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A Bird ID Quiz

Oct21

We received the following email from a birder in the United Kingdom, and asked him if we could post it on our blog. He’s looking  for ID help on three local bird species, so we thought we would ask our readers what they think the birds are. Two sparrow-ish birds and a shorebird should give you quite a challenge. Leave your best guesses in the comments below, and we’ll put up the correct answers eventually…

Dear Pat, Bob and Matthew,

Firstly I want to say how great your blog is – I have just gotten back to the UK after two weeks in your neck of the woods [late September] and the blog was very helpful in finding out about local spots and unfamiliar birds! I particularly enjoyed the sections on Fish Creek Park which we visited a couple of times and had great views of Bald Eagle, fishing Osprey and Lesser Yellowlegs.

I have a couple of ID questions that I hope you can help me solve! This was my first trip to Canada and most of the species are entirely unfamiliar (I have just one short non-birding trip to Texas last year as previous North American experience!).

Firstly, I attach a jpg file, ‘Sparrow sp’. I intially thought this was a pipit from stance but later revised my opionion to a sparrow, possibly Vesper due to the strong white eye ring. It was foraging for food in sparsely vegetated ground near the Elbow Valley constructed wetland. Any thoughts on ID would be greatly appreciated!

Another,  ‘Bunting sp’ is also attached… This one was seen out near Forgetmenot Pond by the Elbow River. I’m thinking Lapland Longspur but wouldn’t be surprised to discover it’s something else!

Finally, a picture of a Yellowlegs from Fish Creek Park near Mallard Point. I initially thought it was a Lesser, but the bill length, amount of yellow on the bill base and the head shape have made me unsure, although it lacks the bolder streaking of Greater. Your views are appreciated.

Many thanks in advance for your time and assistance, and with great appreciation for your blog,

Steve Marshall

Sunday Showcase: Osprey With Lunch

Sep18

Rob English has sent us this absolutely stunning sequence of photographs he took at Bankside in Fish Creek Park. (Click to enlarge.)

Sunday Showcase: Bald Eagle

Sep11

Rob English has sent us more of his superb photos. This week it’s a juvenile bald eagle, photographed in Carburn Park in late July and early August. Click to enlarge.

Fall Migration; Warbler Season!

Sep3

As with the warblers that have now joined the southbound shorebirds, I too have migrated south; all the way down to Houston, Texas for the school year. I will be able to report on some of the birds that call Calgary home in the summer, such as robins, warblers and waterfowl, as they fly to warmer climates for the winter and then I will be able to announce their return trip to Calgary and the remainder of Canada as they return north next spring.

There are several different species of warblers you might be seeing in Calgary this fall; some will have assumed a drab winter plumage, making the identification of several species difficult; this identification can be made even harder due to the habit warblers have of flitting in trees and in bushes as they hunt for insects, rarely pausing for good views. Here are some of the warblers you are most likely to see in Calgary this fall.

Wilson’s Warbler: Usually feeding within 3 meters (10 feet) off the ground, these small, active and energetic birds are bright yellow; the males have a round black cap while females and immatures show only traces of this cap. When identifying these warblers, remember that they are olive above, bright yellow below and lack both streaks and wing-bars.

American Redstart: Described by Roger Tory Peterson (one of the world’s most famous birders) as “a butterfly-like bird, constantly flitting, drooping wings and spreading tail”, the American Redstart does just that as they act like a flycatcher, darting between perches to snatch up flying insects.

Black-and-white Warbler: Living up to it’s name, the Black-and-white warbler is striped black-and-white above and has a white belly. This pretty bird has an unusual habit for warblers; thanks to long claws, it can move along branches and trunks like a nuthatch, searching cracks and crevices for insects.

Orange-crowned Warbler: A drab warbler with olive-green upperparts and grey-yellow underparts, most Orange-crowned Warblers seen in fall and winter are very grey. Most Orange-crowned Warblers do not come through southern Alberta until the last two weeks of September and are sometimes accompanied by our next warbler, the Yellow-rumped.

Yellow-rumped Warbler: Brown above, streaked white below, the Yellow-rumped Warbler in winter plumage is best identified by it’s namesake yellow rump.

Other warblers that you might see this fall are the Ovenbird, the Blackpoll Warbler (in winter plumage), the Tennessee Warbler or even some more uncommon ones such as the Black-throated Green Warbler or a Townsend’s Warbler. Fall migration can prove to challenge every birdwatcher with identification, but this challenge can make birding a lot more fun!

Posted by Matthew Sim (In Texas)

Sunday Showcase: Rare Water Birds

Aug28

These birds are always a treat for any birdwatcher to find, and David Lily managed to photograph them as well. Thanks for sending these in David!

Sora

American Bittern

Red-necked Grebe Life History Pics

Aug17

The Canadian Nature Photographer has an outstanding post about Red-necked Grebes in a Calgary pond. You have to see this!

Red-necked Grebe life history in photos has been captured by Nature Calgary members Ian Neilson and Nancy Murdoch – view at http://www.canadiannaturephotographer.com/Ian_Neilson_Nancy_Murdoch.html

Posted by Pat Bumstead

Bird Profile: Red-winged Blackbird

Jul16

Up here in the northern part of the continent, we know when spring is here when the robins arrive. These are not the only harbingers of warmer days however; the Red-winged Blackbird heralds the arrival of spring as well, the males arriving before the females to claim their territory.

One of the most abundant and widespread birds in North America, the male is a striking bird; all-black plumage save for his bright red and yellow wing epaulets. The female is a heavily streaked brown bird with a light streak over the crown and above the eye. Males have harems of females living in their marshes, these harems can sometimes number up to 15, but up to one half of the nestlings turn out to be sired by a male other than the territorial bird. During the breeding season, Red-winged Blackbirds are rarely seen far from water and are communal nesters, often nesting alongside other species of blackbirds. Once nesting is over, the Red-winged Blackbird forms flocks and go out to forage over the countryside, returning to marshes to roost at night.

Red-winged blackbirds are a common victim of the parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird but this does not seem to affect the former`s numbers. The young are mostly fed insects, and this is exactly what the female Red-winged Blackbird pictured above is doing; she is feeding insects to a fledgling hidden in the grass. The male does a remarkable job and helps feed  the fledglings in is territory; there can be quite a few young birds to feed!

Red-winged Blackbirds may be seen at any marsh, lake or pond in Calgary with cattails and bulrushes. Don`t forget to listen; you can always tell if there is a Red-winged Blackbird nearby if you can hear the males distinctive “Conk-la-ree“ song.

Posted by Matthew Sim