Tag Archive | birds calgary blog

Birds & Beers, March 1, 2018

Feb24

The next Birds & Beers event will be this Thursday, March 1 at the usual location.

Royal Canadian Legion, Centennial Calgary Branch #285

9202 Horton Road SW

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

Trumpeter Swans at Carburn Park, February 11, 2018. Photo by Tony LePrieur.

Our speaker for this evening is Gary Kindrat, Wildlife Program Manager for the Calgary International Airport. Gary has over 30 years of experience in the environmental field, mostly in waterfowl research. He will share his responsibilities and personal experiences as he has worked with the airport authority to determine regulatory requirements, staff training, and control and implementation techniques necessary to maintain safety for wildlife and passengers.  We hope you can join us for a rather unique and entertaining evening.

Everyone is welcome. Food and drinks are available, and the presentation will begin after 7 pm.

Upcoming Birds & Beers dates, all at the same time and place: Thursday March 29, Thursday April 26, Thursday May 24, Thursday June 21.

 

…Country Birds

Feb10

Horned Larks, photographed outside of Calgary by Tony LePrieur.

Horned Lark

Horned Lark, Calgary area, January 7, 2018.

Horned Lark

Horned Lark, Calgary area, January 7, 2018.

Horned Lark

Horned Lark, Calgary area, January 7, 2018.

For more of Tony’s photos, see his Flickr page.

City Birds…

Feb10

Here are some recent photos from around the city, by Tony LePrieur.

Bohemian Waxwings, Carburn Park, February 4, 2018.

Bohemian Waxwing, Carburn Park, February 4, 2018.

Bohemian Waxwing, Carburn Park, February 4, 2018.

Bohemian Waxwing, Carburn Park, February 4, 2018.

Townsend’s Solitaire, Carburn Park, January 13, 2018.

Common Redpoll, Weaselhead, January 7, 2018.

Sharp-shinned Hawk, Carburn Park, January 13, 2018.

Sharp-shinned Hawk, Carburn Park, January 13, 2018.

Sharp-shinned Hawk, Carburn Park, January 13, 2018.

Black-capped Chickadee, Carburn Park, January 7, 2018.

For more of Tony’s photos, see his Flickr page.

Superb Owl Sunday

Feb4

Posted by Bob Lefebvre (I apologize that the blog was down for the last two days. It was a server problem – we aren’t going away!)

About a dozen years ago some people started using the term “superb owl” in advertising to avoid a similar copyrighted term, and since owls are indeed superb, birders have had a lot of fun with it on game day by posting their favourite photos of owls. Here are some local owls to liven up your day.

Snowy Owl, January 2018, east of Calgary. Photo by Ron Chiasson.

Snowy Owl, November 2017, east of Calgary. Photo by Ron Chiasson.

A well-camouflaged Great Gray Owl, November 2, 2017, Bow Valley Parkway. Photo by Michael Kim.

Great Horned Owl, December 19, 2017, High River area. Photo by Anne Elliott.

Northern Pygmy-Owl, January 28, 2018, west of Calgary.

Northern Pygmy-Owl, November 2017, Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Park. Photo by Ron Chiasson.

Northern Hawk-Owl, February 2017, west Calgary. Photo by Ron Chiasson.

Ron Chiasson’s photos can be seen at Ron Chiasson Photography.

Dan Arndt’s photos are on his Flickr page.

Anne Elliot’s photos and extensive descriptions of her photographic experiences are on her Flickr page.

American Dipper On Ice

Jan14

American Dippers are aquatic songbirds that feed in fast-flowing mountain streams, capturing all their food by walking under the water on the stream bottom, by swimming, or by picking insects off the surface. They are sometimes seen in the city on Fish Creek, the Elbow River, or even on the Bow in the winter, but are more common west of the city where they breed.

Tony LePrieur captured these fantastic shots of a Dipper seen from water level at Elbow Falls, west of Bragg Creek, on December 24. The first photo shows the nictitating membrane which protects the eye when the bird is submerged. Tony lay in the ice-cold water and on the ice for two hours to get these shots!

American Dipper, Elbow Falls, December 24, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.

American Dipper, Elbow Falls, December 24, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.

To see more of Tony’s photos, go to his Flickr page.

 

Great Gray Owl

Jan13

Tony LePrieur photographed this Great Gray Owl hunting near Priddis, SW of Calgary, on Christmas Eve 2017.

Great Gray Owl, Priddis area, December 24, 2017. Photographed by Tony LePrieur.

Great Gray Owl, Priddis area, December 24, 2017. Photographed by Tony LePrieur.

To see more of Tony’s photos, go to his Flickr page.

 

Some Winter Owls

Jan9

Michael Kim took these photos of a Great Gray Owl and a Snowy Owl in early winter.

Great Gray Owl, Bow Valley Parkway, November 2017.

Great Gray Owl, Bow Valley Parkway, November 2017.

Great Gray Owl, Bow Valley Parkway, November 2017.

Snowy Owl, Airdrie, December 2017.

Snowy Owl, Airdrie, December 2017.

 

Merry Christmas From Birds Calgary!

Dec25

Northern Cardinal photographed in Cranbrook, BC, November 2017, by Tony LePrieur.

Below are White-tailed Ptarmigan photographed at the Highwood Pass, November 2017, by Tony LePrieur. Note the “snowshoes” in the second picture.

 

 

Furry Friday: Raccoon

Dec22

Tony LePrieur photographed this Raccoon in one of Calgary’s parks on December 10, 2017.

Unfortunately this animal had a bad infection in both eyes. It is obscured in this photo by the tree branch.

To see more of Tony’s photos, see his Flickr page.

Some Winter Birds

Dec16

Here are some winter birds photographed by Gavin McKinnon. You can find the first two in the city, but you have to go up in the mountains to find the third.

Black-capped Chickadee.

Downy Woodpecker.

White-tailed Ptarmigan.

Read Gavin’s blog Canadian Birder here.