A blast of summer among the snowy owls and redpolls! Rob English has sent us some Canada Geese photos that are not your usual view of these birds. He says “This was new to me as I’d seen them in poplars but never fir trees. They were scrapping over some old magpie nest they wanted for a perch and were really causing a commotion until the one drove the other off and it went to another fir tree about 25 yards away. I took these shots in Carburn Park last May.”
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.
This report was prepared on Monday February 6.
February 2
— GYRFALCON, 34 Ave east of Blackfoot Trail, Tony Timmons
— SHARP-SHINNED HAWK, 52 Ave & 69 St SE, Phil Cram, Mike Mulligan
— PRAIRIE FALCON, same, PC, MM
— HARRIS’S SPARROW, same, Joan and Malcolm McDonald
— WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW, same, J & MMcD
February 4
— CACKLING GOOSE 2, flyover Mallard Point, Terry Korolyk
— VARIED THRUSH, SE Calgary yard, Bob Lefebvre
— HORNED LARK 2, 10 km south of Nanton, PC, MM
— RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD 6, 52 Ave & 69 St SE, Bill Wilson
February 5
— WOOD DUCK, Bow River, Tony Timmons & CFNS group
— NORTHERN PINTAIL, same, TT etc
— TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE, same, TT etc
— SONG SPARROW, Carburn Park, TT etc
— NORTHERN SHRIKE, Fish Creek PP, Steve Kaffai(?)
— AMERICAN DIPPER, same, Bob & Dan Arndt
— GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, same, B & DA
The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Thursday February 9.
Clear skies and warm sun help make any day out in Fish Creek Provincial Park more fun for everyone, and birders are no exception. 3 hours of trekking through Votiers Flats added four new birds to my year list, bringing year total to 43 after a successful previous day that added a Prairie Falcon, Gyrfalcon, and Northern Hawk Owl to the list. I was hesitant to begin “listing” but I can definitely see the appeal to it now, as it not only helps track the birds you’ve seen, but the when, the where, and the numbers seen, which can then be added to a more usable database, such as eBird, for instance, where I’ve been tracking the numbers each week so far for the course.
Votier's Flats
We started off at 9 am, as usual, and walked towards the McLeod Trail underpass, searching for an American Dipper that had been seen earlier in the week, and fairly regularly since December. On our way over Bridge 8, we stopped to pay attention to some Black-capped Chickadees and White-breasted Nuthatches who dropped in to pick at some seeds that had been left on the railings.
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch and Black-capped Chickadee
Around the corner and… no sign of the dipper. While there’s a bit of open water, there’s no sign of the elusive swimming songbird. On a lighter note, we did manage to get some great light to show off the always stunning iridescence of one of the most maligned city birds, the Rock Pigeon.
Rock Pigeon
We decided to follow the river bank on the south side, as there appeared to be more open water up closer to the storm water drainage, and after spotting some Mallards splashing about, the mysterious and wonderful American Dipper made its appearance. While it was a bit far off, we viewed it from afar and snapped away, thinking this shy creature would keep its distance.
American Dipper - Keeping its distance
American Dipper making a splash
After it disappeared around a bend, we stopped above the outflow of the drainage pipe to peer across the river at a Northern Flicker, and I just so happened to look down at the right moment, as the light caught it just right… the American Dipper! There it sat, not 40 feet away, and about 10 feet below us, casually sunning itself and searching for insects in the open water. In fact, it behaved as if nothing at all was unusual about fifteen people staring at it for what seemed like an eternity, that it was us that decided it was time to carry on.
American Dipper
The white nictitating membrane over its eyes allow the American Dipper to see under water while protecting its eyes. It also has a pair of scales that close off its nostrils while under water.
American Dipper
Around the curve of the pathway, another sharp-eyed attendee spotted an unknown falcon sitting high up on the slope, and we heard the tell-tale harassing calls of a trio of Blue Jays from an adjacent tree. After considering the field marks and weighing the size, body proportions, and discussing the differences between the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, we ultimately decided that this was in fact a Merlin. Merlins, Coopers Hawks, and Sharp-shinned Hawks all share similar markings, size, and from a distance can be troublesome to identify. Juveniles of all three species are typically separated out on only a few field marks, most of which only apparent from close observation, but adults, such as this one, are much easier to properly ID. Note the faint moustache, brown streaky chest and belly, dark eye with pale eyebrow, and mostly pale and indistinct facial markings. The brown crown feathers indicate that this is either a female or juvenile Merlin, as the male has a light blue-gray crown. Also note that my photo of the Merlin from 400 meters away was so indistinct that I was forced to return later to attempt some better shots of this little beauty. Thankfully, she cooperated.
Merlin
As we were heading out, Bob Lefebvre managed to spot a Golden-crowned Kinglet alighting atop one of the trees near the Merlin, and with that, we headed back into the park. Near Bridge 8 we spotted two of our only Downy Woodpeckers of the day.
Downy Woodpecker
Back into the brush we headed west, and after a quiet bit of walking, we found a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches feeding from a small hole in this spruce, that had been repurposed as a feeding station.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
We continued through the forested area, hearing a call not unlike that of a European Starling, but more steady and higher pitched. It’s a song I haven’t heard in months, and while I couldn’t place it, once again Bob’s expert ear identified it as a Pine Siskin, a good number of which we saw flitting amongst the treetops.
Pine Siskin
Onward to the last leg of our journey – a copse of spruce that was home to a group of Boreal Chickadees, as well as a Brown Creeper seen earlier in the week. The Boreal Chickadees made themselves known fairly quickly, and while we heard the Brown Creeper a number of times, we could not spot it after spending a good twenty minutes searching for it.
Boreal Chickadee
All in all, it was a great day! If I can keep up at this rate, I’ll hit my goal of 200 species by May… and then what will I do?
Rob English took these photos along the river at Lafarge Meadows in December. Click to enlarge.
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.
This report was prepared on Thursday, Feb.2.
January 15
–NORTHERN CARDINAL(f). Seen in the Brittania area of Calgary since at least Jan.15.No further details known.
January 29
–AMERICAN ROBIN, Lowery Gardens, W. of Edworthy Park, by Steve Kassai.
–PINE GROSSBEAK, 11 found in Edworthy Park, 13 in Lowery Gardens, by SK.
January 30
–TRUMPETER SWAN(2). Seen on the Bow River W.of Exshaw, by G. Gorden.
February 1
–NORTHERN GOSHAWK(2).One along the Elbow River, by GY, and one in the Sandy Beach are of the Elbow River, by Phil Cram.
–NORTHERN SHRIKE(2). One seen along the Elbow River by Gus Yaki et.al, and one seen in W. Bowness Park by Gary Malcolm.
–TOWNSEND SOLITAIRE(4).Along the Elbow River during the monthly Elbow River Survey, by GY.
–HARRIS’ SPARROW(imm).Seen along 51st. Ave, about 2km east of 52nd.Str.SE. by Yousif Attia and Ilya Povalyaev.
–WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW(1) same location and observers as above.
The next scheduled update of the bird alert is Monday Feb 6.
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
By now most birders in Calgary have heard about the Northern Saw-whet Owl that was found in Carburn Park last Thursday. Phil Smith was there when it was found, and he captured an amazing sequence of pictures that show the owl coughing up a pellet.
Owls and many other birds regularly regurgitate pellets, which consist of the indigestible parts of the food they eat. Saw-whet owls eat a lot of Deer Mice, and their pellets contain mostly bones and fur.
Although these owls are thought to produce one pellet per day, it is a rare sight to see, and even rarer to photograph. The pictures have been assembled into a short video.
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Below is the complete sequence of photos showing the owl coughing up the pellet. (Photos by Phil Smith, used by permission.)
To see more of Phil Smith’s photos, see his Flickr Page.
Anne Elliott also captured a photo of the pellet being produced:
To see more of Anne Elliott’s photos, see her Flickr Page.
Marg Matheson and Alan Plumb are new to the hobby of photographing birds, and sent us some juvenile Bald Eagle pictures. They are quite proud of these shots, and have every right to be! Click to enlarge.
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.
This report was prepared on Monday January 30.
–SNOWY OWL – seen is good numbers east of Hwy 9 and north of Strathmore over the past week
Sunday, JANUARY 29
–REDHEAD (1m) – Hwy 22x bridge over the Bow R by Terry Korolyk
–SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (1 or 2) – Carburn Park by Bob Lefebvre, Dan Arndt and Friends of Fish Creek PP Society (FFCPPS) field trip; and by Steve Kassai
–HARLAN’S HAWK (1) – Carburn Park by BL, DA et al
–BALD EAGLE (7) – Carburn Park by SK
–NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL (1) – Carburn Park; f irst seen on Thursday,January 26, by Gus Yaki and FFCPPS and then seen again by FFSPPS field trips on Saturday Jan 28 and Sunday Jan 29.
–AMERICAN CROW (75) – Carburn Park by BL, DA et al
–EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE (3) – Longview by Andrew Slater
Saturday, JANUARY 28
–PRAIRIE FALCON (1) – hunting Mallards just south of Ralph Klein Park in SE Calgary by TK
–BALD EAGLE (2) – hunting Mallards, location as above by TK
–TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE (1) – Sandy Beach by Bill Wilson
–SONG SPARROW (1) – residential area south of Carburn Park parking lot by Rob Worona
–AMERICAN TREE SPARROW (2) – location as above by RW
–HARRIS’ SPARROW (1) – SE Calgary by Hank Vanderpol. Call Terry Korolyk 403-254-1878 for precise location
The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Thursday, February 2.
BIRD STUDY GROUP – Meets the first Wednesday of the month, September – May at 7:30 pm, Room 211, BioSciences Building, University of Calgary. The next meeting will be Wednesday February 1. The program is titled “Understanding the Bird-brained: The Psychology of Bird Watching”, presented by Chip Scialfa. Dr Scialfa is a professor of psychology at the U of C,a birdwatcher and a volunteer for the Alberta Wilderness Assoc.
Posted by Dan Arndt
This week the Friends of Fish Creek Winter Birding course was at Carburn Park. After some initial reports of large flocks of Mallards, Canada Geese, along with Common and Barrow’s Goldeneye and Buffleheads, it seemed a great locale with the warmer winter weather. The Thursday group discovered a Northern Saw-whet Owl that has been found in its current location two other times in the last 12 years. Once in 2000, and again in 2005, which makes this bird, if it is the same individual, at least 13 years old. The route through the park was fairly circuitous, though we managed to identify twenty-three species in the three and a half hour tour of the park.
Carburn Park
We started at the parking lot and headed north along the river, spotting a couple of Red-breasted Nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers, and a small flock of House Sparrows as we headed to the north end of the park. At the river we were greeted by a large flock of Mallards and Canada Geese, and a few even flew directly overhead.
Canada Goose
Along the opposite bank were a flock of ten to fifteen Common Ravens, squawking and cawing at each other between the trees. From the river, we headed south along the path, stopping briefly to feed some Black-capped Chickadees and White-breasted Nuthatches, while a pair of Downy Woodpeckers moved up and down the nearby birch trees searching for a meal.
Before I knew it, we were at the location of the local celebrity that had drawn its own crowd. Along with the group of fifteen birders with the FCPP birding course were no less than ten other local bird photographers, which led to some concern about the stress that type of crowd would put upon the small Northern Saw-whet Owl.
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
After our brief visit with this beautiful little animal, we headed along the riverbank and stumbled across both a trio of White-tailed Deer, and a very unfortunate Coyote suffering from the worst case of mange I have ever seen.
White-tailed Deer
Coyote
Just beyond the coyote’s path, we stumbled across a fairly large flock of American Crows. We suspected they may be early migrants, as this flock numbered into the seventies, and they were harassing a trio of juvenile Bald Eagles on the far side of the river.
Juvenile Bald Eagle
As we continued down towards the southern end of Carburn Park, towards the bridge leading across to Southland Park, we scanned the flocks of Common Goldeneye for a few elusive Barrow’s Goldeneye. Our hard work paid off when one member of our group spotted a male and female pair very close to the near shore.
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
After a slight loop south to look for a reported Song Sparrow and Ring-necked Pheasants, which we did not find, we headed back north to the vehicles. A few Common Redpolls were in the birch trees nearby, and many House Sparrows along the feeders behind the row of houses, but no Song Sparrow or Pheasants were to be found. After a brief stint at the bridge, we did manage to find one parting mystery, this Harlan’s Hawk, which we initially had passed over as one of the juvenile Bald Eagles!
Common Redpoll
Harlan's Hawk
Looks like next week is a trip down to Votier’s Flats in Fish Creek Provincial Park. Thanks for reading, and good birding!
Rob English found this beautiful owl north of Turner Valley last month. Click to enlarge.
