 60 seen by GY and the FFCPPSoc at Votier’s Flats
PACIFIC LOON – 1 seen on Glenmore Reservoir from Heritage Park, Bill Wilson

The next scheduled update of the bird alert is on Mon Oct 24.

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Oct 17

Oct18

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, us email us at zoxox@shaw.ca  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.

This Bird Albert was recorded on Oct 17, 2011.

OCT 10

GREAT GRAY OWL – Grand Valley Road, Ian Maton and Keith Sharkey

OCT 13

SANDHILL CRANE – 2 flocks east of Carstairs-Didsbury area, 9 birds on Rge Rd 270 south of Hwy 582, 30 birds at Twp Rd 314 and Rge Rd 271 junction – seen by Corinne Griffin
SNOW GEESE – 200 seen by CG at Twp Rd 314 and Rge Rd 271 junction
TRUMPETER SWAN – 7, CG at Twp Rd 320 just west of Hwy 791

OCT 15

TRUMPETER SWAN – 4 at the north end of Chestermere Lake – Terry Korolyk and members of Nature Calgary
TUNDRA SWAN – flocks of 20 and 30 in the middle of Weed Lake – seen by TK group as above
GREATER SCAUP – on Chestermere Lake – 3 to 5 seen by TK group
AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER – juvenile at Weed Lake, Nature Calgary group with TK
PECTORAL SANDPIPER – 1, as above
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER – 3-4 as above
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER – 45 as above
RUSTY BLACKBIRD – Found by Ron Kube at a slough east of Calgary on Rge Rd 28 just south of Glenmore Trail

OCT 16

RED-THROATED LOON – on Glenmore Reservoir between the sailing club and the canoe club, reported by Bob Storms
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE – TK, 16 birds at the south end of Clear Lake (15 kms east of Stavely)
AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER – TK, north end of Clear Lake
LESSER YELLOWLEGS – 5 birds as above
GREATER SCAUP – TK, 3 as above
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK – near Bow Valley Ranch in east Fish Creek PP, seen by Steve Kassai
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW – 7 as above

The next scheduled update of the bird alert is on Thu Oct 20.

95+ Years of Pigeon Roosts

Oct18

If you’ve ever driven south on Deerfoot Trail, you would have passed the Federal Grain Elevator in Bonnybrook, on the west side of the road.

This grain terminal was built around 1916, and over the years, has provided roosting and nesting sites for untold thousands of rock doves. When the grain trucks were delivering to the building on a daily basis, the spilled grain also attracted ducks and geese from the nearby Bow River. All that terrestrial bird activity naturally attracted the predators, and it was often a good place to spot a Northern Goshawk in the winter.

As of last Sunday, the rock doves have lost their perch. Apparently the high cost of operating the aging structure meant it was no longer financially advisable, so it was imploded at 8:00 am Sunday morning.

On a chilly pre-dawn morning, we were lined up on the hill to the west of the elevator with the media, police and a host of spectators. I was there because I was curious about the bird aspect of the whole thing.

The charges were set mid-way down the building, so when it went down, the rock doves on the roof went up. They circled the area, drifting in and out of the large dust cloud as it wafted towards the east.

The explosion also lifted a flock of geese off the river, and a small flock of ducks.

The whole thing was over in less than two minutes. As the sun rose through the dust, the rock doves gradually settled on a small, remaining tower, no doubt wondering what on earth had just happened to their world.

Posted by Pat Bumstead

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Oct 13

Oct14

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, us email us at zoxox@shaw.ca  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.

This Bird Albert was recorded on Oct 13, 2011.

OCT 7

PEREGRINE FALCON – off Hwy 2 near Crossiron Mills – Thomas Glen

OCT 8

LONG- BILLED DOWITCHER – 250 seen by Gordon Sick at Weed Lake

OCT 10

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL – second cycle year bird, seen by Ilya Povalyaev at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
MEW GULL – 2 reported as above
AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER – Terry Korolyk, immature at Weed Lake
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER – immature, as above
AMERICAN AVOCET – as above
LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER – 200, as above; also 20 at the slough on Twp Rd 250 just east of Hwy 817
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER – one seen by TK at the slough mentioned above
SNOW GOOSE – TK, juvenile at Cattleland Slough
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE – 200, as above
WILSON’S WARBLER – 4, Jim Davis’s yard in Douglasglen
YELLOW WARBLER – hatch year bird seen by JD as above

OCT 11

RED-THROATED LOON – at the south end of Chain Lakes, by Joan and Malcolm Macdonald
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER – 2 at Chain Lakes, JM and MM
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL – seen by IP again at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER – 8 seen by Gus Yaki and the Friends of Fish Creek PP, in east Fish Creek PP along the Bow River

The next scheduled update of the bird alert is on Mon Oct 17.

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Oct 10

Oct12

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, us email us at zoxox@shaw.ca  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.

This Bird Alert was recorded on Monday Oct 10 at 10:15 am.

Bird Sightings:

Oct 5:
-COMMON NIGHTHAWK flying over the yard of Matthew Sim, Willow Pk. Calgary.

Oct 8:
-CLARKE’S GREBE (1), 1200 SNOW GEESE, including 2 BLUE varients, 12 SURF SCOTERS, at Eagle Lake on a CFNS field trip, Rob Worona etc.
-800 SNOW GEESE at Third Lake, south of Hwy 552, SE of Calgary, Terry Korolyk.
-GREATER SCAUP (3) on a pond on Leighton Center Rd south of Calgary, TK.
-150-200 SNOW GEESE, RUSTY BLACK-BIRDS (3) at the Calgary Zoo Ranch, Dunbow Rd,south of Calgary, CFNS field trip, Gus Yaki etc.
-SURF SCOTER (1) on Glenmore Reservoir, Bill Wilson.
-SWAINSON’S THRUSH (4), HERMIT THRUSH, TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS (13) at Inglewood B.S., BW.
WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS (2), HERMIT THRUSH, NORTHERN SHRIKE, at S Glenmore Pk, GY and FFCPP.
MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS (10) on the ridge behind Spruce Meadows, TK.
-GRAY CATBIRD, PACIFIC WINTER WREN, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS (4), VARIED THRUSH, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS (8), WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS (2), DARK-EYED JUNCOS, SLATE COLORED (24), DARK-EYED JUNCO, PINK- SIDED (1), LAPLAND LONGSPUR at the Mt. Lorette Raptor watch, Kannaskis, Jim Davis etc.

A record number of migrating raptors (583) and record GOLDEN EAGLES (556) were counted at Lorette.

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Thursday Oct 13.

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Oct 6

Oct7

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, us email us at zoxox@shaw.ca  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.

This Bird Alert was recorded on Thursday Oct 6 at 9:50 am.

Bird Sightings:

Oct 2:
HERMIT THRUSH west side of Nose Hill Park, Steve Kassai.

Oct 3:
HERMIT THRUSH (3), FOX SPARROW (red), several large flocks of GRACKLES, and a raft of 143 COMMON MERGANSERS at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Greg Meyer.

Oct 4:
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS (2) at Mallard Pt, FCPP, Terry Korolyk.

Oct 5:
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER rescued after a window hit at Uof C, Eileen Cora.
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS (15) in Bebo Grove, west FCPP, Al Borgardt.

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Monday Oct 10.

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Sept 30

Oct1

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, us email us at zoxox@shaw.ca  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.

This report was prepared on Friday September 30.

September 24
— SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (4), Rocky Mountain Eagle Research Foundation site near Mount Lorette, Bill Wilson
— NORTHERN GOSHAWK, Mt. Lorette, BW
— GOLDEN EAGLE, (4) Mt. Lorette, BW

September 25
— SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (5), Plateau Mountain, CFNS Excursion led by Peter Roxburgh
— SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (2), Plateau Mountain, CFNS Excursion

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Monday October 3.
BIRD STUDY GROUP:

Bird Study Group meets 1st Wednesday of the month, Room 211, BioSciences Building, U of C.

October meeting is Wednesday, October 5. Birds of Prey – presented by Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation. Meeting time is 7:30pm.

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Sept 26

Sep27

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, us email us at zoxox@shaw.ca  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.

This report was prepared on Monday September 26.

September 22:
–BLACK VULTURE, Raymond, AB. Reported by Jocelyn Hudon. First confirmed record for Alberta. Photographed perched on top of the town hall.

September 23:
–AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, S.end Weed Lk, by Andrew Slater
–SANDERLING(13), same as above.
–TOWNSEND’S WARBLER(1), Confederation Park, by Bill Wilson and Ilya Povalyaev.

September 24:
–WESTERN SANDPIPER(Juv.) S.end Weed Lk, by IP et al.
–ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK(1), along Hwy.#22,just S. of the Water Valley turnoff, by Tim Allison.
–SNOW GOOSE(1), a pond along Hwy.#22x, just S. of Calgary, by Terry Korolyk.

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Thursday September 29.

BIRD STUDY GROUP:

Bird Study Group meets 1st Wednesday of the month, Room 211, BioSciences Building, U of C . October meeting is Wednesday, October 5. Birds of Prey – presented by
Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation. Meeting time is 7:30pm.

Digiscoping

Sep26

Digiscoping is the activity of combining a digital camera with a spotting scope to record images through the scope.  Anyone who has ever looked through a good scope knows how impressive they are at turning distant specks that can’t be identified, even with binoculars, into sharply defined birds.  The combination of big lenses and up to 60X magnification really brings faraway objects into close focus.  Scopes are especially useful for waterfowl far out on lakes, and shorebirds on distant shorelines.

Today’s post features some wonderful photographs taken using digiscoping by local birder and photographer Daniel Arndt.

Eared Grebe and juvenile, by Dan Arndt

Digiscoping can be done with any point-and-shoot or SLR camera (or even a camera phone) coupled with any scope or binocular, but it can very tricky to get to good quality pictures by just holding the two together.  Here is a White-crowned Sparrow I photographed in my yard this week, using my camera phone held up to my 8X42 binoculars:

It’s very hard to tell when you have the shot in focus.  It’s even hard to get on the bird!  You get a better shot with just a good camera:

The same bird, from the same distance, taken with an SLR and 400 mm lens.  Note the leg band.

Here is another shot I took (in the winter) of a House Finch, using a point-and-shoot camera held up to my spotting scope.

However, the birds in these examples were only about twenty feet away.  I could identify them with the naked eye.  If you are dealing with distant waterfowl and shorebirds, the thing to do to get good photographs is to get an adapter that fixes your camera to the scope.  Dan Arndt’s outfit, pictured below, consists of :

Pentax K-5 camera with T-mount adapter
Meade ETX-90EC 90mm Matsukov-Cassegrain Telescope
Meade #844 Advanced Field Tripod
Meade Electronic Focuser
Meade MT-64 Camera Adapter
Pentax 39892 Waterproof Remote Shutter Release

Photo by Dan Arndt

Here are some of the amazing photos Dan took this summer at Frank Lake using his digiscoping rig.

White-faced Ibis with juvenile, and American Golden-Plover, by Dan Arndt

Lesser Yellowlegs by Dan Arndt

American Avocet by Dan Arndt

Black Tern by Dan Arndt

Black-crowned Night-Herons by Dan Arndt

American Golden-Plovers by Dan Arndt

You can see all of Dan’s digiscoping pictures on his Flickr page here, and while you’re there, explore all of his other excellent photographs as well.

Posted by Bob Lefebvre