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More On Weasels

Nov16
On Saturday the Friends of Fish Creek birders were walking on the path just outside the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary when we noticed another weasel – this time a Long-tailed Weasel – already in its white winter coat with a black tip on the tail.  These weasels are about eighteen inches long (45 cm), and about half of that length is the tail.  They are considerably bigger than their relatives, the Least Weasels, which are only about six inches (15 cm) long (see my recent post about Least Weasels here).

Long-tailed Weasel checking us out. Photo by Dan Arndt.

The weasel was aware of us, and it would duck behind bushes or into long grass to try to keep out of sight, while keeping an eye on us.

Photo by Wayne Walker

Photo by Wayne Walker

Occasionally he would run, then stop…

Photo by Wayne Walker

Photo by Wayne Walker

…and have another look at us…

Photo by Wayne Walker

There were many Richardson’s Ground Squirrel holes there, and it looked like he was checking the holes for a meal…

Photo by Wayne Walker

One last run and stop…

Photo by Wayne Walker

Photo by Wayne Walker

…then he disappeared through the fence and we didn’t see him again.

See more of Dan Arndt’s photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ubermoogle/ 

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Flying Squirrels of Calgary

Nov14

I seem to be doing a lot of mammal posts lately, but as birders, we are interested in the entire web of nature.  I find that the more birding I do, the more interested I become in all other animals, and in plants as well.

Last Saturday, Dan Arndt and I, plus assorted wives and girlfriends, took a hike at dusk in the Weaselhead with the intention of finding and photographing Northern Flying Squirrels.  These rodents are strictly nocturnal, so many people aren’t even aware that they exist here.  But in fact they range across the entire northern boreal forest of Canada and Alaska, and down into the continental United States as well.

Photo by A. Freeman, from Wikimedia Commons

I first saw these animals in March of 2008 when I attended a Nature Calgary “Owl Prowl”, led by Gus Yaki, to listen for Northern Saw-whet Owls.  We didn’t hear any owls that night (according to Gus, it was Christmas – “the First No-owl”), but as we walked back through the woods in the dark I saw a shape streak through the trees against the dim sky.  I assumed it was a bird going to one of the nearby feeders, but what bird goes to a feeder in the dark?  Then someone shone a flashlight on the trees, and we saw that it was a small squirrel with very large reflective eyes!

Photo by US Fish and Wildlife Service, from Wikimedia Commons

Since then Nature Calgary has had annual outings to this spot to see these amazing animals, and we did see them again in 2009 and 2010.  This spring they didn’t show, so I wondered if they were still around.

On Saturday we arrived a little early, so we walked around the forest on the south side of the Elbow River bridge for a while, hoping to see an owl.  Again there was no luck spotting any owls, but we did see one Pine Grosbeak and one Common Redpoll, plus dozens of Canada Geese overhead.  At dusk we headed back across the bridge to the feeders to set up our cameras.

Sunset was at 5:05 pm and two Northern Flying Squirrels glided in at 6:05 pm, right on schedule, as it seems that they make this feeder their first stop of the night, a half-hour or so after it gets dark.  The squirrels seemed reluctant to go right to the feeder – they hid in the trees somewhere for ten minutes or so before we saw them again.  We saw a few more gliding shapes and some squirrel silhouettes on tree trunks, and heard them scrabbling up and down the bark, but never got a good look at them.  Finally, my wife snapped a few shots with a flash when she heard one on the tree in front of her, resulting in a couple of fuzzy images as the squirrel tentatively climbed down toward the feeder. (Click on pictures to enlarge them.)

We will certainly be heading out again in search of the Northern Flying Squirrel.  Maybe someday we’ll get a photo as clear as the one below.

Photo by Bob Cherry from Wikimedia Commons

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Christmas Bird Count 2011 – Here’s Your Chance to Volunteer!

Nov13

House Finch

The 60th annual Calgary Christmas Bird Count will take place this year on Sunday, December 18th.  There are two ways to get involved – as a birder in the field, or as a feeder-watcher in your yard.

There are over thirty territories in the count circle, so we need to get a lot of birders out in the field to identify and count all the birds.  In recent years the number of field volunteers has dropped below 100, and we’d like to get it back up over that number for this 60th count.

The Count Circle (click to enlarge).

If you’d like to help with this, please consider volunteering.  You don’t have to be an expert birder – there will be at least one experienced birder in each territory, so you will be assigned to help them out.  Most groups will be going out for the full day, but you can participate for a half-day if you wish.

Contact Phil Cram at crampj@telusplanet.net to volunteer, or for more information.  

American Wigeons

Feeder-watchers:

If you are unable to get out birding with us on December 18, you can still participate by spending some time counting the birds in your yard.  You needn’t spend all day at this, but should try to record the maximum numbers of each species in your yard, and the time spent watching.

To participate as a feeder-watcher, you must register to take part, and live within the above 24-km-diametre count circle.  If you are outside the circle, perhaps you have friends who feed birds and live within it – you could persuade them to take part, and assist them with their counting.

Contact Jean Moore at jmmoore@ucalgary.ca or phone 403-282-4162 for more information on the feeder-watch program, or to volunteer.

Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

There are several other Christmas Counts in the Calgary region every year.  Keep an eye on our “Free Nature Walks” tab at the top of this page for updates on these, or see the Bird Studies Canada page to find a list of all counts in Canada.

(Previous blog posts on this topic: 2009 Christmas Count.  2010 Christmas Count.)

Posted by Bob Lefebvre.  All photos by myself unless otherwise indicated.  Click on pictures to see a larger version.

Bird Profile: Bohemian Waxwing

Nov5

A rush of wings, followed  instantly by  high-pitched trills break the silence. It is a cold, wintry scene, snow falling slowly from the never-ending sheet of clouds that blanket the sky in a gloomy grey. Standing still, nothing is to be heard; no cars, no people, and, above all, no birds. Just when it seems as though the entire world has gone into a peaceful slumber, the calm is broken by the sound of nature.

When they descend in hundreds, berries don’t last long at all. These birds are highly social and travel tight together, descending en masse on fruit bearing trees, where they proceed to rapidly consume thousands of berries. A very hardy bird, the Bohemian Waxwing toughs out the frigid winters of northern latitudes, enduring harsh conditions.The waxwing is both gregarious and elegant with a slick crest, and soft, silky plumage; it is deemed attractive by many. Named for the red, drop-shaped, waxlike tip on their feathers, this bird has warm grey-brown plumage, a black patch through the eye and a yellow-tipped tail. Bohemian Waxwings are berry aficionados and during winter, survive on the fruit of trees such as mountain ash and juniper, but also eat saskatoon and choke berries. Such a heavy reliance on one source of food can greatly affect a birds population and will cause much fluctuation. If there is a high population one year and a low fruit crop the same year, many waxwings will disperse in winter further south out of their regular mapped range. These years are known as irruptive years and are cherished by southern birders who do not usually get the opportunity to observe these birds.

I love witnessing large flocks of Bohemian Waxwings, it is possible to hear the whir of thousands of wings as they land, the twittering as they communicate endlessly, and the soft thud of berries as the fruit falls into the snow below, dropped by  a careless tug from the beak of a waxwing. Sometimes, after the flock has left, the snow will be littered with bright red berries. Then as cars and people pass over the fruit, the snow will be stained a rose color, evidence of the masses of birds that banqueted there.

Remember next time you are shoveling snow in -30 degree weather; you are privileged in that you can witness this elegant species brightening up the dull grey day. These birds are truly northern and hardly extend into the U.S. They are definitely one of the things I will miss most about Calgary winters.

Posted by Matthew Sim

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Nov 3

Nov4

Have you seen an unusual bird in Calgary? If it is on this Reportable_Birds (PDF), please report it to the Nature Calgary Rare Bird Alert line at 403 221-4519 and leave a message after the beep at the end of the recording. If you would like some help with species identification, us email us at zoxox@shaw.ca  To report injured wildlife call the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society at 403 239-2488, or the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation at 403 946-2361.

This Bird Alert was recorded on Thursday Nov 3.

Bird Sightings:

WEDNESDAY, NOV 2
–LONG-TAILED DUCK (1) – Glenmore Reservoir by Andrew Slater
–SURF SCOTER (2) – location as above by AS
–LOON sp (1) – unidentified loon in flight, Glenmore Resevoir by AS
–RUSTY BLACKBIRD (4) – east shore of Chestermere Lake by Terry Korolyk

MONDAY, OCT 31
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER (1m) – observed by Keith Logan and another birder on an acreage S of Water Valley, along Dogpound Creek just W of Horse Creek Road (NW of Cochrane). The identification of the bird was confirmed by photographs and is the first Alberta record for the species. The bird has not been reported since. For more
info call Terry Korolyk at 403-254-1828 or 403-801-8501
–THAYER’S GULL (3 juv) – on the Bow River in east Fish Creek PP, east side of the river north of Hwy 22X bridge by TK

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Monday November 7.