When I do an internet search on a Bald Eagle I can see what other popular searches come up. As with other birds, there is one that says ‘what does it mean when I see a Bald Eagle’. Before I started writing articles I wasn’t aware that people looked at birds as little omens as they went about their day.
The most dramatic behaviour of a Bald Eagle I have seen is when I was swimming in the Pacific Ocean one year. An eagle swooped down and snatched a gull who was casually paddling near me. I know for that poor gull, whose last look at earth included a fast receding woman in the ocean, mouth agape, the eagle was a very bad omen.
Adult Bald Eagle, Stanley Park, Calgary. Photo by Diane Stinson.
These impressive creatures can be seen near bodies of water around our city. Carburn Park, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Sandy Beach, the Bow River, Glenmore Dam and sometimes just flying over your neighbourhood. They are about 2-3 feet in height (almost 1 metre) and can have a wingspan of almost 7 feet (2 metres) – a huge bird! They build mega nests, at least 6 feet wide, way at the top of trees. As they will reuse them yearly and keep building them out, it’s a wonder they don’t add a front door and chimney.
Most people recognize them by their two-color uniform of a white head and a brown body. Of course they are not actually bald, the word ‘bald’ means ‘white’ in ye olde English. It’s wise to remember that immature Bald Eagles can be completely brown and as big as a mature Bald Eagle. Don’t go assuming you are seeing a Golden Eagle! There have been too many “Golden Eagle” sightings in Calgary, I wouldn’t be marking that in eBird unless the bird flew close enough to let me see its legs that are feathered to the toes. If it did a kick dance in front of me and I saw its “feathered boots” clearly, then maybe I would mark it as a Golden Eagle. Another way to tell is that while the Bald Eagle flies with its wings straight out like a board, the Golden will hold them in a slight “V”.
Bald Eagles like fish, but definitely aren’t picky, and, like most of us, will eat whatever is easiest. Often that means carrion or stealing another predator’s food. They can fill up on food when it’s available and then have nothing for many days.
Adult Bald Eagle, Weaselhead, Calgary. Photo by Diane Stinson.
Their impressive size, huge talons and fierce looks lend them to becoming a powerful symbol. The United States adopted them as such of course. Perhaps that government’s ties to the Bald Eagle hastened the banning of DDT, which severely impacted the eagles’ numbers in the early and mid 1900s. If so, we are lucky that the Bald Eagle is around to act as an ‘Umbrella Species’ to the many other birds and animals that were also protected by the banning of DDT. Humans often need a symbol to focus their efforts on. The Bald Eagle was an Endangered Species for a while there, thankfully they are off that list as of 2017. Many of the Indigenous Peoples of North America viewed this eagle as a spiritual symbol, or a messenger from the spirit world.
The Bald Eagle Wikipedia page is so long compared to other birds!
If you are walking around Calgary and you see a Bald Eagle you really can consider it a lucky omen, considering you were lucky enough to see it.
Bald Eagles nest in Calgary and can be seen here year-round. In some winters, they are concentrated on the open water of the Bow River. Twenty-six Bald Eagles and Two Common Ravens, Beaverdam Flats, Calgary, January 3, 2009. Photo by Ron Kube.
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.”
Register now to take part on Sunday December 14th!
One of the Field Teams at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary during the 2024 CBC. Photo by Paul Dang.
The 74th annual Calgary Christmas Bird Count (CBC YYC) will take place on Sunday, December 14, 2025. Here is a message from Coordinator Matt Wallace:
As you may know, Calgary hosts one of the largest CBCs in Alberta and Western Canada. In 2024, we had a total of 141 field participants and 163 feeder watchers, documenting 71 species and counting 39,446 individual birds. It’s a big job that takes an army of people to ensure its success each year. We hope you’ll join us again this season—no matter your experience or birding skills. Each one of you plays an important role, and the data we collect helps us understand long-term trends in our winter birds.
We’ve set up a Google Form that we kindly ask everyone to fill out so we have your most up-to-date information for analysis and team assignments. Please share the registration form widely with your network of neighbours, friends, family, and colleagues. Register Here. Once you submit your registration you will receive an acknowledgement email from us, followed by further instructions in mid-November.
A quick note: This year, I am seeking a “shadow” assistant (or assistants) to work with our organizing team. I plan to hand off the CBC Coordinator role to an inspired member of our community for the 2026 Calgary event, as I may be relocating in the new year. Finding a suitable successor will help ensure the continued success and legacy of this long-running event.
A Sharp-shinned Hawk from the 2024 Count. Photo by Ken Pride.
Birds Canada has also launched a pilot project encouraging CBC circles to have Community Engagement Leaders (CELs). Calgary has been ahead of the curve in this regard—this has essentially been my role in recent years, while Lara Fitzpatrick has handled much of the data analysis for our circle. Bob Lefebvre is another key member of our team, overseeing feeder watcher outreach and following up on notable or unusual bird reports.
Birds Canada: The CEL roles are defined as:
Participant recruitment and community outreach
Helping manage sector/section/zone assignments and coordination
Onboarding new participants and facilitating mentoring
Coordinating communications with participants
This pretty much sums up what we are looking for in the “Shadow Assistant” Role with this person leading the charge next year. If you’re interested in taking on the coordinator role, there’s an option on the registration form where you can indicate your interest and provide a few details. We’ll be in touch right away to include you in this year’s planning. We encourage anyone with an interest to apply!
A Bald eagle from the 2024 Count. Photo by Andrew Hart.
Please watch for more information in November, including data submission instructions and templates.
A quick reminder that our CBC is open to anyone with an interest in the outdoors including experienced birders, novices, and the public. We try to accommodate all abilities and ages to grow and support our community, so please let us know if you need any assistance or have any requests using the comment section of the form.
Gadwall, from the 2024 Count. Photo by Andrew hart.
Take part from Friday April 25th to Monday April 28th.
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
White-crowned Sparrow. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.
This coming weekend is the 7th annual City Nature Challenge in the Calgary area, organized by Matt Wallace. During this four-day event, particpants will document urban biodiversity on the iNaturalist app and website. Anyone can take part anywhere within the competition area:
The Calgary CNC area.
Although this is a fun and educational activity, and a friendly competition between hundreds of cities around the world, recording our biodiversity is critically important to the cause of conservation. As birders, many of us record our sightings on eBird, which is great for research into bird populations. But when it comes to governments and industry making changes to the environment, iNaturalist is the database that is most often used, as it provides a critical understanding of our complete biodiversity so that we can make responsible development decisions. In the first six years of the Calgary CNC, over 40,000 observations have been made. This is a great start, but we can do much more to fully document our species and to fill in the map with observations. Go to the Calgary CNC website for more information, and watch the video below:
Anyone can use the iNaturalist app on their smart phone or the iNaturalist website on their computer at any time of year to contribute to our biological knowledge. But the CNC is a great time to learn how to do this. There are many resources on the CNC website about how to use iNaturalist, how to take good identifiable photos, and how to upload your observations (you have until May 4th to upload your observations for this project, so you can use this weekend to just make as many observations as possible, and upload them later). See the detailed page about iNaturalist too.
There are many events planned for the upcoming weekend as well:
Friday April 25 – Frank Lake Bird Walk, Nose Creek Bioblitz Walk.
Saturday April 26 – Nature Walk at North Glenmore Park, Guided Photo Walk in the Weaselhead, Bragg Creek Bioblitz, Documenting Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park.
Sunday April 27 – St. Patrick’s Island Nature Walk, Nose Hill Community Pollinator Walk.
Monday April 28 – The Plants of Britannia Slopes.
Please see the CNC Events page here for more information and to register for any of these events. Bring your camera and phone, learn about our natural areas, and help us reach our goal of 15,000 observations this weekend.
Last spring I volunteered to help clean up the Wetlands just east of Elliston Park, in the Forest Lawn area. It was organized by Nature Calgary. I also “volun-told” my teenage son Finn that he was helping. What could be better than a bit of birding with another purpose layered on top! We showed up on a sunny May day and were given capacious black garbage bags and a map of an area to clean. Our area was a large field that basically looked like a bunch of nothingness. Wetlands are like that, to our human eyes there is nothing there, not true! To a bird it is a great place to feed, breed and live.
There are many ponds in the 68 Street wetlands east of Elliston Lake. It is a great birding spot once the ice is off in April.
Making a circuit around our large area we slowly filled our garbage bags with Tim Hortons cups. We got to a stand of trees and stopped, these trees were, unfortunately, filled with garbage, big garbage. Our black bags suddenly appeared tiny. A dumpster truck was needed in that area. I toyed with the idea of putting a diaper genie in my bag, or carrying out a car windshield. Instead we backed away slowly and made our way to the pond.
The secret to getting teens birding is to plonk them down in a big field with a garbage bag and binoculars. There are only two options, birds or garbage. Finn suddenly became interested in looking at the birds through the binoculars. In the pond we saw a large group of American Avocet, the ballerinas of the bird world. These dainty and elegant wading birds were dipping their long thin bills in the pond, waving them side to side to catch small invertebrates.
Two Black-necked Stilt (left) and one American Avocet (right), 68 Street Wetlands. Photo by Max Ortiz Aguilar, April 22, 2018.
The American Avocet is fairly unmistakeable to identify: they have a rusty coloured head, black and white wings and a long upturned bill. They stride through the water on very long legs.
The Avocets’ pond was lined with a surprising amount of electronics equipment, probably something to do with the electronics recycling facility just south of their wetland. It felt good to untangle extension cords from the bushes and gather up all the small appliances.
Avocets lay their eggs out in the open, which doesn’t seem wise but they seem to know what they’re doing, their species has the best conservation rating of ‘Low Risk’. Their chicks leave the nest at only one day old, at that point they can walk, swim and even dive. Oh to have it as easy as an Avocet parent.
American Avocet with young, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Avocets nest in east Calgary wetlands.
Finn and I walked back along the road, collecting what appeared to be auto parts along the way. Either they fell off a truck or the city trucks are actively falling apart as they drive. Our bags were completely full either way. I focused on all the wire, seeing that as more harmful than pipes.
At the parking lot we delivered our completely full garbage bags to an already large pile. Somehow it still felt like we had missed so much, but at least the Avocet pond was a bit better. Our inaugural Wetlands clean up was celebrated with a Chinese Food feast. We plan on doing the exact same this year! Maybe Finn can learn how to drive a dump truck to make a dent in the pile by those trees. That would probably cost me three orders of Ginger Beef instead of the usual two.
The City Nature Challenge is unique in that anyone can participate anywhere in the area from April 26-29. But if you want to take part with an organized group there are many events being offered.
To contribute to the CNC you have to post your observations on the iNaturalist app or website. If you would like to learn how to use iNaturalist, or if you need a refresher or have any questions about the CNC, organizer Matt Wallace is offering a tutorial tonight, Tuesday April 23, at 7 pm. This will be done over Zoom. Here is the link to the meeting.
The CNC area includes Calgary, Cochrane, Airdrie, Chestermere, Okotoks, Foothills County, and Rocky View County. Any iNaturalist obserations made in this area from April 26-29 will contribute to this project.
Matt has organized a number of events throughout the weekend. These include all-day blitzes, birding walks, and more specialized events such as pond study and a pollinator walk. Click the link below to see all the events!
For Nature Calgary members, there are three events on Sunday April 28 which are not full. These include a Birding Blitz on St. Patrick Island near the Zoo, a Bryophyte Blitz in the Weaselhead, and a Plant Walk in Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park. See this page to register.
More information from Matt Wallace:
April 26-29 take photos of wild plants and animals in your yards, neighborhoods, and favorite parks. Then upload your observations to the iNaturalist app or to iNaturalist.ca before Midnight May 5. This is the sixth year I have organized the Calgary CNC and it has grown immensely. There are over 700 cities involved worldwide and we are competing with them to see how many observations we can make, the number of species we can document, and the number of people we can get to participate. The two metrics I am most concerned with for our area are the number of observations and the participants.
My personal goal for CNC is that we can make a combined 10,000 observations or more during the four days. I also hope that we can make 250K observations by 2025 (We are currently at 169,000 observations just in Calgary). If each of us were to make even 10 observations over the weekend, we could make the CNC target and could be the top-performing Canadian city (49 participating Canadian cities this year).
The area which you can participate in during CNC includes: Calgary, Cochrane, Airdrie, Chestermere, Okotoks, Foothills County, and Rocky View County. Participate in groups, at events or even go exploring on your own. Heck, make a “big day” out of the four days if you’re up for the challenge. I have helped to organize around 15 events across the region all happening Friday-Monday which can all be found on the website below.
Types of subjects we love to see shared on iNaturalist include Birds, Plants, Butterflies, Insects, Fungi, Lichens, Mosses, Mammals (pretty much everything and anything but NO people or pets).
More Birders Needed For the Calgary Christmas Bird Count.
Many of our regulars are away or busy with other events this year, so we have a bit of a shortage of birders to help with the count, which is next Sunday. We can use experienced birders who could lead the effort in a section of the city, or help with a field team in a section. Even if you are a novice birder you can help assist a field team. The more eyes the better! Plus we are always looking for more people to count birds at their backyard feeders. That can take as little as 30 minutes.
House Finch. A common backyard bird, but they all need counting! Photo by Bob Lefebvre.
You can register to participate in the count at this page. You may use this form even if you just want more information and may not take part this year. If you have any questions, you can email me at birdscalgary@gmail.com.
Thanks for helping out in this long-running Citizen Science project!
On Tuesday May 16 Calgary City Council will hear submissions on a development in the area formerly known as Ricardo Ranch.
Ricardo Ranch, in the far south of Calgary, is the last undeveloped, intact wetland along the Bow River in Calgary. This unique ecosystem contains wetlands, native grasslands, and old growth riparian forest. There are proposals before City Council to develop the area and have up to 20,000 people living on the floodplain there. Within the proposed development radius is the only Great Blue Heron rookery left in the city, as well as endangered Bank Swallow nesting sites, and many other sensitive species.
A number of nature and conservation organizations have come together to express their concerns about this project, as they believe it goes against Calgary’s Climate Strategy and its goals as a Bird-Friendly city. As proposed, the development would eliminate a huge ecologically-sensitive area within our city, and one of the last such areas that we have.
Ricardo Ranch, in red, lies on the north side of the Bow River, just east of Deerfoot Trail. From the Area Structure Plan.
Here is an open letter that was sent to City Council and signed by many organizations:
Overview
On May 16 2023, Calgary City Council will decide whether to approve as proposed, or request modifications to the Logan Landing neighbourhood development adjacent to the Bow River. This development is partly within the river valley, at the southern edge of Calgary, as part of the Ricardo Ranch Area Structure Plan (RRASP). The RRASP was approved for development in 2016, and the Logan Landing neighbourhood by Genesis Land Development is the first of three proposed neighbourhoods in that area to come before Council.
The groups who have signed this letter all work to protect and conserve important habitats throughout Alberta. We collectively oppose the development, as proposed in the application, because it would significantly impact the Bow River’s floodplain, the adjacent wildlife corridor, and sensitive habitat contained within the area below the upper plateau.
We believe there is a win-win solution that will allow the Logan Landing neighbourhood to be built with modifications, while better protecting the wildlife habitat and floodplain.
Environmentally Significant Area
The Ricardo Ranch area, containing Logan Landing, is unique because of the convergence of ecosystems in one place and the varied plant and animal species that rely on this ecosystem to survive. Close to the river you will find riparian forest in the transition zone between the river and the upland area, bordered by some of the last natural wetlands in Calgary fed from channels off the Bow River and naturally occurring springs flowing down from the escarpment above. These springs are themselves surrounded by pasture land that contains remnants of what is now rare native prairie grassland.
Unfortunately, 46% of the City-identified Environmentally Significant Areas in the Logan Landing development are proposed to be permanently destroyed. This includes wetlands, of which Calgary has already lost 90%. Natural wetlands are a hugely important ecological asset that help mitigate against the increasingly severe effects of climate change and provide crucial habitat for migratory birds, bats, and amphibians. The Ricardo Ranch area is one of the last places within Calgary where natural wetlands are intact and healthy and we believe Council has an opportunity to ensure many of them remain this way. We recognize that the wetlands on the upper plateau will be removed or compromised to accommodate this development, but the natural wetlands below the upper plateau can be preserved.
Habitat for At-Risk Species
The Ricardo Ranch area provides habitat for Species At Risk. For example, the southernmost point of land in the RRASP, straddling Logan Landing and the adjacent parcel, is home to the last remaining great blue heron rookery (nesting site) in Calgary. Some Calgarians may remember the former rookeries in other parts of Calgary, including in Fish Creek Provincial Park that was abandoned by the herons following development in the surrounding area and significant recreational use of the park. We are concerned that the standards recommended by the federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and Alberta Fish and Wildlife for the disturbance radius surrounding heron nesting sites of 1000m was relaxed to 750m to allow this development to proceed as proposed. The build-out of this neighbourhood will occur over multiple years, with loud and large machinery such as excavators, graders, and pile drivers operating within the recommended setback. If this land use proposal is approved without modifications, it is almost certain that this last heron rookery in Calgary will also be abandoned by this threatened species.
In addition to the threatened Great Blue Heron nesting site, the ecological inventory document for the RRASP found that the grasslands and wetlands within the area support the following, all indicating a healthy ecosystem:
Colonies of bank swallows which are a threatened species that has lost over 98% of its population in Canada and which nest in the slope below the upper plateau;
Songbirds such as Baird’s sparrow, a species of Special Concern under the Federal Species At Risk Act (SARA) and listed as Sensitive under the provincial Wildlife Act, which nest in grasslands;
Seven species of bats, including the Federally and Provincially endangered Little Brown Myotis as well as several other species considered at-risk in Alberta that are sensitive to habitat loss and use riparian habitat for both foraging and roosting.
Important habitat for all these species will be lost if the development proceeds without modifications to better protect the river valley, the escarpment, and the wildlife corridor.
Native prairie grasslands are the most endangered ecosystem in Alberta. While the grasslands in the RRASP have been disturbed by historical grazing activities, they are still productive and are supported by the naturally occurring springs located along the escarpment. Preserving more of this ecosystem throughout the RRASP supports larger and more diverse animal populations, increasing its value and resilience.
Smarter Development Required
We know that growth is necessary to provide homes for the ever-increasing population of our city–this is why we do not oppose the development in its entirety. We believe this can be done more efficiently and not at the cost of disturbing and potentially destroying the few healthy, native ecosystems we have left within city limits. Instead, we must be creative and implement best management practices, in order to find ways to build in the areas we already call home, while protecting the areas our native wildlife also call home.
We believe developing the parcels within the Ricardo Ranch Area Structure Plan, as has been proposed, is contrary to statutory documents like the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) 2.3.4 Parks, Open Spaces and Outdoor Recreation, and 2.3.5 Municipal, School, Environmental, and Conservation Reserves, which outlines that the City will “protect, conserve, and restore” environmentally significant areas. This plan also appears to contradict the Climate Strategy and Council’s Strategic Plan for 2023-2026 which focuses on resilience. Climate resilience is a key pillar in this plan as we aim to build a city that recognizes the climate emergency and does its part to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. However, we are aware this developer has proposed to install solar panels on every home in the development, and install electric vehicle charging infrastructure, which we applaud.
Win-Win-Win Proposal
There are options to modify the neighbourhood proposals within the RRASP, including Logan Landing:
1) Identified Environmentally Significant Area lands that are not otherwise dedicated as Environmental or Municipal Reserve can be dedicated as Conservation Reserve or
2) The developers could negotiate a land swap for part of the lands, donate part of the lands to the city or the province, or enter into a conservation easement agreement with a Land Trust non-governmental organization, with the appropriate benefit of tax credits.
Implementing these options would be a win-win-win scenario, with the sensitive habitat and species better protected, the river able to access its floodplain, and the developers will be able to build a still vibrant, complete community.
Conclusion
Calgary is a city that values its river valleys and wild spaces. We present this to the world as something that makes us unique and are rightly proud of what we have worked to conserve and protect. We have signed the International Durban Commitment for Biodiversity, which reads in part:
“This Commitment recognizes…that the value of biodiversity is multi-faceted – including ecological, economic, tourism, recreational, environmental, heritage, stewardship, spiritual, intrinsic, medicinal, nutritional, health, educational, scientific, cultural and social dimensions.”
By signing this Commitment, the City of Calgary acknowledges its own “accountability and responsibility for the health and well-being of our communities through protecting, sustainably utilising and managing biodiversity and recognizing its role as the foundation of our existence.”
This is exactly why we need to reconsider developing the valley lands within the Ricardo Ranch area as has been proposed, and all future developments in our river valleys. If we don’t do so now, we risk losing forever one of the things that helps us define ourselves as Calgarians. With what we know about catastrophic biodiversity loss and climate change, it’s time we take our prior commitments seriously and preserve the valuable ecosystems we have left. Let’s start with Ricardo Ranch.
Signed,
Trout Unlimited Canada Bow River Chapter
Nature Calgary
Alberta Wilderness Society
Canadian parks and Wilderness Society, Southern Alberta Chapter
Calgary Climate Hub
Calgary River Valleys
Friends of Confederation Creek
Here is an op-ed presented by many concerened groups:
Council Must Start Walking the Talk on Climate Change and Biodiversity
This week Calgary City Council will decide whether to approve a new neighbourhood called Logan Landing at the southern edge of Calgary in an area known as Ricardo Ranch. The development is located in one of the last remaining intact wetlands along the Bow River in Calgary, crucial for supporting biodiversity and mitigating the effects of climate change. This important area must be protected from development.
Ricardo Ranch is unique because of the convergence of ecosystems in one place and the varied plant and animal species that rely on these ecosystems to survive. It includes river forests bordered by wetlands fed from the Bow River and natural springs from the slope above. The springs are surrounded by remnants of what is now endangered native prairie grassland.
An ecological study completed for Ricardo Ranch found the grasslands and wetlands within the area support multiple wildlife and plant species. Take a walk through this area on a beautiful spring day and you are likely to see activity around Calgary’s last nesting site for great blue herons, a diversity of songbirds that nest in the grasslands and riverbanks, and if you stick around into the evenings, a variety of bat and frog species. Many of the species you will find here are endangered or considered species at risk.
Grassland and wetland habitats can also play crucial roles in mitigating extreme weather events and the effects of climate change by absorbing excess water and releasing it during droughts. It does not make sense to develop this area in a city where we have declared a climate emergency and passed a Climate Strategy.
We appreciate the need for our city to continue growing, but it needs to be done in a sustainable way. There are options to modify the three neighbourhood proposals within the Ricardo Ranch area, including Logan Landing. These could include protecting environmentally significant areas within the steep slope and valley bottom. There may also be an opportunity for the developers to donate land for a tax credit, or exchange part of these lands with the city or the province for other developable lands.
These are win-win scenarios, protecting sensitive ecosystems while allowing developers to build a vibrant, complete community. Calgary is a city that values its river valleys and wild spaces The City has signed the International Durban Commitment for Biodiversity, and by doing so acknowledged the City’s “accountability and responsibility for the health and well-being of our communities through protecting, sustainably utilising and managing biodiversity and recognizing its role as the foundation of our existence.”
This is exactly why we need to reconsider developing the Bow River valley lands within the Ricardo Ranch area as has been proposed. If we don’t do so now, we risk losing forever one of the things that helps define us as Calgarians. With what we know about catastrophic biodiversity loss and climate change, it’s time we take our prior commitments seriously and preserve the valuable ecosystems we have left. Let’s start with Ricardo Ranch.
Signed,
Trout Unlimited Canada – Bow River Chapter
Nature Calgary
Alberta Wilderness Association
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – Southern Alberta Chapter
Calgary River Valleys
Calgary Climate Hub
Friends of Confederation Creek
Brian Keating
Calgary Urban Species Response Team
Miistakis Institute
Bird Friendly Calgary
Nature Alberta
Weaselhead/Glenmore Park Preservation Society
Finally, if you wish to express your opinion at the council meeting on Tuesday, there are instructions in this piece by Nate Schmidt:
There are three things you can do to help and you can choose to do as many or as few as your like:
Email the mayor and city councillors – this development will affect places far outside of Ward 12 so the mayor and every councillor should hear what you think. The general contact form can be found here:
Submit your comments on the project – comments received on or before May 9 will be part of the public record but don’t let that stop you from submitting whenever you’re able. The submission form can be found here.
Sign up to speak – all Calgarians can speak for up to five minutes during public submissions. This can be done in person or over the phone here.
You will be able to sign up to speak and/or submit comments beginning now. The agenda will also become accessible one week before the meeting. When asked “What meeting do you wish to attend or submit to” select “Council.”
For agenda item enter Logan Landing Development.
You have the option to speak in person or on the phone.
If you choose to speak on the phone you will receive an email with a phone number and dial-in code. Because of the large number of people who will likely submit, each speaker will be assigned a group number with five other speakers. Updates on which group is speaking are reflected through the live agenda which you can view as you are watching.
If you choose to make written submissions you do not need to make any formal submissions on the public hearing date.
Once you are signed up, it’s as easy as submitting your written submissions via the web form or waiting your turn to speak on budget day.
Those choosing to speak in person must go to city hall and through security to council chambers. From there, you will be directed where to sit and when to speak.
You can co-present with others – this has an advantage if there are several people making identical points — Council will appreciate the efficiency and all copresenters can answer questions .
Advice for addressing council on the phone or in person:
Register to speak in advance (via address above)
When you phone in, make sure to mute your phone until your name is called
When it is your time to speak and your name is called, unmute your phone to confirm you are present
When you are called upon to speak, introduce yourself
You’re limited to 5 minutes max to make your address. Write a draft of what you want to say and try it out loud a few times to see how long it takes
Make your main points succinctly, and leave opportunities for followup questions from members of Council – you’ll then have an opportunity to expand upon key points without the time limit
Speak slowly and clearly
If you are calling in by telephone, stay on the line once you are finished (and mute yourself again) in case any councillors have follow-up questions
Powerpoint presentations, or printed documents (shown via a document camera) can be part of your presentation (the A/V technician will assist with this), but it may take some time to set up. Doc. camera is much faster to use.
Take part in this Citizen Science Project in the Calgary area from April 28 – May 1, 2023.
From organizer Matthew Wallace:
The fifth annual City Nature Challenge Calgary event will take place April 28-May 1, 2023! After five years, we’ve seen the success that CNC can have for engaging Calgarians with their local environments and we hope to make this the biggest event yet! Expect more cities than ever participating from around the world.
April 28-May 1, be sure to get outside and make observations of flora and fauna by taking photos and posting them to iNaturalist (web or app). Observations must be posted by Midnight May 7 to be included. Cities around the world will compete to see which can make the most observations, document the most species, and engage the most people! We need your help to activate your communities!
Encourage your friends, family, and neighbours to make as many observations as possible during the four-day window. We will be hosting public bioblitzes across the city with the support of local stewardship groups. If you have an interest in hosting, sponsoring, or simply participating in an event, please contact us at citynatureyyc@gmail.com and keep your eye on our website www.citynatureyyc.ca for all the information and news.
You can also follow news about the Calgary CNC on this Facebook page. Click the “Going” button and follow the group.
You can follow the progress of the Calgary effort from April 28-May 1 on this iNaturalist site.
Taking part in the CNC is as easy as taking pictures of any wildlife, and uploading the photos to iNaturalist. It is easy to use the iNaturalist app on a smart phone. You can spend the four-day challenge window taking photos, and then we have until May 7 to identify everything using the iNaturalist AI and the worldwide commununity of naturalists who use the site. If you are unable to participate or if you live outside of the Calgary CNC areas, you can still particpate by identifying everything that is submitted.
A poor photo of Grey Partridge I took in east Calgary during the 2022 CNC. But every species counts! Photo by Bob Lefebvre
The cities, towns, and other areas that comprise the Calgary region for the purposes of the CNC are Airdrie, Chestermere, Cochrane, Foothills County, Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, High River, Okotoks, Rocky View County, and the City of Calgary. Any observations made in these areas will count for the challenge.
The Calgary CNC Region for 2023.
Last year, there were over 460 cities all over the world taking part in this friendly challenge. Over 67,000 observers reported over 50,000 species in 1.7 million iNaturalist observations. It really is a great way to document and monitor the world’s biodiversity.
Matthew has set a goal for the Calgary region of 10,000 iNaturalist observations in the four-day period. He would like to have 1,000 observers so if we can reach that goal, we should easily get to 10,000 observations. Last year we had 6,200 observations with only about 200 observers. It doesn’t take long to take even 50 or 100 photos and submit them. So please plan to take part in your yard, in a park, or anywhere in the area.
If you have any promotional ideas or would like to host a CNC event or field trip, please email Matthew at citynatureyyc@gmail.com. I plan to lead an outing or two so you could also join me then.
I’ll have more on the City Nature Challenge closer to the event.
Fish Creek Provincial Park half-day count needs more birders!
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
Each year on January 1st there is a half-day bird count done in Fish Creek Provincial Park. Team of birders go out to sevearal locations in the park, and we count all the species we can find, and the numbers of each. We find around 35-40 species on average.
The resident pair of Great Horned Owls in our section of Fish Creek Provincial Park, 2008. Sometimes we find one or two of the owls on the count, and sometimes not. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.
Jim Washbrook has organized the count for several years, and he invites interested birders to contact him to join one of the field teams. You can email Jim at jwashbrook1{at}gmail.com.
The Fish Creek count is not an official Christmas Bird Count (CBC). CBC’s take place each year within a fixed 15-mile diameter (24 km diameter) circle. CBC circles cannot overlap, and the Calgary count circle, which lies just north of Fish Creek Park, was established in 1952. Due to the long east-west geography of the park and its proximity to the Calgary circle, there is no way to fully enclose the park within another CBC circle.
The Calgary area showing the CBC circle, with Fish Creek Park (more or less!) outlined just south of the circle.
The Fish Creek Count was started in 1994 to document the changes in bird populations within the park in winter. As you can see below, species numbers, number of participants in the count, and of course temperature, can fluctuate from year to year.
Jim would like to increase the number of participants so that we can fully cover all the areas in the park. You will be placed in one area, with a team led by an experienced birder. Teams meet in their areas and begin at 9 am, and finish by noon. Maybe this year all the teams can again meet to compare notes afterwards, as we always did pre-pandemic. It looks like the weather will be pretty good, so it will be a great opportunity to come out and give it a try! And it’s a great way to kick-start your birding year!
