A Guide to Albertabird

Nov24

By Howard Heffler

Nature Calgary is promoting a friendly “big year” birding challenge within Calgary city limits in 2020 (BIRDYYC2020). (See this post for an introduction to the challenge.) This guide to Albertabird is one of a number of posts we will present to help everyone who participates.

What is Albertabird?

One useful tool for those taking part in the challenge is the online discussion forum “Albertabird”. This is a place where birders can share sightings, locations, and photos, so it will be useful to participants in
keeping informed during the year and giving them the best chance to see as many bird species within the city limits as possible. This article is for newcomers to Albertabird. Anyone can join Albertabird or use it as a resource – it is not just for BIRDYYC2020 participants.

The Albertabird email list was started in early 2000. Initially hosted by Yahoo Groups, a switch to the more compatible platform, Groups IO, was completed in late 2019.

This list functions within the guidelines found in the American Birding Association Code of Ethics. The Albertabird Moderators are Gerald Romanchuk, Malcolm McDonald, and Caroline Lambert.

Anyone can look at the site to read messages posted by members. Click this link to go to Albertabird in a new tab. There you can see what the site looks like.

Using Albertabird

To post messages to the list you must be a member. To join, you simply go to the site’s Home page and click on “Apply for Membership in this Group.” You will be asked to submit your email address. You should get a response to your request for membership in a day or two. 

You can open the “Messages” page to see the latest posts. You can also go to “Subscription” and set the parameters in a way that suits you. You may elect to receive each message in an individual email or in other ways or to not receive emails. Once you are a member, you can post messages and photos for all to see. You can post either right on the website or by sending an email to Albertabird[at]groups.io.

Albertabird has been a powerful and useful tool for years, allowing birders to share stories and help others learn.

We encourage you to look frequently at Albertabird and to post stories about your adventures during the BirdYYC2020 challenge.

Albertabird Guidelines

The complete guidelines for users of Albertabird can be found on the Albertabird website under “files”.

A few points to remember are:

  • Do not to hit the “Reply” button when responding to a message unless you are intending to send your comments to all subscribers.
  • All posts should contain your name and location by city.
  • Be prepared to share directions to interesting birds, except for species at risk.
  • Do not share directions on private property until you have permission from the landowner to do so.
  • Do not post detailed information on a nest location, particularly for species at risk, to minimize disturbance to nesting birds.
  • The list allows attachments such as photos or files. Files should be kept as concise as possible in the interest of saving storage space
  • Photos can be attached to the message as a file or pasted into the message. (See the guidelines on the Albertabird website for more details and restrictions.)

Enjoy!

Any questions or suggestions about BIRDYYC2020 contact:
 Howard Heffler: hheffler*@*shaw.ca
 Andrew Hart: andrewhart*@*shaw.ca
 Bob Lefebvre: wbird7*@*gmail.com
 Gavin McKinnon: gmckinnonbird*@*gmail.com

CMSRT Public Event Tomorrow, November 23

Nov22

On Saturday November 23 there will be a free public event to share the findings of the Calgary Migratory Species Response Team (CMSRT). The event runs from 12 noon to 1:30 pm, and everyone is welcome to attend!

This will take place at St. Mary’s University, 14500 Bannister Road SE, in Owerko Hall. The University is located east of Macleod Trail, just south of Fish Creek Park.

Come learn about the impact of bird and bat migration in an urban setting. The CMRST’s team of volunteers is on the front lines rescuing birds and bats that have been injured due to urbanization and compiling scientific data. Join us to learn how you can make a positive impact on the lives of migratory species living within our community. See the evidence of the CMRST’s work in monitoring birds and bats involved in window strikes in downtown Calgary, and in rescuing those that are injured.

This is a free family-friendly event. There is more information, including a map of the location, on the Eventbrite page linked to below, but there is no need to get a ticket – just arrive at noon to enjoy the programme below:

12pm – Welcome and Elder blessing.

12:15pm – Dr. Scott Lovell presents intriguing findings about bird strikes in the downtown core; Melanie Whalen speaks on found wildlife care and our findings on bats in the city.

12:45pm – Recognition of the generous contributions from our partnerships, volunteers, and stakeholders.

1:00 pm – Catered reception and specimen viewing – see the impact!

Go to the Eventbrite page here for more information.

Visit the CMSRT Facebook Page here.

Birds & Beers, November 27, 2019

Nov20

The next Birds & Birds social get-together will be held on Wednesday November 27, from 6 to 9 pm, at the usual location:

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch#285,

9202 Horton Road SW.

Wednesday November 27, 2019, 6:00-9:00 pm

Note that this is a Wednesday, not our our usual Thursday.

We are very pleased to have Chip Scialfa do a presentation at this meeting. He will speak on “Birding With Uncertainty: Psychology and Errors in Decision-Making.”

Chip Scialfa
Chip Scialfa

Avid birders are keen to add to their lists and often this means identifying birds that are uncommon and easily confused with other species. What are some of the psychological errors that we make when birding under uncertainty and how can they be minimized or avoided? Chip Scialfa, an experimental psychologist and keen birder, will talk about these issues in what will likely be a “mind-bending” presentation.

Chip is a very animated and entertaining speaker, so this promises to be a fun and informative talk. Some of you may have attended a version of this presentation at Nature Calgary’s Bird Study Group a few years ago, but Chip has modified and updated the talk considerably.

As usual, everyone is welcome to attend and there is no charge. We will meet in the big ballroom at the Legion. Food and drinks are available at reasonable prices, and children are welcome if accompanied by an adult. Come early if you want to avoid the lineup at the kitchen. The presentation will begin at about 7:15 so if you can’t make it at six pm, come later.

A few local photographers will have calendars with their bird and nature photos available for sale for the Christmas season, so bring cash! These usually sell for $20 for a full-size calendar.

See you there!

FFCPP 2020 Winter Birding Course

Nov17

The Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park (FFCPP) is now taking registrations for the popular Winter session of the birding course, which runs from January 6 to March 29, 2020.

American Dipper
American Dipper. Photo by Ron Chiasson.

From FFCPP:

Winter is one of the best seasons for getting outside to learn about birds and other wildlife. Brave the cooler weather and explore the world of birds in Fish Creek Provincial Park. The 12 week Winter Birding Course is perfect for anyone who wants to see and learn about birds in their natural habitat, and it provides an amazing opportunity for families to get together and experience nature here in Fish Creek. 

Experienced birder David Mitchell and over 30 volunteers lead these outdoor courses. Each session lasts approximately 2.5 hours and participants can sign up for 1 or 2 outings per week.

Start times Monday – Thursday: 9:15 am. Saturdays: 9:00 am, Sundays: 9:00 am and 1:15 pm
Fee: Once a week outing, Friends of Fish Creek Members: $60.00, Non-members: $100.00 
Twice a week outings, Friends Members: $100.00, Non-members: $150.00 

Registration Required. For more information or to register, please see this page.

Calgary 2020 Big Year Birding Challenge

Nov11

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

For the past two decades Nature Calgary has sponsored year-long birding competitions every five years. In 2000 and 2010 the goal was to see as many species as you could within the city limits in the calendar year. In 2005 and 2015 goal was the same, but the area used was the 80-km-diameter circle centered on the Center Street Bridge.

Willet, photographed by Brian Elder in Calgary during the 2010 competition. This won first prize in the photography portion of competition.

In keeping with the pattern, we’d like to announce the Calgary 2020 Big Year Birding Challenge. This will be a year-long event, in which participants try to identify as many species as they can within the city limits between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020. The challenge is led by Howard Heffler, Andrew Hart, Gavin McKinnon, and myself.

As in 2015, we will exclusively be using eBird to keep track of participant’s progress. Simply name your city limits patch “BirdYYC2020” and include in your patch all the locations for which you have submitted lists that are within the city limits. (If you already have a city limits patch, just rename it.) If you are not yet using eBird you will have to set up a free account first.

There are a lot of good articles on the eBird website about how to sign up, and how to set up patches. It is really quite easy, and the eBird site is also a tremendously useful resource for birders.

We are going to keep this very simple and informal. There will be no entry fees or prizes, no categories for different experience levels, and no waivers to sign. Rather than a competition, it will be a challenge – a personal test for each participant to try to reach new goals, explore new birding locations, and learn more about the birds of Calgary.

Participants are asked to send their name, ebird name and email address to Howard Heffler at: hheffler[at]shaw.ca. This will allow the organizers to communicate with active participants. At the end of the year, we will ask participants to share their species list to allow comparison with the results of the 2000 and 2010 competitions.

In the weeks and months ahead, we will be prepared to answer questions and take suggestions. We will use this blog for ongoing communication and to write helpful instructions for participants. We also will post stories on Albertabird and on Nature Calgary’s website. We encourage all participants to share their adventures and birding tips on Albertabird.

In the 2010 competition, Michael Harrison won with 240 species! (Amazingly, he saw every species while riding his bike, competing in the “Non-motorized Transport” category.) To read about the 2010 competition, see the 2010 blog here.

Of course, 240 is a very high total – about 265 species are seen within the city limits in a typical year, but many of those are one-day wonders. In a challenge like this, you should set a reasonable goal for yourself. My goal is to see more than 180 species, which is the best total I’ve had since I started using eBird in 2012. I would love to get 200!

A challenge like this is a lot of fun and gets you really involved in the local birding community. I hope you join us!

Please see the guidelines below for more information.

Calgary 2020 Big Year Birding Challenge

Nature Calgary is promoting a friendly “big year” birding challenge within Calgary city limits in 2020.

Background

There have been two “big year” competitions in Calgary; 2000 and 2010.

(There were also “Calgary Region” competitions in 2005 and 2015.)

Scope – an eBird “Patch” challenge

Challenge yourself to find as many species of birds as you can within the Calgary city limits in 2020! 

All sightings must be within the city limits. See link below.

  • Calendar year 2020.
  • Open to all.
  • No sub-categories for participants.
  • No entry fee or prizes.
  • No waivers.
    • Nature Calgary field trips would have waivers exactly as per current practice.

Objective – a friendly competition

  • Share sightings.
  • Promote interest in birds and birding.
  • Enjoy Calgary’s natural areas.
  • More field trips.
  • Compare results with 2000 and 2010.

Challenge Guidelines and Procedures

The organizers are proposing the following guidelines and procedures to make the challenge more enjoyable and rewarding for all participants.

  • Participants “register” by adding an eBird patch (or re-naming their existing Calgary city-limits patch.) with the name: “BirdYYC2020” by January 1, 2020.
  • Participants are asked to send their name, eBird name and email address to Howard Heffler at: hheffler[at]shaw.ca. This will allow the organizers to communicate with active participants. At the end of the year, we will ask participants to share their species list to allow comparison with the results of the 2000 and 2010 competitions. 
  • We recommend that participants re-name their patch back to their own city-limits patch after the challenge year is completed.
  • Participants MUST share eBird lists and make sightings on eBird visible. The purpose is to allow all participants to chase sightings by others.  Specifically: on eBird, under My eBird, select Preferences; Data privacy – elect to NOT hide your eBird data.
  • Anybody at any time can see who is leading and his/her total number of sightings to date by looking on eBird at patch totals.
  • We have created “BirdYYC2020 RBA”, a WhatsApp group for sharing instant updates on unusual birds within the city limits of Calgary. To join the group, send a message to Gavin McKinnon (403) 519-8703.

Helpful Hints and Participant Expectations

  • There are about 200 hotspots in the Calgary “county”. All the ones within the city-limits (90) begin with the prefix “Calgary” or “Fish Creek PP”.
  • Over the next few weeks we will develop detailed procedures and instructions for things such as:
    • how to set up an eBird patch,
    • how to set up eBird alerts,
    • how to join Albertabird,
    • how to use WhatsApp,
    • how to use the mapping tools, and
    • other topics that might arise.
  • We hope to make a seasonal list of birds to help participants target specific species during each season.
  • Some species will be identified as “reportable” so you know what will be of special interest to everyone else.
  • Of course, we will do what we can to ensure participants respect private property, drive and act safely and responsibly, and follow ABA ethical guidelines: especially as it relates to protecting sensitive species.
  • We have maps of the city boundary in PDF format available.
  • Here, also, is an online Google map of Calgary.

Any questions or suggestions contact:

  • Howard Heffler: hheffler[at]shaw.ca
  • Andrew Hart: andrewhart[at]shaw.ca
  • Bob Lefebvre: wbird7[at]gmail.com
  • Gavin McKinnon: gmckinnonbird[at]gmail.com

Ghostly Blue Jay

Oct27

This beautiful bird was photographed on an acreage near Big Hill Springs, NW of Calgary, on September 22nd by Shelley Mohl.

Blue Jay
Leucistic Blue Jay, NW of Calgary, September 22, 2019. Photo by Shelley Mohl.

This Blue Jay has some sort of colour abnormality, likely leucism, caused by a deficiency of melanin in its feathers. The areas that should be black are brown, and there isn’t enough pigment to scatter the light to create much of a blue colour on the rest of the bird.

Blue Jay
Leucistic Blue Jay with normal Blue Jays, NW of Calgary, September 22, 2019. Photo by Shelley Mohl.

The Road To 300: Success!

Oct26

When we last checked in on Gavin McKinnon’s quest to find 300 species of birds in Alberta in 2019, he was at 291 species. That was at the end of July (see this post). Since he had already seen almost all of the more common species, progress was expected to be slow for the rest of the year, as he would have to track down rarities that showed up during fall migration.

I’m happy to report that Gavin did reach 300 species on October 11th! He was slowly adding new species until he reached 299. On October 9th an Ash-throated Flycatcher was reported in St. Albert. This is the first confirmed record of this species ever in Alberta. It is native to the SW United States and the Pacific northwest. On October 11th Gavin travelled to St. Albert and saw and photographed the bird.

Ash-throated Flycatcher, St. Albert, October 11, 2019. Photo by Gavin McKinnon.
Ash-throated Flycatcher, St. Albert, October 11, 2019. Photo by Gavin McKinnon.
Ash-throated Flycatcher, St. Albert, October 11, 2019. Photo by Gavin McKinnon.

Not only was this bird #300 for Gavin and a first Alberta record, but it was a life bird for him. A great way to reach his goal!

Here are few of the birds that got Gavin within striking distance of 300. He tried to photograph as many of the species he saw as he could.

Black Swift. Photo by Gavin McKinnon.
Vaux’s Swift. Photo by Gavin McKinnon.
Western Sandpiper. Photo by Gavin McKinnon.
Sabine’s Gull. Photo by Gavin McKinnon.

By October 12th Gavin had reached 303 species, which is where he stands today. He has also seen a total of 370 species in Canada this year, which is tied for the third-highest total in the country. Here are links to those eBird pages:

Top 100 eBirders in Alberta. Top 100 in Canada.

You can see previous posts with photos and updates of Gavin’s Big Year here:

January and February

March and April

May

Birds & Beers, October 31, 2019

Oct25

The next Birds & Birds social get-together will be held on Thursday October 31, from 6 to 9 pm, at the usual location:

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch#285,

9202 Horton Road SW.

Thursday October 31, 2019, 6:00-9:00 pm

Black-capped Chickadee
Black-capped Chickadee, Bebo Grove, October 26, 2015. Photo by Tony LePrieur.

We will meet in the large auditorium which is to the right after you enter the Legion. Everyone is welcome to attend (including children if accompanied by an adult), and food and drinks are available.

This month, rather than have a presentation, will be having a special “Popcorn and Video” night! We will be showing a video about birds, and attendees have permission to bring their own popped popcorn and share it with their table.

The Life of Birds  Hosted by David Attenborough.  Episode 1: TO FLY OR NOT TO FLY (Approx. 50 minutes).The history of birds, from the first flying reptiles to today’s consummate navigators.  From giant flightless birds to modern ostriches and emus, see how birds have made a claim to populate not only the air but also the land. (Note: this is part of a 10 episode (3 DVD set) series by BBC Video).

The video will begin after 7 pm so everyone will have time to eat and socialize beforehand. If you are unable to arrive early, feel free to just come for the movie. It should be very interesting, and even if you’ve seen it before, it should spark some good conversations afterwards. See you there.

Future Birds & Beers meetings are as follows:

Wednesday November 27, 2019 (Note the out-of-range day of the week, a Wednesday rather than a Thursday). Chip Scialfa will do a presentation on “Problems in decision-making in field identification.”

Thursday January 23, 2020

Thursday March 5, 2020

Thursday April 2, 2020

Thursday May 7, 2020

Thursday June 25, 2020

There! Your social life (or mine, anyway) is set for the next eight months. All of the above meetings will be in in the big auditorium and we plan to have presentations, except for at the April 2nd meeting, which is in the smaller dining rooms. We may do a quiz or have a discussion of some kind at that one. Mark your calendars!

Birds & Beers, October 3, 2019

Sep26
Irrigation Canal Calgary
The Irrigation Canal at Gosling Way SE. The water supply will be cut off on Monday September 30, creating a great birding location for the first few weeks of October. See this Nature Calgary page for information on a field trip to the area.

The next Birds & Birds social meeting will be held on Thursday October 3, from 6 to 9 pm, at the usual location.

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch#285,

9202 Horton Road SW.

Thursday October 3, 2019, 6:00-9:00 pm

Birds & Beers is a casual social get-together that is free and open to everyone. Children may attend if accompanied by an adult. Food and drinks are available at reasonable prices.

We will meet in the large auditorium which is to the right after you enter the Legion. At about 7:30 I will be giving more details about the upcoming 2020 city-limits birding challenge. Gavin McKinnon will talk about a recent trip he made to the Cold Lake area in pursuit of 300 species of birds in Alberta.

Thanks to the generosity of our attendees, we now have our own projector, which will be ready for this meeting.

We have booked the dates for the next two Birds & Beers as follows, so mark these dates in your calendars. (Note the unusual Wednesday date in November.)

Thursday October 31

Wednesday November 27

All of these will be in the same location, in the big auditorium at the Horton Road Legion. We plan to have presentations but these aren’t finalized yet.