White-tailed Jackrabbit, Airdrie, May 2018. Photo by Rodney Nicholson.
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Courting Mountain Bluebirds
Vincent Tolley photographed this Mountain Bluebird pair just after the male had brought a meal to the female.
Mountain Bluebirds near Madden, north of Calgary, May 25, 2018. Photo by Vincent Tolley.
You can find Mountain Bluebirds at their nestboxes along rural roads all over the Calgary region this month. The best areas are NW, West and SW of town. Many of the boxes host Tree Swallows but if you are persistent you can find bluebirds.
On Thursday June 28 you can join Nature Calgary as Don Stiles leads a trip along his Bluebird Nestbox trail. See baby Mountain Bluebirds and Tree Swallows and learn about the nestbox program. For more information see this page.
You can see more of Vincent Tolley’s photos on his Flickr page.
Wood Ducks at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
Wood Ducks are probably our most spectacularly beautiful duck species. They are quite uncommon in southern Alberta, but the one reliable place to see them is on the lagoons at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Up to 40 birds can be seen there at times. The males are in their breeding plumage now. Judi Willis took these shots in Early may.
Wood Duck (male), Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary, May 2018. Photo by Judi Willis.
Wood Duck (male), Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary, May 2018. Photo by Judi Willis.
Sharp-tails at the Lek
Tony LePrieur had an opportunity to observe Sharp-tailed Grouse displaying on a lek in southern Alberta this spring. All photos by Tony LePrieur.
Male Sharp-tailed Grouse displaying.
Another male Sharp-tailed Grouse displaying.
Two males battling.
A female looking for a mate.
You can see more of Tony LePrieur’s photographs here.
New Birding Book For The Prairies
By Pat Bumstead
As a birder living on the edge of the prairies, I have spent hundreds of hours and many thousands of miles driving prairie roads, looking for birds. Sometimes you get lucky and find things like four juvenile ferruginous hawks stretching in the sunlight right next to the road. Sometimes you see nothing but the ubiquitous black-billed magpies.
One day last month I received a copy of Best Places to Bird in the Prairies. I was overjoyed. I was in awe. At last, a clear concise guide on where to find birds in the vastness of the prairie landscape. I may have hugged the book.
Written by three birding experts on their own provinces, John Acorn (AB), Alan Smith (SK) and Nicola Koper (MB) have provided an easy-to-follow guide on how to find birds in a variety of prairie locations. Experience clearly shows, as they share personal stories of some of the sites mentioned.
They highlight thirty-six highly recommended sites, each of which has been selected for the unique prairie species that reside there. With exclusive lists of hard-to-find birds, outstanding colour photographs, detailed maps and plenty of insider tips, this book is an indispensable resource for any birdwatcher.
I’ve been to 10 of the 36 sites listed in the book, so naturally I read those descriptions first. Some I’ve visited more than once and I still found myself going “wait, what?” as I was reading. No one told me there are Mountain Plover in Grasslands National Park, for instance. I’ve been there twice and never saw them – trip number three now coming up this summer.
This book makes the reader want to get out there and go birding. They cover both rural and urban areas with detailed maps and directions. They also include a northern location in each province, as the prairies seamlessly meet the boreal forest in the parkland, and the birds follow. With the prairies tucked up against the Rocky Mountains, Banff National Park also gets a section in Alberta. And what birder would not want to know about the wonders of the Alberta Grain Terminal?
Having a copy of The Best Places to Bird in the Prairies is like having your own private birding guide. They know the birds, they know the birding spots (both well-known and otherwise), and they know how to get there. Even the text seems written by a friend.
This book is an absolute must-have for beginning or experienced birders. There are so many species found only on the prairies, and now you have a book that can show you where they are. Ready, set, go!
Available Now from:
Birds & Beers, May 24, 2018
The next Birds & Beers event in Calgary will be this Thursday, May 24, at the usual location:
Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch #285
9202 Horton Road SW
Thursday May 24, 2018, 6:00-9:00 pm
Great Blue Heron, Bowmont Park, August 23, 2017. Photo by Lorraine Glass.
Birds & Beers is an informal social event where you can meet and have conversations with your fellow birders. Everyone is welcome, and food and drinks are available.
Friends of Fish Creek Birding: 68 Street Wetlands and South Glenmore Park
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
The Friends of Fish Creek birding course continues to grow in popularity, with over 300 people now going out on weekly three-hour field trips to various parks in the city. The Spring session is under way, and Max Ortiz Aguilar has contributed some photos from recent outings.
On April 22, 2018 the course went to the 68 Street SE Wetlands, east of Elliston Park. This is a fairly new area for the birding course and is excellent for spring shorebirds, gulls, and waterfowl on migration. All photos by Max Ortiz Aguilar.
American Avocet.
The wetlands (which are also called the Rotary/Mattamy Greenway wetlands since they are on that city-encircling pathway) lie just east of Elliston Lake, between 68 Street SE and Stoney Trail, just south of 17 Avenue. There is a parking lot south of 17 Avenue on the west side of 68 St.
Elliston Lake and the 68 St SE Wetlands.
Black-necked Stilt.
Two Black-necked Stilt and one American Avocet.
Black-crowned Night-Heron.
In the first week of May the course went to South Glenmore Park in search of more waterfowl and migrants. Max took the following photos on May 6, 2018.
Savannah Sparrow singing in the morning
Great Blue Heron
Group of Barrow’s Goldeneye
Male and female Common Mergansers
Spring Waterfowl at Confederation Park, Part 2
More duck species photographed at Confederation Park in NW Calgary in March and April 2018 by Ron Chiasson. See Part 1 for more photos and a map of the park.
Northern Pintail, male.
Northern Pintail, male, with female Mallard in background.
Northern Pintail, male.
Northern Pintail, male.
Ring-necked Duck, male.
Ring-necked Duck, female.
Ring-necked Duck, male.
Northern Shoveler, male.
Northern Shoveler, male.
American Wigeon, male.
American Wigeon, male, with Mallards in background.
American Wigeon, male.
American Wigeon, male (front), with male Northern Pintail (middle), and male Mallard (back).
Spring Waterfowl at Confederation Park, Part 1
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
Hooded Merganser, Confederation Park, Calgary, April 14, 2018. Photo by Ron Chiasson.
As I mentioned in a previous post (Winter Birds of Confederation Park), this NW city park is under-appreciated by many local birders, who only go there for the fall warbler migration.
Confederation Park runs on both sides of 10 Street NW but the best birding is along the creek and around the pond that is in the western half, between 10 Street and 14 Street. There is a parking lot at the Rosemont Community Association, and plentiful on-street parking on Roselawn Crescent, near the pond, and on other nearby residential streets.
Confederation Park between 10 Street and 14 Street NW.
Here are some of the many waterfowl species that can be seen during the spring migration on the pond. More will follow in part 2.
All photos are by Ron Chiasson, and were taken in March and April of 2018.
Common Goldeneye, female.
Common Goldeneye, female.
Common Goldeneye, male.
Common Goldeneye pair.
Hooded Merganser, male.
Hooded Merganser, male.
Mallard dabbling.
Mallard (male) landing. Northern Pintail in background.
Mallard, female.
Mallards mating.
Features of a Good Birdhouse
Songbirds are arriving in big numbers now. Time to be review the best birdhouse and yard practices to attract nesting birds.
Graphic provided by Capital Garden Services (Dublin, UK).
