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Bird Alert March 31

Welcome to the City of Calgary and CFNS Bird Alert. This report was
prepared on Thursday,March 31, at 10pm. To report a bird sighting,call
403-221-4519 and leave a message after the recording.

SIGHTINGS FOR:

Monday, March 28
–FRANKLIN’S GULL(2),Frank Lake
–AMERICAN COOT(1), same as above
–LESSER SCAUP(1m), same as above
–RING-NECKED DUCK(1m), same as above
–VARIED THRUSH(1m), North Haven backyard
–SHORT-EARED OWL((12), Frank Lake
–PRAIRIE FALCON(1) Frank Lake

Tuesday, March 29
–GLAUCOUS GULL(1st.yr.), Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
–NORTHERN HAWK OWL(1)Votier’s Flats, Fish Creek PP

Wednesday, March 30
–WOOD DUCK(1), Elbow River, Votier’s Flats,Fish Creek PP
–PRAIRIE FALCON(1) south cliffs of Bearspaw dam, Calgary
–EUROPEAN STARLING(10,000-20,000) 4 km. north of High River
Posted by Pat Bumstead

Northern Hawk Owl

It was a warm day, already at noon it was a couple of degrees over freezing. March 29th, half way through my spring break and already I’m looking for something to do. So I decide to head out to Votier’s Flats in Fish Creek Provincial Park with my brother and sister. Votier’s Flats is located off Elbow Drive and consists of a mix of both coniferous and deciduous woodlands with Fish Creek running near the paved path.

That day, we were not expecting to see anything. Noon is not the most productive time to bird and besides, we were hardly going to be going for a long hike. We started out doing a short loop before climbing up the hill beside the parking lot. It was there that I saw a hawk flying…no wait…not a hawk, a Northern Hawk Owl!

First impressions.

Northern Hawk Owls have a long tail and a falcon-like profile, distinguishing them from other owls in North America. The facial disk is somewhat whitish, bordered by black on either sides, framing two pale yellow eyes that scour the ground, often from an exposed perch at the top of a tree, searching for the next meal, some unfortunate mouse or vole.

We did get some great views but the Hawk Owl was some ways away and only stuck around for a couple of minutes before vanishing into the woods, never to be seen again, until…

My dad heard about our incredible sighting and, as you can imagine, was quite jealous. This paved the way for a return visit. The next day, as the sun slowly fell from the sky, we made our way back to Votier’s Flats. We searched for a couple minutes, coming up with a Great Horned Owl calling; beautiful, but not quite satisfying. We wanted a Hawk Owl. We carried along the paved path for a short ways when we spotted something. Is that it? Had we done the improbable? There it was perched high on an exposed perch, just waiting for us.

I see something...

We had to leave the paved path to get some better views. I was first, stepping into the snow with much gusto, only to find myself sinking into snow over a foot deep. As I was carrying a camera with a heavy 500mm lens, this was not good news. I righted myself after a couple moments and we carried on, undeterred.

Insolent birders.

It was a long way and we kept advancing through the snow that was as deep as ever, only to see the owl fly away. Luckily, it was not too far and we caught up, only for him to fly off again. We decided to carry on once again, stumbling up a steep hill with a heavy camera and an even heavier tripod, slipping on mud and ice, following a deer trail covered with unpleasant evidence of the deer. Finally we caught up to where the owl was waiting for us, seemingly amused. We got some amazing views and some great shots.

Is that dinner?

We came home, exhausted, wet, muddy, covered in burrs and happy; extremely happy. We had seen a Northern Hawk Owl, a difficult bird to see at the best of times and very rare here in Calgary.

Posted by Matthew Sim

Bird Alert March 28

Welcome to the City of Calgary and CFNS Bird Alert. This report was prepared on Monday March 28, 8:00pm. To report a bird sighting,call 403-221-4519 and leave a message after the recording.

Thursday, March 24

–HERRING GULL (5), Bow River, N.of 22x bridge

Friday, March 25
–EURASIAN WIGEON (1) Frank Lake

Saturday, March 26
–CANVASBACK (2),Bow River,west of the bridge over Hwy.1x at Seebe
–WESTERN MEADOWLARK (1), near Millarville
–RED-TAILED HAWK (2), one light, one dark morph, near Millarville race track
–ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (3),same as above
–KILLDEER (1), near open water in front of race track
–AMERICAN TREE SPARROW (20+), near Black Diamond
–THAYER’S GULL,Bow River,N.of 22x bridge, east Fish Creek PP

Sunday, March 27
–TRUMPETER SWAN (8),Frank Lake
–EURASIAN WIGEON (2), Frank Lake
–KILLDEER (1), Frank Lake
–SHORT-EARED OWL (5), near Frank Lake
–NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL (1),River Rd, west of High River

Meet The Mountain Bluebird

The Mountain Bluebird is an early migrant to our area, arriving in mid to late March. There have been a few sightings in the countryside recently, and one was reported in the Tuscany subdivision on March 25. In Calgary, you might see them in Weaselhead, North Glenmore Park, Fish Creek Provincial Park or Nose Hill Park.

Read more about this beautiful bird and report any sightings on the Weaselhead Society website.

See also:

Hinterland Who’s Who

Photo courtesy of fotopedia.com

Here’s Looking at You-Whoo!

As 2011 began, the Northern Saw-whet Owl was right at the top of my list of Birds I Must See.  I had heard them singing in the spring before in both the Weaselhead area and in Bowness, but I had never seen one.  They are very small, about eight inches (20 cm) high, and active at night.  They spend the daytime roosting in tree cavities or dense conifers.  So although they are quite common, they are rarely seen.

…….

On Saturday, March 19, the Friends of Fish Creek Park Society outing was at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, where we were looking for returning gulls and waterfowl.  Before starting, the leader, Gus Yaki, mentioned that a Northern Saw-whet Owl had been reported a few days previously at the sanctuary.  We would look for this little bird near the end of our walk, in the row of spruce trees that run north from Walker House. 

…….

However, as we turned north by the lagoon, I noticed a pair of Black-capped Chickadees that seemed quite agitated.  Two of us hung back to investigate as the rest of the group went ahead.  After a couple of minutes a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches arrived, and then a pair of White-breasted Nuthatches and another pair of chickadees.  All the birds were noisy, flicking their tails, and making short sweeping flights into the tree.  I have seen birds behave like this before – they are trying to drive away a predator.  Still, despite circling the tree a couple of times, I could see nothing.  Finally, from a spot right under the tree branches, I found the owl:

Then he found me back:

……

…….

These owls sit still when confronted, and this one barely moved, except for batting his eyes, as you can see in the video.

…….

Good Birding!

Bob Lefebvre

Bird Alert March 24

Welcome to the City of Calgary and CFNS Bird Alert. This report was prepared on Thursday March 24, 10:00pm. To report a bird sighting,call 403-221-4519 and leave a message after the recording.

Monday, March 21
–GREAT BLUE HERON (1) Inglewood Bird Sanctuary

Tuesday, March 22
–RED CROSSBILLS (3) in the SW Oakridge subdivision

Wednesday, March 23
–SHORT-EARED OWLS (15) north end of Frank Lake
–ROUGH LEGGED HAWKS (15) as above
–NORTHERN HARRIERS (4) as above
–AMERICAN TREE SPARROW(4), NE of High River
–SNOWY OWL (1), north of Blackie on Hwy 799

In Search of the Three-toed Woodpecker

There are two species of three-toed woodpeckers that can be seen in Calgary.  They are the American Three-toed Woodpecker and the Black-backed Woodpecker.  Both of these woodpeckers are residents of the boreal forest.  They can occasionally be seen here during the winter months in the west end of the city, where the forest creeps in.  I, however, have never seen a Black-backed Woodpecker anywhere, and I’ve only seen American Three-toed Woodpeckers outside of Calgary.  But last week, with the expert guidance of Gus Yaki during an outing with the Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society (FFCPPS), I was finally rewarded with close-up views of the American Three-toed Woodpecker. 

Last Saturday’s FFCPPS outing was to Bebo Grove in Fish Creek Park, where we searched a stand of spruce south of bridge #5.  An American Three-toed Woodpecker has been seen occasionally in this area all winter.

Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park.  Access the parking lot from 24 Street SW in Woodbine.

There are many dying spruce trees in this area because of the high water levels.  When a spruce dies, wood-boring beetles move in, which in turn provide a food source for the woodpecker.  The birds chip off chunks of the bark to get at the larvae.  Listen for the soft tapping of the woodpecker, and look for trees which have the reddish-coloured wood under the bark exposed.  The bark chips will be scattered at the foot of the tree.

The tree on the right has had the bark chipped off by a woodpecker,
exposing the reddish wood below.

Bark chips on the snow under this tree show that a woodpecker has been feeding here recently.

We quickly found the bird, a male, working on a dying spruce.  (Males have a yellow patch on the top of their head).  These birds are not timid around people, so we were able to get quite close to watch it worry the bark.

 Hammering at the bark – wood bits flying!

 Prying up a bark chip.

“Maybe if I go at it from this angle…”

This bird will probably move out of the city to breed before too long, so if you want to see it this season, you’ll have to get out there soon.  Meanwhile, I’ll be in Griffith Woods Park looking for the elusive Black-backed Woodpecker. 

Good birding!

Bob Lefebvre

.

Inglewood Birds

We received the following email this weekend, and four incredible bird pictures. Thank you so much for sending them to us Rosanna!

My husband and I were down at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary this past week and were able to capture these images. Hope you can use them!

Mrs. Rosanna Evans
Calgary, AB

Welcome To Our New Look

It’s spring in Alberta, a time for new beginnings and the start of birdwatching mania!

There will be three avid birders and photographers posting to this blog, sharing our sightings and our passion for our hobby. What better way to begin a new spring blog, than with a picture of our most welcome visitor?

They’re back, and soon our yards will be filled with the wonderful sounds of spring.

Stay tuned!

If you’re looking for information on the Birds Calgary 2010 Competition, please see the page listing at the top.