Next Thursday’s meeting features the return of Jody Allair!
Calgary Birds & Beers resumes next Thursday, March 12th, at the Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW. Jody Allair of Birds Canada will deliver a presentation called Inspired By Birds – An engaging look at the captivating world of birds and their uncanny potential to motivate people to make positive changes for nature.
Jody Allair with a Bald Eagle. Photo courtesy of Jody Allair.
The doors to the ballroom at the Legion will be open for us at 5 pm. Come early if you wish, and dine, drink and visit. Jody’s presentation will begin at about 7 pm.
Jody Allair bio:
Jody is an avid birder and naturalist who enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for the natural world. He has been birding and banding since his teens, when he began volunteering at Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO) in Southern Ontario. He is now the Director of Communications at Birds Canada where he manages the organization’s public relations and media, is the co-editor of BirdWatch Canada Magazine, producer of the Warblers Podcast and a coordinator of eBird Canada.
Over the years Jody has coordinated a variety of different bird-related projects including the Southern Ontario Bald Eagle Monitoring Program, the Ontario Nocturnal Owl Survey, Birds Canada’s Youth Education Program, and the Southern Ontario Forest Birds at Risk Program.
White-tailed Ptarmigan. Photo by Jody Allair.
Jody regularly speaks about birds and conservation to audiences across Canada and has written numerous articles on birds, birding and connecting with nature. He is the monthly birding columnist for CBC Radio’s Daybreak Alberta, has appeared on CBC’s Rick Mercer Report, presented at Ideacity, was a featured bird expert on Season 2 of the Love Nature Television series ‘Battle of the Alphas’ and is a regular guest, and occasional guest host, on the American Birding Association podcast.
In addition to his 20+ years at Birds Canada, he has been leading birding tours with Eagle-Eye Tours since 2008.
Jody guiding a tour in Yellowknife. Photo by Jody Allair.
Everyone is welcome to join us at Birds & Beers, including children if accompanied by an adult. There is a small fee to pay for the room, so we ask for an optional donation of $1 per person. Any extra money beyond the room cost is donated to the Legion. See you there!
Birds & Beers meetings are held monthly at the same time and location, on the second Thursday of each month, except July, August, and December.
[Subscribers who recieve these posts by email can click on the title above, or here, to go the Birds Calgary website for more content.]
February 28th is the last day to add to our winter bird list (and yours).
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
Although we have had some snow and cold weather in the Calgary area recently, this has been a very mild winter for the most part. One might assume that more bird species than usual would be found, since more birders are spending more time outside, and the mild conditons would allow for more overwintering birds. But the factors that lead to birds wintering farther north than usual are complex, and this winter has seen slightly fewer species here than normal. We may still get a few late ones.
As of February 24th 2026, we have 109 species in the 80-km radius Calgary Circle. The average over the previous eight years was 113, with a low of 108 and a high of 120.
Part of the reason for the low number is that a few fairly regular species have not been found. Some of these are ones that usually overwinter in small numbers and are often found near the begining of the count period, in the first couple of weeks of December. This includes Yellow-rumped Warbler (seen in 5 of the previous 8 winters), Western Meadowlark (4/8), and Rusty Blackbird (7/8). We did get a Red-winged Blackbird recently, which makes it 8/9 years that we’ve had one. There are quite a few in the southernmost part of the province this winter.
Varied Thrush, Calgary, December 25, 2011. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.
One species that usually overwinters in small numbers and could still be found is the Varied Thrush. We had at least one for seven straight years from 2017 until two winters ago, missed last year, and have not had one yet this winter. There could still be some around, and they can be seen at feeders in the winter, feeding on the ground.
Some birds are almost certainly around and we usually get them, but are very hard to find. There are species that are probably present in low numbers like Steller’s Jay, which is alway found in the Bow River corridor near Canmore, and 6/8 years here, usually at the western edge of our circle. Other species may be here but in hard-to-access places, like White-tailed Ptarmigan, which we have only had once, but Bow Valley has had every year.
Steller’s Jays will come to feeders, like this one in Bragg Creek in 2012. Photo by Dan Arndt.
Boreal Owls are certainly present in the area, but are very hard to find. We have only had them in 3/8 years, and not yet this wiinter. We are also missing Northern Hawk Owl, which comes south in good numbers some years, but is very scarce this year. We have had this species every previous winter.
The only new species for the count this year is Glaucous Gull. A few were seen in the area (and in the Bow Valley!) in January. The Northern Mockingbird that was here until the first week of January was the second one on our list. The Spotted Towhee that has been in Redwood Meadows all winter is also just the second record.
There are some recent additions to this year’s list, including Black-backed Woodpecker in west Bragg Creek on February 9th. This is another hard-to-find species that is always here, and we now have it in all 9 years. A Spruce Grouse (now 9/9 years) was seen on Grand Valley Road on February 9th. This is one that is always present but only on the western edge where it can be hard to find. A Greater White-fronted Goose (6/9 years) was found at the 68 Street Wetlands on February 16th. Maybe it was hidden all winter among the thousands of Canada Geese we have. Finally, we got a Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (7/9) near Millarville on February 16th. This species can be present in large or small numbers, or entirley absent from the area. It is usually near the western edge.
There are a few species not on our list which have had unconfirmed reports. These are ones that are unlikely to be here and could have been confused with other species. If there are no photos these are usually not accepted by eBird, nor by our list-keepers.
Finally, are there any returning migrants that we could expect in the next four days that are not already on the list? It seems unlikely. The best bet every year is California Gull. They usually arrive in the first week of March, followed closely by the Ring-billed Gulls. Currently, there are only a very small number of Californias in central Montana. There are more in the Kallispell region, along with quite a few Ring-bills, but those birds may go straight north into British Columbia. We have only had Californias arrive by the end of February once, in 2020, and it was on leap day, Febraury 29th. I recall standing in my back yard at dusk that night when a single California Gull flew over. Going farther back, Californias arrived on February 26 in 2016 (before we started the winter list). We haven’t had Ring-bills in February. The most likely place to get a gull in late February is probably the 68 Street Wetlands east of Elliston Park. Maybe you’ll see me standing there at dusk on Saturday!
California Gulls. Don’t expect to see that many here before the end of February! Calgary, April 1, 2009. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.
To see the Winter Bird Lists for Calgary, the Bow Valley, Edmonton, and the Province, click here.
[Email subscribers can click on the blog title or here to go to the Birds Calgary website.]
The Calgary Count results will be presented, plus those from the Fish Creek Park New Year’s Day Count.
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
Everyone is welcome to a special event to be held next Thursday, February 26th at the Royal Canadian Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW. This is the venue we use for Birds & Beers events, so many of you will be familair with the format. The doors of the big ballroom open for us at 5pm. If you can come early you can order food and drinks and visit with your fellow birders. At about 7 pm we will start the presentations.
Merlin at Pearce Estate, Calgary CBC, December 14, 2025. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.
Jim Washbrook will present the results and historical trends of the long-running half-day Count in Fish Creek Park. This is held annually on New Year’s Day. Matt Wallace will have the results of the Calgary Count, which recorded 68 species and 43,631 individual birds within the Count Circle. Expect to see some great photos (much better than mine)!
American Wigeon with dabbling Mallard, Pearce Estate, December 14, 2025. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.
Bald Eagle, December 14, 2025. Photo by Joyce Tse.
Our Feeder Watchers had a lot of good birds on the count too:
Red-breasted Nuthatch, December 14, 2025. Photo by Marilyn Parker.
Whether you took part in these counts or not, come for an enjoyable and informative evening!
Notes: Children are welcome at the Legion as long as they are accompanied by an adult. We have to pay a small fee for the use of the room so we ask for an optional donation of $1 per person to cover this. Any extra money is donated to the Legion. The next Birds & Beers event at the Legion is on Thursday February 12th, where Jody Allair will give a talk called “Inspired by Birds.”
John McFaul will present Greenland & Wild Labrador: A Torngat Mountains Adventure.
The next Calgary Birds & Beers social meetup is on Thursday, February 12th. We meet in the ballroom at the Royal Canadian Legion, 9202 Horton Road SW, starting at 5 pm and continuing to about 8:30. Everyone is welcome, and it’s fine to arrive anytime before 7 pm.
Torngat Mountains Base Camp. Photo by John McFaul.
At 7 pm there will be a presentation by John McFaul called “Greenland & Wild Labrador: A Torngat Mountains Adventure.” This presentation will feature a fifteen-day expedition cruise from Greenland to Labrador to St. John’s Newfoundland with Adventure Canada. The focus will be the exploration of the majestic lands to be found in northern Labrador, especially those encompassed by the wild Torngat Mountains National Park. Highlights will be the glaciers of Kangerlussuatsiaq Fjord, the Polar Bears of Martin Bay, the amazing colours of Ramah, the culture and historical importance of Hebron, Nain and L’Anse aux Meadows.
Polar Bear. Photo by John McFaul.
Be sure to join us for this spectacular adventure!
Kangerlussuatsiaq Fjord, Greenland. Photo by John McFaul.
The next meeting will be a special event to present the Calgary Christmas Bird Count results, as well as those from a few other local counts, on Thursday, February 26th.
[email subscribers – click here or on the post title at the top to go to the website.]
Bohemian Waxwing, Carburn Park, February 6, 2018. Photo by Ron Chiasson.
There is a large flock of Bohemian Waxwing flying around the North Glenmore Park, it’s great to see them back! These social birds are usually found in a tight flock that is full of non-stop trilling and fluttering. Their flocks can number in the thousands, however the one I saw looked to be about 150 birds. The best way to guarantee the number of birds is to be the only one around to count them. In this case I didn’t have much time because a car honked and they took off in a moving cloud, trilling away.
Bohemian Waxwings are primarily fruit-eaters in the winter, and in Calgary they usually eat Mountain Ash berries. Wikimedia commons, no restrictions, Lisa Hupp/USFWS.
I have a soft spot for masked birds, so the Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings are always a welcome sight. These two birds are very similar to one another. However looking at their bar chart on eBird for Calgary it’s like they have two shifts, a Winter shift and a Summer shift. That makes it easy to guess which species you are looking at. The Bohemian Waxwing summers in the north, they must feel right at home in the cold, so they took the winter shift. You can also see from this chart that a few hardy (and perhaps not very bright) Cedar Waxwings stick it out here in Calgary over the winter.
How to tell if a stray Cedar is in a flock of Bohemians? The Bohemian Waxwing can be identified by its Cinnamon undertail and they are plumper and more jolly looking, than their sleeker cousin. Both birds have the sweet black mask and funky head plumage, as well as bright colors at the end of their wingtips and tails. This is where they get their name from, previous generations thought their wingtips looked like they had been dipped in wax. This is another example of how much day-to-day life has changed, the importance of wax has plummeted in the modern era.
An overwintering Cedar Waxwing (top) and a Bohemain Waxwing (bottom), Queen’s Park Cemetery, Calgary, March 6, 2018. Photo by Ron Chiasson.
The trilling sound they make is not a true song but a high-pitched sound that is nevertheless very distinct. I’m sure they are discussing something of great importance, probably where the dried berries are, which is their winter food. The abundance of Mountain Ash in Calgary would make you think they have it made here, however their populations see wild fluctuations. For example in the below chart we have the eBird total sightings for the winter months in Calgary. The numbers have dropped drastically, especially in 2025. As their name suggests they are wanderers at heart so we can only hope there is a berry laden place somewhere else in Alberta where they are all congregating.
Total birds on eBird checklists, Winter months. 5 year comparison:
Even if there is some other factor, like a Bohemian Waxwing loving birder has moved from Calgary, the numbers are telling us these birds aren’t around as much. In fact, although these birds are considered ‘common’, the “Partners in Flight” organization has identified them as a “Species in Steep Decline”. This organization is made up of a network of more than 150 partner organizations in the Western Hemisphere, concerned with landbirds specifically.
If you see the Bohemian Waxwings in North Glenmore, take a moment to admire them, I know I did until the horn honked, a clear warning in the cold winter air.
68 species, 43,631 birds counted on December 14th, 2025.
Results will be publicly presented on February 26, 2026.
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
Immature Bald Eagle seen during the count on December 14th, 2025. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.
We had another very successful Christmas Bird Count (CBC) in Calgary on Sunday December 14th. The sixty-eight species found inside the Count Circle was one more than our average over the past fifteen years. We had 265 people take part in the count, with 154 out in the field, and 111 Feeder Watchers counting birds from their homes.
It was a warm, pleasant winter day to be out counting birds! Photo by Bob Lefebvre.
Myself with two first-time CBC participants (Juliana, left, and Dhyanna, right) at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. It’s always nice to have some enthusiastic new birders join the CBC! Photo by Alec Hamilton.
The Northern Mockingbird which is (or was?) in Rotary Park in NE Calgary was a new bird species for the Count, bringing our cumulative species total to 147 in all the Calgary CBC’s since 1952.
This photo shows how difficult it can be to count Mallards and Canada Geese on the Bow River. Photo by Stevie Williams.
We had several unusual species, including the Long-eared Owl shown below, an American Kestrel (last seen in 2003), Northern Shoveler (three reports in the last fifteen years), Sharp-tailed Grouse (two reports in fifteen years), and Common Grackle (three reports in fifteen years).
An elusive Long-eared Owl, only the second one ever seen on the Calgary CBC. Photo by Michael Hentges.
Northern Shoveler at Pearce Estate Park. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.
Of the 68 species seen, 66 were found by field teams, while the 111 Feeder Watch houses reported 34 species, including two that were not seen by field teams: American Kestrel and Pine Siskin.
Mallards observed by a Feeder Watcher. Photo by Dee Keating.
American Goldfinches at a feeder. Photo by Marilyn Parker.
Our Community Feeder Watchers (outside the official Count Circle but in the city) contributed a lot of Goldfinches! Photo by Dennis Zahn.
Below is a more detailed account of the results, and you can download the file if you wish. (Use the scrollbar on the right-hand edge to see all the pages.) Note: if the file does not appear on your device, download it or go to the website to view it.)
Another way to see some of the results is to view our eBird Trip Report, which includes most of the checklists from our Field Teams, and has photos of dozens of the species reported.
Presenting the Results
On Thursday February 26th we will be having a special meeting at the Royal Canadian Legion, 9202 Horton Road SW to present the results of the Calgary CBC. (This is the same location where the Birds & Beers meetings are held.) In addition to the Calgary CBC, we will have a presentation on the Fish Creek Park New Year’s Day Count, and we are working on getting some more presenters for some of the other southern-Alberta CBC’s. Save the date, and I will be posting more details about this event in mid-February. Join us for more information and many more photos from the Count!
A Killdeer at Pearce Estate. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.
(email subscribers: click on the Post title to go to the Birds Calgary website.)
Thursday’s meeting will feature a presentation by Dianne and Bob Leonhardt on Birding in Colombia.
Birds & Beers resumes on January 8th at the usual time and location – the Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW, starting at 5 pm. This is an informal social get-together, so come any time after 5:00 and have dinner or a drink, and a chat with your fellow birders. Everyone is welcome!
You can arrive any time up to 7 pm, when there will be a presentation by Bob and Dianne Leonhardt about the first half of a birding tour of Colombia they attended in January 2025.
Multi-colored Tanager, La Florida, Colombia
Birding In Colombia- The First Ten Days Bob and Dianne Leonhardt
In January of 2025, Gavin McKinnon of Meadowlark Birding Tours led a group of Calgarians on a tour of Colombia to view some of the over 1900 species of birds found in that country. Prior to the beginning of the actual Birding Tour, John and Lorrie Anderson and ourselves traveled to the historic city of Cartagena. The city was founded by the Spaniards in 1533 and served as the main port for the shipments of gold pillaged from South America and sent to Spain. Today it is one of the most touristic locations in Colombia with an active nightlife. We also located a wonderful birding location outside the city known as Agricola Camelias. By the time the Birding tour was to begin we had already counted well over 100 species.
After four days in Cartagena, we flew to Cali, in the Western Andes, where we were met at the airport and transported to Araucana Lodge, about 29 kilometers northwest of the city. This beautiful and modern lodge served as our home for the next six nights. From here we did day trips to a variety of environments with a diverse assortment of colorful birds. Several of the locations had feeding stations which provided extraordinary opportunities for viewing and photographing the birds.
The first part of the Birding Tour came to a close as we drove to Manizales in the Central Andes. During these first ten days we viewed about 250 species. By the end of the entire tour, which finished up in the Santa Marta area of Northern Colombia, we had counted about 560 species of birds. A number of the photographs shown in our presentation were provided by our traveling companions, John and Lorrie Anderson.
The next Birds & Beers will be on Thursday, February 12th.
[email subscribers – click on the post title at the top to go to the website.]
David R. Scott of Lethbridge and Gavin McKinnon from Calgary have produced a beautiful new field guide to the birds of our province. This is really exciting for anyone who birds in Alberta. Bird populations and ranges are constantly changing, and our knowledge of the birds continues to increase. There have also been quite a few name changes, lumps, and splits since the last Alberta field guide was published.
Image from meadowlarkbirding.com.
The book will be published on May 12, 2026, but you can pre-order your copy now. Go to Gavin’s Meadowlark Birding Tours site here to pre-order. This will make a great gift for any birder you know!
Below is the book description:
Situated at the convergence of the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, and North America’s vast boreal forest, Alberta boasts a great diversity of landscapes and habitats. From turquoise glacier lakes nestled between towering peaks, to spruce- and sphagnum-dominated muskeg, to labyrinthine badland canyons, to expansive grassland dotted with sagebrush, to islands of green space amidst sprawling cities, this province has much to offer outdoor enthusiasts, including birders! More than 300 species of birds occur every year in the province, and well over 400 have been observed at least once within its borders. This guide aims to assist those who wish to find, observe, identify, and better understand the birds around us—whether it be an American Robin nesting in a city park, a White-tailed Ptarmigan foraging in the alpine tundra, or a Turkey Vulture soaring over the badland hoodoos. With clear descriptions designed to be accessible for beginner and intermediate birders, this extensive guide is also useful for experts in the field. It comprises 305 full-page species accounts for regularly occurring species and 29 abbreviated accounts for more rarely occurring birds. With so many birds to see and hear in every region of the province, A Field Guide to the Birds of Alberta is the definitive guide for locals and visitors alike.
When you pre-order you can arrange for local pickup or drop-off in Alberta and Southern Ontario. Shipping can also be arranged.
Watch for some book launch events coming in May 2026!
There have been some good species found in the Calgary area this year, and still many more to find. Christmas Bird Counts are taking place on December 14th in Calgary, and on several other dates until January 5 in the area. We should add some of the regulars then, and with a little luck, some more rarities.
The star of the show so far is the Northern Mockingbird in the city – only the second one since this count started in 2017. The bird is still here and being seen regulary in Rotary Park near Centre Street and Memorial Drive.
A Peregrine Falcon seen on December 3rd in Downtown Calgary was the first one we’ve had. These birds nest downtown and one is quite late in departing. I don’t know if it’s still around.
A Mourning Dove seen along the Bow River in Cranston Meadows was the 4th in 9 years.
It’s been a really good year for Short-eared Owls east of the city, and there have been a few Long-eared Owl sightings as well. Snowy Owl sightings have been concentrated NE of the city in the Irricana/Beiseker area. We added a Prairie Falcon and a Northern Harrier in that region as well.
Gyrfalcon, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Wild Turkey, and Sharp-tailed Grouse have each been reported on Facebook groups, or directly to me.
The Alberta province-wide list has some rarities in its 114 species. In addition to the Mockingbird (reported for the third time in the last ten years), there was also a recent Barn Owl in central Alberta (2nd in ten years) and a Double-crested Cormorant near Stavely, just outside of the Calgary circle (6 of the last 10 years).
On December 12th, the Calgary list was at 89 species. Our eight-year average is 113, and the high count was 120. Here are some species that are usually found that haven’t yet been reported:
Greater Scaup (seen 8/8 previous years; often seen at Carburn Park in the winter), Northern Hawk-Owl (8/8), Harris’s Sparrow (6/8), Varied Thrush (7/8), and Common Grackle (7/8). Some regulars that we don’t have yet that are usually found in the foothills west of the city are Northern Pygmy-Owl, Barred Owl, Black-backed Woodpecker, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Steller’s Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, and American Dipper. Dippers are usually seen in the city as well, on the Elbow River or Fish Creek.
A beautiful Great Horned Owl. Photo by Diane Stinson.
A few weeks ago I was leaving my house to start my walk to work and I saw a cloud of Magpies squawking wildly around a spruce tree. I ran over and was delighted to see a large Great Horned Owl! It was a lighter color than I had seen before, almost white. Its large yellow eyes looked at me wearily. The Magpies were relentlessly hassling it, flying at it and generally freaking out. I managed to get a fairly decent picture of it with my phone, and also yelled at a stranger “An Owl is in this tree!”, as one should given the special circumstances. If I saw an owl nesting I wouldn’t tell anyone, but I could tell this one was moving on soon.
The Magpies know the owl is a skilled predator that is a threat to their very lives, they don’t want it to get comfortable in our neighbourhood. Owls have very sharp beaks, crushing claws, night vision, great hearing and near silent flight, they must be terrifying to other birds. Whereas we humans just notice their super fluffy feathers and luminous, intelligent eyes. “Don’t be mean” we mutter to the Magpies and Crows harassing them.
Great Horned Owls will often roost near the trunk of a spruce tree during the non-breeding months, where they can be very hard to see. Photo by Dan Arndt.
Owls eat rodents, hares, skunks and other mammals. With their swiveling head, which can turn nearly 180 degrees in either direction, no small mammal is safe. They’ve even been known to go after house cats. I would love to see one hunting, I wouldn’t hear it though. There are numerous videos on the internet of an owl flying with a sound detector nearby, they are virtually silent. They have specialized feathers that break up the sound, a subject of much study by scientists.
If you see a very large owl it is probably one of three in Calgary: Snowy, Great Grey or Great Horned. The Great Horned Owl is the most common and is distinct because of its prominent ‘horns’ which are part of a ‘V’ coming down to its beak. Although the Long Eared owl also has feather tufts protruding from the top of its head, those owls are much harder to find in the city. Obviously the same person didn’t name these owls, one taking their tufts for horns and the other for ears. It is difficult to identify owls by colour (other than the Snowy of course), for instance the Great Horned can vary from a light colour to a tawny brown colour.
Nesting for the Great Horned is in February. The mating pair will usually steal another bird’s nest, they aren’t the apex of the birding world without some perks! After laying the eggs the female will diligently keep the nest warm for about 30 days. It probably requires a lot of energy – warming eggs through those long cold nights. Once the fluffy little owlets hatch they will stay around the nest until fall. If you know where an Owl is nesting, keep it to yourself and give them a chance to make it through their long nesting cycle.
An older Owlet, showing the last thing many mammals see. Photos by Diane Stinson.
I’m not sure if I’ll see the Owl around my house again, the Magpies are a very dominant force on our street. They seem really smug about it, if they had fingers they would be snapping them like the Jets from West Side Story. Meanwhile the owl has moved on, although they don’t migrate they can travel far for food, or to get away from Magpie gangs.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! May you all see an owl this season.
A very young Great Horned Owlet. Isn’t it the cutest?! Photo by Diane Stinson.
