The Pine Siskin is a familiar, tame little finch. They are often very approachable, enough to see their beautiful feathers. They are quite noisy, even while they feast on niger, black oil sunflower seeds and the seeds of pinecones, among other foods. Pine Siskins are common in Calgary and can be seen year round.
The Pine Siskin is a very curious bird; the bird in this photo is curious as to who is bothering him.
Posted by Matthew Sim
Last week I took the short drive out to Frank Lake, east of High River (see the directions under the “Birding Resources” tab above). I was hoping to see some of the many Short-eared Owls that are often seen there at dusk, and I had about two hours before that to scope out the lake for waterfowl and other birds. This is a very productive wetland, and I managed to see 24 species of birds, 13 of which were new ones for the year for me.
The water level is very high this year. As you can see, the path to the observation blind was flooded. There was also still quite a bit of ice on the lake, but much of Basin 1 was open.
By far the most common bird there was the Franklin’s Gull. Frank Lake is home to perhaps the largest breeding colony of these gulls in the world, with up to 55,000 pairs. They build floating nests in the cattails, and if the water levels remain this high they may not be able to breed here successfully.
There were other gulls as well. This one, which I believe is a California Gull, was having eggs for dinner.
The gull took the egg onto the roof of the blind, and although it almost rolled off at one point, he finally did manage to eat it.
I had good views of Eared Grebes and Ring-necked Ducks…
But the highlight was when a flock of four White-faced Ibises flew in. I had never seen this large, beautiful bird before. It has dark, glossy, chestnut and bronze colouration, a long decurved bill, and of course a white face.
(Click on photos to enlarge them.)
The four flew on, but a little later another flock of twelve Ibises arrived…
They landed on the island…
And virtually disappeared in the grass…
(Cinnamon Teal in the foreground.)
At dusk, I started to drive back out on the dirt access road, but I didn’t get far, since I brake for Short-eared Owls…
This owl was right next to the road, so it flew before I could get very close. However, I saw another one hunting a little farther down the road…
All in all, a great evening of birding topped off by a fine southern Alberta sunset.
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
May is a great month for birds here; plenty of migrants, warming weather and leafless trees combine to make this month arguably one of the best months to see birds in the Calgary region. These factors therefore make it extremely hard to make a decision on just 5 birds to make the cut; but it had to be done, so here they are.
1. Horned Grebe
The Horned Grebe is a small, attractive grebe, a family of aquatic birds seldom seen on land or in flight. The Horned Grebe has a chestnut neck and flanks while its black head is topped with contrasting golden horns. A beautiful bird, the Horned Grebe qualifies easily for the month of May. The Horned Grebe does not breed in Calgary but as it passes through, up to mid-May, you can try to see one at Elliston Park or the Glenmore Reservoir.
2. Black-necked Stilt
A large shorebird that is an erratic and local breeder here in southern Alberta, the Black-necked Stilt has very contrasting colors; black upper parts, white underparts and very long, geranium-red legs. Its long, slender bill is always probing for food as its sharp eyes scan for both food and danger. This Stilt can be seen in wet pastures and on the grassy shorelines of shallow water, especially where there are plenty of mudflats. The stilt was virtually unknown in Alberta until 1994, but now, you can try to find it at places like Shepard Slough, Chestermere Lake and Weed Lake, Chestermere and Weed Lake being outside of the city.
Image courtesy Wikipedia
3. Western Tanager
The male Western Tanager is a very striking bird, easily making it on our list, with a bright red head, black wings, back and tail and his canary yellow neck, rump and underparts. The Western Tanager eats insects and fruits and feeds among bushes and trees, also hawking insects from the air occasionally. The tanager’s main habitat are boreal and montane forests; often being found in coniferous and mixed wood areas. The Tanager does come through Calgary on migration; I had one in my mountain ash in May of 2009. The best places to see this amazing bird are the north end of Weaselhead and the west end of Fish Creek Provincial Park.
4. American Avocet
A handsome and showy shorebird that can often be seen foraging in shallow water or on the barren mud flats along the edges of lakes. A light cinnamon color adorns the Avocet’s head and neck in the breeding season with the rest of its plumage being black and white. These birds start converging in large flocks in central Alberta usually in early May and can be seen best at locations like Shepard Slough and Frank Lake.
5. Yellow Warbler
The male Yellow Warbler is a brilliant yellow with olive-green wings and reddish breast streaks. This is a common bird and has a wide distribution throughout the province, thanks to its ability to nest in a large variety of areas. The female is similarly colored, but is more green above and drabber below. The male, despite his bright colors, is surprisingly well camouflaged and is best seen when the trees still lack their leaves. The Yellow Warbler arrives in Mid-May and is found in river valleys and wooded urban areas; Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is a good place to find this warbler.
See if you can find all 5 birds for the month of may; and then let us know about it!!!
The Calgary region is home to many great birds during the spring and summer that entice many a birder to their habitat in the hopes of finding them. This leads us to a difficult decision that will be debated by many; which birds qualify for the 25 must-see?
As noted in the May/June 2011 issue of Wild Bird magazine, most of the birds that would qualify for a top 25 list have at least one of the following criteria: beauty, charisma, being a rarity and the habitat in which they can be found (spectacular, limited, etc.). We will have 5 of the must-see birds a month, appearing on the blog the month that is best to see them.
Try to get out there and see if you can find the 5 birds for each month and then tell us about your trips!!! Find out which birds made the cut for the month of May on Sunday.
Posted by Matthew Sim
The Common Grackle can be a handsome bird when seen from a short distance. Covering its head, neck and upper breast is a purple iridescence that can amaze viewers in the right light. The rest of its feathers, including its long, wedge-shaped tail, are glossed in a bronze-green sheen. But this beauty can be lost on many; a result of the combination of the grackle’s lack of table manners (and all other manners), its voice that sounds like “an un-oiled wheelbarrow” and the invasion of both lawn and feeders by large flocks of these noisy birds.
Canada’s largest blackbird is both noisy and cocky, and is a resourceful forager. The grackle’s main summer diet consists of insects, small invertebrates and occasionally the eggs and nestlings of other birds. In winter, it will eat waste, grains, seeds, fruit and garbage. They will follow plows to catch invertebrates, pick leeches off the legs of turtles and steal worms from robins, among other techniques to get fast food. The grackle breeds in many different sites but it favours damp, open woodlands, the shores of lakes and streams and wet meadows. Be on the lookout for Grackles as they return to Alberta in April; they are almost here.
The young grackle is even noisier than the adult.
Note the long, wedge-shaped and keeled tail of this grackle.
Posted by Matthew Sim
It was a warm day, already at noon it was a couple of degrees over freezing. March 29th, half way through my spring break and already I’m looking for something to do. So I decide to head out to Votier’s Flats in Fish Creek Provincial Park with my brother and sister. Votier’s Flats is located off Elbow Drive and consists of a mix of both coniferous and deciduous woodlands with Fish Creek running near the paved path.
That day, we were not expecting to see anything. Noon is not the most productive time to bird and besides, we were hardly going to be going for a long hike. We started out doing a short loop before climbing up the hill beside the parking lot. It was there that I saw a hawk flying…no wait…not a hawk, a Northern Hawk Owl!
First impressions.
Northern Hawk Owls have a long tail and a falcon-like profile, distinguishing them from other owls in North America. The facial disk is somewhat whitish, bordered by black on either sides, framing two pale yellow eyes that scour the ground, often from an exposed perch at the top of a tree, searching for the next meal, some unfortunate mouse or vole.
We did get some great views but the Hawk Owl was some ways away and only stuck around for a couple of minutes before vanishing into the woods, never to be seen again, until…
My dad heard about our incredible sighting and, as you can imagine, was quite jealous. This paved the way for a return visit. The next day, as the sun slowly fell from the sky, we made our way back to Votier’s Flats. We searched for a couple minutes, coming up with a Great Horned Owl calling; beautiful, but not quite satisfying. We wanted a Hawk Owl. We carried along the paved path for a short ways when we spotted something. Is that it? Had we done the improbable? There it was perched high on an exposed perch, just waiting for us.
I see something...
We had to leave the paved path to get some better views. I was first, stepping into the snow with much gusto, only to find myself sinking into snow over a foot deep. As I was carrying a camera with a heavy 500mm lens, this was not good news. I righted myself after a couple moments and we carried on, undeterred.
Insolent birders.
It was a long way and we kept advancing through the snow that was as deep as ever, only to see the owl fly away. Luckily, it was not too far and we caught up, only for him to fly off again. We decided to carry on once again, stumbling up a steep hill with a heavy camera and an even heavier tripod, slipping on mud and ice, following a deer trail covered with unpleasant evidence of the deer. Finally we caught up to where the owl was waiting for us, seemingly amused. We got some amazing views and some great shots.
Is that dinner?
We came home, exhausted, wet, muddy, covered in burrs and happy; extremely happy. We had seen a Northern Hawk Owl, a difficult bird to see at the best of times and very rare here in Calgary.
Posted by Matthew Sim