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City Nature Challenge Bioblitz!

Apr2

Take part in this Citizen Science Project in the Calgary area from April 28 – May 1, 2023.

City Nature Challenge

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.

The website for the worldwide challenge is here.

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.

Grey Partridge
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.

City Nature 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.

Time to Plan Your Participation in May Species Counts in Southern Alberta

Feb12

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Planning for the May Species Counts is already under way. There are two southern Alberta counts besides the Calgary one that many Calgarians take part in – Brooks/Lake Newell, and Milk River/Writing-on-Stone. The Brooks count is in its 24th year and MR/WOS is in its 22nd. The organizers would like to get more people participating in both counts. Since birders from the city have to arrange accomodation for these, you have to start your planning now. (Note that the Calgary count is May 27-28, the same weekend as Writing-on-Stone, so you will have a choice to make.)

Below is the information about the counts and booking camping. There is more information in the attached brochures. If you have questions, please contact the count organizers.

Lark Sparrow
Lark Sparrow. Photo by Bob Lefebvre, May 31, 2020.

_____________________________________________

Hello Alberta Bird Counters! We are pleased to announce that the 2023 Brooks and Writing-on-Stone Bird Counts will take place on the following dates:

·       Brooks-Lake Newell Bird Count: Sat. May 20 and Sun. May 21

·       Milk River – Writing-on-Stone Bird Count: Sat. May 27 and Sun. May 28

If you plan on camping we highly recommend booking early!

Tillebrook Provincial Park: general reservations for May 19-21 will open at 9 am on Saturday February 18. www.reserve.albertaparks.ca or 1-877-537-2757

Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park: general reservations for May 26-28 will open at 9 am on Saturday February 25. www.reserve.albertaparks.ca or

1-877-537-2757

Note: a small non-refundable fee of $12 per person will be charged to all Brooks participants to help cover the rental of the Brooks Legion meeting room.

Please indicate interest in participating to Debra Hornsby in advance of registration. Registration forms will be emailed by March 27. The 2023 count brochure provides further information and a draft count schedule.

We look forward to seeing all of you — and thousands of migrating birds — at the end of May!

To indicate interest contact: debra.hornsby.banff*@*gmail.com

More information: Donna Wieckowski astolat*@*shaw.ca

 (NOTE: Remove *’s before emailing)

2023-Brooks-WOS-Bird-Count

Birds & Beers, Friday January 13, 2023

Jan6

Next Friday will be the first Birds & Beers meeting of the new year. We meet at 6 pm at the Horton Road Legion. Everyone is welcome to come.

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch#285,

9202 Horton Road SW.

Friday January 13, 2023, 6:00-9:00 pm

Red-necked Grebe
Nesting Red-necked Grebes at the Bridlewood Wetland, Calgary, May Species Count 2021. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.

Aftere an hour or so of socializing, eating, and drinking, there will be a presentation by Andrew Hart and Lara Fitzpatrick on the Calgary May Species Count. They will present the history of the count and how it has evolved since its inception in 1976. They will discuss the areas that are covered, how the count is organized, and how and why they have migrated to eBird for data collection. Then the actual 2022 results will be shown, as well as a look ahead to how things may evolve for 2023.

Join the New Year’s Day Bird Count!

Dec27

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.

Great Horned Owl
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.

FCPP New Year's Day Bird Count

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!

We Need YOU For the Christmas Bird Count!

Dec11

Posted By Bob Lefebvre

I recently posted about the Calgary Christmas Bird Count, which is a week from today, on Sunday December 18th. Birders, like everyone else, have a lot of committments at this time of year, and we find ourselves a little short of help on some of the field routes. In particular, we need a few people who are good birders and also quite fit, who are able to do long walk through some difficult terrain. One such area is the Paskapoo Slopes near Canada Olympic Park, which has many deep ravines. Last year there was a Barred Owl at the west end of that area, but we missed it! We also need help in the Edgemont Ravines, and possibly in East Calgary at Elliston Park and area (Elliston is not as challenging of a walk). These are all good areas, so you might find something special!

Barred Owl
Barred Owl, photographed on Count Day in 2021 near Cougar Ridge. We didn’t know about it until long after the count. Photo by Orlando Pastran, courtesy of Joachim Bertrands.

If you are not up to a long difficult route, or are less experienced, you are still welcome to help out in the field. You will be placed on a team with experienced birders.

For those of you who can’t make it out in the field but watch birds in your yard, we will take as many Feeder Watchers as we can get! We are particularly short in the NE quadrant of the city. Feeder-Watching does not require a long time commitment and can be done in as little as fifteen minutes, or in intervals during the day. Of course, to take part you must live within the count circle.

Calgary CBC Circlle
The Calgary Christmas Bird Count Circle, from Google Earth. Look at all the green space we have to cover!

If you would like to participate this year, or even if you just want more information or may want to take part next year, please fill out the registration form and we will be in contact with you.

REGISTER HERE for the Calgary Christmas Bird Count.

If you had previously registered, you will be contacted this week.

Last year, our Feeder Watchers had some good birds:

Fox Sparrow, the first ever on our count, found in the yard of Feeder Watcher Lucy Batycky. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.

Northern Saw-whet Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl on the 2021 Calgary CBC. Photo by Alan Covington.

Register Now For the Calgary Christmas Bird Count 2022!

Nov20

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Calgary’s Christmas Bird Count (CBC) takes place on Sunday December 18, 2022! CBC began in 1900 and is the world’s longest-running citizen science event. The count has been going on in Calgary since 1952 and is a valuable resource for understanding species and population trends of birds found in Calgary and around the world.

Matthew Wallace will once again be organizing the count and compiling the results. Lara Fitzpatrick and I will assist once again.

Please take a minute to fill out the Registration form here. Unless you are a Feeder Watcher who has already been assigned to a FW Captain, we are asking everyone to register, even if you have participated last year or in many past years. This helps to ensure we have the correct and most up-to-date contact information for each person and reduces the thousands of emails down to a more manageable size. It also helps Matthew to organize the required participant information that is submitted to Audubon and confirm that feeder watcher residences are within the count circle.

Calgary CBC Circle
Calgary CBC Circle, from Google Earth.

Completing the form will ensure that you will receive information that will follow in the next few days. The form is required for both feeder watchers and field participants. It can be shared with anyone who may wish to take part this year. Please share widely. If you are not sure that you can participate, or if you would like more information about the count, please fill out the form so we can contact you.

Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl photographed by Matthew Wallace on last year’s Calgary CBC. December 19, 2021, Tsuut’ina Nation, Calgary.

Count Week Birds: If you come across any interesting birds during count week (December 15-21), please send information to citynatureyyc@gmail.com including any notes, counts, or photos you may have.

You can check out this recap video by Matthew Wallace of the Calgary Christmas Bird Count 2021. There was also a post on this blog about the results: Calgary Christmas Bird Count Final Results.

Bohemian Waxwing
Bohemian Waxwings seen on last year’s Count. Photo by Arthur Wieckowski, December 19, 2021.

Happy Birding and Happy Holidays!

The Rocky Mountain Eagle Research Foundation Story

Sep17

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

At the Bird & Beers event in Calgary on September 9th, Caroline Lambert gave a presentation on the Rocky Mountain Eagle Research Foundation (RMERF), and the work they have been doing for thirty years, monitoring the migratory flights of eagles (and other birds) along the eastern edge of the Rockies. The discovery of this migratory corridor, along which thousands of Golden Eagles travel twice a year, is a fascinating story. A dedicated group of volunteers watches the skies spring and fall and records the birds passing over.

At the Birds & Beers presentation there was a technical problem which prevented the screening of a video about the RMERF. The 13-minute video can be seen here:

The RMERF Story from RMERF on Vimeo.

The RMERF relies on volunteers to monitor the birds. They welcome visitors to the site during their counts, so you can learn what is involved and work towards becoming a volunteer yourself. It’s a great place to visit! If you are interested in volunteering, or for more information, see the RMERF Website here. If you are not able to volunteer, you can support the Foundation with a donation.

You can follow the RMERF on Twitter and Instagram at @_eaglecount.

Birds & Beers, Friday September 9, 2022

Sep4

The fall season of Birds & Beers begins on Friday September 9th. Birds & Beers is a social get-together for birders at which you can meet and connect with others, have a meal and a drink, and enjoy a short presentation of interest to local birders.

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch#285,

9202 Horton Road SW.

Friday September 9, 2022, 6:00-9:00 pm

Everyone is welcome. We begin at 6 pm and the presentation will start just after 7pm. This month, Caroline Lambert will speak about the Eagle Migration Monitoring project that has been ongoing in Kananaskis for 30 years:

Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle, Coyote Valley OSP, Santa Clara County, CA. Photo by Caroline Lambert

Learn about the eagle migration count in Kananaskis! This count is celebrating its 30th year as a citizen science project contributing to the knowledge of Golden Eagle migration and population dynamics. This talk will cover the history of the count, what it’s like to be out at the count, trends determined so far, and how the count fits with other raptor counts across the continent.

Learn how you can get involved in tracking the birds at this beautiful location in Kananaskis.

Mount Lorette
Mount Lorette. Photo by Caroline Lambert.

Calgary Region BiodiverCity Challenge 2022

Jun8

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Midnight tonight marks the beginning of the Calgary BiodiverCity Challenge 2022. The four-day event runs from Thursday June 9 through Sunday June 12.

Like the City Nature Challenge which was held at the end of April, the BiodiverCity Challenge will include all observations submitted to iNaturalist that were made within the region over the four-day period. You don’t have to join the project – although you can! – all observations in the region and time period will be included.

Yellow-headed Blackbird
A Yellow-headed Blackbird seen during eBird’s Global Big Day in NE Calgary, May 14, 2022.
Photo by Bob Lefebvre

The region includes the city of Calgary, plus Cochrane, Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, Airdrie, Chestermere, and Okotoks.

Map of Calgary BiodiverCity region 2022
The Calgary BiodiverCity Region 2022

Like the City Nature Challenge, the idea is to document as many species of wildlife as possible. The date of the City Nature Challenge is in early spring here (it is a worldwide event), but the time frame of the BiodiverCity Challenge was chosen to better represent the maximum number of species that can be found at our location.

Here is a link to the Project Page on iNaturalist Canada. Join the project to be kept informed of the progress in this year’s count, and of the details of next year’s count when they are available.

This year there will be a friendly competition between Calgary and other cities (including Edmonton) to see who will have the most participants and observations. So get out and take lots of photos this weekend to document the biodiversity of the Calgary region! You have until June 19th to upload them to iNaturalist.

Birds & Beers, Friday June 10, 2022

Jun5

The next Calgary Birds & Beers meeting will take place this Friday, June 10th. There will be a presentation about eBird by Gavin McKinnon.

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch#285,

9202 Horton Road SW.

Friday June 10, 2022, 6:00-9:00 pm

Horned Grebe
Horned Grebe. Photo by Gavin McKinnon.

After 7 pm, Gavin McKinnon will give a presentation on “eBird: The Review Process and How to Make Better Checklists.” Gavin will discuss all of the features that eBird has to offer. He will give regular eBirders a better idea of how observations are reviewed, and will talk abut how to make your checklists more valuable.

This information should prove to be useful for all birders, whether they use eBird or not. Gavin will also allow lots of time for questions and answers.

eBird

Everyone is welcome; food and drinks are available. We meet in the back rooms at the Legion at 6 pm. If you can’t make it at 6, the presentation will be at about 7:15.