Tomorrow evening there will be a Birds & Beers at the usual location in Calgary, from 6 to 9 pm.
Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch #285
9202 Horton Road SW
Thursday February 21, 2019, 6:00-9:00 pm
There will be no presentation this month, but come for a drink or something to eat, and visit with your fellow birders.
The next Birds & Beers will be on Thursday April 4th.
The first Birds & Beers event of the new year will be on Thursday, January 24. Bob and Dianne Leonhardt will do a presentation about their recent trip, called “Twenty-five Days in Peru.”
Birds & Beers is a social gathering which is open to everyone. Come and visit with your fellow birders and have something to eat and drink, and then stay for the presentation afterwards. We start at 6 pm and you can drop in anytime after that. The presentation will start after 7 pm. Children are welcome if accompanied by an adult.
Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch #285
9202 Horton Road SW
Thursday January 24, 2019, 6:00-9:00 pm
We will be meeting in the large auditorium, to the right after you go in the main entrance of the Legion.
The schedule for upcoming Birds & Beers meetings has been set. All meetings will be at the Horton Road Legion.
This Short-eared Owl was photographed east of High River by Judi Willis in November.
Short-eared Owls are scarce around Calgary in the winter but can sometimes be found hunting over uncultivated fields. They will hunt int he daytime but are most active at dawn and dusk. They are a sensitive species, so the exact location should not be publicly disclosed.
Judi watched this owl hunt for a while and managed to capture it diving for prey.
One of the best things about winter is seeing all the animal tracks in the snow. It’s fun to go out after a light snowfall, when you can see signs of all the mammals that have passed. Sometimes there are bird tracks and wing-prints too.
These are likely the tracks of a White-tailed Jackrabbit. It was travelling from right to left, the opposite direction of the “arrow” the tracks make.
So far we haven’t had much snow this winter, but we should still get plenty of opportunities in the new year to see all kinds of animal tracks.
Today is the last day of the Fall session of the Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park birding course. After the Christmas season and all the local Christmas Bird Counts, the winter session of the course will begin on January 7, 2019 and run until the end of March. This is a great time of year to get out birding every week since you see the gradual transition from winter birding to spring migration. From late February to the end of March there are many new species arriving here every week.
White-winged Crossbill, Fish Creek Park, March 6, 2016. Photo by Tony LePrieur.
For more information and to register for the course, go to this page.
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
On November 27th Gord Smith photographed this sparrow in his yard in NW Calgary. This is a Brewer’s Sparrow (Timberline subspecies). This is rarely reported in the city, or this late in the year anywhere in its northern range. They should all be in the SW USA or northern Mexico by now.
Brewer’s Sparrow, NW Calgary, November 27, 2018. Photos by Gord Smith.
Brewer’s Sparrows are related to Clay-colored and Chipping Sparrows which also breed locally. The similarity to these in non-breeding plumage is apparent. Had this bird been in my yard I don’t think I would have known what it was. Gord was familiar with the species, and the ID has been confirmed by Richard Klauke.
Brewer’s is the smallest North American sparrow, and in this last photo you can see just how much smaller this bird is than a House Sparrow!
Events & Lectures of interest to Calgary birders.
White-winged Crossbill, Weaselhead, February 7, 2016. Photo by Tony LePrieur.
Nature Calgary Field Trips: Various dates and times. See this page. Some trips require registering in advance.
Wednesday December 5, 7:30 pm. Cardel Theatre. Nature Calgary Bird Study Group presentation.“Getting Down” with Calgary Area Birds. A tour of Calgary area birds as seen through the lens of amateur nature photographer Tony LePrieur. Tony’s photos have featured prominently on Birds Calgary for several years; come and see how he gets his great photos. Free for Nature Calgary members (bring your card) and $5 for non-members, payable at the door.
Friday December 14 to Saturday January 5. The 119th Christmas Bird Count season. There are several counts on various dates in the Calgary area during this time period. See the Bird Studies Canada site to find a count near you and get the contact information.
Sunday December 16. Calgary Christmas Bird Count. Count birds in the field or at your feeders. Contact Phil Cram (field) at crampj[at]telusplanet.net and Barb Coote (feeders) at barbcoote[at]gmail.com to participate.
Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Birding Course. Now taking registrations for the winter session, beginning January 7, 2019.
Tuesday January 1, 8:30 am to noon. Annual Fish Creek Provincial Park half-day bird count. Contact Jim Washbrook at jwashbrook[at]prairiesky.ab.ca if you would like to join one of the teams.
Birds & Beers on Thursday November 29 will feature a talk and slide presentation by Joan and Wayne Walker about their recent trip to Africa.
Secretary Bird with Springbok. Photo by Wayne Walker.
Birds & Beers is a social gathering which is open to everyone. Come and visit with your fellow birders and have something to eat and drink, and then stay for the presentation afterwards. We start at 6 pm and you can drop in anytime after that. The presentation will start after about 7:15. Children are welcome if accompanied by an adult.
Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch #285
9202 Horton Road SW
Thursday November 29, 2018, 6:00-9:00 pm
This is the last Birds & Beers of this year, and we will resume in late January (the dates are not yet confirmed). It has become a tradition that at the last B&B before Christmas, we invite some local photographers who have bird or wildlife calendars featuring their photos to bring them to the event. These calendars will be for sale so bring some extra cash or cheques! Wildlife calendars make great Christmas gifts.
See you there!
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
Here is a great photo taken by Kenneth Johnson on November 3 near the Jumpingpound Gas plant, west of Calgary.
Tundra Swans west of Calgary, November 3, 2018. Photo by Kenneth Johnson.
The darker birds with the pink on their bills are juveniles. I’m not positive that the big bird with its wings outstretched is a Tundra. It could be a Trumpeter (no yellow on the face, long bill) but the shape of the area between the eyes suggests Tundra. Comments welcome.
Trumpeter Swans migrate though the area up to about the first week of November, and Tundras a little later. Most will be gone by mid-month. The majority of Trumpeters tend to pass to the west of Calgary, and many are seen on the Glenmore Reservoir. To the east of town, far more Tundras are seen. But both can be found on any large body of water in the area, or in flocks flying overhead.
Here are eBird maps of reports of the two species during the first week of November. Each red teardrop shows a location where at least one swan was reported.
Above: Tundra Swan reports on eBird in the Calgary area, early November 2018.
Above: Trumpeter Swan reports on eBird in the Calgary area, early November 2018.
Events & Lectures of interest to Calgary birders.
Black-capped Chickadee, Bebo Grove, October 26, 2015. Photo by Tony LePrieur.
Nature Calgary Field Trips: Various dates and times. See this page. Some trips require registering in advance.
Wednesday November 7, 7:30 pm, Cardel Theatre. Nature Calgary Bird Study Group presentation. Antarctic Adventures by Diane Stinson. Free for Nature Calgary members (bring your card) and $5 for non-members, payable at the door.
Saturday November 10 (all day): The Cochrane Research Institute. Symposium: Wilderness, Wildlife, and Human Interaction – Changing the Paradigm. $40, Cochrane Ranchehouse. Tickets, information, location here.
Thursday November 29, 6 pm. Birds & Beers. A social event for anyone interested in birds. Featuring a presentation by Joan and Wayne Walker (beginning at about 7:15 pm) on their recent trip to Africa. Royal Canadian Legion, 9202 Horton Road SW. Free; everyone welcome.
Wednesday December 5, 7:30 pm. Cardel Theatre. Nature Calgary Bird Study Group presentation. “Getting Down” with Calgary Area Birds. A tour of Calgary area birds as seen through the lens of amateur nature photographer Tony LePrieur. Tony’s photos have featured prominently on Birds Calgary for several years; come and see how he gets his great photos. Free for Nature Calgary members (bring your card) and $5 for non-members, payable at the door.
Sunday December 16. Calgary Christmas Bird Count. Count birds in the field or at your feeders. Contact Phil Cram (field) at crampj*at*telusplanet.net and Barb Coote (feeders) at barbcoote*at*gmail.com.
Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Birding Course. Now taking registrations for the winter session, beginning January 7, 2019.