Once again Calgary (and the nearby communities of Cochrane, Okotoks, Airdrie, and Chestermere, plus Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park) will be participating in the City Nature Challenge. From April 30 to May 3, anyone can participate in this fun, important, and fast-growing citizen-science project. People in hundreds of cities around the world will be photographing plants, birds, mammals, and anything else in nature to capture a record of worldwide urban biodiversity.
White-crowned Sparrows should be around for the CNC. Photo by Bob Lefebvre
City Nature Challenge Calgary is back for the third year! Take photos of urban flora and fauna April 30-May 3 2021, then share to iNaturalist. Look for nature in your yards, neighborhoods, and local parks. Explore anywhere in Calgary, Cochrane, Okotoks, Airdrie, Chestermere, and Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park. Any photos taken April 30-May 3 and shared to iNaturalist before May 9 will be included. Join the 2021 iNaturalist Project to Stay up to date!
So starting on Friday morning, take as many photos as you can of birds, plants, insects, and any other living things. You will have until May 9 to upload your photos to iNaturalist.
One of the great things about being a birder or nature enthusiast is the opportunity to get involved in citizen science projects. There are dozens of ongoing projects every year where you can contribute data to scientific studies, learn about local habitats and wildlife populations, and contribute to the public’s understanding of nature and of the importance of conservation.
Photographing a Black-capped Chickadee on a Christmas Bird Count in Calgary.
In addition to permanent year-round projects like eBird which records birds all over the world and iNaturalist which records any living thing, there are a number of annual events that you can participate in.
Winter Bug Count
Great Backyard Bird Count
City Nature Challenge
Global eBird Big Day
May Species Count
Christmas Bird Count
and many more
If you are interested in taking part in any of these local citizen science projects, or in getting more information about them, please fill out the form at this link:
Matthew Wallace, who created this form and organizes several local citizen science projects, will send you information or put you in touch with the organizers of whichever projects you are interested in. Whether you have participated before or are new to these projects, please fill out the form and get involved in 2021!
We had a very successful Christmas Bird Count in Calgary on Sunday December 20th. The weather was mild with virtually no snow on the ground, although it was a little windy. Despite Covid precautions, the field routes were all covered, and we had a record number of Feeder Watchers counting birds in their yards (thanks largely to the efforts of Matthew Wallace).
Northern Saw-whet Owl. This one was seen by a Feeder Watcher a few days before the count, but we did get another one on count day in another part of the city. Photo by Janet Gill.
Preliminary results, provided by compiler Phil Cram, show that there were 70 species counted, which is one of the higher totals we’ve had in the 69 years of the count. Most significantly, there were three new species never before seen on the CBC: Anna’s Hummingbird, Swainson’s Thrush and Mountain Bluebird, bringing our cumulative species count to 142.
Here are the results with the total number of each species seen:
Besides the three new species, there were other notable results:
Unusual Species: Green-winged Teal and Evening Grosbeak.
Record High Counts: Northern Flicker (328) and Black-billed Magpie (3063) – probably due to increased coverage.
Also High Count: White-throated Sparrow (10).
Low Counts: Gray Partridge, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Northern Goshawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Bohemian Waxwing, Common Redpoll, Red Crossbill, White-winged Crossbill and Pine Siskin (see sheet for numbers).
Noteworthy Missed Species: American Wigeon, Ruffed Grouse, Killdeer, Red-tailed Hawk, Prairie Falcon, Snow Bunting and American Tree Sparrow.
Count-week (not seen on count day, but in the period three days prior or three days after): Snow Goose and Hoary Redpoll.
It seems that during the pandemic there has been a really big increase in the number of people taking up birding, and many more people are watching birds in their yards. We had 154 observers in 128 households counting birds. Feeder Watchers counted 35 species, including the only Northern Saw-whet Owl, the only Anna’s Hummingbird, and the only Purple Finch seen.
Feeder-Watcher Results:
Canada Goose
658
Mallard
193
Rock Pigeon
96
Sharp-shinned Hawk
3
Downy Woodpecker
81
Hairy Woodpecker
6
Northern Flicker
113
Merlin
5
Blue Jay
58
Black-billed Magpie
471
Common Raven
38
Black-capped Chickadee
275
Red-breasted Nuthatch
147
White-breasted Nuthatch
18
European Starling
2
American Robin
4
Bohemian Waxwing
6
House Sparrow
1037
House Finch
400
Dark-eyed Junco
34
White-throated Sparrow
7
White-winged Crossbill
4
Pine Siskin
21
American Crow
20
Anna’s Hummingbird
1
Mountain Chickadee
2
Northern Saw-whet Owl
1
Bald Eagle
2
Purple Finch
1
Common Merganser
4
Great Horned Owl
1
Gray Partridge
10
Common Redpoll
3
Ring-necked Pheasant
7
Total Bird Species:
35
Total Bird Count:
3712
Total Observers:
154
Next post: Sign up to get involved in next year’s Christmas Bird Count, and other Citizen Science Projects.
The 69th annual Calgary Christmas Bird Count will take place this year on Sunday December 20th. This is one of over 2,000 counts that will take place in the Western Hemisphere this year. Teams spread out within a predetermined count circle and count every bird they see or hear on count day. The information gathered by thousands of volunteers over the years has been an invaluable source of information about population trends in the bird world.
A Bald Eagle seen on the count in 2014. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.
There are two ways to participate in the count: By joining a team in the field, or by watching and counting birds at the feeders in your yard. Covid restrictions will apply to the field counters.
Counting waterfowl on the river for CBC 2019. Photo by Kathleen Johnson.
The Calgary CBC was started in 1952 and the Feeder Watchers were added in 1984. The Feeder Watch is the component of the CBC that gets those involved that either don’t want to go out in the field, or are unable to. There is a wealth of bird life to be found regularly at feeders and these feeder counts are added to the counts from in the field. Birds may be counted at your residence within the count circle – a circle 24 kilometers in diameter centred on the Louise Bridge. In the 2019 CBC over 49,000 birds were counted in Calgary, of sixty-three different species. Feeder watchers recorded thirty-five species. The feeder watcher role is an important one.
We are no longer taking registrations for the 2020 count, but if you are interested in participating next year, or if you want more information, email me at birdscalgary[at]gmail.com. Next year’s Calgary Christmas Bird Count is on Sunday December 19, 2021.
A Varied Thrush that overwintered in my yard in 2011-12. It’s a possibility for Feeder Watchers on the Christmas Bird Count. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.Mammals are counted too. A porcupine found on the 2012 count. Photo by Troy Bourque.
Free Zoom meeting this Wednesday December 9 includes a presentation about the upcoming Calgary Christmas Bird Count.
Common Redpoll, Weaselhead, January 8, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.
The Weaselhead/Glenmore Park Preservation Society is dedicated to preserving, protecting, and restoring the ecosystems of the Weaselhead Nature Area and surrounding parks, as well as providing educational programs for the public. (See their webpage here).
This Wednesday, December 9, will be the Annual General Meeting of the Society, from 6:50 to 8:30 pm. Everyone, whether a member or not, is welcome to attend this online Zoom meeting. It will feature a presentation about the Christmas Bird Count program by Yousif Attia, the Bird Canada national CBC Coordinator, and Phil Cram, who coordinates the Calgary CBC. The Calgary CBC will be held on Sunday December 20 this year, so if you are interested in this annual event, sign up for this presentation.
The event is free but you do have to register so you will be sent the sign-up code for the meeting. See this page to register.
After hearing about the great work that the Society does, you may want to become a member. It is only $25 for a lifetime membership! Join here.
Back in April, Calgarians participated for the second time in the City Nature Challenge. This year, with better weather and the addition of participants in Cochrane, Airdie, Okotoks, and Chestermere, we exceeded all of the 2019 results. This was despite the inability, due to Covid-19, of having organized field trips with many observers. Participants were more or less on their own, but nevetheless 248 observers submitted 5,557 observations, from which 759 species have so far been identified.
A Downy Woodpecker I photographed on April 24, 2020 for the City Nature Challenge. Calgary, photo by Bob Lefebvre
You can view the Project Page on iNaturalist to see all the local observations. Some highlights include a bobcat with prey, a raccoon seen downtown, and a moose in Fish Creek Park. There were 110 bird species reported, including uncommon species like Steller’s Jay, Turkey Vulture, and Wild Turkey (the local celebrity Ramsay Turkey).
Calgary was one of eleven Canadian Cities that took part in the Challenge, and led them all in number of particpants, number of species reported, and number of observations made.
There were 244 cities worldwide which took part in 2020. See the Project Page on iNaturalist to view all the results. The most observations made was 34,474 in Cape Town, South Africa. San Francisco had the most people making observations with 2,678. The highest number of species reported was 2,937 in Houston-Galveston. In all, over 33,000 species were reported.
Congratulations to Matthew Wallace for his efforts in organizing and promoting the Calgary City Nature Challenge. I look forward to next year’s event!
I mentioned before that a smartphone is the best tool for taking photos of insects and getting close-ups of plants, but not great for birds since they are usually too far away. But many of you birders carry cameras these days, and you can submit your bird photos for the City Nature Challenge. They can easily be uploaded to the iNaturalist website on your desktop computer.
So if you are out this weekend (anytime until Monday at midnight), take lots of bird photos to upload later. You have until May 3rd to upload them, and if they are taken in the city, in Airdrie, Chestermere, or Cochrane, they will be added to the Calgary Challenge.
If you’re lucky you might find an unusual species. Last year I found a Fox Sparrow at Carburn Park.
Fox Sparrow, Carburn Park, Calgary, April 28, 2019. Photo by Bob Lefebvre
But remember, iNaturalist and the City nature Challenge is about documenting all living things, so don’t neglect common species, and get them in multiple locations too. You may also see some mammals, trees, and other things you can photograph. You can also photograph evidence of life, such as feathers, nests, spider webs, hare forms, and so on.
Check out this page to see how many species and observations have been submitted so far in Calgary. We are at over 1000 observations and 300 species reported already by 10 am Saturday morning!
The second annual Calgary City Nature Challenge will go ahead on April 24-27, 2020. Once again, Matthew Wallace is doing a great job of organizing and promoting this valuable citizen science project.
This year, an expanded Calgary metropolitan area will include Airdrie, Cochrane, Okotoks, and Chestermere. Calgary will be competing with over 200 other cities around the world to try to identify as many species of wildlife as possible.
Last year there were many organized group activities in the CNC, but due to Covid-19 these will not be taking place this year. However, people can easily participate by themselves by taking photos of any living thing and uploading it to the iNaturalist website or app.
Download the iNaturalist app or sign up on the webpage. Then start taking pictures of wildlife and uploading them. There is no need to wait until April 24 to get started, but please try to help out on that weekend!
On Saturday November 23 there will be a free public event to share the findings of the Calgary Migratory Species Response Team (CMSRT). The event runs from 12 noon to 1:30 pm, and everyone is welcome to attend!
This will take place at St. Mary’s University, 14500 Bannister Road SE, in Owerko Hall. The University is located east of Macleod Trail, just south of Fish Creek Park.
Come learn about the impact of bird and bat migration in an urban setting. The CMRST’s team of volunteers is on the front lines rescuing birds and bats that have been injured due to urbanization and compiling scientific data. Join us to learn how you can make a positive impact on the lives of migratory species living within our community. See the evidence of the CMRST’s work in monitoring birds and bats involved in window strikes in downtown Calgary, and in rescuing those that are injured.
This is a free family-friendly event. There is more information, including a map of the location, on the Eventbrite page linked to below, but there is no need to get a ticket – just arrive at noon to enjoy the programme below:
12pm – Welcome and Elder blessing.
12:15pm – Dr. Scott Lovell presents intriguing findings about bird strikes in the downtown core; Melanie Whalen speaks on found wildlife care and our findings on bats in the city.
12:45pm – Recognition of the generous contributions from our partnerships, volunteers, and stakeholders.
1:00 pm – Catered reception and specimen viewing – see the impact!
Window strikes, or birds colliding with windows, is a big problem – not just in residential yards, but in urban downtowns where tall glass structures are a big obstacle to migrating birds (and bats too). Many birds migrate at night, and skyscrapers can cause a lot of bird mortality. You may have seen some of the disturbing photos of hundreds of dead birds of many species that are collected in Toronto’s downtown every year by the Fatal Light Awareness Project (FLAP). A similar effort is undertaken in Ottawa by Safe Wings Ottawa.
Toronto, unlike Calgary, is located on a major migratory flyway. So how big is the problem here, and what can be done to minimize the damage? This is what Kathleen Johnson has set out to discover, by creating the Calgary Migratory Species Response Team.
A Chipping Sparrow found in downtown Calgary by Kathleen in the spring during one of her preliminary checks for birds killed by window strikes.
Kathleen has done an amazing job of assembling a team of experts and setting up a detailed and well-prepared group of volunteers to begin surveys of Calgary’s downtown. The CMSRT will plot the locations of all birds and bats found, to learn where the problem areas are. The Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Societyis directly involved as well, so that any injured animals can be rescued.
This weekend there will be a two-part orientation session for anyone wishing to volunteer. The first part will be an information and training session at the Central Library downtown, and the second part will be in the field (downtown) early Sunday morning. See the event on Facebook here.
Please visit the group’s Facebook page to learn more about this effort. You can also follow them on Twitter (@CalgaryResponse). If you want to volunteer, email them at calgaryresponse[at]gmail.com.
Tonight, August 22nd, Kathleen will give a brief overview of the project at the Birds & Beers event (6-9 pm, at the Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW) and will have more information available for anyone interested in getting involved. This is a really exciting initiative and I hope everyone can get behind it and help out!
