Archives

Yellow Birds in Calgary

Jun16

We’ve been getting a lot of queries about yellow birds in our fair city, so we thought we would introduce you to some of them.

There are many species of small birds with some yellow on them, but these three are the brightest, and the yellowist!

Male American Goldfinch

Male American Goldfinch

Goldfinches (5 inches) are generally found at backyard niger seed feeders in the city. Females are a duller yellow and do not have the black cap.

Yellow warbler

Male Yellow Warbler

Yellow warblers (5 inches) can be found in shrubby areas with lots of cover. Females do not have the dark streaking on the breast.

Male Western Tanager

Male Western Tanager

Western Tanagers (7 inches) prefer coniferous habitats. The bright red head of the males fades to yellow outside the breeding season.

Calgary Area May Species Count

Jun7

The 2009 Calgary Area May Species Count was conducted on May 30 & 31 with 57 participants. The following is a summary of the results. Complete results will be posted on the Nature Calgary website once the data has been verified by participants.

In total, 210 species were recorded with an additional 7 species recorded in the count week (3 days before/after the count). In comparison, 205 species were recorded for 2008 and 207 for 2006; average number of species for the prior 10 years is 200; the high count was 216 species in 2002. There were no new species on this year’s count. 288 species have been recorded on the count since 1979.

Weather was not a major factor in this year’s count – at least concerning the comfort of the observers! We had generally clear skies with day-time temperatures in the low 20’s both days; however, it was just above freezing in the early morning and the wind did pick up considerably late Sunday afternoon.

Coverage was similar to recent counts with 143 hours human powered (walking, cycling) covering 200km and 204 hrs driving (including birding stops) covering 4000 km. Most of the areas have been done by the same participants for the last few years

This count is notable for its numbers – nearly 100,000 birds were counted – a new record. Ian Halladay and his trusty Frank Lake crew counted for over ¼ of the birds thanks to their diligent counting of Franklin’s Gulls. New highs were recorded for 51 species including Franklin’s Gulls.

· Canada Goose: 4687 (Prev: 3945, 10 yr avg: 2771)

· Lesser Scaup: 1166 (Prev: 1133, 10 yr avg: 825)

· Bufflehead: 777 (Prev: 395, 10 yr avg: 226)

· Pied-billed Grebe: 54 (Prev: 44, 10 yr avg: 20)

· Great Blue Heron: 76 (Prev: 68, 10 yr avg: 45)

· Osprey: 21 (Prev: 20, 10 yr avg: 12)

· American Coot: 6132 (Prev: 4081, 10 yr avg: 1782)

· Black-necked Stilt: 116 (Prev: 85, 10 yr avg: 17)

· Solitary Sandpiper: 16 (Prev: 15, 10 yr avg: 6)

· Ruddy Turnstone: 3 (Prev: 2, 10 yr avg: 0)

· Franklin’s Gull: 30621 (Prev: 13189, 10 yr avg: 9371)

· Mourning Dove: 76 (Prev: 70, 10 yr avg: 48)

· Eurasian Collared-Dove: 10 (Prev: 2, 10 yr avg: 0)

· Red-naped Sapsucker: 28 (Prev: 27, 10 yr avg: 12)

· American Three-toed Woodpecker: 8 (Prev: 7, 10 yr avg: 2)

· Pileated Woodpecker: 8 (Prev: 7, 10 yr avg: 5)

· Alder Flycatcher: 18 (Prev: 16, 10 yr avg: 3)

· Western Flycatcher: 5 (Prev: 3, 10 yr avg: 1)

· Western Kingbird: 80 (Prev: 60, 10 yr avg: 31)

· Eastern Kingbird: 201 (Prev: 158, 10 yr avg: 97)

· Blue-headed Vireo: 7 (Prev: 6, 10 yr avg: 2)

· Gray Jay: 70 (Prev: 39, 10 yr avg: 24)

· Blue Jay: 44 (Prev: 26, 10 yr avg: 21)

· Common Raven: 340 (Prev: 279, 10 yr avg: 175)

· Purple Martin: 20 (Prev: 12, 10 yr avg: 5)

· Mountain Chickadee: 36 (Prev: 35, 10 yr avg: 21)

· Brown Creeper: 4 (Prev: 2, 10 yr avg: 1)

· House Wren: 432 (Prev: 417, 10 yr avg: 262)

· American Dipper: 10 (Prev: 9, 10 yr avg: 5)

· Golden-crowned Kinglet: 39 (Prev: 27, 10 yr avg: 14)

· Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 397 (Prev: 314, 10 yr avg: 184)

· Hermit Thrush: 26 (Prev: 21, 10 yr avg: 9)

· Gray Catbird: 93 (Prev: 57, 10 yr avg: 35)

· Tennessee Warbler: 230 (Prev: 191, 10 yr avg: 61)

· Yellow Warbler: 746 (Prev: 721, 10 yr avg: 513)

· Cape May Warbler: 11 (Prev: 7, 10 yr avg: 1)

· Townsend’s Warbler: 30 (Prev: 22, 10 yr avg: 12)

· Common Yellowthroat: 101 (Prev: 97, 10 yr avg: 60)

· Vesper Sparrow: 236 (Prev: 233, 10 yr avg: 154)

· Savannah Sparrow: 756 (Prev: 670, 10 yr avg: 534)

· Le Conte’s Sparrow: 49 (Prev: 44, 10 yr avg: 17)

· Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow: 9 (Prev: 4, 10 yr avg: 1)

· Lincoln’s Sparrow: 136 (Prev: 123, 10 yr avg: 64)

· Swamp Sparrow: 5 (Prev: 4, 10 yr avg: 1)

· Rose-breasted Grosbeak: 41 (Prev: 32, 10 yr avg: 20)

· Red-winged Blackbird: 5033 (Prev: 4898, 10 yr avg: 2816)

· Yellow-headed Blackbird: 2373 (Prev: 2272, 10 yr avg: 1451)

· Brown-headed Cowbird: 1651 (Prev: 1056, 10 yr avg: 767)

· House Finch: 51 (Prev: 45, 10 yr avg: 11)

· Pine Siskin: 927 (Prev: 769, 10 yr avg: 226)

· Evening Grosbeak: 36 (Prev: 23, 10 yr avg: 4)

Thanks to all of the participants.

Good birding.

Brian Elder
Calgary

Baby Robins Dropping Down

May31

It’s late spring in Calgary, and across the city baby or fledgling robins are dropping out of their nests. This seems a strange way to propogate the species, but for generations adult robins have been giving fledglings a boot. They can fly a few feet, but spend most of their time on the ground.

People are always concerned that this baby bird has fallen out of its nest and needs help. The truth is he was pushed out of the nest to get on with the business of growing up. DO NOT PICK THEM UP. Don’t take them to a zoo or wildlife rehab centre.

Fledgling robin

Fledgling robin

It may seem cruel to us, but this is the way robins conduct their family life, and judging by the number of robins in the country, it works. The best thing for you to do is keep dogs and cats away while the youngster gets his bearings. He’ll move along in a little while.

Baby robins look something like their parents, but have speckled chests, and fluffy down feathers poking out here and there. Yes he looks helpless, but they manage to survive in huge numbers.

Just think of them as the true image of spring, and keep the dogs and cats away. Use their presence in your yard as an opportunity for a nature talk to the kids, which will be a lot more help to the birds!

Help Us Count!

May5
Northern sawwhet owl by Scott Jubinville

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Nature Calgary is sponsoring a friendly competition to find all the bird species in Calgary during the year 2010.

It’s a fun way to learn new things, meet new people and get to know your city better while enjoying fresh air and exercise.

Register Now – It’s Free!

After you register you’ll receive regular information about the competition and birding in general so you can get the most out of your experience.

There will be several categories from beginners to experts, and youth categories too. Prizes will be awared quarterly.