Calgary’s 69th annual Christmas Bird Count will take place on Sunday, December 19, 2021. Matthew Wallace is now the coordinator for the count, taking over from long-time organizer Phil Cram. I will again be assisting with the Feeder Watchers.
As usual there will be opportunities for people who want to go out in the field to count birds, and for feeder watchers who will count birds in their yards.
If you are interested in taking part, or in getting more information about participating, please fill out the following form for the 2021 count:
Most Calgary birders know of Barb Castell’s home in the foothills SW of the city, near Priddis. Many have been there, and it is a great place to see birds, including some uncommon species, that come to her feeders and bird baths. It’s one of the most reliable places in the area to see Evening Grosbeaks, Purple Finches, and even Black-headed Grosbeaks.
Of course this is private property with restricted access, but there is a YouTube Channel which has a daily live stream from three cameras set up on the property. You can watch the birds live, and participate in the chat about what is being seen. There are also many archived past live streams, and clips of highlights on the site.
They also have a web page with more information and a link to the YouTube site: foothillsbirds.com
Below is one of the clips from YouTube, featuring some brave Blue Jays.
With fall migration now under way, as many as 26 species have been seen in a day recently, including migrating warblers and hummingbirds. Archived streams feature birds like Northern Goshawks, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Ruffed Grouse, and Mammals like Red Squirrels, Northern Flying Squirrels, and Bats. It is very entertaining and educational to watch!
I’d like to urge you to go to YouTube and subscribe to this channel. It’s as simple as clicking on the “Subscribe” button if you are a regular YouTube user. If not, to get your free subscription,
2. Log into your Google Account, if you aren’t already logged in, top right corner.
3. Click on the red SUBSCRIBE button on the right side.
4. It should change from red to gray and say UNSUBSCRIBE.
Being subscribed to a channel is not obtrusive. For you, it just means that the site appears in your feed as a suggestion from time to time when you are already on the YouTube site. Any new clips that they add will appear in your suggestions. It will also be easy for you to re-find the site since there will be a link to it under your subscriptions.
But it is very important for Foothills Birds to get more subscribers! Even if you do not plan to visit the site much, please subscribe so that it will be suggested to more and more YouTube users and seen by more people. There are currently about 444 subscribers, and if they get to 1000, it will allow them to get more advanced features from YouTube and allow them to do more to support the birds.
Some photos of birds seen at the feeders, from the web site:
Pileated Woodpecker, maleEvening Grosbeak, maleVaried Thrush, male
The best time to view the birds is when they are hungry early in the morning. The camera is usually on from from dawn to dusk.
This location is now an eBird HotSpot, so you can go on eBird and see what has been reported there every day. There have been 105 species observed at the location this year, and 140 species all-time!
If you are on Twitter, follow them @FoothillsBirds. They regularly post photos of birds that are at the feeders and in the area.
So visit the site, watch some clips and live streams, and subscribe. Let’s help them reach their goal of 1000 subscribers!
Green-tailed Towhee, near Cremona, Alberta, May 2020. Photo by Steve Dyke.
There have been quite a number of unusual birds seen in the Calgary area this year. Here is a real rarity for Alberta, a Green-tailed Towhee that was visiting a rural yard near Cremona, NW of Calgary, in late May.
Green-tailed Towhee, near Cremona, Alberta, May 2020. Photo by Steve Dyke.
This sparrow was first noticed by Steve Dyke in his yard on May 18. The bird would shelter under lilac bushes, and emerge in to the open occasionally to feed.
Green-tailed Towhee, near Cremona, Alberta, May 2020. Photo by Steve Dyke.
Green-tailed Towhees are native to northern Mexico and the southwest United States. There have been fewer than eight previous documented sightings of this species ever in Alberta. (See this link for the Official List of the Birds of Alberta. The towhee is bird #378 on the list, and it gets the code 5 Rarity rating – “finds of a lifetime.”) The last Green-tailed Towhee seen in the Calgary region was in Bowmont Park in the NW part of the city in 1996.
Green-tailed Towhee, near Cremona, Alberta, May 2020. Photo by Steve Dyke.Green-tailed Towhee, near Cremona, Alberta, May 2020. Photo by Steve Dyke.
The bird stayed in Steve’s yard from May 18-24. Several other birders were able to see and photograph it.
Here is a range map from eBird, showing in purple all 2020 sightings of Green-tailed Towhee. (The purple square near Fort McMurray is not a mistake; there was a stray bird there last winter, from December 13, 2019 to January 21, 2020. That one was WAY out of range!)
2020 sightings of Green-tailed Towhee.
A beautiful bird, and a great find for Alberta!
Green-tailed Towhee, near Cremona, Alberta, May 2020. Photo by Steve Dyke.
Here are some birds seen recently by local birders in their yards. Lots of great birds can still been seen while staying at home! Some of these are migrating and won’t be seen in the summer, but others are year-round residents.
Mountain Bluebird, Calgary, April 2020. Photo by Patrice O’Brien.Black-capped Chickadee, Calgary, April 2020. Photo by Patrice O’Brien.Blue Jay, Calgary, April 2020. Photo by Patrice O’Brien.American Robin, Okotoks, April 2020. Photo by Lloyd Bligh.Downy Woodpecker, Calgary, April 2020. Photo by Jane Potter.Northern Flicker, Calgary, April 2020. Photo by Jane Potter.Red-breasted Nuthatch, Calgary, April 2020. Photo by Jane Potter.House Finches, Calgary, April 2020. Photo by Jane Potter.
Finally, here is a photo of a Varied Thrush that Karen Bout photographed in her yard in April. I have heard of three or four reports of Varied Thrushes passing through the city this spring, and there were at least three that overwintered here this year.
Varied Thrush, Calgary, April 2020. Photo by Karen Bout.
May can be even better for migrants passing through city yards, so if you are isolating at home, keep an eye open!
With the current Covid-19 situation, it is not safe right now to bird in groups, and may not be for a long time. Nature Calgary has cancelled all group field trips for the time being, and the Friends of Fish Creek Spring Birding Course has been postponed. The BirdYYC2020 Challenge has also been suspended. Provincial and National Parks are closed.
Spring migration is under way (despite the winter-like weather we’ve been having), but I have not been publicizing any sightings at specific locations, to try to avoid having crowds gather there. Of course there are other ways for word to get around, and many people are getting out.
There is no problem with birding alone, or with another person from your household. If you do go, here are some guidelines from eBird on how to do so safely:
Keep your optics to yourself. Don’t share your scope, binoculars, or camera with others; disinfect the eye caps of your optics after each birding trip.
Maintain distance. If you are birding near others (whether they are birders or not), maintain at least 6 feet of space between yourself and other people at all times. Take turns at blinds, shelters, and in other situations where proper distancing may not be possible.
Avoid touching communal surfaces. This includes railings, doorknobs, handles, and other frequently used areas of public sites. If you touch these surfaces, wash your hands and/or use hand sanitizer immediately.
Respect restrictions and closures. Check if your favorite park, trail, or wildlife refuge is still open before heading outside. Plan your birding trips in accordance with the latest recommendations of your local authorities.
Share checklists, not phones: eBird Mobile users should avoid passing phones to review checklists for the time being. Confirm lists verbally before submission and if you need to make changes after you submit, it is easy to share and correct lists on the eBird Mobile app!
One way that birders can stay safe and continue birding is to do it their own yards. Many of us already feed the birds and watch them in our yards regularly. This is a chance to increase the number of hours we spend looking for new species in or from our yards, and a great opportunity for more people to begin backyard birding.
Here is another article from eBird Canada on how to get the most out of birding at home. I encourage you to use eBird to record what you see. If you are interested in comparing what you see in your yard to what others are seeing, you can set up a Yard List on eBird. See these eBird Help Centre articles for instructions. And here is a more detailed article I wrote on setting up Yard Lists. I’m sure some of you have thought about starting on eBird or setting up Patch and Yard lists, but just never had the time before. Maybe now is a good time to start!
If you do feed birds in your yard, you may want to take advantage of the delivery service offered by the Wild Bird Store in Calgary. Go to their web page to see how to get bird feeders or seed delivered to you. You can also do contactless pickup at the store. These are good options so that you keep your risk to a minimum and support a local business.
I have been having problems with my camera so I’m unable to share any new photos I’ve taken in my yard. I’ve had huge European Starling flocks lately (often eating crabapples), Robins in the birdbath, occasional Bohemian Waxwing flocks eating crabapples, a nesting pair of Eurasian Collared-Doves, and a local Merlin who has chased the Starlings a few times.
Reynold Reid also had a Merlin in his yard in the Chaparral neighbourhood in SE Calgary recently, and luckily for us his camera is working fine!
Merlin with prey, Calgary, March 26, 2020. Photo by Reynold Reid.
The Merlin is eating a rather large prey species. Can anyone identify it? I have an idea but would like to hear what you think.
If you have been getting good photos of backyard birds in Calgary and would like to share them here, email them to birdscalgary[at]gmail.com. Until I get my camera working properly I’ll post some of them, and some of my older photos.
This beautiful bird was photographed on an acreage near Big Hill Springs, NW of Calgary, on September 22nd by Shelley Mohl.
Leucistic Blue Jay, NW of Calgary, September 22, 2019. Photo by Shelley Mohl.
This Blue Jay has some sort of colour abnormality, likely leucism, caused by a deficiency of melanin in its feathers. The areas that should be black are brown, and there isn’t enough pigment to scatter the light to create much of a blue colour on the rest of the bird.
Leucistic Blue Jay with normal Blue Jays, NW of Calgary, September 22, 2019. Photo by Shelley Mohl.
Here are some beautiful birds photographed by Raymond Toal in a garden in Beaver Mines, in the far SW corner of Alberta, near Waterton Park. All photos taken on May 26, 2019 by Raymond Toal.
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.
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, undisclosed location. Photo by Gavin McKinnon. 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!
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 pair, March 17, 2019. Photo by Bob Lefebvre 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 pair, March 17, 2019. Photo by Bob Lefebvre Eurasian Collared-Dove pair, March 17, 2019. Photo by Bob Lefebvre
On Saturday September 29 The Wild Bird Store in Calgary will be celebrating their 21st anniversary with some events that will be of interest to local birders.
The Wild Bird Store is located at 5901-3 St SE. They have everything you need for backyard bird feeding.
Gus Yaki’s presentations will feature photographs of virtually every species that has ever been seen in Alberta. John Acorn, co-author with Chris Fisher of Birds of Alberta, will be doing a book signing. His newest book is Best Places to Bird in the Prairies.
The Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society will bring Lito, a Swainson’s Hawk, to the event. The CWRS always has a need for supplies to support the work they do. They will have a table set up for donations. If you are attending the store’s event, consider bringing any of the following items for them:
