Sunday Showcase: Spring Arrivals

Apr27

Despite (or possibly because of) the snow and cold weather on Saturday, Tony LePrieur got some great shots of spring birds in Carburn Park and Fish Creek Park in SE Calgary, and some resident birds and mammals as well.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle), Carburn Park, April 26, 2014

Franklin’s Gulls, Carburn Park, April 26, 2014

American Robin, male, Carburn Park, April 26, 2014

Resident White-tailed Deer, Carburn Park, April 26, 2014

Common Loon, Carburn Park, April 26, 2014

A resident bird in Fish Creek Park, male Ring-necked Pheasant, April 26, 2014

Ring-necked Pheasant, male, Fish Creek Park, April 26, 2014

Osprey with nesting material, Carburn Park, April 26, 2014

Tony returned to Carburn Park in the better weather on Sunday and got another shot of a Common Loon on the pond there.

Common Loon, Carburn Park, April 27, 2014

Eagles, Owls and Others

Apr20

The photos below were taken by Josh OBrien. He uses a Nikon D600+Sigma 150-500mm. To see more of his photos, check his Facebook page here.

Great Horned Owls

Juvenile Bald Eagles

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Juvenile Bald Eagle stretching

Great Gray Owl

American Robin

Downy Woodpecker

Common Raven

Great Horned Owl

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Spring Arrivals at Fish Creek Park

Apr13

Tony LePrieur saw some new birds for the year in Fish Creek Park on April 5, 2014, as well as some favourite residents.

Northern Shoveler, male.

European Starling.

Red-winged Blackbird, male. This bird is arriving right on time, but all the ponds there were still mostly frozen over on this date.

Golden-crowned Kinglet, male. Likely a winter bird that will soon move on.

Blue Jay, a year-round resident species.

Snowshoe Hare. Transitioning to summer colours far faster than the surroundings are!

Muskrat.

Finally, some close-ups of one of the resident Great Horned Owls. Check the talons in the third photo.

Sunday Showcase: Superb Owl Sunday!

Feb2

Posted by Dan Arndt

Have a safe and happy Superb Owl Sunday, folks. Here are some of the superb owls that live in and around our amazing city.

Long-eared Owl
North Calgary, 2013

Great Gray Owl
Grand Valley Road
March 2013

Short-eared Owl
Frank Lake
March 2013

Northern Hawk Owl
November 2012
Exshaw

Northern Saw-whet Owl
Carburn Park
January 2012

Northern Pygmy Owl
Winchell Lake
July 2013

Burrowing Owl
west of Brooks
August 2012

Barred Owl
South Glenmore Park
March 2012

Great Horned Owl
north of Blackie
February 1, 2014

Snowy Owl
north of Blackie
February 1, 2014

Sunday Showcase: Goshawk Feeding

Jan5

Karen and Roger Bolton had the unusual experience of seeing a Northern Goshawk eat a Blue Jay in their yard in Glamorgan, SW Calgary, on December 7, 2013. These powerful raptors are scarce in winter in the Calgary area. They feed on game birds like pheasants and partridge; rabbits, and rodents, as well as songbirds. (Click on the photos to enlarge them.)

Sunday Showcase: Northern Saw-Whet Owl

Dec29

Posted by Dan Arndt

Earlier this year, we were informed of what appeared to be a female Northern Saw-whet Owl sitting on a nest in a Edworthy Park. To make sure the owl successfully nested and fledged its young, we kept the location pretty quiet, and both Bob Lefebvre and myself visited the nest a few times just to check in on her and make sure she was still there. The area where the nest was located was a fairly low-traffic area, so we suspected chances were very good that she would successfully fledge a full nest of owlets. As the weeks progressed, things seemed to be going quite well, until one day she was simply gone. Here are a few photos of her checking me out as I checked her out: