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Sunday Showcase: Birds of Bragg Creek

Kim Selbee sent us these photos of birds taken in the Bragg Creek area. Although Bragg Creek is only about 25 km SW of Calgary (as the crow flies), some of the species coming to their feeders are rarely seen in the city.

Lazuli Bunting

Male Lazuli Bunting.

American Goldfinch

Male American Goldfinch.

Common Grackle

Male Common Grackle.

Female Evening Grosbeak

Female Evening Grosbeak.

Male Evening Grosbeak

Male Evening Grosbeak.

Male Red Breasted Grosbeak

Male Red-breasted Grosbeak.

Female Rose Breasted Grosbeak

Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Purple Finch

Male Purple Finch.

Red Crossbill

Male Red Crossbill.

Red Shafted Flicker

Male Northern Flicker.

Rose Breasted Grosbeak

Male Red-breasted Grosbeak.

Wednesday Wings: Ospreys

Ospreys have returned and have started to nest on platforms across the city. When this Osprey arrived at the platform at MacLeod Trail and Highway 22x on April 24, he first had to evict a pair of Canada Geese who had thoughts of nesting there too. Photos by Joe Harley.

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Joe also got some great shots of an Osprey with a fish south of Carburn Park. This is one of the pair that is nesting at the Lafarge platform along MacLeod Trail just south of Southland Park.

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Wednesday Wings: Waterton Park Birds

Photos from Marg Matheson and Alan Plumb. Thanks for sending these beautiful shots, folks!

The bills on these Evening Grosbeaks are just starting to turn green. They change from the bone colour of winter to a deciduous-bud green in early spring.

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This beautiful gray Gyrfalcon was seen just west of Fort Macleod.

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Normally thought of as living only in British Columbia, the range of the Chestnut-backed Chickadee does extend – just barely – into southwestern Alberta.

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2013-03-16 293

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