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Great Horned Owlets

May12

Happy Mother’s Day from Birds Calgary!

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Great Horned Owl
Mother Great Horned Owl with nestling. Photo by Ramona Casault.

A pair of Great Horned Owls have nested on Ramona Casault’s acreage west of Calgary for several years. Ramona calls the adults Winnie and Waldo. There are three chicks this year, the last of which hatched just last week.

Great Horned Owl
The female (Winnie). Photo by Ramona Casault.
Great Horned Owl
The male owl (Waldo). Photo by Ramona Casault.

According to Ramona, both parent owls have taken turns brooding the chicks, and now sometimes will both be outside the nest tree and leave the chicks for a while.

Great Horned Owl
All three Owlets. There’s quite a size difference! Photo by Ramona Casault.
Cuteness overload! Happy Mother’s Day!

Video by Ramona Casualt.

Bob needs birdseed!

Or coffee. Thanks for your support!!

Wild Bird Store Speaker Series Begins March 16

Mar15

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

The Wild Bird Store in SE Calgary not only offers bird feed and every other product for the backyard birder, but they also have a very good Speaker Series featuring many great presenters on a variety of topics of interest to local birders.

The talks will all be done using Zoom. There are six upcoming talks on the next six Wednesdays, starting tomorrow with Dan Arndt speaking on Alberta Owls. (Unfortunately Dan’s presentation is now sold out. Tickets to these events are limited.) Check out the remaining talks below, starting March 23. They are all excellent speakers. I am particularly interested to hear Andrew Barnes on how he established the first breeding colony of Purple Martins in Calgary in many decades!

Please Note: Even though these are virtual seminars, they limit the number of spaces available. This will allow adequate time for the Q&A portion of the presentation. All presentations are through “ZOOM” and they suggest you sign up early to avoid disappointment.

Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite and are non-refundable. Click the Eventbrite link below each talk description to purchase tickets.
DANIEL ARNDT

Daniel is a wildlife biologist specializing in wild bird surveys and is a tour operator here in Calgary.

Speaker Series Topic: “How and where to find owls in Alberta”
Date: Wednesday March 16, 2022 Time: 6:00 PM Cost: $15.00 (+ fees & gst) —Sold Out!
Daniel’s presentation will be on how and where to find owls in Alberta which will include the dos and don’ts of watching and photographing owls.
MYRNA PEARMAN

Retired biologist, passionate observer of nature, keen wildlife photographer and a nature columnist.

Speaker Series Topic: “Appreciating Bird Behaviour”
Date: Wednesday March 23, 2022 Time: 6:00 PM Cost: $15.00 (+ fees & gst)
Inspired by Jennifer Ackerman’s book, The Genius of Birds, Myrna will be giving a presentation that highlights some fascinating aspects of bird behaviour. Her talk will not only encourage a new appreciation for birds, but it also will help us better understand and marvel at the astonishing intelligence and abilities of our wild avian neighbours. She will focus on Alberta birds, especially the common species that grace our yards and gardens.
Eventbrite
JAY INGRAM

Former TV host of the Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet and organizer & co-founder of Beakerhead. He is an engaging, provocative speaker who can address complex, scientific issues in non-technical terms.

Speaker Series Topic: “The First Bird”
Date: Wednesday March 30, 2022 Time: 6:00 PM Cost: $15.00 (+ fees & gst)
The fossil animal Archaeopteryx was first identified in the mid 1800s and still, despite competition from a horde of feathered dinosaurs, holds the title of “the first bird”. What does it tell us about the origins of bird flight? How well did it fly? Why have there been so many Archaeopteryx controversies?
Eventbrite
ANDREW BARNES

Purple Martins of Calgary

Speaker Series Topic: “Purple Martin Colony in Calgary”
Date: Wednesday April 6, 2022 Time: 6:00 PM Cost: $15.00 (+ fees & gst)
Andrew Barnes has successfully established a Purple Martin house behind his residence in New Brighton here in Calgary. He has put considerable research and effort to have the first successful PUMA colony in Calgary in 80 years and the most southerly one in Alberta.
Eventbrite
CHRIS FISHER

Best-selling co-author of popular field guide “Birds of Alberta”, filmmaker and television host shares inspiring storylines that connect audiences with skills that organizations value. Trained as a scientist and travelling the world as a lecturer, Chris explored and investigated universal strategies of success common to individuals, institutions and organizations.

Speaker Series Topic: “How wild birds have helped our mental health during the Pandemic”
Date: Wednesday April 13, 2022 Time: 6:00 PM Cost: $15.00 (+ fees & gst)
Chris delves into the popularity and importance wild birds have contributed to society’s mental health during these challenging times and will combine the topic with some local birding stories that have helped folks over the past two years.
Eventbrite

To keep informed about future events hosted by the Wild Bird Store, sign up to receive their monthly newsletter here.

Boreal Owl in the City

May9

Jim Washbrook and other residents of a Northeast Calgary neighbourhood were treated to a rare sight in late March when a Boreal Owl spent a few hours posing for photographs during daylight hours. These rarely seen little owls are nocturnal and live in the Boreal forest. Many birders have never seen or even heard one.

Boreal Owl

Boreal Owl, Calgary, March 28, 2018. Photo by Jim Washbrook.

Boreal Owl

Boreal Owl, Calgary, March 28, 2018. Photo by Jim Washbrook.

Boreal Owl

Boreal Owl, Calgary, March 28, 2018. Photo by Jim Washbrook.

Sarah Bradley also took some photos of the owl sitting in the vines. Photos below by Sarah Bradley, Calgary, March 28, 2018.

Boreal Owl

Boreal Owl

Boreal Owl

Boreal Owl

Boreal Owl

The owl apparently moved on and was not seen again after that afternoon. Nice to have one of these come to you instead of having to go look for it!

Short-eared Owls in Winter

Mar28

Short-eared Owls are scarce in the Calgary area in the winter, but sometimes a few can be found hunting meadow voles around fields that have not been cultivated for a few years. Ron Chiasson photographed these owls near Calgary this winter. Short-eared Owls are a sensitive species so we won’t give the location. They have declined in the Calgary area over the decades as native prairie has disappeared, but they have an almost worldwide distribution and their conservation status is “Least Concern.”

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

You can see more of Ron’s photos at Ron Chiasson Photography.

Superb Owl Sunday

Feb4

Posted by Bob Lefebvre (I apologize that the blog was down for the last two days. It was a server problem – we aren’t going away!)

About a dozen years ago some people started using the term “superb owl” in advertising to avoid a similar copyrighted term, and since owls are indeed superb, birders have had a lot of fun with it on game day by posting their favourite photos of owls. Here are some local owls to liven up your day.

Snowy Owl, January 2018, east of Calgary. Photo by Ron Chiasson.

Snowy Owl, November 2017, east of Calgary. Photo by Ron Chiasson.

A well-camouflaged Great Gray Owl, November 2, 2017, Bow Valley Parkway. Photo by Michael Kim.

Great Horned Owl, December 19, 2017, High River area. Photo by Anne Elliott.

Northern Pygmy-Owl, January 28, 2018, west of Calgary.

Northern Pygmy-Owl, November 2017, Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park. Photo by Ron Chiasson.

Northern Hawk-Owl, February 2017, west Calgary. Photo by Ron Chiasson.

Ron Chiasson’s photos can be seen at Ron Chiasson Photography.

Dan Arndt’s photos are on his Flickr page.

Anne Elliot’s photos and extensive descriptions of her photographic experiences are on her Flickr page.

Great Gray Owl

Jan13

Tony LePrieur photographed this Great Gray Owl hunting near Priddis, SW of Calgary, on Christmas Eve 2017.

Great Gray Owl, Priddis area, December 24, 2017. Photographed by Tony LePrieur.

Great Gray Owl, Priddis area, December 24, 2017. Photographed by Tony LePrieur.

To see more of Tony’s photos, go to his Flickr page.

 

Some Winter Owls

Jan9

Michael Kim took these photos of a Great Gray Owl and a Snowy Owl in early winter.

Great Gray Owl, Bow Valley Parkway, November 2017.

Great Gray Owl, Bow Valley Parkway, November 2017.

Great Gray Owl, Bow Valley Parkway, November 2017.

Snowy Owl, Airdrie, December 2017.

Snowy Owl, Airdrie, December 2017.

 

Pygmy-Owl and Woodpeckers at Bebo Grove

Dec3

Yesterday, December 2, 2017, Tony LePrieur photographed some birds at Bebo Grove in Fish Creek Provincial Park, SW Calgary.

Northern Pygmy-Owl with Meadow Vole, Bebo Grove, December 2, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.

Northern Pygmy-Owl, Bebo Grove, December 2, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.

Pileated Woodpecker (male), Bebo Grove, December 2, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.

American Three-toed Woodpecker, Bebo Grove, December 2, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.

 

Baby Owls of Burnsmead

Jul17

This spring a family of Great Horned Owls nested in the Burnsmead area of Fish Creek Provincial Park. Max Ortiz Aguilar got these photos of the family after the young had hatched and were almost ready to start branching.

Great Horned Owls – mother with two downy young. Burnsmead, April 16, 2017.

Photo by Max Ortiz Aguilar.

Great Horned Owl, male standing guard by the nest, Burnsmead, April 16, 2017.

Photo by Max Ortiz Aguilar.

To see more of Max’s wildlife photos, go to his site, Photos by MOA.

Great Gray Owl with Pocket Gopher

Jul11

Correction: The unfortunate rodent is a Northern Pocket Gopher, not a Meadow Vole. Pocket Gophers are the ones that make mounds of  loose soil above their underground burrows. The soil mounds are commonly seen, but the animals themselves rarely venture above ground. When they do, it is usually at night and they don’t go more than a few feet from the mound. Hence they are rarely seen – this is the first photo of one from the Calgary area that I’ve seen. – Bob Lefebvre

Tony LePrieur got this great shot of a Great Gray Owl with a captured Northern Pocket Gopher recently near Calgary.

Great Gray Owl, Turner Valley area SW of Calgary, July 3, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.