Tag Archive | birds & beers

Birds & Beers, March 12, 2026

Next Thursday’s meeting features the return of Jody Allair!

Calgary Birds & Beers resumes next Thursday, March 12th, at the Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW. Jody Allair of Birds Canada will deliver a presentation called Inspired By Birds – An engaging look at the captivating world of birds and their uncanny potential to motivate people to make positive changes for nature.

Bald Eagle
Jody Allair
Jody Allair with a Bald Eagle. Photo courtesy of Jody Allair.

The doors to the ballroom at the Legion will be open for us at 5 pm. Come early if you wish, and dine, drink and visit. Jody’s presentation will begin at about 7 pm.

Jody Allair bio:

Jody is an avid birder and naturalist who enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for the natural world. He has been birding and banding since his teens, when he began volunteering at Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO) in Southern Ontario. He is now the Director of Communications at Birds Canada where he manages the organization’s public relations and media, is the co-editor of BirdWatch Canada Magazine, producer of the Warblers Podcast and a coordinator of eBird Canada.

Over the years Jody has coordinated a variety of different bird-related projects including the Southern Ontario Bald Eagle Monitoring Program, the Ontario Nocturnal Owl Survey, Birds Canada’s Youth Education Program, and the Southern Ontario Forest Birds at Risk Program.

White-tailed Ptarmigan
White-tailed Ptarmigan. Photo by Jody Allair.

Jody regularly speaks about birds and conservation to audiences across Canada and has written numerous articles on birds, birding and connecting with nature. He is the monthly birding columnist for CBC Radio’s Daybreak Alberta, has appeared on CBC’s Rick Mercer Report, presented at Ideacity, was a featured bird expert on Season 2 of the Love Nature Television series ‘Battle of the Alphas’ and is a regular guest, and occasional guest host, on the American Birding Association podcast.

In addition to his 20+ years at Birds Canada, he has been leading birding tours with Eagle-Eye Tours since 2008. 

Jody Allair
Jody guiding a tour in Yellowknife. Photo by Jody Allair.

Everyone is welcome to join us at Birds & Beers, including children if accompanied by an adult. There is a small fee to pay for the room, so we ask for an optional donation of $1 per person. Any extra money beyond the room cost is donated to the Legion. See you there!

Birds & Beers meetings are held monthly at the same time and location, on the second Thursday of each month, except July, August, and December.

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Birds & Beers, January 8, 2026

Thursday’s meeting will feature a presentation by Dianne and Bob Leonhardt on Birding in Colombia.

Birds & Beers resumes on January 8th at the usual time and location – the Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW, starting at 5 pm. This is an informal social get-together, so come any time after 5:00 and have dinner or a drink, and a chat with your fellow birders. Everyone is welcome!

You can arrive any time up to 7 pm, when there will be a presentation by Bob and Dianne Leonhardt about the first half of a birding tour of Colombia they attended in January 2025.

Multi-colored Tanager
Multi-colored Tanager, La Florida, Colombia

Birding In Colombia- The First Ten Days Bob and Dianne Leonhardt   

In January of 2025, Gavin McKinnon of Meadowlark Birding Tours led a group of Calgarians on a tour of Colombia to view some of the over 1900 species of birds found in that country.  Prior to the beginning of the actual Birding Tour, John and Lorrie Anderson and ourselves traveled to the historic city of Cartagena.  The city was founded by the Spaniards in 1533 and served as the main port for the shipments of gold pillaged from South America and sent to Spain.  Today it is one of the most touristic locations in Colombia with an active nightlife.  We also located a wonderful birding location outside the city known as Agricola Camelias.  By the time the Birding tour was to begin we had already counted well over 100 species.

After four days in Cartagena, we flew to Cali, in the Western Andes, where we were met at the airport and transported to Araucana Lodge, about 29 kilometers northwest of the city.  This beautiful and modern lodge served as our home for the next six nights.  From here we did day trips to a variety of environments with a diverse assortment of colorful birds.  Several of the locations had feeding stations which provided extraordinary opportunities for viewing and photographing the birds.

The first part of the Birding Tour came to a close as we drove to Manizales in the Central Andes.  During these first ten days we viewed about 250 species.  By the end of the entire tour, which finished up in the Santa Marta area of Northern Colombia, we had counted about 560 species of birds.  A number of the photographs shown in our presentation were provided by our traveling companions, John and Lorrie Anderson.

The next Birds & Beers will be on Thursday, February 12th.

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Birds & Beers, October 9, 2025

Featuring a presentation by Stephen Boucher called “The Roughly Right Guide to Botswana”

Next Thursday, October 9th, the Calgary Birds & Beers group will meet for our monthly social get-together and presentation. We are at the Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW in Calgary. We meet in the big ballroom, starting at 5 pm. Stephen’s presentation will begin at about 7 pm.

African Lion
All photos by Stephen Boucher.

I am Stephen Boucher, retired from a long career in medicine and professional people watching as a psychiatrist.  In retirement I help with the Monday morning Friends of Fish Creek birding group and generally enjoy the outdoors and travel.

I have been asked to talk about my trip last year to Botswana. In retirement travel decisions lie at the nexus of interest, health, finances and at best, the opportunity to travel with great friends.

Botswana in September 2024 met all of the criteria. But why a Safari?

I grew up in the United Kingdom close to Chester Zoo and during my childhood, I remember clearly hearing the calls of the Sea-lions at 3pm feeding time and roar of the lions at dusk in the warm summer evenings. I have always enjoyed visiting Zoos. But the animals, though well cared for, are captive and some show abnormal repetitive behaviours.  It had been a lifelong dream to go on Safari and see the animals and birds of Africa in their wild habitat. In the era of Mass Tourism and “Selfie sticks”, I wondered if it was still possible to go on Safari and have a Robert Redford and Meryl Streep moment, like in the 1985 movie “Out of Africa”

The word Safari comes from the Arabic word “to journey”.  And along with my two Calgary friends Karen and Ed, plus John (a vet friend from the UK who is called “Mr. Safety”, by his hiking group) we had an amazing journey.

Tonight, I want you to sit back and come on Safari with me……

Everyone is welcome to join us at Birds & Beers. The cost is about a dollar per person to cover the charge for the room. See you there!

African Elephant

Birds & Beers, June 12th, 2025

Next Thursday, June 12th, join us for The Big Birding Quiz of the Year!!

For the last Birds & Beers of the spring/summer season, we will be meeting as usual at the Royal Canadian Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW, from 5 to 9 pm. Instead of a presentation this time, we will have a birding quiz starting at about 7 pm.

Come early if you want to eat, drink, and socialize, and then at about 7 pm Joan Walker will host a special Trivial Pursuit-style “Wing and Feather” Night. A night when we can share our knowledge of our feathered friends, and perhaps gain some new insights into their unique habits and behaviors.

This promises to be a lot of fun! Each table, whether four, five, or six people, will be a team, and the teams compete to get to a certain number of correct answers. Questions will be on any birding topic, but weighted towards local birds. Songs and calls may be involved! And there will be some surprises too!

Joan introducing last month’s talk at Birds & Beers. (This shows about half of the 96 attendees.) This time, we will stay at our tables and take part in a birding quiz.

Everyone is welcome to join us, even children if accompanied by an adult.

Birds & Beers takes a break in the summer and will resume in September. I will post the schedule and upcoming presentation topics once they are booked.

Birds & Beers, April 11, 2024

Diane Stinson will present on Canada’s High Arctic.

Next Thursday, April 11th, we will have another Birds & Beers event at the Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW in Calgary. The event starts at 5 pm and at 7 pm there will be a presentation by Diane Stinson on a trip that she and her husband Rob took to the High Canadian Arctic last summer.

Northern Fulmar
Northern Fulmar. Photo by Diane Stinson.

Canada’s High Arctic – Diane Stinson
Rob and I went to Canada’s High Arctic in August last year.  The original itinerary had us exploring Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg Islands, including stops at Devon and Beechy Islands. The wildfires in Yellowknife changed that. Instead, we started in Iqaluit, sailed north along the east coast of Baffin Island through the Davis Strait and Baffin Bay, crossing the Arctic Circle, and into Lancaster Sound. There we explored areas on Devon and Beechy Islands (Franklin Graves), finishing in Resolute. While we didn’t see some of the bird species we were expecting initially, we did see some great birds (largest colony of Northern Fulmar in Canada), as well as major mammals (polar bears, walrus, Bowhead Whales). 

The expedition team of experts included Noah Strycker (author of “Birding without Borders” – a book about his global big year in 2015) and three other ornithologists. A historian, an archeologist, a glaciologist, and a marine biology expert all gave excellent talks. Our outings included zodiac cruising, shore walks, and helicopter excursions. We experienced an amazing “Tundra to Table” dinner and the “Polar Plunge,” before exploring Resolute.

Polar Bear
Polar Bears. Photo by Diane Stinson.

Everyone is welcome to Birds & Beers! Come for the good food and drinks that are available, visit with your fellow birders, and stay for the presentation!

Birds & Beers, March 14, 2024

Featuring a presentation on the East African wilderness.

Birds & Beers will resume next Thursday, March 14, at the Royal Canadian Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW. Doors open at 5 pm, and we meet in the big ballroom. Enjoy food, drinks, and visiting with your fellow birders. At 7 pm there will be a presentation by Melanie Seneviratne on the wildlife of East Africa.

Secretary Bird
Secretary Bird. Photo by Melanie Seneviratne.

Here is the presentation description:

Join me as I delve into the heart of East Africa’s wilderness and share with you my amazing journey through Tanzania’s untamed landscapes. You will see where every moment unfolds in a mesmerizing tapestry of safari adventures, awe-inspiring wildlife encounters, and vibrant birding.

Little Bee-eater
Little Bee-eater. Photo by Melanie Seneviratne.

We will also see some African mammals, like these lions.

Lion
Photo by Melanie Seneviratne.

Everyone is welcome at Birds & Beers!

Birds & Beers, November 23/23

Thursday November 23, 5-9 pm

Next Thursday we will meet at the usual place, the Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW in Calgary. Doors open at 5 pm. Once again we will meet in the big ballroom. At about 7 pm there will be a presentation by Roland Dechesne on The Impacts of Light Pollution on Birds.

Earth's City Lights
Earth’s City Lights from Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.

Light pollution has both hormonal and behavioral negative impacts on birds. Though pervasive in our modern world, outdoor artificial lighting is a pollutant that is relatively easy to control, if we can get past some of our irrational attachment to our beliefs that more light at night is better.

Roland Dechesne, Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC), is a member of the RASC Light Pollution Abatement Committee (LPA Committee) as well as a Past President of the Calgary Centre of the RASC and an amateur astronomer with over 40 years’ experience. He has been a popularizer of astronomy to the public for much of that time. His interests are astrophotography, meteorites and light pollution abatement. He ‘moonlights’ as an oil and gas geologist during the day. He was recently honoured by having asteroid #10087 named for him. He runs the Society’s @RASC_LPA twitter account that focusses on light pollution and the health impacts of light at night on health and the natural world.

Everyone is welcome to attend Birds & Beers. See you there!

Birds & Beers Cancelled, November 2022

Unfortunately the Birds & Beers meeting that was scheduled for November 11th has been cancelled. There is an issue with staffing at the venue. We have been unable to re-schedule this month, and we don’t meet in December due to everyone being busy with Christmas Bird Counts and other Christmas events. Therefore, our next meeting will be in January 2023. We have several presentations lined up for the new year already. I will post the schedule for January to June as soon as we have the dates booked.

Eurasian Collared-Dove
Eurasian Collared-Doves looking sad about the cancellation. Photo by Bob Lefebvre

Sorry about this, and see you in January!

Birds & Beers, Friday October 14, 2022

The next Birds & Beers event is this Friday, October 14th. Birds & Beers is a social get-together for birders at which you can meet and connect with others, have a meal and a drink, and enjoy a short presentation of interest to local birders.

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch#285,

9202 Horton Road SW.

Friday October 14, 2022, 6:00-9:00 pm

Green-winged Teal
Green-winged Teal

Everyone is welcome to attend. Unfortunately we had a late cancellation by our scheduled presenter, but we hope to have an update from Greg Wagner on the proposed Frank Lake solar power project. Greg may not be able to make it, but in that case we will still have some information from him on the status of the project, how to get more information on it, and how you can get involved.

Come out and meet your fellow birders!

Correction to Previous Post: Friday, September 9th!

The Birds & Beers event is this upcoming Friday, but the date is September 9th, not the 8th. Sorry! All B&B events this year will be on Fridays. Bob