When Migration Meets Modern Architechture

A Morning with the Calgary Urban Species Response Team.

By Cathy Warwick

The last time I was hiking in the hills of Kananaskis south of Calgary I could see the downtown core, an island in the middle of an ocean of prairie. Hearing that birds tend to die in Calgary downtown I look at all the space to the left, and all the space to the right. Why don’t they just go around?

I had the pleasure of tagging along with Calgary Urban Species Response Team (CUSRT) volunteer Jenny for the post-dawn shift. I have since learned that, in fact, the birds are migrating 1-3 km up so they go over.

CUSRT is a team of volunteers who survey the downtown for any birds or bats affected by architectural hazards. They go out in shifts throughout the day. The team is most active during spring and fall migration. Roughly 80% of birds migrate at night so the morning shifts are most popular.

The birds will descend from their flight 1-3 kilometers up to roost and then become active during the day to forage. When they descend you can imagine that the downtown core becomes an island of light in the darkness. So birds may collide with glass as they enter the city at night. They also get into trouble during the day as well, when they find themselves in a confusing glass maze.

Bird Collisions — Image from the Global Bird Collision Mapper showing bird collisions, downtown Calgary, circa Oct 22, 2026.

Prevention is Key

A major takeaway from my tag-along is that birds and glass don’t mix well. This completely obvious statement needs to be said because many of the high kill spot buildings in downtown Calgary are covered in reflective glass. Perhaps designers should make a left turn and go back to brutalist architecture? I used to like glass, somehow it looked more natural. I don’t like glass anymore! Bring on the concrete I say.

Many of the collisions in downtown Calgary happen in the northern part of it. The theory is that birds drop down to the vegetated area around the river for a rest. Once rested they attempt to continue their migration. Many follow the vegetation that continues south. The reflective buildings could be disorienting, causing them to collide with the glass as they try to continue.

The +15’s (pedestrian overpasses) found downtown garner their fair share of the kills. The bridges that cross the road are usually all glass, so people can see out. Just as reflections are hazardous to birds, so too are “fly throughs”. A fly through is a situation where clear glass may have an attraction on the other side, such as a tree, a clear route or an inside plant. Birds don’t see the glass – so they try to “fly through” and collide.

Sure, the glass is a nice design choice, it makes you feel like you’re outside. However, I don’t think that the people walking the +15 level would even notice some ‘Feather Friendly Film’ on the windows. These are little dots at regular intervals which are shown to improve bird safety. This film would improve the safety of all windows, residential and secondary homes included. There are also many other options for making glass safe, such as using art or well-spaced strips of readily-available bus wrap.

Most birds die if they collide with a window. If you see one and it seems to revive and fly away, unfortunately studies show that they actually don’t recover. It’s critical that injured birds are secured right away, and taken to a wildlife rehabilitation clinic for appropriate examination, diagnosis and treatment. Prevention of those strikes really is key.

During our survey I noticed Magpies starting to follow us, watching what we were doing. We had flashlights and were looking in the corners of the building and in planters. Once you notice Magpies around these buildings they are hard to un-notice. They are the clean up crew for deceased migratory birds. Often the CUSRT volunteers will document a pile of feathers, instead of an actual bird.

The other clean up crew are the human cleaners that work in the buildings. These hard working folks are up early looking and tidying around the buildings. The CUSRT volunteers have developed relationships with the workers. The survey team asks if staff can please put the dead birds in planters for the team to document and collect.

Bright Lights, Bird Unfriendly

At night some buildings are all lit up with spotlights. This attracts the bats as well as birds. They use lights as a cue to their navigation during migration. If there are lights bright enough to rival the sun it’s no wonder issues occur.

The Bird Friendly Calgary group has a ‘Lights Out for Birds’ initiative that is aimed at spring and fall. From March 15 to May 30 and August 15 to October 31 they ask that we turn out lights at night. Particularly from 11 pm to 6 am. Light pollution affects many species including plants, trees, fish and people so reducing lights is wise year-round.

Lights out campaigns are critical for many reasons, certainly including birds during migration. The team points out that this isn’t enough action, though. After all, it’s the glass that actually kills the birds.

Roosting Crows

On the morning of my migration season tag-along we didn’t find any small songbirds deceased, however we did find two dead crows. Interesting fact, crows have chosen to roost around the southern edge of downtown – on 8th Ave and 9th Ave. One look at the white-splattered sidewalk and you can guess there are a lot of them. Jenny has counted 120 live roosting crows here before.

Jenny wrapped up the Crows and recorded them.

Jenny is a knowledgeable and hard working volunteer. Her reasons for joining CUSRT include seeing birds up close and getting closer to wildlife.

This Fall season the CUSRT team has documented over 460 birds and bats as of October 25th. Forty-six different bird species are included in this statistic, many birds that you would never associate with downtown, including Sora, Varied Thrush, Townsend Solitaire, and Mourning Warbler.

Mourning Warbler found in southern downtown. (Jenny)

Chipping Sparrow — Chipping sparrow. The most common deceased migratory bird found.

Bats in Downtown

The downtown core provides habitat for several species of bats, including migratory and non-migratory bats, some of whom are thought to roost there permanently. There is still a lot to learn about bats in cities, such as what attracts bats into the downtown, how light affects bats, how often do they actually collide with glass and what causes them to become grounded. For whatever reason they are there. Becoming grounded in an unnatural setting leaves bats vulnerable.

Bat — A bat grounded in downtown Calgary.

I enjoyed looking in the corners of downtown buildings, wielding my flashlight like a misguided cat burglar. After a couple of large coffees I went to my job with a feeling of accomplishment. It felt good to help out documenting a problem humans have created.

More information from Kathleen Johnson, Co-Founder – CUSRT

Highrises , like Calgary’s downtown core, are indeed problematic for birds. Research shows that 99% of collisions occur outside of the core. This means it’s important for every one of us to make our homes, schools and offices bird-safe.
Collision birds do not “shake it off”. When YOU find a surviving collision bird, please get them to a wildlife rehab asap. Please see the poster below for detailed instructions.
Window treatments – they need to be effective. Treatments need to be on the exterior of the glass, be spaced appropriately (no more than 2” apart if direct on glass or 4” apart for parachords), be visible (be wary of the over-the-counter UV products) and cover the whole surface.

The family-friendly videos below share accurate information about window collisions and are great for all ages, including adults!

About window collision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9eMFS7UMP0
Small spaces made bird safe: https://youtu.be/j08DLF7uqXk?si=mHR3uMO8CmigTxdX
How to install Feather Friendly: https://youtu.be/SfvEXm_SEEw?si=iyFndS-K9EYiNWjQ
How to install Acopian BirdSavers: https://youtu.be/FVsHa4VPnlE?si=UoX9lv-DP_1oCByb
The whole series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4_HDAcESJsCnSsf_g17vZ-7JU63Oq1WY

“Fun Birds Calgary fact… when I first went out in Spring 2019 to explore this situation for Calgary, Bob Lefebvre and Chris Fisher did our very first bird ID’s via Twitter! Two Chipping Sparrows and one Orange-Crowned Warbler. Bob of Birds Calgary has always been a wonderful support and is so very much appreciated. I’m so glad you got to go out with Jenny. She’s tremendously knowledgeable and will have been a fantastic host on your survey walk. Big shout out to Sara, Jenny and each of the team for all you do ” – Kathleen Johnson

Information about what you should do if you find a Bird or Bat

If you have found a live bird:

If you have found a deceased bird you can add to the data by logging it at the Global Bird Collision Mapper Or iNaturalist.

So Long, Cobra Chicken! (Canada Goose)

Oct12

By Cathy Warwick

This past summer I was driving in Manitoba, near Whiteshell Provincial Park, when we passed a sign. The sign read “Alf Hole Goose Sanctuary”.

“Surely they can’t mean the Canada Goose,” I said.

We stopped to check it out for the sole purpose of finding out what goose they were giving sanctuary to.

It is, indeed, the Canada Goose that has been given sanctuary in that park. Nary a goose was in sight. Do the geese know it exists? Do they know they have a large tract of land that they are welcome to? I’m thinking if they do know, they don’t care. They will go where they want to.

The Alf Hole Goose Sanctuary was conceived in 1939 when Alf inherited some goslings and built a pond for them. This park has been giving sanctuary for 87 years! In 1939, and this is really hard to believe, the Canada Goose was endangered. Decimated, according to Audubon.

Nowadays there are many articles about how places are overrun with them. They are ruining athletic fields, eating just-planted fields of food and degrading water quality. Plus they attack people.

Efforts to save the Canada Geese populations actually introduced geese in areas where they weren’t before. They especially took to urban locations and often stayed all year, since they were never shown how to migrate. In an urban environment they have no natural predators and endless grass parks to hang out in.

I have yet to see the large ‘V’ of geese flying south this year, I’m sure I will though. When I do I will breathe a sigh of relief. The Canada Geese have left, we can all go about our business more freely.

The internet has nicknamed them the “cobra chicken” for their snake-like neck and hissing. If you have ever been on the receiving end of its hissing beak, outstretched wings and beady little eyes you know what they can be like. At the zoo my friend witnessed a child chasing one and it turned around and chased him! As he ran screaming it got in a peck on his posterior. They are not to be trifled with!

Its dapper appearance, with its chin-strapped, sleek black head and two-toned outfit makes its bad manners all the more disappointing. How did such a rude animal get the name Canada when Canadians are known for being polite? There is a rumour that the goose is actually named after an ornithologist named John Canada. However after a bit of research apparently that is unfounded, probably made up by some embarrassed Canadians trying to lay blame elsewhere.

It’s possible that the Canada goose was often seen flying north, toward its namesake country.

Oh and don’t call them a ‘Canadian Goose’, there are lots of “canadian geese”, as in a goose from Canada. I bet they don’t want to be lumped in with the Canada Goose.

This spring I can recall a huge population in Prince’s Island park. There seemed to be acres of juvenile geese with a few adult geese. This is called a ‘gang brood’, when there is a large group of goslings, overseen by a couple adult geese who got the short straw. Weaving through them on the bike path is a bit frightening. I know from experience that the inside of their mouth is red.

They do have some positive traits, for example the Canada Goose chooses a partner at about two years old and then stays with that partner for life, isn’t that sweet. Their little goslings are very cute when they paddle behind the parents, all yellow and fluffy. The adult Canada Goose is one of our largest waterfowl, and should we ever have to revert to subsistence living, they are very plentiful.

Goodbye our friend the Canada Goose, try to behave yourselves in the States and Mexico. We know you probably won’t.

Welcome Back, Swamp Boss: The Red-winged Blackbird Returns

Mar29

By Cathy Warwick

Guess who is coming back to Calgary this spring, the Red-winged Blackbird! This feels like a spring where Mother Nature will roll out the “white carpet” for these hardy birds. Hopefully they won’t turn right around and head back south.

For birders the Red-winged Blackbird is, thankfully, relatively easy to spot. They are widespread and, as birding books like Sibley’s call them, “conspicuous”, that means they make themselves seen. The males are glossy black with a military-esque red and yellow striped patch on their shoulders. The females are much harder to identify, and are almost sparrow-like, although larger. If you have ever seen a female out of context, as I have on a conifer tree, you will know what I mean.

One of the main attributes of these birds is that they are highly territorial, befitting their military regalia. Their distinctive tumbling song can be translated to “Stay out of this swampy area, it’s mine!” repeated endlessly, all day. This is the male of course, chasing other Red-winged Blackbirds out and any other perceived threats to nests, including humans sometimes. His song is also for the benefit of the females, he will show off his red shoulders and puff up a bit and then sing loudly – ”conk-la-reeee”.

Meanwhile the females are quietly building the nests in the territory. They lash their sweet cup nests to reeds or tall grasses. As a finishing touch they line the nest with fine grasses. A male can have many female mates, although it turns out the eggs in his territory are not always his. The little swampy area has more drama than a Mexican soap opera.

If you want an (almost) guaranteed sighting of a Red-winged Blackbird head to Ralph Klein Park. This is a 30 acre wetland area in the eastern part of the city that could, frankly, use more visitors. The last time I was there it seemed to be just me and my son. These parks need more appreciation, to encourage more parks and more preserved wetlands. An unwilling teenager and his mom are not going to cut it.

In between all the Red-winged Blackbirds you will see a lot of other wetland species. Last time we were lucky enough to see a Black-crowned Night Heron. They also have a great interpretive center, similar to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary.

Welcome back Red-winged Blackbird! I can’t wait to hear your song, although I can’t guarantee I will stay out of your territory.

The Bohemian Waxwing – A Social Showstopper

Jan23

By Cathy Warwick

There is a large flock of Bohemian Waxwing flying around the North Glenmore Park, it’s great to see them back! These social birds are usually found in a tight flock that is full of non-stop trilling and fluttering. Their flocks can number in the thousands, however the one I saw looked to be about 150 birds. The best way to guarantee the number of birds is to be the only one around to count them. In this case I didn’t have much time because a car honked and they took off in a moving cloud, trilling away.

Bohemain Waxwing — Bohemian Waxwings are primarily fruit-eaters in the winter, and in Calgary they usually eat Mountain Ash berries. *Wikimedia commons, no restrictions, Lisa Hupp/USFWS*.

I have a soft spot for masked birds, so the Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings are always a welcome sight. These two birds are very similar to one another. However looking at their bar chart on eBird for Calgary it’s like they have two shifts, a Winter shift and a Summer shift. That makes it easy to guess which species you are looking at. The Bohemian Waxwing summers in the north, they must feel right at home in the cold, so they took the winter shift. You can also see from this chart that a few hardy (and perhaps not very bright) Cedar Waxwings stick it out here in Calgary over the winter.

How to tell if a stray Cedar is in a flock of Bohemians? The Bohemian Waxwing can be identified by its Cinnamon undertail and they are plumper and more jolly looking, than their sleeker cousin. Both birds have the sweet black mask and funky head plumage, as well as bright colors at the end of their wingtips and tails. This is where they get their name from, previous generations thought their wingtips looked like they had been dipped in wax. This is another example of how much day-to-day life has changed, the importance of wax has plummeted in the modern era.

The trilling sound they make is not a true song but a high-pitched sound that is nevertheless very distinct. I’m sure they are discussing something of great importance, probably where the dried berries are, which is their winter food. The abundance of Mountain Ash in Calgary would make you think they have it made here, however their populations see wild fluctuations. For example in the below chart we have the eBird total sightings for the winter months in Calgary. The numbers have dropped drastically, especially in 2025. As their name suggests they are wanderers at heart so we can only hope there is a berry laden place somewhere else in Alberta where they are all congregating.

Total birds on eBird checklists, Winter months. 5 year comparison:

Even if there is some other factor, like a Bohemian Waxwing loving birder has moved from Calgary, the numbers are telling us these birds aren’t around as much. In fact, although these birds are considered ‘common’, the “Partners in Flight” organization has identified them as a “Species in Steep Decline”. This organization is made up of a network of more than 150 partner organizations in the Western Hemisphere, concerned with landbirds specifically.

If you see the Bohemian Waxwings in North Glenmore, take a moment to admire them, I know I did until the horn honked, a clear warning in the cold winter air.

See also Winter Waxwings of Calgary – more photos by Ron Chiasson.

(email subscribers – Click on the post title to go to the blog website.)

Peak Birding – The Great Horned Owl

Dec7

By Cathy Warwick

A beautiful Great Horned Owl. Photo by Diane Stinson.

A few weeks ago I was leaving my house to start my walk to work and I saw a cloud of Magpies squawking wildly around a spruce tree. I ran over and was delighted to see a large Great Horned Owl! It was a lighter color than I had seen before, almost white. Its large yellow eyes looked at me wearily. The Magpies were relentlessly hassling it, flying at it and generally freaking out. I managed to get a fairly decent picture of it with my phone, and also yelled at a stranger “An Owl is in this tree!”, as one should given the special circumstances. If I saw an owl nesting I wouldn’t tell anyone, but I could tell this one was moving on soon.

The Magpies know the owl is a skilled predator that is a threat to their very lives, they don’t want it to get comfortable in our neighbourhood. Owls have very sharp beaks, crushing claws, night vision, great hearing and near silent flight, they must be terrifying to other birds. Whereas we humans just notice their super fluffy feathers and luminous, intelligent eyes. “Don’t be mean” we mutter to the Magpies and Crows harassing them.

Owls eat rodents, hares, skunks and other mammals. With their swiveling head, which can turn nearly 180 degrees in either direction, no small mammal is safe. They’ve even been known to go after house cats. I would love to see one hunting, I wouldn’t hear it though. There are numerous videos on the internet of an owl flying with a sound detector nearby, they are virtually silent. They have specialized feathers that break up the sound, a subject of much study by scientists.

If you see a very large owl it is probably one of three in Calgary: Snowy, Great Grey or Great Horned. The Great Horned Owl is the most common and is distinct because of its prominent ‘horns’ which are part of a ‘V’ coming down to its beak. Although the Long Eared owl also has feather tufts protruding from the top of its head, those owls are much harder to find in the city. Obviously the same person didn’t name these owls, one taking their tufts for horns and the other for ears. It is difficult to identify owls by colour (other than the Snowy of course), for instance the Great Horned can vary from a light colour to a tawny brown colour.

Nesting for the Great Horned is in February. The mating pair will usually steal another bird’s nest, they aren’t the apex of the birding world without some perks! After laying the eggs the female will diligently keep the nest warm for about 30 days. It probably requires a lot of energy – warming eggs through those long cold nights. Once the fluffy little owlets hatch they will stay around the nest until fall. If you know where an Owl is nesting, keep it to yourself and give them a chance to make it through their long nesting cycle.

An older Owlet, showing the last thing many mammals see. Photos by Diane Stinson.

I’m not sure if I’ll see the Owl around my house again, the Magpies are a very dominant force on our street. They seem really smug about it, if they had fingers they would be snapping them like the Jets from West Side Story. Meanwhile the owl has moved on, although they don’t migrate they can travel far for food, or to get away from Magpie gangs.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! May you all see an owl this season.

A very young Great Horned Owlet. Isn’t it the cutest?! Photo by Diane Stinson.

No Costume Needed: Meet the Northern Shrike, the Bird of Halloween

Oct19

By Catherine Warwick

The most “Halloween” bird around is the Northern Shrike, aka, the “butcher bird”. Although it is a Passerine, which is a perching songbird, it has rejected the usual cutesy song-bird personality and instead is a merciless hunter. Not only does it hunt other birds, but it is known to rip its kill to shreds and impale pieces of the body on barb wire fences and tree branches. I don’t think a bird can get more grisly than that, it would even make a Crow shudder. It needs no costume to strike fear in a little bird’s heart, however it does sport a small black mask and a heavy hooked beak.

The Northern Shrike will scout out a nest or mouse hole and wait to strike. If it’s after a flying bird it may force it to the ground with its feet. Then it makes the kill with its hooked beak. In its upper bill (at the front) it has a vampirish toothlike spike, called a tomial tooth, that it uses to break the necks of its prey.

The Shrike spends its summer in the far north and just comes to Calgary for the winter, that’s how tough it is. Apparently, it finds our “balmy” -20°C days pleasant.

Ron saw the pictured Northern Shrike at Carburn Park last winter. Shrikes are known to return to the same winter territory year after year, so keep an eye out; you might see this tiny terror perched high atop a tree, scanning for its next victim.

In the summer they will head back to the far north to nest. One sweet fact about this bird – their nest is a deep cup that, when the female is in it, only her tail can be seen.

This winter get your binoculars ready to see a real horror icon: the Northern Shrike.

-Cathy

Note: The Northern Shrike has a summertime lookalike, the Loggerhead Shrike. Northern Shrikes are in our area from early October to late April. Loggerheads arrive in mid-May and can sometimes be seen into September. There is the possibility of a little overlap in May and September. Loggerhead Shrikes are a little smaller than Northerns, and have a clear breast without the barring of the Northern. They have a smaller bill with a tip that is less hooked, but they share the feeding habits of the Northern Shrike. -Bob

Birds & Beers, June 12th, 2025

Jun4

Next Thursday, June 12th, join us for The Big Birding Quiz of the Year!!

For the last Birds & Beers of the spring/summer season, we will be meeting as usual at the Royal Canadian Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW, from 5 to 9 pm. Instead of a presentation this time, we will have a birding quiz starting at about 7 pm.

Come early if you want to eat, drink, and socialize, and then at about 7 pm Joan Walker will host a special Trivial Pursuit-style “Wing and Feather” Night. A night when we can share our knowledge of our feathered friends, and perhaps gain some new insights into their unique habits and behaviors.

This promises to be a lot of fun! Each table, whether four, five, or six people, will be a team, and the teams compete to get to a certain number of correct answers. Questions will be on any birding topic, but weighted towards local birds. Songs and calls may be involved! And there will be some surprises too!

Joan introducing last month’s talk at Birds & Beers. (This shows about half of the 96 attendees.) This time, we will stay at our tables and take part in a birding quiz.

Everyone is welcome to join us, even children if accompanied by an adult.

Birds & Beers takes a break in the summer and will resume in September. I will post the schedule and upcoming presentation topics once they are booked.

Wood Ducks: A Living Work of Art

Jun1

By Cathy Warwick

Calgary is lucky to have Wood Ducks within our city limits. In June eBird checklists have about a 5% chance of including a Wood Duck, compare this with Edmonton with only a 0.1% chance! Virtually zero! Something to keep in your back pocket next time the subject of hockey comes up. “Well we have Wood Ducks!”.

If you have seen a Wood Duck you will know why this is a brag. They are like a beautiful sculpture come to life. If you want to see one for the first time (or again) head to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, a Wood Duck hotspot. This waterfowl has a beautiful shimmery green pompadour swept back to the nape of its neck and bright red eyes. No boring modern minimalism for this guy, it has speckles, stripes, shimmers and all kinds of colour: burgundy, blue, a bit of beige. Its latin name is “Aix Sponsa”, which can be loosely translated to “bridal duck”, it’s all dressed up for a fancy wedding. (Audubon). The female has plainer plumage, she makes do with some speckles on her front and a large white eye ring.

Its name comes from its close relationship to trees. The Wood Duck has claws on its duck feet that allow it to climb up trees. This is necessary since it nests in trees. The female will have two broods a year, which apparently is very rare for ducks. When the chicks are ready they will jump out of the tree, up to 50 feet! You have probably seen a video on the internet of ducklings jumping from trees in slow motion, landing like little puff balls on leaf litter. Their mom calls them out, encouraging them to jump, but doesn’t help otherwise. Then they follow her to the pond.

So make a trip to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and you might get lucky and see the famous Wood Duck. They will be in the pond looking for weeds to eat. They also love perching on the logs in there, firmly in place with their claws, making it easier for you to get a picture of their finery.

Final Results – Calgary Winter Bird List

Mar16

The 2024-2025 Winter Bird Lists.

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

With the spring equinox just around the corner, I’d like to give the final results of the 2024-2025 Calgary Winter Bird Count. This is a list of all species reported in the Calgary-region 80-km radius circle from December 1, 2024 to February 28, 2025.

For this count, Caroline Lambert and I just record whether or not a species is observed in the circle during the winter months. Numbers of birds are not considered, so even a single individual counts. We are trying to get an idea of long-term trends in which species are resident here in winter, which migratory species regularly overwinter, and also, for species which are rarely are seen in winter, whether there is any trend of increasing or decreasing overwintering. Keeping a winter list also might help to keep birders interested during the winter, and encourage them to get out more.

*Northern Hawk Owls are uncommon winter birds that migrate here from the north, but are seen in small numbers every winter. As we will see, it was a great winter for owls of many species.* Photo by Amir Said.

*Both NHOW photos by Amir Said, taken in Okotoks this winter.* **Follow Amir on Instagram here**.

The final total for this year was 111 species. This is lower than each of the previous four years, but only a little below our average.

Winter Bird Species, 2017-2025

Year	Species
2017-2018	108
2018-2019	108
2019-2020	109
2020-2021	118
2021-2022	117
2022-2023	113
2023-2024	120
2024-2025	111

The average number of species recorded is 113. Note that for this year and going forward, now that the Hoary and Common Redpolls have been lumped as one species, we have lost one species. Five of the previous years had both Common and Hoary Redpoll. The cumulative total of all species recorded at least once (taking Redpoll as one species, and also discounting Pacific/Winter Wren as a species, is now 156.

Here is the Calgary list showing each species recorded for the past eight years.

The list got off to a great start, with 71 species reported in the first two days. By December 31, after some of the local Christmas Bird Counts were complete, we were at 104. This is a typical number for that date, and I expected we would have a pretty high total by the end.

A Wilson’s Snipe (105) was added on January 1 during the annual Fish Creek Park New Year’s Day count, and a Black-backed Woodpecker (106) (an uncommon resident species) in Brown-Lowery on Jan 2. American Kestrel (107) was added on January 8 (more on this below). Also on January 8 a Harris’s Sparrow (108) was found in Airdrie. This species migrates mostly well east of us, but we do see a few in the fall, and occasionally they overwinter. The bird was still being seen there in Airdrie at the end of February.

Harris's Sparrow — *Harris’s Sparrow. A single bird was reported in the circle this winter, and not until January 8.* Photo by Bob Lefebvre, Calgary, 2020.

A more common sparrow around here is the White-crowned Sparrow, but they rarely overwinter. One was found in Carburn Park on January 12 (109). That is only the second time in 8 years we had one on the winter list. Somewhere in there we added Gyrfalcon (110), which is a hard species to verify since it is a sensitive species, and locations are hidden from most reports. But there were definitely eBird lists that were well within our circle.

The final species we added was actually reported earlier, in December. This was a new species for the winter list, Swamp Sparrow (111). It was seen and heard twice at the same location and reported on eBird. A sound recording of the call was included. We were waiting for a confirmation from eBird but it has not yet come. Nevertheless, Caroline was satisfied that the description and recording were legitimate.

There can sometimes be problems when trying to verify a report. Two American Kestrels had been reported earlier in December, but we were unable to verify either (both were on eBird, but eBird did not confirm them). Finally on January 8 a Kestrel was confirmed near Chiniki, at the west edge of the circle. Kestrels are occasionally known to overwinter here.

Another discrepency between our list and eBird is Purple Finch. One was reported on eBird in December, and photographs were included. Caroline and I thought it looked good, and added it to the list. But it has not yet been confirmed on eBird.

On the other hand, I recieved a report of a Great Blue Heron in Okotoks in early December, which I spent about a week verifying. I was satisfied that it was legitimate, and did add it to our list. It was not reported on eBird. Then in late January there was a Great Blue Heron reported on eBird in Okotoks, so likely the bird had been there all winter. Perhaps there aren’t too many eBirders in that area.

There were a couple of late-February unconfirmed reports – Rusty Blackbird, which we have always had in previous years, and Snow Goose, which we usually have. We had hoped to get these but they were not confirmed. In the last few days we also hoped to get the first returning California Gulls, but they didn’t arrive until March 2.

The species that we missed this year that had been seen in all previous years are Rusty Blackbird, Red-winged Blackbird, and Varied Thrush. A Varied Thrush was reported in the city on March 1, but that is only a week or so before their usual return date on migration, so it may not have been an overwintering bird.

Although the total number of species was a little low, it was an unusually good year for most species of owl. We had all ten of the owls that might be expected here (the 11th, American Barn Owl, is very rarely seen in Alberta, even in the summer). Seven of these have been seen in all 8 winters, but we also had the less common Barred Owl (6th year out of 8), Long-eared Owl (4th year of 8), and Boreal Owl (3rd year of the 8). In addition, many of these were seen on multiple occasions in several different places, and several species like Great Gray Owl and Northern Hawk Owl were seen in much larger numbers than usual.

Barred Owl, photographed in northwest Calgary in February. Photo by **Amir Said**.

The Calgary list has only been kept since 2017-2018 (eight seasons), so it is too early to perceive many long-term trends, but I think there is one that is evident. Historically, Swans were rarely seen in the area during the winter months but Trumpeter Swans have been recorded on the winter list in each of the eight years of the count. Tundras are on the past seven lists. The numbers of overwintering swans on the Bow River are increasing, with groups of up to fifteen birds being reported this winter, and they tend to stay all winter.

Tundra Swans on the Bow River. Photo by Matt Wallace.

Trumpeter Swans over the Bow River. Photo by Max Ortiz Aguilar.

Below is a table showing how many species have been seen every year, 7/8 years, 6/8, and so on down to 1/8 years.

Frequency of Overwintering Species

Number of Years Seen	Number of Species
8 out of 8 years	86
7/8	9
6/8	8
5/8	7
4/8	3
3/8	6
2/8	10
1/8	27

It’s an interesting and smooth distribution. There are are a large number of bird species (86) that are either year-round residents like House Sparrows and Black-billed Magpies, winter migrants that are not here in summer but are on their normal winter ranges, like Pine Grosbeak and Northern Shrike, and species that always overwinter here in decent numbers, north of their usual winter range, like American Robin and White-throated Sparrow.

Then there are 5/8, 6/8 and 7/8 species, which usually overwinter or are in low numbers so that they are difficult to find, and finally, there are quite a few species that would be considered unusual finds in the winter – the 4/8 years down to 1/8.

Once again, here is a link to the list, and from there you can navigate to all of the Alberta Winter lists and see what has been found in the Bow Valley, Edmonton region, and in the entire province.

We will do it all again starting on December 1st!

The Elusive Brown Creeper

Mar17

By Cathy Warwick

The last time I saw a Brown Creeper I was cross-country skiing at Confederation Park and had stopped at the top of a hill to catch my breath. I was near a stand of Spruce trees and noticed a piece of the bark was moving. Of course it wasn’t the bark – it was a tiny brown bird moving up the tree. The Brown Creeper is not a well-known bird largely because they lay low, extremely low. They are elusive and mysterious but when you see one its behaviour and look is unmistakable. If you decide to add it to your Life List and go out looking for one, good luck! You’re going to need it. Another strategy is to read this article to familiarize yourself with the Brown Creeper for the day you see one, then you can point to it and yell “a Brown Creeper!”

First of all they are tiny, their body is about the length of a thumb, add to that their long brown tail. Secondly they have amazing camouflage, they have brown feathers on the top of their body, perfectly suited to hide against a spruce tree. Their underside is a white colour, this countershading camouflages them when flying. Their stealth colouring is only undone by their song, a high pitched tssst sound. That’s where you come in with your phone at the ready, the Merlin Bird ID app open. It can identify a Brown Creeper and then you can look for it by its song.

If you get a good enough look you will see its curved bill, perfect for digging in the bark where other birds can’t get to. It eats the insects, their eggs and pupae, hidden in the bark. In photos you can see its relatively long feet, which help it hang on to the bark as it creeps upward in a spiral. Once they have checked out a tree they will fly to the base of the next and start up that one. I wonder if the nuthatch, going down and the creeper, going up, have ever bumped their little heads together. What an adorable mishap that would be.

The Brown Creeper needs live trees to forage on and dead and dying trees to nest in, they use the whole forest lifecycle (allaboutbirds.com). The English traditional park of rolling green lawns with large trees studding it is horrible for wildlife. In our city it’s nice we have some Creeper friendly ‘messy parks’ like Weaslehead and Fish Creek.

Hopefully five years from now when you actually see a Brown Creeper on a tree you can recall the name of it. Maybe the fact that it is ‘creeping’ up the tree will twig your memory and you can yell out its name. Your advanced birding badge will be on its way if you succeed.

More about the Brown Creeper on All About Birds.

Birds Calgary

A birding blog for Calgary, Alberta and area

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More information from Kathleen Johnson, Co-Founder – CUSRT

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So Long, Cobra Chicken! (Canada Goose)

Welcome Back, Swamp Boss: The Red-winged Blackbird Returns

The Bohemian Waxwing – A Social Showstopper

Peak Birding – The Great Horned Owl

No Costume Needed: Meet the Northern Shrike, the Bird of Halloween

By Catherine Warwick

Birds & Beers, June 12th, 2025

Next Thursday, June 12th, join us for The Big Birding Quiz of the Year!!

Wood Ducks: A Living Work of Art

By Cathy Warwick

Final Results – Calgary Winter Bird List

The 2024-2025 Winter Bird Lists.

Winter Bird Species, 2017-2025

Frequency of Overwintering Species

The Elusive Brown Creeper

By Cathy Warwick

A Morning with the Calgary Urban Species Response Team.

More information from Kathleen Johnson, Co-Founder – CUSRT

Information about what you should do if you find a Bird or Bat

More Links:

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By Catherine Warwick

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Next Thursday, June 12th, join us for The Big Birding Quiz of the Year!!

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By Cathy Warwick

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The 2024-2025 Winter Bird Lists.

Winter Bird Species, 2017-2025

Frequency of Overwintering Species

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By Cathy Warwick

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