Birds & Beers, September 28/23

Thursday September 28 from 5-9 pm

The new season of Birds & Beers will begin with a presentation by Gordon Sick about his trip to Newfoundland.

Atlantic Puffin with Capelin. Photo by Gordon Sick.

Newfoundland is for the Birds: It’s an Aukward Province
We spent 3 weeks of the summer on the Newfoundland coasts and viewed a variety of nestlings, fledglings and adults of species including Puffins, Murres, Razorbills, Guillemots, Gannets, Shearwaters, Kittiwakes, Black-backed Gulls, Terns, Sandpipers and Plovers. We searched New Brunswick, PEI and Newfoundland for a Piping Plover, which was an interesting exercise, with results to be disclosed at the presentation. We’ll also show an iceberg and a whale breaching to prove that we were in Newfoundland.

Birds & Beers meetings are held at the Royal Canadian Legion, 9202 Horton Road SW. This year we have the big ballroom, which is a very large space with excellent sightlines for presentations. We have the room starting at 5 pm, which should give many attendees more time to have a meal and socialize. You can arrive later if needed, and the presentation will begin at about 7 pm.

Everyone is welcome to attend, including children if accompanied by an adult. See you there!

The October Birds & Beers will be on Thursday October 12, again from 5-9 at the Horton Road Legion. Dianne and Bob Leonhardt will do a presentation on their recent trip to Mexico.

Birds & Beers, Friday June 9

Jun4

This Friday will be the last Birds & Birds before the summer break. We meet, as usual, at 6 pm at the Horton Road Legion, 9202 Horton Road SW.

There will be a presentation after 7 pm by Liz Goldie, about our native bees.

Hunt’s Bumblebee (I think!). Photo by Bob Lefebvre

Come and join us as we get the “Buzz” on our native bees. Our guest speaker, Liz Goldie from the Calgary and District Beekeepers Association, will take us on a closer look at these industrious and necessary critters. Most of us are aware that bees support the growth of trees, flowers, and plants, provide food and contribute to complex ecosystems. But did you know that at least 24 species of bird, including Blackbirds, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and European Starling, prey on bees? Come and learn about these fascinating creatures!

To help Liz with travel expenses, a small contribution would be appreciated.

Everyone is welcome!

Birds & Beers, Friday April 14, 2023

Apr1

The next Birds & Beers is on Friday April 14. We meet at the Horton Road Legion in Calgary starting at 6 pm. Everyone is welcome, and there is good food and drink available. The Legion is located at 9202 Horton Road SW. We have the rooms starting at 6 pm, and you can eat and socailize for about an hour and a quarter before we have our presentation. This month will feature Gordon Sick again, with part two of his trip to central America: The Birds of the Galapogos Islands. Just as in last month’s talk about the birds of the Ecudorean Cloud Forest, there will be many great photographs of birds, and there is no overlap in the species shown in the two talks at all!

Birds of the Galapagos Islands: This presentation covers migratory birds (Waved Albatrosses, Boobies, Magnificent and Great Frigatebirds, for example), as well as endemic birds (Darwin Finches and Mockingbirds, for example). We will cover some of the 51 species that were photographed. Some non-avian flora and fauna will also be included.

See you there! We will ask for a donation of $1 per person to go to the Legion to cover the cost of the room.

Magnificent Frigatebird. Photo by Gordon Sick.

Birds & Beers, Friday March 10, 2023

Mar5

Birds & Beers is on again this Friday. We will have a presentation by Gordon Sick on Birds of Ecuador’s Andean Cloud Forest.

Andean Cock-of-the-rock. Photo by Gordon Sick

We meet at the Horton Road Legion beginning at 6 pm:

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch #285,

9202 Horton Road SW.

Friday March 10, 2023, 6:00-9:00 pm

We start at 6 pm, and there will be time for socializing, eating, and drinking before the presentation begins after 7 pm. Here are the details of the talk.

Birds of Ecuador’s Andean Cloud Forest

This presentation involves photographs taken at altitudes over 8000 feet in the Andean Highlands to the East and West of Quito. Colourful birds include Cotingas (like Andean Cock-of-the-rock) and a variety of Hummingbirds. We will cover some of the 145 species that were photographed.

Everyone is welcome to attend. We will ask for a donation of $1 per person to go to the Legion to cover the cost of the room. See you there!

Birds & Beers, Friday February 10, 2023

Feb4

The next Calgary Birds & Beers meeting will be this coming Friday at the the Horton Road Legion. There will be a presentation by Bob and Dianne Leonhardt about their 2022 trip to Elk Island and Cold Lake parks.

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch #285,

9202 Horton Road SW.

Friday February 10, 2023, 6:00-9:00 pm

We start at 6 pm, and there will be time for socializing, eating, and drinking before the presentation begins after 7 pm. Here are the details of the talk.

Gas Yaki Walk 2022: A camping trip to Elk Island National Park and Cold
Lake Provincial Park by Bob and Dianne Leonhardt

In 2017 a group of us hiked across Southern Alberta with our friend and outstanding naturalist,
Gus Yaki. Since that time some of the group, and anyone else who was interested, has been
conducting an annual trip involving exploring some of the beautiful scenery and wildlife in
Alberta and Saskatachewan. In 2022 we traveled north to visit Elk Island National Park and
Cold Lake Provincial Park. Elk Island, only about 35 kilometres east of Edmonton, is a
wonderful location for seeing wildlife and doing some hiking. Cold Lake, about 250 kilometres
north east of Elk Island, is one of the premiere places in Alberta to witness the spring migration
of warblers.

_______________________________

Everyone is welcome to attend. See you there!

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

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.

Birds & Beers Schedule For 2023

Dec29

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

We now have the Birds & Beers social events scheduled for the first half of 2023. All the meetings will be held on the second Friday of each month, from 6 to 9 pm, at the Horton Road Legion (9202 Horton Road SW). Everyone is welconme to attend! We will try to have a presentation at each event. The January meeting, on Friday January 13th, will feature Andrew Hart and Lara Fitpatrick speaking about the Calgary May Species Count, with results from 2022 and a look ahead to the 2023 count.

An Eastern Kingbird in a field of Shooting Stars in the Longview area, on the 2022 May Species Count. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.

I will post more details on each meeting and each presentation a week or two before the event. Below is the schedule (which is also always posted on the right-hand sidebar of the blog). Remember, the second Friday of each month!

January 13 – May Species Count presentation.

February 10

March 10

April 14

May 12

June 9

We take a break from Birds & Beers in July and August, then resume for the fall season, September to November. I will post that schedule once the dates are booked. See you in January!

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A birding blog for Calgary, Alberta and area

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Thursday September 28 from 5-9 pm

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The fall season begins on Thursday September 28.

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