Next Thursday, February 8th, we will have another Birds & Beers meeting in Calgary. As usual, we meet in the big ballroom at the Royal Canadian Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW. The event starts at 5 pm.
A Black-billed Magpie seen by a Feeder Watcher on the 2023 Calgary Christmas Bird Count. Photo by Lou Zaganelli.
After some time for socializing, eating, and drinking, there will be a presentation on some of the recent Christmas Bird Counts that took place in the Calgary area. Matthew Wallace will present the results of the Calgary Count, Gavin McKinnon on the Priddis Count, and Jim Washbrook on the Fish Creek Park New Year’s Day Count. The presentation starts at about 7 pm.
A Common Redpoll seen on the Calgary Count. They have been scarce this winter here, but we had almost a hundred on the count. Photo by Lou Zaganelli.
Everyone is welcome at Birds & Beers! See you there!
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.
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!
Snow Angel, Inglewood Golf Course, December 14, 2019. Photo by Kathleen Johnson.
During the recent Calgary Christmas Bird Count, we saw an amazing number of animal tracks in the fresh snow on the Inglewood Golf Course. But the most extraordinary tracks were these wing impressions (sometimes called snow angels) left by some of the local Bald Eagles as they skimmed low over the snow.
Photo by Kathleen Johnson.
In two places we saw a series of over twenty of these in a row, where an eagle had taken off from the ground or a low perch and flew across the open fairway, leaving an impression with every wingstroke, usually with impressions of the feet between the wing prints as well.
Some of the prints were over five feet across, despite the wings not being fully extended. Photo by Kathleen Johnson.Bob pointing to talon impressions. Photo by Kathleen Johnson.Photo by Bob LefebvrePhoto by Matthew Wallace
A WhatsApp group has been set up to allow Calgary birders participating in the 2020 “Big Year” Birding Challenge to share instant updates on rare/uncommon birds sighted within the city limits. The big advantage of this group over email listservs will be that everyone can send out and receive updates quickly. It is essentially like sending a text message, much faster and more direct than email. Photos can be also be shared with the app.
WhatsApp groups are currently restricted to 256 members, which we hope will be more than enough to include all the birders who want to get “instant” bird news while they are out and about.
For those who do not want instant updates we will have a weekly report of rare birds on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Follow the challenge on Twitter at @birdyyc2020.
Joining the group
If you don’t already have WhatsApp on your phone, you will first need to download and install it (via iTunes, Android Play or the Microsoft Store, depending on what type of smartphone you have). The app is free. Once you have the app, you will need to send a request to one of the group admins with your request to join the Birdyyc2020 RBA group.
The WhatsApp icon.
There are currently two group admins: Gavin McKinnon and Bob Lefebvre. In order to join the group please send a message to either one of them and they will add you to the group. A text message to their phone number is the easiest way to do it. Gavin 403-519-8703; Bob 403-370-0556. Include your name so that it will be visible to users when you post messages to the group.
The group is open to all birders interested in Calgary’s rare birds. All BirdYYC2020 challenge participants will receive an email with a link to join the WhatsApp group. If you received this email simply follow the link to join the group. To join the challenge, email Howard Heffler at hheffler[at]shaw.ca with “Challenge” in the subject line.
Group Guidelines
● The group is only to be used for sharing information about rare and uncommon species within the city limits of Calgary. Please remember that every message you send goes out to everyone in the group. Although general chit-chat and banter is expected please avoid having conversations in the group chat.
● If you find a bird on the list of ‘reportable’ species, send a message to the group as soon as possible. (A list of reportable species will be provided to participants.) Include as much detail as you think necessary to enable others to find the bird if they choose to go and look for it. If you do pursue (“twitch”) a reported sighting please send an update on whether you have been successful or not.
● Consider the welfare of the bird at all times. Do not send out news of sensitive or breeding birds. Please do not report the locations of owls or other species prone to disturbance on the group chat. If you are unsure of whether or not to post please contact one of the group admins before doing so.
We encourage participants in the challenge to also share their sightings on the listserv Albertabird. If you are not a member of Albertabird, see this post for information.
Don’t wait until January to start using the app! We have been using it for a while already, and we’d like to see it used next week during the Calgary Christmas Bird Count, and on other counts over the Christmas season.
Mew Gull, photographed on the Irrigation Canal in SE Calgary on October 13, 2019, by Gavin McKinnon, and shared immediately with BirdYYC2020 WhatsApp group users.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact Gavin McKinnon by email (gmckinnonbird[at]gmail.com) or phone (403-519-8703).
Come out to Pearce Estate Park in Calgary this Saturday morning to learn how to participate in the City Nature Challenge.
A Ruby-crowned Kinglet at Pearce Estate last October. They could be back! At any rate the bush should still be there. Photo by Bob Lefebvre
At this event you will learn all about how to use the iNaturalist app and how to make observations so you can participate in the upcoming City Nature Challenge.
Everyone is welcome; just show up at 10 am at Pearce Estate with your phone, tablet, or camera. Sign up for an iNaturalist account on the app or online first. Be prepared to do a mini-BioBlitz of all the wild animals, insects and plants we can find!
Please read all about it on the Calgary CNC website here. There will be more such events coming up before the Challenge so if you can’t make it this week, plan to attend a future one.
I’ve had Eurasian Collared-Doves in my SE Calgary neighbourhood since 2009, and they have nested in the area for several years. For the last three years a pair have nested within sight of my house.
The doves are non-migratory but do gather together in small flocks in the winter, and I don’t usually see them around the yard. The nesting pair arrived back on March 17, and perched in our apple tree for a while.
Eurasian Collared-Dove pair, March 17, 2019. Photo by Bob Lefebvre Eurasian Collared-Dove pair, March 17, 2019. Photo by Bob Lefebvre
I have since seen the pair around quite a bit and heard the male calling and displaying. They nest at mid-level in spruce trees and I think I know which spruce they are nesting in, but it’s very hard to find the nest. I’ve never yet seen the nests or young of this species.
Eurasian Collared-Dove pair, March 17, 2019. Photo by Bob Lefebvre Eurasian Collared-Dove pair, March 17, 2019. Photo by Bob Lefebvre
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).
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.
