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The Road to 300: March/April

May25

Here is an update on Gavin McKinnon’s quest to reach the 300-species club in Alberta in a calendar year. You can read more about this and see some photos from January and February in an earlier post here. All photos by Gavin McKinnon.

Northern Pintail
Northern Pintail

Gavin had about 75 species at the end of February, and by March 31 he had almost doubled that to 147 species. You might think it would be easy to get to 300 if you were almost halfway there by the end of March, but after the bulk of the spring migration is over in late May it gets much tougher to add new species. You need to be pretty close to 300 species (about 240-250) by the end of June to have a good chance to get to 300 by year’s end. It will be interesting to see how high his number gets in the next few weeks. As of this writing, on May 23rd, he is at 209 species in Alberta. (Gavin has a Canadian total of 282 species so far this year, the eighth-highest total on eBird. He has made some trips outside the province, including a recent one to Point Pelee.)

Some of Gavin’s highlight species in Alberta in March and April were Eurasian Wigeon, Boreal Owl, Virginia Rail, Hudsonian Godwit, Purple Finch, and Peregrine Falcon. Here are some more photos.

Bohemian Waxwing
Bohemian Waxwing
Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl
Purple Finch
Purple Finch
Ruffed Grouse
Ruffed Grouse
American Avocet
American Avocet

Stay tuned for the next update on Gavin’s Big Year!

Spring Birds at Frank Lake and Carburn Park

May19

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Here are some birds that Tony LePrieur photographed at Frank Lake on April 27. All of these species can still be found there throughout the breeding season, along with dozens more. All photos by Tony LePrieur.

American Avocet
American Avocet, Frank Lake, April 27, 2019.
American Coot
American Coot, Frank Lake, April 27, 2019.
Willet
Willet, Frank Lake, April 27, 2019.
Black-necked Stilt
Black-necked Stilt, Frank Lake, April 27, 2019.
Killdeer
Killdeer, Frank Lake, April 27, 2019.

The next day, after an overnight snowstorm in Calgary, there were quite a few migrating songbirds at Carburn Park. Tony was able to get some great shots of Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler, Carburn Park, April 28, 2019.

These are the Myrtle subspecies of Yellow-rumped Warbler. The Audubon’s subspecies has a yellow throat and lacks the dark mask. Most of the ones we see here are Myrtles heading for the boreal forest. Audubons breed farther west, but we do see both on migration.

Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler, Carburn Park, April 28, 2019.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler, Carburn Park, April 28, 2019.

There are still flocks of Yellow-rumps moving through the city now. Keep an eye out in parks and even in your yard!

Global Big Day, Saturday May 4

May3

Tomorrow is eBird’s Global Big Day, during which birders all over the world are encouraged to submit their sightings on eBird to create a one-day snapshot of the state of the world’s birds. All you have to do is go birding anywhere and submit your sightings on eBird! Even a few minutes of birding will help to contribute to the Big Day. Click the link above to read all about it.

Global Big Day 2019

Last year over 30,00 people submitted lists, recording over 7,000 species of birds. Let’s see if we can top this!

The Cornell Lab has also started doing an eBird Big Day in the fall. The first one was on October 6, 2018. Over 6,000 species were recorded, including these rare Greater Sage-Grouse photographed by Gavin McKinnon. Gavin was the only birder to report this species on the Big Day.

Greater Sage-Grouse
Greater Sage-Grouse, undisclosed location. Photo by Gavin McKinnon.
Greater Sage-Grouse
Greater Sage-Grouse, undisclosed location. Photo by Gavin McKinnon.
Greater Sage-Grouse, undisclosed location. Photo by Gavin McKinnon.

You can see a band on the leg of the bird in the second photo. These birds are part of a program by the Calgary Zoo to try to at least help this species hang on to its very restricted range in Canada. Here is a news article about this program.

Not everyone will see a rare bird tomorrow, but every sighting of any species counts!

Global Big Day 2019

The Road to 300: January/February

Apr23

How many bird species could you see in Alberta in a Calendar year? The answer is that an average of about 330 species have been reported in the province on eBird in recent years. Of course no one birder sees or hears them all, so only a very few birders, if any, get to a total of 300 species in any year.

It takes a special effort to see or hear that many species. You have to make sure you get all the regular birds, regardless of where in the province their normal range or migration route is, and still you have to chase some rarities to get to 300.

In 2019, Gavin McKinnon, a fifteen-year-old Calgary-based birder, is going to try to get to 300 species. He is already a very accomplished birder, who leads field trips for the Friends of Fish Creek and the Wild Bird Store. Last year he recorded 273 species in Alberta, so he knows what a challenge it will be. Gavin will also be travelling outside the province quite a bit, and you can miss some good birds when you are away.

Throughout the year we will be posting photos of some some of the birds that Gavin has seen and photographed. Here are the highlights from the first two months of the year, during which Gavin had about 75 species.

Long-eared Owl
Long-eared Owl
Common Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker, a rarity seen in Magrath, near the US border.
Horned Lark
Horned Lark
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Evening Grosbeak
Evening Grosbeak
Short-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl
American Three-toed Woodpecker
American Three-toed Woodpecker
Rusty Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Tundra Bean-Goose
Tundra Bean-Goose, an extreme rarity seen in Lethbridge.
Harlequin Duck
Harlequin Duck
Pine Siskin
Pine Siskin
Common Goldeneye
Common Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Bufflehead
Black-capped Chickadee
Black-capped Chickadee
Trumpeter Swan
Trumpeter Swan

Birds & Beers, May 2, 2019: The Raptor Allure of Windy Point

Apr21

The next Birds & Beers event in Calgary is on Thursday May 2, at the Horton Road Legion, from 6 to 9 pm. We will be in the big auditorium this month, and will have a special presentation: “The Raptor Allure of Windy Point” by Peter Roxborough.

Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle. Photo by Daniel Arndt.

Local birders are aware of the Golden Eagle migration monitoring that has been conducted for many years at Mount Lorette in Kananaskis country, but few are aware that Windy Point, in the Sheep River Valley west of Turner Valley, also offers fantastic raptor watching on migration. Peter Roxborough will do a presentation on this amazing birding spot.

The Legion is located at 9202 Horton Road SW. Everyone is welcome to attend Birds & Beers. As is usual when we have presentations, these begin after 7 pm. So come at 6 pm (or earlier since the kitchen will be busy), order a meal and have a drink, visit with your fellow birders, and then stay for the presentation. If you can’t make it early drop in later for the show.

Upcoming Birds & Beers events are scheduled for Thursday May 30 and Thursday June 27, at the same time and place. There will be presentations at both of these events too.

Backyard Birds: Eurasian Collared-Dove Nesting Pair

Apr10

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

I’ve had Eurasian Collared-Doves in my SE Calgary neighbourhood since 2009, and they have nested in the area for several years. For the last three years a pair have nested within sight of my house.

The doves are non-migratory but do gather together in small flocks in the winter, and I don’t usually see them around the yard. The nesting pair arrived back on March 17, and perched in our apple tree for a while.

Eurasian Collared-Dove
Eurasian Collared-Dove pair, March 17, 2019. Photo by Bob Lefebvre
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Eurasian Collared-Dove pair, March 17, 2019. Photo by Bob Lefebvre

I have since seen the pair around quite a bit and heard the male calling and displaying. They nest at mid-level in spruce trees and I think I know which spruce they are nesting in, but it’s very hard to find the nest. I’ve never yet seen the nests or young of this species.

Eurasian Collared-Dove
Eurasian Collared-Dove pair, March 17, 2019. Photo by Bob Lefebvre
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Eurasian Collared-Dove pair, March 17, 2019. Photo by Bob Lefebvre

Brewer’s Sparrow in Calgary

Dec8

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

On November 27th Gord Smith photographed this sparrow in his yard in NW Calgary. This is a Brewer’s Sparrow (Timberline subspecies). This is rarely reported in the city, or this late in the year anywhere in its northern range. They should all be in the SW USA or northern Mexico by now.

Brewer's Sparrow

Brewer’s Sparrow, NW Calgary, November 27, 2018. Photos by Gord Smith.

Brewer's Sparrow

Brewer's Sparrow

Brewer's Sparrow

 

Brewer’s Sparrows are related to Clay-colored and Chipping Sparrows which also breed locally. The similarity to these in non-breeding plumage is apparent. Had this bird been in my yard I don’t think I would have known what it was. Gord was familiar with the species, and the ID has been confirmed by Richard Klauke.

Brewer's Sparrow

Brewer’s is the smallest North American sparrow, and in this last photo you can see just how much smaller this bird is than a House Sparrow!

Shorebirds at Frank Lake

Sep10

Game bird hunting season has begun in most areas around Calgary, so fewer birders will be heading to Frank Lake. Tony LePrieur made a final trip there on September 2 and took these amazing water-level photos.

Semipalmated Plover

Semipalmated Plover, Frank Lake, September 2, 2018. Photo by Tony LePrieur.

Semipalmated Plover

Semipalmated Plover, Frank Lake, September 2, 2018. Photo by Tony LePrieur.

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Semipalmated Sandpiper, Frank Lake, September 2, 2018. Photo by Tony LePrieur.

Baird's Sandpiper

Baird’s Sandpiper, Frank Lake, September 2, 2018. Photo by Tony LePrieur.

You can see more of Tony LePrieur’s photos on his Flickr page at this link.

Take Part in Global Shorebird Counting

Sep7

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

The fall shorebird migration through the Calgary area is now underway. Thursday September 6 was World Shorebirds Day. Every year for a week around this date you can take part in Global Shorebird Counting. This program allows birders to contribute, as citizen scientists, to knowledge of the distribution, population trends and abundance of shorebird species. The count this year began on September 5 and continues to the 11th.

Shorebirds

You can count shorebirds anywhere in this time period. You could find a good shorebirding hotspot, but you can also go to any local park where you usually bird and just make sure to count the shorebirds you see there. There are usually some anywhere along the Bow River and at places like the pond at Confederation Park.

You have to register your location (see this page) but reporting is easy if you use eBird since the programs are linked. Once you submit your checklist to eBird, you have until September 30 to share it with the Global Shorebird Counting account.

Try to help out with this project, and follow the results on their web page!

August Birding in the Bow Valley

Sep2

Posted by Ethan Denton (BirdBoy)

While top locations like Confederation Park and Mallard Point are the go-to spots for fall warbler migration in our part of Alberta, it’s often worth checking out some less-birded hotspots for rarities passing unnoticed. The Bow Valley is a perfect example of this, as Policeman’s Creek, Vermillion Lakes and Flowing Waters Trail are more than capable of holding their own in the fall flurries. I’ve been birding these exact spots over the past month, and I would encourage all you Calgary birders to try them out during September.

Located in the heart of Canmore, Policeman’s Creek is a great spot to go for unusual birds, and has not disappointed this autumn. Around eight Blackpolls, a Magnolia, two MacGillivary’s and a Canada Warbler (only the third eBird record for the county) fill the warbler quota, while Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos, Say’s Pheobe and Eastern Kingbird join in. Merlin, Peregrine and Prairie Falcons all made appearances.


Yellow Warbler, Policeman’s Creek


Canada Warbler, Policeman’s Creek


Say’s Pheobe, Policeman’s Creek


Magnolia Warbler, Policeman’s Creek

Bow Valley Provincial Park’s Flowing Waters Trail is a short walk around some of the best habitat in the area, and supports dozens of fall migrants. Cassin’s and Blue-headed Vireo, American Redstarts and Nashville Warbler have all been seen there recently, and it’s one of the best spots to find Western Tanager, Eastern Kingbird and Warbling Vireo in the valley.


Warbling Vireo, Flowing Waters


Eastern Kingbird, Flowing Waters


Warbling Vireo, Flowing Waters

Vermillion Lakes will only now be starting its high point for the fall, but this 220+ species location boasts an impressive track record of Black-bellied and Golden Plovers, Baird’s and Pectoral Sandpipers, and ducks such as Eurasian Wigeon and Red-breasted Merganser. This fall, I’ve already seen two Stilt Sandpipers, a Pectoral, and both species of Yellowlegs. For those who rarely visit the mountains, Clark’s Nutcrackers and Mountain Chickadees are common. MacGillivary’s and Magnolia Warblers have turned up here this fall, and more may be coming.


Pectoral Sandpipers, Vermillion Lakes – 2017


Ring-billed Gull, Vermillion Lakes


Common Raven, Vermillion Lakes

Anyone interested in consistent reports of what’s in the valley should check out the Bow Valley Birding Facebook page, and for more photos my personal blog, www.birdboy.ca

Thanks for reading, and I hope you take some time to bird the Bow Valley soon!