Do you like a birding challenge? This beautiful raptor visited my southeast Calgary yard late in November. I thought I would post these pictures without identifying the species, to give you a chance to test your raptor identification skills. Leave us a comment below, and tell us what you think it is.
This bird isn't injured, he's just wearing some of his lunch.
Posted by Pat Bumstead
As a Calgary native, I consider it a particularly unfortunate state of affairs that it’s only in the last two years that I began exploring the Weaselhead. Accessed from either North or South Glenmore Park, it is quite likely one of Calgary’s most unique micro-environments, in which three species of hummingbird can be found in the summer, and the Boreal Chickadee can be found in winter. Hearing that it would be the location for our final birding walk of the autumn birding course, I was excited at the opportunity to see some new and exciting species.
It began by walking down the winding trail from the 37th Street parking lot at the western entrance to North Glenmore Park. After stocking one of the feeding stations, we briefly left, but rushed straight back when we noticed a robin-sized bird fly in and land on the ground at the feeder. It was another photo first for me to be able to snap some very close-up shots of a Pine Grosbeak. One of the distinctly beautiful birds both for its song and plumage, with a brutally sharp bite.
I think it is safe to say that most of us here have an interest in birdwatching. Some of us are also interested in photographing birds, documenting what we see and also enabling others to enjoy these sightings . Bird photography can be very tricky though and doesn’t always come out the way we want it to. Through trial and error as well as tips from other nature photographers, I have slowly learned different tricks of the trade and am still learning. Here is one trick that I have found helps me a lot.
Take a look at the picture above. Probably doesn’t do much for you, right? Just a killdeer photograph, nothing exciting about the shot itself. What could have been done to make this a better photograph? I have found that getting low can often drastically improve the photo. Get down at eye level with the bird, you can often create better eye contact with the bird, bringing the viewer into a connection with the photo. The Killdeer will then seem more interesting, not only because of the lower angle, but because of the  change in the depth of field of the shot.
Depth of field (also known as DOF), is the term for the amount of distance between the closest and farthest objects that appear sharp in the photograph. In the second picture above, a shallower depth of field (meaning a blurry background) makes the photo less distracting and more pleasing to the eye. In the photo pictured below, I took it one step further, instead of simply kneeling, I lay on my stomach, creating a very shallow depth of field and therefore, a picture that is more likely to catch your eye than the first photo.
Changing the depth of field is a remarkably simple technique but incredibly powerful in the way a photo comes out. By getting low, chances are you can improve your bird photography.
Posted by Matthew Sim
Thank you Rob English for these terrific kestrel pics from last summer! Click to enlarge for a closer view.
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 zoxox@shaw.ca 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 Bird Alert was recorded on Thursday December 8.
Bird Sightings:
Dec. 5
SNOW GOOSE (juvenile) Bow River, ca. 250 m. downstream from the Glenmore Bridge, Malcolm and Joan McDonald, Jerry Pilny
AMERICAN WIGEON, Bow River, mouth of Fish Creek, MJM, JP
GYRFALCON, overflight, Bow River, Glenmore Bridge, MJM, JP
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, Burnsmead, Fish Creek PP, MJM, JP
Dec. 6
PINTAIL (male), Elliston Park, E Calgary, MJM
BLUE-WINGED TEAL, Policeman’s Flats, end of Bow Riverbottom Trail, off Dunbow Rd., just SE of Calgary, MJM
REDHEAD, Elliston Park, MJM
LONG-TAILED DUCK, Bow River, Eric Harvey Bridge, Carburn Park, Brian Elder, Bob Storms
HOODED MERGANSER (3) Elliston Park, MJM
KILLDEER (3), Carburn Park, BE, BS
AMERICAN PIPIT, same, BE, BS
DARK-EYED JUNCO, Oakridge, Calgary, back yard of Margaret Brunner.
RUSTY BLACKBIRD (3), Policeman’s Flats, MJM
The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Monday Dec 12.
If you’re looking for that Sunday Showcase: Pine Grosbeaks post you’ll have to wait until the new year! This is the first time I’ve scheduled anything for 2012, and I completely forgot to change the year. It went up today in error, and I quickly changed it. Here’s just a teaser of what’s coming on Jan 1.
Posted by Pat Bumstead, who does actually know what year it is.
Dark-eyed Juncos are one of the last native sparrows to migrate through Calgary each fall, and many of them often overwinter here. I have at least eight that have been coming to my yard regularly for the last three weeks. They will come to feeders, but like other sparrows, they prefer to feed on the ground or on a flat, open surface like a tray. They can often be seen scratching in the snow to expose seeds.
Juncos can be identified by their dark hoods, white bellies, and white outer tail feathers that flash when they fly. There are two common subspecies in Calgary; “Slate-colored” which are all grey and can look almost black, and “Oregon” which have rusty back and sides. In the spring, males have a very distinct black hood.
I have a non-native apple tree in my yard that stays green and fully leafed out until the end of November, so I often only become aware of juncos in the yard when I hear their soft “chip” call coming from the tree. The video below includes a soundtrack with this call, courtesy of the xeno-canto website.
Various Dark-eyed Juncos. Calls courtesy Xeno-Canto.
Below you can see juncos feeding on niger seed on top of a stepladder…
Juncos feeding on niger seed.
Below is a video of juncos feeding on small sunflower heads…
Juncos feeding on sunflowers.
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Posted by Bob Lefebvre
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 zoxox@shaw.ca 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 Bird Alert was recorded on Monday December 5.
Bird Sightings:
Dec. 1
HORNED GREBE, Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park, Malcolm and Joan McDonald
WESTERN GREBE, same, MJM
GREEN-WINGED TEAL (9), second Vermilion Lake, Banff, NP, MJM
TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE, Vermilion Lakes Drive, Banff NP, MJM
GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH (200+), Barrier Mountain Drive feeder, Exshaw, MJM
Dec. 2
CANVASBACK, above weir at Carseland, MJM
GREATER SCAUP, same, below weir, MJM
PEREGRINE FALCON, field on W side of Frank Lake (6 km. E of High River on HWY
23)
HERMIT THRUSH (probable), HWY 546 W of Turner Valley, woods between hwy and
Sheep River, Jeff Bennett.
Dec. 3
RED-NECKED GREBE, Lake Minnewanka, Phil Cram, Brian Elder, Ray Woods
WESTERN GREBE (4), same, PC, BE, RW
TUNDRA SWAN (probable, bird was an adult), Policeman’s Flats, end of Bow Riverbottom Trail, off Dunbow Rd., just SE of Calgary, Terry Korolyk
GADWALL (male and female), same, TK
NORTHERN SHOVELER (female), same, TK
REDHEAD (male and female), Elliston Park, E Calgary, TK
GREATER SCAUP (female), Policeman’s Flats, TK
LONG-TAILED DUCK (imm. female?), Elbow River, upstream up 25th Ave. bridge, MJM
HOODED MERGANSER (2 male, 1 female), Elliston Park, TK
GYRFALCON, HWY 532 just E of HWY 799, (bird was a gray morph), TK
BROWN CREEPER (4), Fenland Trail, Banff NP, PC, BE, RW
TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE (2), Vermilion Lakes, PC, BE, RW
Dec. 4
AMERICAN WIGEON, Beaverdam Flats, Bow River, Kingsley Blades on behalf of the
Nature Calgary field trip
The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Thursday Dec 8.
BIRD STUDY GROUP:
Bird Study Group meets 1st Wednesday of the month, Room 211, BioSciences Building, U of C except June through August when field trips replace the meetings.
December meeting is Wednesday,December 7. Topic will be “Birding in Brazil”, presented by Rob Worona. Meeting time is 7:30pm.
It seems a little cruel that only a week after I first began blogging, the Fall Birding Course is nearly wrapped up for the season. According to our fearless leader, the group has spotted 123 species of birds over the past 4 months, though not every individual saw the entirety of the list. That seems like a lot, though the full list of Calgary birds counts over 300 species, I think that’s an incredible variety, considering they were all seen within city limits, and in relatively easy to access locations.
This week was another first for me. Though I’ve cycled through Beaverdam Flats, I’ve never birded it, and really never quite knew how to get there by vehicle, leading me to begin a few minutes later than the rest of the group. Upon arriving, I walked down the hill to see if I could find the group, and spotted my first Townsend’s Solitaire of the season, while hearing a number of Downy Woodpeckers among the birch trees on either side of the path.
Townsend's Solitaire
Walking south along the river, I spotted the group and quickly caught up, but not before realizing what exactly they were looking at. Literally hundreds of Mallards, Canada Geese, and various other waterfowl gathered along the banks of the Bow River. It was truly one of the more memorable sights of an otherwise very quiet morning.
Hundreds of Geese, Ducks, and others along the Bow River
As we walked back north along the riverbank, we spotted a Bald Eagle flying south, and two more high up in a tree, patiently waiting and posing for us, as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
Bald Eagle in flight
This pair of Bald Eagles was perched high above the Bow River
All along the riverbank, amongst the Mallards, we spotted Common Goldeneye, Buffleheads, Redheads, and a few Common Mergansers. A few Northern Pintails were hidden amongst the Mallards as well, but they were elusive that morning, and I don’t think anyone got a very good look at them aside from a glance here or there.
Common Goldeneyes
Goldeneye in flight
Male Goldeneye displaying for female
Pair of Male Redheads among the crowd
Redhead with outstretched wings
As we left the riverbank, the entire group was awestruck with our heads raised to watch the hundreds of waterfowl we had seen just an hour beforehand flying low overhead. It seemed something had flushed them, but there was no sign of a hungry Bald Eagle, Goshawk, or any aerial predator for that matter.
Something has disturbed this flock
We headed north again, and under a bridge to search for Great Horned Owl, which seemed incredibly skittish, keeping its distance and flying away at the first suggestion that we may get closer.
Great Horned Owl
As I mentioned before, it was eerily quiet, and the only other birds we saw along the river valley was another Downy Woodpecker and a Northern Flicker in the distance. As we loaded up into the cars, one of the sturdy American Robins who overwinter in Calgary made its presence known, displaying in one of the birch trees at the top of the valley wall.
Downy Woodpecker
American Robin
Following the official walk, another of the photographers in our group and I headed back to look for that elusive Great Horned Owl. We managed to spot it twice, but each time it flew away before we could establish a clear line of sight and a clean angle to photograph it, but our search was not in vain. We did manage to get a bit closer to one of the Northern Flickers, but the prize of the day was this Townsend’s Solitaire that kindly posed for us while the light was still good.
Northern Flicker
Townsend's Solitaire
Townsend's Solitaire
Posted by Daniel Arndt
Corvids, which are crows and jays, are classified by their harsh voices and their aggressive manner, both of which draw attention to themselves; large and often very gregarious birds. Most corvids have bristles on their nostrils, located on very powerful, all-purpose beaks built specially for handling their varied diet ( berries, fruits, seeds, invertebrates, small mammals and carrion). Here are most of the species that you may see in the Calgary region, the only one missing, is the colorful Steller’s Jay.
American Crow
Blue Jay
Grey Jay
Clark's Nutcracker
Common Ravens
Black-billed Magpie
Posted by Matthew Sim