Bebo Grove and Shannon Terrace – Fish Creek Park’s quieter, calmer west side

Feb20

Posted by Dan Arndt

This week the Friends of Fish Creek course was touring through Bebo Grove, over to Shannon Terrace, then back again. It’s approximately a 5 km route, return, and throughout the week, some great new birds were seen, such as the American Three-toed Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadees, and a fairly good number of White-winged Crossbills.

Bebo Grove to Shannon Terrace Route

I was most excited for the American Three-toed Woodpecker, since that would be a new bird for me for the year, and probably a more satisfying sighting than my original sighting of it, which ended up being back at my computer scanning through my photos and later realizing that yes, that little black and yellow lump on the trunk of the tree was, in fact, the American Three-toed Woodpecker I’d been looking for.

Here’s that photo, for reference, taken back in August 2010 at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park.

American Three-toed Woodpecker

American Three-toed Woodpecker

Unfortunately, both Saturday and Sunday groups missed out on good sightings of the woodpecker, but at least on Sunday we got to hear it calling amongst the trees, and a brief flyover allowed at least one confident ID, but certainly no photo opportunities. Flyovers of uncommon birds seemed the rule of the day, as we also had a Grey Jay towards Shannon Terrace, which, to my understanding, hadn’t been seen in the park for a number of years.

The good side is that we did get great views of Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatches, the amazingly adorable Boreal Chickadee, and a few Townsend’s Solitaires.

Boreal Chickadee

Boreal Chickadee

Townsend's Solitaire

Townsend's Solitaire

I was particularly happy with this shot of the Common Raven, which are always hard to shoot against a light sky, which tends to wash out their features. Thankfully, this bird decided to perch in the foliage, allowing much better views of its somewhat iridescent plumage.

Common Raven

Common Raven

Add to that the many great angles we were given of the White-winged Crossbills, such as this one, detailing the presence of the crossed-bill for which it gets its name.

White-winged Crossbill

White-winged Crossbill

The gender of the Red-breasted Nuthatch can be identified by the color of the crown. The male, seen below, has a jet black crown.

Red-breasted Nuthatch - male

Red-breasted Nuthatch - male

The female, on the other hand, has a grey crown. Even without the two of them together, just a quick comparison of the color of the eye line and the crown can show that telltale difference.

Red-breasted Nuthatch - female

Red-breasted Nuthatch - female

Both the male Downy and Hairy Woodpecker can also be identified by the bright red patch on the back of their heads, while the female lacks the red patch.

Hairy Woodpecker - male

Hairy Woodpecker - male

Downy Woodpecker - male

Downy Woodpecker - male

Downy Woodpecker - male

Downy Woodpecker - male

I was quite impressed at this little Townsend’s Solitaire on Saturday. While preening, it stretched out its wings again and again, showing off the thick yellow bar in the primary flight feathers of the wing. Unless it’s displaying like this, that yellow bar is almost invisible, and in some individuals, nearly absent.

Townsend's Solitaire

Townsend's Solitaire

Townsend's Solitaire

Townsend's Solitaire

Thanks for reading, and have a great week! Hope you enjoyed the photos!

Sunday Showcase: Golden Eagle

Feb19

Have you ever wondered how the Golden Eagle got its name? These outstanding photos  from Paul Turbitt answer that question. Paul took these  juvenile eagle pictures at The Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area (ASCCA) just south of Calgary. If you haven’t visited this magical place, put in on your to-do list!

The ASCCA is open to the public, but visitors must make a booking online prior to their visit. Upon arrival, you must also register at the kiosk and pay the $2/person user fee.

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Feb 16

Feb17

Have you seen an unusual bird in Calgary? If it is on this Reportable_Birds (PDF), please report it to the Nature Calgary Rare Bird Alert line at 403 221-4519 and leave a message after the beep at the end of the recording. If you would like some help with species identification, us email us at birdscalgary@gmail.com.  To report injured wildlife call the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society at 403 239-2488, or the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation at 403 946-2361.

February 12
–PILEATED WOODPECKER(1) Hull’s Wood, Fish Creek PP, by Howard Heffler.
–NORTHERN SHRIKE(1), near 22x bridge in FCPP, by HH.
–TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE, three on the eastern slope of Beaverdam Flats, by D. Arndt; one in backyard of Andrew Slater in Oakridge area, and one on Feb.13 W. of Bebo grove in FCPP, by Gus Yaki, et.al.
–AMERICAN ROBIN(3) , back yard of AS in Oakridge area of Calgary.

February 13
–SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, near home of Corrine Griffin in Linden.

February 14
–THREE-TOED WOODPECKER, Bebo Grove area of FCPP, by GY et.al.

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Monday Feb.20.

Wednesday Wings: Bathing Merlin

Feb15

If you’ve taken any pictures of interesting birds in the Calgary region, you can share them with us by emailing birdscalgary@gmail.com and we may post them on the blog.

Dave Arnold took these great shots of a Merlin having his Sunday bath on the edge of the Bow River.  Thanks for sharing, Dave!

Ian Chatt also witnessed this and got these three photos:

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Feb 13

Feb14

Have you seen an unusual bird in Calgary? If it is on this Reportable_Birds (PDF), please report it to the Nature Calgary Rare Bird Alert line at 403 221-4519 and leave a message after the beep at the end of the recording. If you would like some help with species identification, us email us at birdscalgary@gmail.com.  To report injured wildlife call the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society at 403 239-2488, or the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation at 403 946-2361.

January 28
–COMMON GRACKLE, seen off and on in SW Calgary, by Richard Clarke.

February 10
–RED CROSSBILL(F) , Silver Springs area of Calgary, by Gary Malcolm
–AMERICAN KESTREL(M), Grain elevators just S.of 22x, and W. of #797, by Hank Vanderpol.
–LESSER SCAUP, Bow River, just. N. of 22x bridge, by HV.
–HARLEQUIN DUCK, Bow River, IBS, south lookout at N. end, by Howard Heffler.

February 11
–WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, end of Earl Gray Cresc. by Phil Cram.
–REDHEAD(F), Prince’s Island channel, by Bill Wilson.

February 12
–DARK-EYED JUNCO, Queens park Cemetery, by BW.
–TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE(3). Two in Beaverdam Flats, and one in FCPP, east of Raven’s Rock, by Michael Geldorp.
–GADWALL(M), Bow River, near old outfall in FCCP, Burnsmead, by Terry Korolyk.
–RED CROSSBILL(2), High River, at a feeder, by Jill Bhar.
–MALLARD, leucistic female, Bow River, Beaverdam Flats near old RR bridge. by B.Diebolt and J. Gill.

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Thursday , Feb.16.

Join The Great Backyard Bird Count

Feb14

From February 17-20, take part in a free, family-friendly, educational activity that is loads of fun and supports bird conservation! Each year, tens of thousands of Canadians and Americans take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), counting birds wherever they happen to be. The possibilities are endless!

The GBBC is a great way for people of all ages and levels of birding experience to learn more about local bird species. It’s the perfect opportunity to connect with nature, from your living room window or by hiking a local trail. Count on your own or as part of a group of family, friends, or classmates. The GBBC is also an ideal way for more experienced birders to introduce others to the wonderful world of birding.

Explore the species seen in your community or province using maps and charts on the Canadian GBBC website, where you can also find out how to take part in the community challenge and view Canadian highlights. Make the birds in your neighbourhood count as part of the big picture in continental bird conservation. You don’t need to pre-register, just start counting and submit your results!

It’s as easy as 1,2,3!

1. Plan to count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count. You can count for longer than that if you wish! Count birds in as many places and on as many days as you like—one day, two days, or all four days. Submit a separate checklist for each new day. You can also submit more than one checklist per day if you count in other locations on that day.

2. Count the greatest number of individuals of each species that you see together at any one time.  

3. When you’re finished, enter your results through our web page. You’ll see a button marked “Enter Your Checklists!” on the website home page beginning on the first day of the count. It will remain active until the deadline for data submission.

Source: Bird Studies Canada

Posted by Pat Bumstead

A grey day at Beaverdam Flats

Feb13

posted by Dan Arndt

 

Sometimes it doesn’t seem like there are enough hours in a weekend to get a proper update in! It certainly doesn’t help when it seems like such a quiet day with very little bird activity.

Sunday morning walking through Beaver Dam Flats seemed eerily quiet. Despite the sheer numbers of Canada Geese, Mallards, and Common Goldeneye on the Bow River, once we steered away from the eastern bank and into the primarily barren deciduous wooded area, the bird activity seemed to completely quiet down. We were treated to a good number of low flyovers by both juvenile, immature, and adult Bald Eagles, and a great sight of a Common Merganser gulping down an extremely large fish, the highlight of the morning were the Townsend’s Solitaires along the eastern slope of the valley. We counted three separate individuals, one in particular allowed us an extremely close view.

Enjoy the pictures, and I’ll be back to my regular wordy posts next Monday!

Canada Geese and Mallards on the Bow River

Canada Geese and Mallards on the Bow River

 
Canada Geese

Canada Geese

 

 

Canada Geese in messy formation

Canada Geese in messy formation

 

Catch of the day!

Catch of the day!

 
Down the hatch

Down the hatch

 
And it's gone...

And it's gone...

 
Juvenile Bald Eagle

Juvenile Bald Eagle

 

Immature Bald Eagle

Immature Bald Eagle

 
Townsend's Solitaire

Townsend's Solitaire

 
Townsend's Solitaire

Townsend's Solitaire

 
Townsend's Solitaire

Townsend's Solitaire

 

Sunday Showcase: Juvenile Eagles On The Bow River

Feb12

What a year we’re having for juvenile Bald Eagles! Rob English took these shots in the Beaverdam Flats area, and counted 10 juveniles in one trip.

 

There is an excellent post over at the Birding Is Fun blog on how to tell the age of  juvenile bald eagles, complete with some stunning photographs. Check it out!

Postcards from Texas: Galveston and Bolivar Flats

Feb11

Posted by Matthew Sim

This past weekend, I took a trip out to Galveston, Texas, about an hour south of Houston on the gulf of Mexico. Galveston has many world-reknowned birding spots in and around it and is a great spot to observe birds year-round. This weekend was rainy and cool, but that didn’t stop the birds! On a short ferry ride to Bolivar peninsula, home of the famous Bolivar Flats shorebird sanctuary, we saw many birds, including both species of pelicans and Common Loons and Red-breasted Mergansers, the latter two which winter down here.

Brown Pelican

Upon arriving on Bolivar, we stopped at a small pond and got great looks at many birds, including an American Avocet in winter plumage (a little different than what I am used to seeing up at Frank Lake in Alberta in the summer!) and a Texas specialty; the very bright Roseate Spoonbill.

Roseate Spoonbill

From a distance, the spoonbill is gorgeous, and even from close up its amazing plumage is simply stunning, yet I found that its head was somewhat unnerving. Its face looks almost extraterrestrial, I find!

From the pond, we went to the Bolivar Flats shorebird Sanctuary where we saw some Black-bellied Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones and… All I could say to myself was, “What the heck are those little shorebirds?” Why did I ask myself this? Because these little guys ran and ran and ran. They did not quit running! I soon got closer and identified them as Sanderlings, which I had seen before, yet never acting quite as comical. Never had I seen a bird run so much!

Running Sanderling

Ruddy Turnstone

We birded Bolivar for a while longer before returning to the ferry and heading back to Galveston. On the ferry back, we were treated to views of 4 species of Gulls (Herring, Laughing, Ring-billed and Bonaparte’s) and 3 species of tern (Forster’s, Common and Royal).

Bonaparte's Gull

Royal Tern

Birds weren’t the only wildlife seen from the ferry however, as a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins made an appearance towards the end.

It was an exciting trip with close to 70 species seen; this excursion really got me excited for spring migration here, which is absolutely fantastic, from what I’ve heard!

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Feb 9

Feb10

Have you seen an unusual bird in Calgary? If it is on this Reportable_Birds (PDF), please report it to the Nature Calgary Rare Bird Alert line at 403 221-4519 and leave a message after the beep at the end of the recording. If you would like some help with species identification, us email us at birdscalgary@gmail.com.  To report injured wildlife call the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society at 403 239-2488, or the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation at 403 946-2361.

February 5
— SNOWY OWL, Brooks area: Hwy 873 E and SE of Lake Newell (3), Hwy 36 (3), Hwy 539 W of Hwy 36 (3), Ron Kube
— DARK-EYED JUNCO, Southview neighborhood, SE Calgary, Carol Coulter

February 6
— GREY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH, feeder in Abasand area of Ft. McMurray, Simone Marler

– February 7
— REDHEAD (2), Bow River, near Hwy 22X bridge in Fish Creek Park, Andrew Slater
— HARLEQUIN DUCK, Bow River, N end of Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Howard Heffler

– February 8

–BROWN CREEPER, Southview neighborhood, SE Calgary, CC
–GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, same

February (recently)

–WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, Edmonton, feeder, John Zinyk

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Monday February 13.