Tag Archive | birds & beers

Birds & Beers, November 1, 2018

The next Birds & Beers event in Calgary, which will include a special presentation by Dave Russum, will be held on Thursday, November 1. We were unable to get the room in late October so this will act as the October Birds & Beers. The following one will be on November 29.

Snowy Owl

In less than a month the Snowy Owls will be back in the Calgary area. Snowy Owl, northeast of Strathmore, January 2012. Photo by Rob English.

Everyone is welcome to come out to this social get-together, have a meal and a drink, and discuss birds with your fellow birders. We will meet in our usual location:

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch #285

9202 Horton Road SW

Thursday November 1, 2018, 6:00-9:00 pm

As a special treat, Dave Russum will give a slide show and brief talk about the Prairie Walks he led in 2018. He had participated in the walk that Gus led across southern Alberta in 2017, so in 2018 Dave followed up with two trips, to the Cypress Hills and to SW Alberta. He will also talk about the plan for more trips in 2019.

The talk itself will start at about 7:15 or 7:30 pm, to give people time to eat and visit first. Feel free to drop in just for the presentation if you want. See you there!

Birds & Beers, September 13, 2018

Sep5

The September Birds & Beers meeting will be held next Thursday, September 13. We will meet in the big room at the Horton Road Legion, where Phil Cram will give a presentation.

American Redstart by Tony LePrieur.

We start at 6 pm as usual, and the presentation will be after 7 pm. Phil Cram has organized the Christmas Bird Count for many years, and his talk will include personal experiences about the counts, as well as a discussion of long-term trends in bird populations in Calgary.

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch #285

9202 Horton Road SW

Thursday September 13, 2018, 6:00-9:00 pm

Everyone is welcome to come to this free event. Arrive by 6 pm if you want to have food or drinks before the presentation, and chat with your fellow birders.

Here is an excerpt from a Calgary Herald article about Phil by Tyee Bridge (“Birdwatching Isn’t Just for the Experts,” Calgary Herald, December 12, 2014):

“Phil Cram worked in the oil industry and has been recording a life-list of birds since he retired 16 years ago. His path was confirmed when he went on a Carburn Park bird count with legendary Calgary naturalist Gus Yaki in 2000—and Yaki pointed out a saw-whet owl perched in the poplars at head-level. “I’ve seen only probably half a dozen saw-whets in my life, and that was the first,” said Cram. ”It was a pivotal moment in a pivotal year. After that I started making birding a principal activity.” Now he travels in order to spot species: in 2012 Cram and three friends undertook what he calls “Fur and Feathers 500,” a trip criss-crossing Canada to see 500 species of animals. Pack ice in Nunavut’s Repulse Bay kept them from bagging a narwhal sighting, but they did see a polar bear. By year’s end they reached a total of 507 species, 431 of them birds, including a “very rare” rustic bunting in Haida Gwaii. Among other things Cram is the compiler of the Christmas Bird Count, a holiday tradition among Calgarians since 1952.”

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!

Gus Yaki Presentation at Birds & Beers, November 2017

Nov22

Update: Gus Yaki will give a presentation on Part Two of his Prairie Walk at the Birds & Beers meeting this Thursday. He spoke about Part One at our August meeting.

This spring, to celebrate Canada 150, Gus led a group of about 40 people on a walk along the southern Alberta border from Saskatchewan to British Columbia. Come out to hear about the birds and other wildlife they saw, and see photos of the trip.

The event will start at 6 pm and there will be lots of time for a meal or drink and a visit with your fellow birders before Gus speaks after 7 pm. We will be in the big Ballroom this time, so there’s plenty of room for everyone!

In addition, Dan Arndt will have 2018 Calendars featuring his best bird photos from the past year available for sale. Bring some extra cash and get one for yourself or for a gift.

The November Birds & Beers will be held next Thursday evening, November 23. This will be the last one until the new year. Anyone who wants to come for an informal chat with your fellow birders is welcome. Food and drinks are available, and children are welcome too if accompanied by an adult.

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch #285

9202 Horton Road SW

Thursday November 23, 2017, 6:00-9:00 pm

Boreal Chickadee by Dan Arndt.

If you’d like to see Gus’s presentation but can’t make it to Birds & Beers, he will also be speaking at The Wild Bird Store twice on Saturday, and at the Cochrane Public Library next Tuesday.

Part 2: From Writing-on-Stone Prov. Park to BC Border: 12 – 22 June 2017.

10am, and 2pm, Sat. 25Nov2017, Wild Bird Store new location, 5901 3rd Street SE, (SW corner of 58 Av & 3 St SE, Calgary). As seating is limited, please register by email at info[@]wildbirdstore.ca or phone at 403-640-2632.
6:30pm, Tue, 28Nov2017, Cochrane Public Library, 415 Railway St W, Cochrane. Organized by Glenbow Ranch Parks Foundation.

There are also three presentations about Part One of the talk coming up:

Part 1: From SK border to Writing-on-Stone Prov. Park: 19 to 29 May 2017.

7pm, Tue, 16Jan2018, Alberta Wilderness Association, 455 12 St NW, Calgary. Admission $5. Seating is limited. Please register, www.AlbertaWildernes.ca or phone 403-283-2025.
7pm, Wed, 14Feb2018, Friends of Fish Creek Prov. Park Soc., Environmental Learning Centre at Shannon Terrace, 13931 Woodpath Rd SW, Calgary, (access via 37 St. & 130 Av SW ). Admission $5; free for members. To register: www.friendsoffishcreek.org/event.east .
7:30pm, Wed, 21 Mar2018. Nature Calgary, Cardel Theater, 180 Quarry Park Blvd SE, Calgary. Map at http://cardeltheatre.com

Birds Calgary

A birding blog for Calgary, Alberta and area

Tag Archive | birds & beers

Birds & Beers, November 1, 2018

Is it Fall Already? Back to Birding.

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