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Birds & Beers, April 4, 2019

Mar31
American Robin
Backyard American Robin. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.

The next Calgary Birds & Beers event will be held on Thursday, April 4th at the Horton Road Legion.

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch#285, 9202 Horton Road SW

Thursday March 4, 2019, 6:00-9:00 pm

There won’t be a presentation this time, but we do plan to have an interactive activity and questionnaire based on last year’s Christmas Bird Count results. We hope we will all learn a bit more about the patterns of bird populations over the years. There is no need to have participated in the counts to take part in this activity.

Birds & Beers is a free social event open to anyone. Children are welcome if accompanied by an adult. Food and drinks are available at the Legion at a reasonable price. Come out and visit with your fellow birders!

Upcoming Birds & Beers events are scheduled for Thursday May 2, Thursday May 30, and Thursday June 27, at the same time and place.

FFCPPS Spring Birding Course 2019

Mar24
Mountain Bluebird, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, April 16, 2013. Photo by Dan Arndt.

The popular spring session of the Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society (FFCPPS) Birding Course will begin on Monday April 1, 2019. The course consists of weekly field trips to various parks in the city. You can expect to see over 150 species on this twelve-week course.

Here is the course description from the FFCPP website:
During the spring, hundreds of bird species pass through or reside in Fish Creek Provincial Park. Through the Spring Birding Course you can see, hear and learn about fascinating bird species, view them as they return from their wintering grounds and enjoy watching new spring arrivals. Whether you are new to birding or are an experienced birder, these outdoor sessions will enhance your knowledge about birds and provide an opportunity to meet others who enjoy birds and nature. This course is also great for families who would like to spend time together in nature, explore Fish Creek and other natural areas, and learn about birds and conservation. Lifelong naturalist Gus Yaki, and other experienced birding instructors, conducts these outings as a fundraiser for the Friends of Fish Creek.

You can read more about the course and register to participate here.

This Birds Calgary post from last year shows photographs of some of the amazing birds that were seen during the 2018 spring session!

Birds & Beers, February 21, 2019

Feb20

Tomorrow evening there will be a Birds & Beers at the usual location in Calgary, from 6 to 9 pm.

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch #285

9202 Horton Road SW

Thursday February 21, 2019, 6:00-9:00 pm

Killdeer
Killdeer, Carburn Park, December 2018. Photo by Tony LePrieur.

There will be no presentation this month, but come for a drink or something to eat, and visit with your fellow birders.

The next Birds & Beers will be on Thursday April 4th.

Benefit Brew For Charity

Jan28

The Phillips Brewing Company has a program where they create a special beer for a charity, name the beer after the charity, and donate the proceeds to them. In Alberta, five finalists have been nominated.

Phillips Brewing
Photo courtesy of Nature Calgary

Nature Calgary, the local umbrella group for Calgary Naturalists, is one of the nominees. They have provided critical support for Calgary birders for decades through their field trips, speaker series, and other programs. With your support, they could win $10,000.

The other nominees are The Weaselhead/Glenmore Park Preservation Society, The Oldman Watershed Council, The Leftovers Foundation, and the Aquarium Society of Alberta.

Visit this page to read about the nominees and to vote for your favourite. You can vote once a day on each of your computers or devices until February 1st.

Birds & Beers, January 24, 2019

Jan16

The first Birds & Beers event of the new year will be on Thursday, January 24. Bob and Dianne Leonhardt will do a presentation about their recent trip, called “Twenty-five Days in Peru.”

Vermillion Flycatcher
Vermillion Flycatcher in Lima, Peru.

Birds & Beers is a social gathering which is open to everyone. Come and visit with your fellow birders and have something to eat and drink, and then stay for the presentation afterwards. We start at 6 pm and you can drop in anytime after that. The presentation will start after 7 pm. Children are welcome if accompanied by an adult.

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch #285

9202 Horton Road SW

Thursday January 24, 2019, 6:00-9:00 pm

We will be meeting in the large auditorium, to the right after you go in the main entrance of the Legion.

The schedule for upcoming Birds & Beers meetings has been set. All meetings will be at the Horton Road Legion.

  • Thursday, February 21
  • Thursday April 4
  • Thursday May 2
  • Thursday May 30
  • Thursday June 27

Short-eared Owl Hunting

Jan6

This Short-eared Owl was photographed east of High River by Judi Willis in November.

Short-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl, east of High River, November 22, 2018. Photo by Judi Willis.

Short-eared Owls are scarce around Calgary in the winter but can sometimes be found hunting over uncultivated fields. They will hunt int he daytime but are most active at dawn and dusk. They are a sensitive species, so the exact location should not be publicly disclosed.

Judi watched this owl hunt for a while and managed to capture it diving for prey.

Short-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl Hunting, east of High River, November 22, 2018. Photo by Judi Willis.

Calendar – January 2019

Jan5

Events & Lectures of interest to Calgary birders.

Nature Calgary Field Trips: Various dates and times. See this page. Some trips require registering in advance.

Wednesday January 9, 7:30 pm. Cardel Theatre. Nature Calgary Bird Study Group Presentation. Calgary and Area Christmas Bird Count results. Free for Nature Calgary members (bring your card) and $5 for non-members, payable at the door.

Wednesday January 16, 7:30 pm. Nature Calgary Speaker Series: Tall Tales, Long Lenses by John Marriot. Free for Nature Calgary members (bring your card) and $5 for non-members, payable at the door.

Saturday January 19, Noon to 3 pm. Christmas Bird Count for Kids. Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Free, but registration required.

Wednesday January 23, 7 pm. Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Speaker Series: Dinosaur Provincial Park by Amber DeKam. Registration required. Free for FFCPP members; $10 for non-members.

Thursday January 24, 6 pm. Birds & Beers. Royal Canadian Legion, 9202 Horton Road SW. Everyone welcome.

Furry Friday: Tracks

Dec21

One of the best things about winter is seeing all the animal tracks in the snow. It’s fun to go out after a light snowfall, when you can see signs of all the mammals that have passed. Sometimes there are bird tracks and wing-prints too.

Hare tracks
Hare Tracks, November 2018. Photo by Rodney Nicholson.

These are likely the tracks of a White-tailed Jackrabbit. It was travelling from right to left, the opposite direction of the “arrow” the tracks make.

So far we haven’t had much snow this winter, but we should still get plenty of opportunities in the new year to see all kinds of animal tracks.

Winter Birding Course, January to March 2019

Dec9

Today is the last day of the Fall session of the Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park birding course. After the Christmas season and all the local Christmas Bird Counts, the winter session of the course will begin on January 7, 2019 and run until the end of March. This is a great time of year to get out birding every week since you see the gradual transition from winter birding to spring migration. From late February to the end of March there are many new species arriving here every week.

White-winged Crossbill, Fish Creek Park, March 6, 2016. Photo by Tony LePrieur.

For more information and to register for the course, go to this page.

 

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!