In late March, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Howard Heffler, Andrew Hart, Gavin McKinnon, and I decided to suspend the BirdYYC2020 challenge which we had organized. Participants in the challenge tried to find as many species as they could within the city limits. It was going very well, with over sixty birders taking part, and with many very good species being found. But we felt then that it was important to encourage people to stay home and refrain from gathering in groups.
Many people continued to bird individually and safely and to add to their year lists. But Nature Calgary field trips were cancelled and for a time many local parks were closed. The WhatsApp Rare Bird Group was temporarily closed.
Recently things have opened up quite a bit in Alberta, and we have decided to resume the challenge, with modifications. Nature Calgary is again offering field trips, but these are limited to ten registered participants and there is no car-pooling. The WhatsApp Rare Bird Group is open again and there have been a number of good sightings reported there. (Follow the link to learn more about this app and to join the group.)
Many birders unfortunately missed out on much of the spring migration, so as we resume the challenge, it will be difficult for them to get as many species this year as they may have hoped. (I am among those – my species total for the city is very low for this time of year, and my daily Year Needs alert from eBird runs to about forty species – mostly common species that I just haven’t seen yet.)
Common Merganser with chicks. A nice sighting on one of my few outings in recent months. Bow River, June 21, 2020. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.
Therefore, although the challenge will resume, the focus will shift away from the “friendly competition” aspect to one of “data collection” – to allow a comparison of the species found this year to those reported in the city during similar events in 2000 and 2010.
Our original objectives were to have a friendly competition and to:
· Share sightings.
· Promote interest in birds and birding.
· Enjoy Calgary’s natural areas.
· Organize more Nature Calgary field trips.
· Compare results with 2000 and 2010.
We can still achieve some of these objectives. We hope people will continue to post their sightings to eBird, and to use the WhatsApp Rare Bird Alert to share special sightings within the City limits.
It’s still possible that if the pandemic is under control, we may decide to do the whole challenge again in 2021. In the meantime, if you were already participating, continue to post your sightings to eBird. If you’d like to join in, see this Nature Calgary page or the first post linked to below.
Green-tailed Towhee, near Cremona, Alberta, May 2020. Photo by Steve Dyke.
There have been quite a number of unusual birds seen in the Calgary area this year. Here is a real rarity for Alberta, a Green-tailed Towhee that was visiting a rural yard near Cremona, NW of Calgary, in late May.
Green-tailed Towhee, near Cremona, Alberta, May 2020. Photo by Steve Dyke.
This sparrow was first noticed by Steve Dyke in his yard on May 18. The bird would shelter under lilac bushes, and emerge in to the open occasionally to feed.
Green-tailed Towhee, near Cremona, Alberta, May 2020. Photo by Steve Dyke.
Green-tailed Towhees are native to northern Mexico and the southwest United States. There have been fewer than eight previous documented sightings of this species ever in Alberta. (See this link for the Official List of the Birds of Alberta. The towhee is bird #378 on the list, and it gets the code 5 Rarity rating – “finds of a lifetime.”) The last Green-tailed Towhee seen in the Calgary region was in Bowmont Park in the NW part of the city in 1996.
Green-tailed Towhee, near Cremona, Alberta, May 2020. Photo by Steve Dyke.Green-tailed Towhee, near Cremona, Alberta, May 2020. Photo by Steve Dyke.
The bird stayed in Steve’s yard from May 18-24. Several other birders were able to see and photograph it.
Here is a range map from eBird, showing in purple all 2020 sightings of Green-tailed Towhee. (The purple square near Fort McMurray is not a mistake; there was a stray bird there last winter, from December 13, 2019 to January 21, 2020. That one was WAY out of range!)
2020 sightings of Green-tailed Towhee.
A beautiful bird, and a great find for Alberta!
Green-tailed Towhee, near Cremona, Alberta, May 2020. Photo by Steve Dyke.
Back in April, Calgarians participated for the second time in the City Nature Challenge. This year, with better weather and the addition of participants in Cochrane, Airdie, Okotoks, and Chestermere, we exceeded all of the 2019 results. This was despite the inability, due to Covid-19, of having organized field trips with many observers. Participants were more or less on their own, but nevetheless 248 observers submitted 5,557 observations, from which 759 species have so far been identified.
A Downy Woodpecker I photographed on April 24, 2020 for the City Nature Challenge. Calgary, photo by Bob Lefebvre
You can view the Project Page on iNaturalist to see all the local observations. Some highlights include a bobcat with prey, a raccoon seen downtown, and a moose in Fish Creek Park. There were 110 bird species reported, including uncommon species like Steller’s Jay, Turkey Vulture, and Wild Turkey (the local celebrity Ramsay Turkey).
Calgary was one of eleven Canadian Cities that took part in the Challenge, and led them all in number of particpants, number of species reported, and number of observations made.
There were 244 cities worldwide which took part in 2020. See the Project Page on iNaturalist to view all the results. The most observations made was 34,474 in Cape Town, South Africa. San Francisco had the most people making observations with 2,678. The highest number of species reported was 2,937 in Houston-Galveston. In all, over 33,000 species were reported.
Congratulations to Matthew Wallace for his efforts in organizing and promoting the Calgary City Nature Challenge. I look forward to next year’s event!
Here are some birds seen recently by local birders in their yards. Lots of great birds can still been seen while staying at home! Some of these are migrating and won’t be seen in the summer, but others are year-round residents.
Mountain Bluebird, Calgary, April 2020. Photo by Patrice O’Brien.Black-capped Chickadee, Calgary, April 2020. Photo by Patrice O’Brien.Blue Jay, Calgary, April 2020. Photo by Patrice O’Brien.American Robin, Okotoks, April 2020. Photo by Lloyd Bligh.Downy Woodpecker, Calgary, April 2020. Photo by Jane Potter.Northern Flicker, Calgary, April 2020. Photo by Jane Potter.Red-breasted Nuthatch, Calgary, April 2020. Photo by Jane Potter.House Finches, Calgary, April 2020. Photo by Jane Potter.
Finally, here is a photo of a Varied Thrush that Karen Bout photographed in her yard in April. I have heard of three or four reports of Varied Thrushes passing through the city this spring, and there were at least three that overwintered here this year.
Varied Thrush, Calgary, April 2020. Photo by Karen Bout.
May can be even better for migrants passing through city yards, so if you are isolating at home, keep an eye open!
I mentioned before that a smartphone is the best tool for taking photos of insects and getting close-ups of plants, but not great for birds since they are usually too far away. But many of you birders carry cameras these days, and you can submit your bird photos for the City Nature Challenge. They can easily be uploaded to the iNaturalist website on your desktop computer.
So if you are out this weekend (anytime until Monday at midnight), take lots of bird photos to upload later. You have until May 3rd to upload them, and if they are taken in the city, in Airdrie, Chestermere, or Cochrane, they will be added to the Calgary Challenge.
If you’re lucky you might find an unusual species. Last year I found a Fox Sparrow at Carburn Park.
Fox Sparrow, Carburn Park, Calgary, April 28, 2019. Photo by Bob Lefebvre
But remember, iNaturalist and the City nature Challenge is about documenting all living things, so don’t neglect common species, and get them in multiple locations too. You may also see some mammals, trees, and other things you can photograph. You can also photograph evidence of life, such as feathers, nests, spider webs, hare forms, and so on.
Check out this page to see how many species and observations have been submitted so far in Calgary. We are at over 1000 observations and 300 species reported already by 10 am Saturday morning!
With the current Covid-19 situation, it is not safe right now to bird in groups, and may not be for a long time. Nature Calgary has cancelled all group field trips for the time being, and the Friends of Fish Creek Spring Birding Course has been postponed. The BirdYYC2020 Challenge has also been suspended. Provincial and National Parks are closed.
Spring migration is under way (despite the winter-like weather we’ve been having), but I have not been publicizing any sightings at specific locations, to try to avoid having crowds gather there. Of course there are other ways for word to get around, and many people are getting out.
There is no problem with birding alone, or with another person from your household. If you do go, here are some guidelines from eBird on how to do so safely:
Keep your optics to yourself. Don’t share your scope, binoculars, or camera with others; disinfect the eye caps of your optics after each birding trip.
Maintain distance. If you are birding near others (whether they are birders or not), maintain at least 6 feet of space between yourself and other people at all times. Take turns at blinds, shelters, and in other situations where proper distancing may not be possible.
Avoid touching communal surfaces. This includes railings, doorknobs, handles, and other frequently used areas of public sites. If you touch these surfaces, wash your hands and/or use hand sanitizer immediately.
Respect restrictions and closures. Check if your favorite park, trail, or wildlife refuge is still open before heading outside. Plan your birding trips in accordance with the latest recommendations of your local authorities.
Share checklists, not phones: eBird Mobile users should avoid passing phones to review checklists for the time being. Confirm lists verbally before submission and if you need to make changes after you submit, it is easy to share and correct lists on the eBird Mobile app!
One way that birders can stay safe and continue birding is to do it their own yards. Many of us already feed the birds and watch them in our yards regularly. This is a chance to increase the number of hours we spend looking for new species in or from our yards, and a great opportunity for more people to begin backyard birding.
Here is another article from eBird Canada on how to get the most out of birding at home. I encourage you to use eBird to record what you see. If you are interested in comparing what you see in your yard to what others are seeing, you can set up a Yard List on eBird. See these eBird Help Centre articles for instructions. And here is a more detailed article I wrote on setting up Yard Lists. I’m sure some of you have thought about starting on eBird or setting up Patch and Yard lists, but just never had the time before. Maybe now is a good time to start!
If you do feed birds in your yard, you may want to take advantage of the delivery service offered by the Wild Bird Store in Calgary. Go to their web page to see how to get bird feeders or seed delivered to you. You can also do contactless pickup at the store. These are good options so that you keep your risk to a minimum and support a local business.
I have been having problems with my camera so I’m unable to share any new photos I’ve taken in my yard. I’ve had huge European Starling flocks lately (often eating crabapples), Robins in the birdbath, occasional Bohemian Waxwing flocks eating crabapples, a nesting pair of Eurasian Collared-Doves, and a local Merlin who has chased the Starlings a few times.
Reynold Reid also had a Merlin in his yard in the Chaparral neighbourhood in SE Calgary recently, and luckily for us his camera is working fine!
Merlin with prey, Calgary, March 26, 2020. Photo by Reynold Reid.
The Merlin is eating a rather large prey species. Can anyone identify it? I have an idea but would like to hear what you think.
If you have been getting good photos of backyard birds in Calgary and would like to share them here, email them to birdscalgary[at]gmail.com. Until I get my camera working properly I’ll post some of them, and some of my older photos.
The second annual Calgary City Nature Challenge will go ahead on April 24-27, 2020. Once again, Matthew Wallace is doing a great job of organizing and promoting this valuable citizen science project.
This year, an expanded Calgary metropolitan area will include Airdrie, Cochrane, Okotoks, and Chestermere. Calgary will be competing with over 200 other cities around the world to try to identify as many species of wildlife as possible.
Last year there were many organized group activities in the CNC, but due to Covid-19 these will not be taking place this year. However, people can easily participate by themselves by taking photos of any living thing and uploading it to the iNaturalist website or app.
Download the iNaturalist app or sign up on the webpage. Then start taking pictures of wildlife and uploading them. There is no need to wait until April 24 to get started, but please try to help out on that weekend!
With spring finally in the air and migrants starting to arrive in numbers, this is the time of year that birders anticipate the most. This year was especially exciting for Calgary birders who were involved in the 2020 Challenge, a year-long effort to see as many species as one could within the city limits.
Harlequin Ducks, seen by many birders in the city this winter. Photo by Andrew Hart.
However, the Covid-19 crisis has made it impossible to continue group outings, and we really want to encourage people to stay home as much as possible. As you may know, Nature Calgary outings and the Friends of Fish Creek birding course have also been suspended. Reluctantly, the Challenge has been suspended. We have a few ideas as to how, if, or when to resume, which I’ll address at the end.
It’s too bad, because we were lucky enough to find quite a few great birds in the city for the winter months, and several birders had recorded over 60 species already. The WhatsApp Rare bird Alert (which has been suspended) enabled participants to rapidly re-find rarities as they were reported. One example is Gyrfalcon, a very unusual bird to get in the city limits. But many participants were able to find one that was feeding on Mallards inside the city, after it was reported on the app. (There may have been as many as three Gyrfalcons in the area over the course of a week a couple of months ago.)
Gyrfalcon, near Maycroft in SW Alberta, January 30, 2020. Photo by Raymond Toal.
Here is the statementfrom Howard Hefflerabout suspending the Challenge:
The BirdYYC2020 began as idea to repeat, taking advantage of modern online tools, the big year birding competitions previously held in Calgary in 2000 and 2010. Andrew Hart, Bob Lefebvre, and – later, gratefully, joined by Gavin McKinnon – agreed we would organize and promote the event.
We hoped to create enthusiasm in the Calgary birding community to “get out there and go birding”. AND, to share your sightings with others. We also hoped to collect the data to allow comparison with what had be done 10 and 20 years previously.
Modern digital tools, eBird being the main one, but also smart phones and a variety of in-the-field tools to assist birders of all levels, have changed the landscape. What fun to compare the new with the old. The best example is Gavin setting up the WhatsApp Rare Bird alert that allows anyone to instantly receive notification of a rare bird reported by other participants.
But the fun is over. For the foreseeable future at least.
The four of us have come to the unhappy decision that what we are doing is promoting unnecessary and unwarranted social contact at a time when the entire society is relying on each other to act responsibility.
We have decided to stop supporting any BirdYYC2020 initiatives. The first step has been to shut down the WhatsApp Rare Bird Group.
I sincerely hope that the actions being taken by our federal and provincial governments will slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This is a threat to our global culture and economy that we are only just beginning to understand.
The best – and honestly ONLY – defense against community spread at this time is to minimize infection by strict social distancing and, where warranted, self-isolation.
A couple of days ago I “chased” a reported sighting of a Eurasian Wigeon at Carburn Park. When I arrived, I walked briskly to the likely observation spot. I interacted with other people, some were birders, and some were not. Some I knew. And some I did not. I set up my scope. Within minutes there was a small group of interested passersby. To the best of my knowledge I am not infected. I expect everyone else in that small group also felt the same way. I, and they, would hate to think that we are contributing to the spread of the virus.
But we are. So, I for one, am going to stop. The other three (Andrew, Bob, and Gavin) feel the same.
We are not going to participate in a forum that promotes unnecessary social contact.
At this time, there is no government directive to not go outdoors for a walk etc. That may change. For me, the potential public health risk resulting from random, unnecessary excursions from your home is best described in an article by a very reputable medical reporter, Andre Picard. See: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-to-tackle-coronavirus-walk-and-act-this-way/
This is really unfortunate. The BirdYYC challenge was generating a lot of interest. There are over 60 people registered and a similar number who have established the BirdYYC2020 patch. I feel we were headed toward a truly “big year”.
What shall we do? Here is one idea. We could select a date, such as March 31st , and declare the end of this birding year. Then, next April 1st, 2021, we all start again. A bit unorthodox, I know. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
We will immediately stop promoting BirdYYC2020. We have shut down the WhatsApp group.
Stay tuned. Over the next weeks things may change.
Personally, I am still in a quandary if and how to continue birding this year. I have decided, it will not be in a group.
As Howard mentioned, eBird is of course still operational, and any Patch Lists are still valid, so you can add to your lists. I added one in my yard yesterday. Some people are still (very carefully) going out birding, although many parks are now closed.
So how do we continue the Challenge? Howard made one suggestion, and I’ll add a few. If you are a Challenge participant please email me at birdscalgary(at)gmail.com, or Howard at hheffler(at)shaw.ca.
Suspend the current Patch Lists on March 31, and resume the Challenge on April 1 of 2021. This presents some logistical difficulties, since eBird won’t be tracking the totals for a split year. It would take a little more work on the part of the organizers. I also think that birders are pretty attached to one-year lists and may not like a split year either.
When safe, resume the Challenge in 2020. For example, we could resume on July 1 and continue to December 31. This would mean that the entire spring migration would be missed (individual birders can of course still add species in the spring but there would be no group outings and much would be missed by most participants). Many species missed in the spring can be found again in the fall, but not all.
Cancel the Challenge for this year, but start over from scratch in 2021. Our experiences this year would be a sort of trial run. This would mean there is an 11-year gap between this Challenge and the 2010 one, and (presumably) a 9-year gap until the next one, instead of the intended 10 years. A minor point in my opinion.
Cancel the Challenge. The next City Challenge would be in 2030.
Of these, I favour re-starting the Challenge from scratch in 2021. If you have an opinion, or any other ideas on how to resume, please let us know.
We were unable to get our usual late-February date for Birds & Beers, so we will be meeting next on Thursday March 5th.
Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch#285,
9202 Horton Road SW.
Thursday March 5, 2020, 6:00-9:00 pm.
Dan Edwards will be presenting “Birds of the Great Ocean Walk,” a birding-oriented travelogue of his trip hiking the Great Ocean Walk in southern Australia last October. The presentation will begin at about 7:15 pm.
Kookaburra. Photo by Daniel Edwards.
Everyone is welcome to attend Birds & Beers, and there is no charge. We will meet in the big ballroom at the Legion. Food and drinks are available at reasonable prices, and children are welcome if accompanied by an adult. Come early if you want to avoid the lineup at the kitchen.
