These gorgeous shots of a Common Loon were sent in by Rob English. Thanks for sharing! Click pictures for a larger view.
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A very windy morning was spent down at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary by us three bloggers; several people came by to join us. The large gusts of wind kept the birds down and hard to hear but we still had some great birds. From 8 -10 a.m., we counted birds down at the river recording 24 species of birds.
- Canada Goose
- American Wigeon
- Mallard
- Common Goldeneye
- Common Merganser
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Osprey
- Swainson’s Hawk
- Merlin
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Franklin’s Gull
- Rock Pigeon
- Belted Kingfisher
- Northern Flicker
- American Crow
- Common Raven
- Tree Swallow
- Northern Rough-winged Swallow
- European Starling
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Song Sparrow (heard 5 minutes before 8a.m.)
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Common Grackle
- Brown-headed Cowbird
At 10a.m., due to the frigid wind, we moved base to the Walker house ( we were there 10:30-12:15) where we added:
- Cooper’s Hawk
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Chipping Sparrow
- House Finch
All and all, not a bad morning to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day; a grand total of 29 species of birds from within the count circles. There were also some good birds from outside the circles; right after we called it a morning and took down the circle, an American Kestrel showed up. We also saw White-crowned Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, House Wren, Warbling Vireo, Northern Pintail and a Barn Swallow. One of the highlights was a Swainson’s Hawk less than twenty feet off the path, with a kill. A story will follow shortly!
Posted by Matthew Sim
Bird Songs 101
Ever heard that beautiful song coming from deep inside a dense bush, but don’t know what exactly is the source of that amazing sound? You can check out this great site to help you match the song with the bird.
http://www.natureinstruct.org/dendroica/
The Blackpoll Warbler gives a very high-pitched song that can be inaudible at times.
Dendroica.com is a great site; whether you are a novice and just learning the songs, or you are a seasoned pro and brushing up for the spring migration. Photographs of the bird are provided on this site, as well as a description of the song or call and then the song itself. Once you have gotten familiar with the sounds, you can go out into the field with this newly-found or rediscovered knowledge, and be able to identify that beautiful song coming from deep inside the bush.
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Posted by Matthew Sim
Rare Bird Alert: May 12
Have you seen an unusual bird in Calgary? If it is a species on this Reportable_Birds list (PDF), please report it to the 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 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 May 12 at 10 am.
Bird Sightings
Early May (1?):
WESTERN PALM WARBLER at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Spring Migration Monitoring/banding.
May 6:
GRAY CATBIRD, IBS as above.
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (3), Kitsum Reservoir, near Brooks, Dwight Knapik.
May 9:
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, FCPP, Votier’s Flat, Terry Korolyk.
SAY’S PHOEBE, CINNAMON TEAL, 2 WESTERN GREBES at South Glenmore Park, Gus Yaki
May 10:
SPOTTED SANDPIPER, Hull’s Wood, WESTERN WOOD PEEWEE, Mallard Pt. FCPP, TK.
LEAST FLYCATCHER, Bowmont Pk, Dwight Knapik.
EURASIAN WIGEON, west end Glenmore Reservoir, GY
May 11:
GLAUCOUS GULL(adult), THAYER’S GULL (1st yr)west end Glenmore Res., TK.
HOUSE WREN, IBS, as above.
BROAD-WINGED HAWK, flying over Talisman centre, Ian Halliday.
SAGE THRASHER, near Taber, Lloyd Bennett.
May 12:
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS (11), YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS(45), LINCOLN’S SPARROWS (12), IBS as above.
The next scheduled update of the bird alert is on Mon May 16.
Backyard Birds: White-crowned Sparrows
It’s a sure sign of spring in my yard when I see the White-crowned Sparrows are back.
A fairly large sparrow at 5 1/2-7″ (14-17 cm), White-crowns don’t fit the miscellaneous sparrow category of LBJ’s – little brown jobs – that are hard to distinguish from one another. These dapper little sparrows are always in bright white and black, and easy to identify.
The white crown has two black stripes, they have a black eye line (a line going to the back of the head from the eye), and a yellow-orange bill. They have white streaking on a brown back and wings, and their underparts are pale grey. Males and females look alike.
Small flocks of White-crowned sparrows pass through Calgary in late April to May, and then again in Sept-Oct. Their spring visits to our city are just a stopover for their trip to their breeding habitat in the northern boreal forest. They prefer open environments with shrubby meadows, alpine and willow shrubs, and build cup nests in shrubs or small conifers.
These sparrows are tireless singers, and are known to even sing under the light of a full moon.
Sparrows forage on the ground, usually in fairly open areas, and fly up into a small tree or hedge when flushed. We have a dedicated bird area at the back of our yard, and spillage from the hanging bird feeders provides an excellent sparrow feeding ground. Like other sparrows, the hyperactive White-crowns make quick jumping back and forth movements, scratching the ground to expose insects and seeds.
If you have White-crowned Sparrows in your yard right now, enjoy them while you can. They won’t be here for long, and then we’ll have to wait for their re-appearance in the fall.
By the way, the bird singing in the video background is a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, which I’m still attempting to capture with my camera.
Posted by Pat Bumstead
Sunday Showcase: Skating Geese and more
These stunning shots were sent to us by Rosanna Evans. Thanks for sharing! Click pictures for a larger view.
Taken at Carburn Park, Calgary:
Taken at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary:
Photo Feathers: Pine Siskin
The Pine Siskin is a familiar, tame little finch. They are often very approachable, enough to see their beautiful feathers. They are quite noisy, even while they feast on niger, black oil sunflower seeds and the seeds of pinecones, among other foods. Pine Siskins are common in Calgary and can be seen year round.
The Pine Siskin is a very curious bird; the bird in this photo is curious as to who is bothering him.
 
 
 
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Posted by Matthew Sim
Rare Bird Alert: May 5
Have you seen an unusual bird in Calgary? If it is a species on this Reportable_Birds list (PDF), please report it to the 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 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 May 5, 2011
APRIL 29
COMMON LOON: 4 on large slough in Lafarge Meadows in east Fish Creek PP
MAY 1
BROAD-WINGED HAWK: Matthew Sim had 1 fly over his home in Willowpark
HUDSONIAN GODWIT – 26 seen by Nimali Seneviratne and Isabel Anderson. The birds were flying over Basin One at Frank Lake
STILT SANDPIPER – several seen by NS and IA at the same location
MAY 2
BROAD-WINGED HAWK: Terry Korolyk saw one moving northward over Hwy 791 east of Chestermere Lake
COMMON LOON – 7 seen by TK at the dam at Chestermere Lake
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER – 2 males seen at the south end of Chestermere Lake by TK
VARIED THRUSH – in Phil Cram’s yard in Mount Royal
HUDSONIAN GODWIT – 11 reported by Lloyd Bennett in the Taber area
PIED-BILLED GREBE – seen by LB in Taber area
SOLITARY SANDPIPER – as above
FORSTER’S TERN – as above
COMMON TERN – as above
WHIMBREL – 11 seen by LB in a field NW of Fincastle Lake near Taber
MAY 3
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW – reported by Gary Malcolm in his yard in Calgary’s Silversprings subdivision
HARLEQUIN DUCK – 2 males still seen at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, reported by Gus Yaki and the Friends of Fish Creek Park
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN – 2, as above
MAY 4
BROAD-WINGED HAWK – Bill Wilson saw one in the trees along the upper part of the creek in Queen’s Park Cemetary in NW Calgary
VARIED THRUSH – reported by PC and Jerry Pilny on Hwy 68 west of Calgary
RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER – 4, as above
BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS – as above
COMMON LOON – Katrina Lybbert saw 27 on Glenmore Reservoir
The next scheduled update of the bird alert is on Mon May 9.
The Osprey Cam – They’re Back!
For over 16 years, a pair of nesting Osprey has built their summer home on a platform constructed by the Calgary Zoo atop a pole erected by ENMAX Power Corporation. The platform is located at the extreme east end of St. George’s Island.
Birdwatchers have access to a bird’s eye view of an Osprey nest via a high-resolution webcam, thanks to an arrangement between the Calgary Zoo and ENMAX Corporation.
The live streaming camera captures in full cycle the birds’ dramatic seasonal milestones, from nest building and mating rituals, to egg laying, incubation, hatching, feeding and fledging, a period of intense activity that is all centred at the nest between April and September.
Watch the Osprey nest camera live, 24 hours a day (If you click the icon in the bottom right hand corner of the video, it will go to full screen size. To leave full screen view, hit the Esc key on your keyboard)
There is also an Osprey Blog following the action in this nest
Posted by Pat Bumstead
Rare Bird Alert Calgary: May 2
Have you seen an unusual bird in Calgary? If it is a species on this Reportable_Birds list (PDF), please report it to the  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 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 May 1 10:10 am.
SIGHTINGS FOR
Sunday, May 1
–HERMIT THRUSH (1) – Inglewood Bird Sanctuary (IBS) by Bill Wilson
–LINCOLN’S SPARROW (1) – IBS by BW
–EASTERN PHOEBE (2) – IBS by BW; Cochrane area/Glenbow Ranch PP by Andrew Hart and CFNS field trip
–VESPER SPARROW – location and observers as last above
–ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER – location and observers last above
–RED-BREASTED MERGANSER (1m, 3f) – Chestermere Lake by Terry Korolyk
–EURASIAN WIGEON (1m) – 0.5 km east of Shepard on TwpRd 232 by Andrew Slater
–BONAPARTE’S GULL (88+) – 28 observed on Glenmore Reservoir by BW; 40 at large slough east of RgeRd 28 on Inverlake Rd and another 20 on McElvroy Slough (RgeRd 28 & Inverlake Rd), both by TK; Andrew Slater observed BONAPARTE’S GULLS in the Shepard/Weed Lake area
Saturday, April 30
–HUDSONIAN GODWIT (26) – Frank Lake by Nemali Seneviratne and two other observers
–MARBLED GODWIT (5) – location and observers as above
–SAVANNAH SPARROW (1) – east Fish Creek PP (FCPP) (boat launch to Bankside) by Gus Yaki and the Friends of Fish Creek Society (FFCS)
–LINCOLN’S SPARROW (1) – location and observers as above
Thursday, April 28
–VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW (2+) – with TREE SWALLOWS at Lafarge Meadows (west side of the Bow River south of Hwy 22X bridge) by NS; another observed in east FCPP (boat launch to Bankside) by GY and FFCS
–RUSTY BLACKBIRD (1m) – near boat launch and Bow Bottom Tr in east FCPP by GY and FFCS
–AMERICAN PIPIT – Lafarge Meadows by NS
The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is Thursday, May 5.