Birds & Beers, Friday August 24, 2018

Aug18

We will be having a summer Birds & Beers social get-together next Friday at the usual spot, the Legion on Horton Road SW in Calgary. This is an informal gathering where birders can meet over a meal and drinks while discussing anything in the world of birding. Everyone is welcome to pop in anytime during the evening. Children can attend if accompanied by an adult.

Common Nighthawk

Photo by Raymond Toal

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch #285

9202 Horton Road SW

Friday August 24, 2018, 6:00-9:00 pm

For the fall season will be going back to Thursday evenings for Birds & Beers, as we did during the past year. Upcoming dates are:

Thursday September 13: Phil Cram will speak about trends in the Calgary Christmas Bird Count.

Thursday November 1.

Thursday November 29.

Is it Fall Already? Back to Birding.

Aug17

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

My summer hiatus is over! Fall migration is well underway, with a variety of warblers, vireos, and flycatchers being seen in Confederation Park and along the Bow and Elbow Rivers. Flocks of young Robins and Chipping Sparrows have been passing through my yard daily. We even had a brief view of a hummingbird in our yard, which rarely happens.

The fall birding course offered by the Friends of Fish Creek begins on September 3. See this page to register.

The Bird Study Group of Nature Calgary resumes their season on Wednesday September 5 with a presentation by local photographer Marcy Stader. See the new Nature Calgary website for information on this and all upcoming talks at their Bird Study Group, and in their regular Speaker Series, which resumes September 19.

See the Nature Calgary field trip page for upcoming outings you can join.

Birds & Beers resumes with a special August get-together, next Friday, August 24. Our usual day for these if Thursday so we hope some of you who can’t make it on Thursdays (Brenda?) will come out this time for a drink or meal and a chat about birding. Meet at the Horton Road Legion at 6 pm.

The remainder of the fall dates for Birds & Beers are: Thursday, September 13 (with a presentation by Phil Cram); Thursday November 1; Thursday November 29.

Most of you probably know about the Alberta Birds Facebook group, where birders and photographers can post photos of birds from anywhere in Alberta. There are over 10,000 members of this popular page. Recently a new Facebook group was started called Calgary Birds. This one features photos only from within the 80-km Calgary count circle. Check it out, and join if you want to contribute photos.

There is also a Facebook group created by Ethan Denton called Bow Valley Birding which focuses on the Banff/Canmore area. This will be of interest to many Calgary birders who regularly visit this area. To me it this page is always surprising since the birding is a little different there and they seem to find a lot of rarities.

Good Birding!

Costa Rica Bird Photography Workshop

Jul15

Advertisement.

Costa Rica Bird Photography Workshop, December 2018

Conducted by Max Ortiz Aguilar

Max Ortiz Aguilar is a professional Nature Photographer who lives in Calgary. Since 2014 he has maintained a website,  www.photosbymoa.com, where he has his portfolio of photos available for sale and for licensing as digital downloads. Last year Max joined the Friends of Fish Creek birding course to learn more about the local birds, and he has since been contributing to this blog.

Keel-billed Toucan

Keel-billed Toucan

Max is a native of Costa Rica and knows the birds and other wildlife there very well. This December he will be conducting a Bird Photography Workshop in Costa Rica. This twelve-day trip is a fantastic opportunity to encounter the wildlife of this amazing country, and to learn how to photograph the birds there.

Red-headed Barbet

Red-headed Barbet

There will only be three spots offered [as of July 15 there are only two spots still available]. Act now to reserve your spot! The trip is from December 4-16.

Included:

  • Photography mentoring by Max (in the field and post-processing)
  • Online working sessions before and after the workshop
  • Multi-flash photography setup for hummingbirds
  • Single accomodation at all locations
  • All meals, including morning and afternoon snacks
  • Tours and park fees
  • Fees for local guides
  • Transportation in Costa Rica (including to and from the Juan Santa Maria airport)

Not Included:

  • Airfare
  • Macro photography sessions
  • Alcoholic Drinks
  • Laundry
  • Insurance
  • Other miscellaneous items

Cost:

Total cost per participant is $4,800 USD (all taxes included). To Book, a 50% deposit is required. This deposit is non-refundable but it is transferable. The other 50% must be paid by September 15, 2018.

For more information and to register for this workshop, visit Max’s site:

https://www.photosbymoa.com/Workshops

Green Honeycreeper

Green Honeycreeper

Itinerary, December 4-16, 2018:

December 4 – Arrival in Costa Rica

December 5 to 7 – Caribbean Lowlands Rainforest

December 8 to 9 – Caribbean Lowlands and Foothills Rainforest

December 10 to 12 – Central Highlands Cloud Forest

December 13 to 15 – Central Highlands Cloud Forest

December 16 – Departure from Costa Rica

Here are some more of the incredible birds you may see and photograph:

Resplendent Quetzal
Resplendent Quetzal
Yellow-throated Toucan
Yellow-throated Toucan
Baltimore Oriole
Baltimore Oriole (yes, some of our local species are also found in Costa Rica).
King Vulture
King Vulture
White-necked Jacobin
White-necked Jacobin
Black-crested Coquette
Black-crested CoquetteOrnate Hawk-EagleOrnate Hawk-EagleScarlet MacawScarlet Macaw

Book your spot here!

Tree Swallows Leaving a Backyard Nest

Jul8

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Beryl Isaacs has been watching a pair of Tree Swallows that nested in McKenzie Lake in SE Calgary. The nest hole was in an old  post in her neighbour’s yard. All photos by Beryl Isaacs.

Tree Swallow

There were four baby Tree Swallows in the nest on July 4, 2018.

Tree Swallow

Baby Tree Swallows waiting to be fed.

Tree Swallow

The young Swallows are almost ready to fledge.

House Sparrow

A House Sparrow at the nest hole.

Tree Swallow

As the swallows fledged, one begged for food from the House Sparrow.

Tree Swallow

The House Sparrow attacked the young swallow, but no damage was done.

The House Sparrow, judging by its plumage and the yellow gape at the corner of its mouth, is a recently fledged bird itself. Adult House Sparrows sometimes kill young birds of other species if they get the chance.

Beryl was lucky to see Tree Swallows successfully nest in the city. Since House Sparrows and Tree Swallows are about the same size, they use the same size of nest holes. Aggressive House Sparrows usually harass Tree Swallows that try to nest in backyard boxes or nest holes. Tree Swallows are far more successful when nesting in city parks or outside the city, away from House Sparrows, which are almost always found near human structures.

Tree Swallow

Parent Tree Swallow feeding a fledged bird.

Tree Swallow

Still feeding during the fledging process.

Tree Swallow

 

Tree Swallow

By the end of the day the young swallows had all fledged and were not seen again at the nest.

Have you had any birds nest in your yard this year? Share your photos here [birdscalgary(at)gmail.com].

Happy Canada Jay!

Jul1

Canada Jay

Gray Jay by Anne Elliott.

Happy Canada Day! After being called the Gray Jay for almost sixty years, this bird will soon be known again by its previous name, the Canada Jay. There is also a movement under way to have it officially recognized as Canada’s National Bird. Read more about it and about this photo on Anne Elliott’s Flickr page.

More Birds of the Southwest

Jun30

Here is another set of photos from Southwest Alberta, courtesy of Raymond Toal.

American Kestrel.

Osprey

Osprey.

Killdeer

Killdeer.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron.

American White Pelican

American White Pelican.

Sandhill Crane

Sandhill Crane.

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat (male).

Swainson's Hawk

Swainson’s Hawk.

Brewer's Blackbird

Brewer’s Blackbird.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle).

Priddis Valley Road Wetland

Jun24

Tony LePrieur photographed these birds at the wetland just south of Priddis, on Priddis Valley Road, on May 26, 2018. The entire Priddis area is very birdy, and there are lots of wetlands to explore.

Wilson's Snipe

Wilson’s Snipe.

Wilson's Phalarope

Wilson’s Phalarope.

Black Tern

Black Tern.

Northern Shoveler

Northern Shoveler, male.

Baltimore Oriole

Baltimore Oriole.

See more of Tony’s photos here.