Archives

Birds & Beers, 12 October 2023

Oct6

This coming Thursday is the second B&B of the season.

We have a short turnaround time for Birds & Beers this month. The next one will be Thursday October 12 at the usual place, the Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW in Calgary. Doors open at 5 pm. Once again we will meet in the big ballroom.

At about 7 pm there will be a presentation by Dianne and Bob Leonhardt: Birding In Southern Mexico.

Gartered Trogon
Gartered Trogon.

Birding in Southern Mexico

January 12-30, 2023

By: Bob and Dianne Leonhardt

In January of 2023 we flew to Oaxaca, Mexico to go on a fourteen-day birding tour with Eagle Eye Tours.  The tour began in the city of Oaxaca on January 15th.  This small group tour then travelled by van southward and eastward ending up in Villahermosa on January 28.  Along the way we travelled through an assortment of environments, including deserts, high alpine forests, jungles, coastal estuaries and more.  This allowed us to encounter approximately 350 species of birds as well as seeing some spectacular scenery in a part of Mexico that is unfamiliar to the majority of tourists.  We also experienced the Zapotec ruins of Monte Alban and the Mayan ruins of Palenque.  It was a very enjoyable experience, and we wish to share some of it with you.

Everyone is welcome at Birds & Beers! Come early if you can but if not, come for the presentation!

Birds & Beers, September 28/23

Sep17

Thursday September 28 from 5-9 pm

The new season of Birds & Beers will begin with a presentation by Gordon Sick about his trip to Newfoundland.

Atlantic Puffin
Atlantic Puffin with Capelin. Photo by Gordon Sick.

Newfoundland is for the Birds: It’s an Aukward Province
We spent 3 weeks of the summer on the Newfoundland coasts and viewed a variety of nestlings, fledglings and adults of species including Puffins, Murres, Razorbills, Guillemots, Gannets, Shearwaters, Kittiwakes, Black-backed Gulls, Terns, Sandpipers and Plovers. We searched New Brunswick, PEI and Newfoundland for a Piping Plover, which was an interesting exercise, with results to be disclosed at the presentation. We’ll also show an iceberg and a whale breaching to prove that we were in Newfoundland.

Birds & Beers meetings are held at the Royal Canadian Legion, 9202 Horton Road SW. This year we have the big ballroom, which is a very large space with excellent sightlines for presentations. We have the room starting at 5 pm, which should give many attendees more time to have a meal and socialize. You can arrive later if needed, and the presentation will begin at about 7 pm.

Razorbill
Razorbills. Photo by Gordon Sick.

Everyone is welcome to attend, including children if accompanied by an adult. See you there!

The October Birds & Beers will be on Thursday October 12, again from 5-9 at the Horton Road Legion. Dianne and Bob Leonhardt will do a presentation on their recent trip to Mexico.

Birds & Beers is Back!

Sep16

The fall season begins on Thursday September 28.

Wood Duck
Wood Ducks, Okotoks, August 2023. Photo by Lloyd Bligh

Joan Walker has booked the new season of Birds & Beers and we will begin on Thursday September 28. As usual, all Birds & Beers events will be held at the Royal Canadian Legion at 9202 Horton SW in Calgary. Previously we were meeting on Fridays, but the reason for switching to Thursday is that we will now be able to use the large ballroom! The ballroom is a much larger space than the one we had the last couple of years, and it has comfortable seating and a large drop-down screen for presentations. A short-order menu will be available for food and drinks, and there are some new menu items.

Meetings will now begin at 5 pm, which will give more time for eating, drinking, and socailizing before the presentations, which will still begin at about 7 pm. People are welcome to arrive at any time between 5 and 7.

The first couple of presentations have been arranged (more details on them in upcoming posts) but we are always looking for more. If you have a presentation about a trip you took or anything about birds locally or in general, please contact us. You can email me at birdscalgary@gmail.com and I will put you in touch with Joan.

Save these dates in your calendar:

  • Thursday September 28 – Gordon Sick sharing his Newfoundland experience.
  • Thursday October 12 – Bob and Dianne Leonhardt sharing Mexico.
  • Thursday November 23 – TBA

We do not meet in December but will announce the dates for January-June as soon as they are booked.

Everyone is welcome to Birds & Beers!

Birds & Beers, Friday June 9

Jun4

This Friday will be the last Birds & Birds before the summer break. We meet, as usual, at 6 pm at the Horton Road Legion, 9202 Horton Road SW.

There will be a presentation after 7 pm by Liz Goldie, about our native bees.

Hunt’s Bumblebee (I think!). Photo by Bob Lefebvre

Come and join us as we get the “Buzz” on our native bees. Our guest speaker, Liz Goldie from the Calgary and District Beekeepers Association, will take us on a closer look at these industrious and necessary critters. Most of us are aware that bees support the growth of trees, flowers, and plants, provide food and contribute to complex ecosystems. But did you know that at least 24 species of bird, including Blackbirds, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and European Starling, prey on bees? Come and learn about these fascinating creatures!

To help Liz with travel expenses, a small contribution would be appreciated.

Everyone is welcome!

Birds & Beers, Friday May 12, 2023

May5

Birds & Beers next Friday, May 12, will feature a presentation by Jack and Phyllis Shier on their trip to the Falkland Islands. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Macaroni Penguin
Macaroni Penguin, one of the birds that can be found on the Falklands Islands. From Wikipedia (Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Legion is located at 9202 Horton Road SW. Socializing starts at 6 pm, and the presentation will be after 7 pm.

Birds & Beers, Friday April 14, 2023

Apr1

The next Birds & Beers is on Friday April 14. We meet at the Horton Road Legion in Calgary starting at 6 pm. Everyone is welcome, and there is good food and drink available. The Legion is located at 9202 Horton Road SW. We have the rooms starting at 6 pm, and you can eat and socailize for about an hour and a quarter before we have our presentation. This month will feature Gordon Sick again, with part two of his trip to central America: The Birds of the Galapogos Islands. Just as in last month’s talk about the birds of the Ecudorean Cloud Forest, there will be many great photographs of birds, and there is no overlap in the species shown in the two talks at all!

Waved Albatross
Waved Albatrosses. Photo by Gordon Sick.

Birds of the Galapagos Islands: This presentation covers migratory birds (Waved Albatrosses, Boobies, Magnificent and Great Frigatebirds, for example), as well as endemic birds (Darwin Finches and Mockingbirds, for example). We will cover some of the 51 species that were photographed. Some non-avian flora and fauna will also be included.

See you there! We will ask for a donation of $1 per person to go to the Legion to cover the cost of the room.

Magnificent Frigatebird
Magnificent Frigatebird. Photo by Gordon Sick.

Birds & Beers, Friday March 10, 2023

Mar5

Birds & Beers is on again this Friday. We will have a presentation by Gordon Sick on Birds of Ecuador’s Andean Cloud Forest.

Andean Cock-of-the-rock
Andean Cock-of-the-rock. Photo by Gordon Sick

We meet at the Horton Road Legion beginning at 6 pm:

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch #285,

9202 Horton Road SW.

Friday March 10, 2023, 6:00-9:00 pm

We start at 6 pm, and there will be time for socializing, eating, and drinking before the presentation begins after 7 pm. Here are the details of the talk.

Birds of Ecuador’s Andean Cloud Forest

This presentation involves photographs taken at altitudes over 8000 feet in the Andean Highlands to the East and West of Quito. Colourful birds include Cotingas (like Andean Cock-of-the-rock) and a variety of Hummingbirds. We will cover some of the 145 species that were photographed.

Everyone is welcome to attend. We will ask for a donation of $1 per person to go to the Legion to cover the cost of the room. See you there!

Birds & Beers, Friday February 10, 2023

Feb4

The next Calgary Birds & Beers meeting will be this coming Friday at the the Horton Road Legion. There will be a presentation by Bob and Dianne Leonhardt about their 2022 trip to Elk Island and Cold Lake parks.

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch #285,

9202 Horton Road SW.

Friday February 10, 2023, 6:00-9:00 pm

We start at 6 pm, and there will be time for socializing, eating, and drinking before the presentation begins after 7 pm. Here are the details of the talk.

Sunset at Elk Island Park

Gas Yaki Walk 2022: A camping trip to Elk Island National Park and Cold
Lake Provincial Park by Bob and Dianne Leonhardt


In 2017 a group of us hiked across Southern Alberta with our friend and outstanding naturalist,
Gus Yaki. Since that time some of the group, and anyone else who was interested, has been
conducting an annual trip involving exploring some of the beautiful scenery and wildlife in
Alberta and Saskatachewan. In 2022 we traveled north to visit Elk Island National Park and
Cold Lake Provincial Park. Elk Island, only about 35 kilometres east of Edmonton, is a
wonderful location for seeing wildlife and doing some hiking. Cold Lake, about 250 kilometres
north east of Elk Island, is one of the premiere places in Alberta to witness the spring migration
of warblers.

_______________________________

Everyone is welcome to attend. See you there!

Birds & Beers, Friday January 13, 2023

Jan6

Next Friday will be the first Birds & Beers meeting of the new year. We meet at 6 pm at the Horton Road Legion. Everyone is welcome to come.

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch#285,

9202 Horton Road SW.

Friday January 13, 2023, 6:00-9:00 pm

Red-necked Grebe
Nesting Red-necked Grebes at the Bridlewood Wetland, Calgary, May Species Count 2021. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.

Aftere an hour or so of socializing, eating, and drinking, there will be a presentation by Andrew Hart and Lara Fitzpatrick on the Calgary May Species Count. They will present the history of the count and how it has evolved since its inception in 1976. They will discuss the areas that are covered, how the count is organized, and how and why they have migrated to eBird for data collection. Then the actual 2022 results will be shown, as well as a look ahead to how things may evolve for 2023.

Birds & Beers Schedule For 2023

Dec29

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

We now have the Birds & Beers social events scheduled for the first half of 2023. All the meetings will be held on the second Friday of each month, from 6 to 9 pm, at the Horton Road Legion (9202 Horton Road SW). Everyone is welconme to attend! We will try to have a presentation at each event. The January meeting, on Friday January 13th, will feature Andrew Hart and Lara Fitpatrick speaking about the Calgary May Species Count, with results from 2022 and a look ahead to the 2023 count.

Eastern Kingbird
An Eastern Kingbird in a field of Shooting Stars in the Longview area, on the 2022 May Species Count. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.

I will post more details on each meeting and each presentation a week or two before the event. Below is the schedule (which is also always posted on the right-hand sidebar of the blog). Remember, the second Friday of each month!

January 13 – May Species Count presentation.

February 10

March 10

April 14

May 12

June 9

We take a break from Birds & Beers in July and August, then resume for the fall season, September to November. I will post that schedule once the dates are booked. See you in January!