Posted by Bob Lefebvre.
I thought I’d provide some detailed information on Nature Calgary’s Bird Studies Group meetings for those of you who are new to birding in Calgary, or who just have not gotten around to attending a meeting yet. The meetings are free and open to everyone; you don’t have to have a membership in Nature Calgary to attend.
The Bird Studies Group is involved in the Christmas Bird Count, May Species Count, conducting birding field trips in the Calgary area, and in other birding projects. From September through May, they also have a monthly meeting on the first Wednesday of each month.
Meetings are held in room 211 of the Biological Sciences building at the University of Calgary. The doors open at 7 pm, and the meeting starts at 7:30. The first half-hour is for socializing with your fellow birders. There is coffee, tea, and homemade cookies available for very reasonable prices. At 7:30, Andrew Hart, the Chairman of the BSG advisory committee, begins with announcements of upcoming events and meetings, and sometimes of good bird sightings. Sometimes we have a bird quiz, which is always fun and challenging. The main presentation follows, and lasts about an hour. It is followed by a question-and-answer period. The meetings usually conclude by 9 pm.
Recent topics for the main presentation include “Important Bird Areas of Alberta,” “Red Kites in Britain,” “Weed Lake,” and “Migration Monitoring at Cypress Hills.” The topic for the next meeting should interest our readers: “Birding and Technology” by Daniel Arndt and David Pugh. They will discuss smart phone apps, eBird, and the ways that new technologies can help you be a better birder.
Here is a map of the University of Calgary Campus. The Biological Sciences building, labelled B1, is located at the bottom right, nearest to the University LRT Station. Click on the map to see a larger version.
A plus is that the location is very close to the University LRT station, and of course there is good bus service to the campus too. If you are driving, parking is available in several lots near the building (the closest are lots L25 and L21). One drawback of the meeting location is the $6 charge for parking, payable by cash(coins) or credit card.
So if you haven’t yet been to a meeting, or haven’t been attending regularly, please join us. As Andrew says, the goal of the Bird Studies Group is “to encourage birding in the Calgary area and beyond by helping local birders develop their knowledge and skills.” These meetings are a great way to do that.
For more information on the Bird Studies Group, contact Andrew Hart at andrewhart(at)shaw.ca .
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