Here is a link to the form to fill out to register to join the count, or even if you just want more information:
Register Here for the 2025 Calgary CBC.
Registration link for the Calgary Christmas Bird Count
Tag Archive | birds calgary blog
Birds & Beers, November 13, 2025
Featuring a presentation on the wildlife of Southern Africa by Calvin van der Merwe
Next Thursday, November 13th, is our next Birds & Beers event in Calgary. We meet at the Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW, from 5 to 9 pm. Here is a message from Calvin van der Merwe, who will be presenting about the wildlife of Southern Africa:
Hello Calgary Birding Community. My name is Calvin van der Merwe, and my presentation is about birds and wildlife in Southern Africa. I grew up in Pretoria, studied in Cape Town, and have now found myself in the Alberta Wilderness. From the myriad of habitats in Northern Namibia, to the pans and rolling hills of the Kalahari Desert, to the endemics of the Cape and the forested and grassed extents of the Drakensberg escarpment, the tropical north-eastern coastline and it’s impressive wetland systems, to the Kruger National Park and the remote corners of Limpopo. If you enjoy incredible habitat, species diversity, exploration, and the array of other animals Southern Africa has to offer, this is the presentation for you. Here’s a Cape Parrot to whet the appetite.
The doors at the big ballroom will open for us at 5 pm. Come early to visit and have dinner and a drink. Or you can arrive any time before 7 pm when the presentation will begin. Everyone is welcome!
Note: There is no Birds & Beers meeting in December. We will resume in January.
2025 Calgary Christmas Bird Count
Register now to take part on Sunday December 14th!
The 74th annual Calgary Christmas Bird Count (CBC YYC) will take place on Sunday, December 14, 2025. Here is a message from Coordinator Matt Wallace:
As you may know, Calgary hosts one of the largest CBCs in Alberta and Western Canada. In 2024, we had a total of 141 field participants and 163 feeder watchers, documenting 71 species and counting 39,446 individual birds. It’s a big job that takes an army of people to ensure its success each year. We hope you’ll join us again this season—no matter your experience or birding skills. Each one of you plays an important role, and the data we collect helps us understand long-term trends in our winter birds.
We’ve set up a Google Form that we kindly ask everyone to fill out so we have your most up-to-date information for analysis and team assignments. Please share the registration form widely with your network of neighbours, friends, family, and colleagues. Register Here. Once you submit your registration you will receive an acknowledgement email from us, followed by further instructions in mid-November.
A quick note: This year, I am seeking a “shadow” assistant (or assistants) to work with our organizing team. I plan to hand off the CBC Coordinator role to an inspired member of our community for the 2026 Calgary event, as I may be relocating in the new year. Finding a suitable successor will help ensure the continued success and legacy of this long-running event.
Birds Canada has also launched a pilot project encouraging CBC circles to have Community Engagement Leaders (CELs). Calgary has been ahead of the curve in this regard—this has essentially been my role in recent years, while Lara Fitzpatrick has handled much of the data analysis for our circle. Bob Lefebvre is another key member of our team, overseeing feeder watcher outreach and following up on notable or unusual bird reports.
Birds Canada: The CEL roles are defined as:
- Participant recruitment and community outreach
- Helping manage sector/section/zone assignments and coordination
- Onboarding new participants and facilitating mentoring
- Coordinating communications with participants
This pretty much sums up what we are looking for in the “Shadow Assistant” Role with this person leading the charge next year. If you’re interested in taking on the coordinator role, there’s an option on the registration form where you can indicate your interest and provide a few details. We’ll be in touch right away to include you in this year’s planning. We encourage anyone with an interest to apply!
Please watch for more information in November, including data submission instructions and templates.
A quick reminder that our CBC is open to anyone with an interest in the outdoors including experienced birders, novices, and the public. We try to accommodate all abilities and ages to grow and support our community, so please let us know if you need any assistance or have any requests using the comment section of the form.
Register for the Calgary CBC here: https://forms.gle/pcAU6tH7Vcfk63sV9
Thank you very much for your attention—we’re looking forward to connecting with you all for our big count day!
No Costume Needed: Meet the Northern Shrike, the Bird of Halloween
By Catherine Warwick
The most “Halloween” bird around is the Northern Shrike, aka, the “butcher bird”. Although it is a Passerine, which is a perching songbird, it has rejected the usual cutesy song-bird personality and instead is a merciless hunter. Not only does it hunt other birds, but it is known to rip its kill to shreds and impale pieces of the body on barb wire fences and tree branches. I don’t think a bird can get more grisly than that, it would even make a Crow shudder. It needs no costume to strike fear in a little bird’s heart, however it does sport a small black mask and a heavy hooked beak.
The Northern Shrike will scout out a nest or mouse hole and wait to strike. If it’s after a flying bird it may force it to the ground with its feet. Then it makes the kill with its hooked beak. In its upper bill (at the front) it has a vampirish toothlike spike, called a tomial tooth, that it uses to break the necks of its prey.
The Shrike spends its summer in the far north and just comes to Calgary for the winter, that’s how tough it is. Apparently, it finds our “balmy” -20°C days pleasant.
Ron saw the pictured Northern Shrike at Carburn Park last winter. Shrikes are known to return to the same winter territory year after year, so keep an eye out; you might see this tiny terror perched high atop a tree, scanning for its next victim.
In the summer they will head back to the far north to nest. One sweet fact about this bird – their nest is a deep cup that, when the female is in it, only her tail can be seen.
This winter get your binoculars ready to see a real horror icon: the Northern Shrike.
-Cathy
Note: The Northern Shrike has a summertime lookalike, the Loggerhead Shrike. Northern Shrikes are in our area from early October to late April. Loggerheads arrive in mid-May and can sometimes be seen into September. There is the possibility of a little overlap in May and September. Loggerhead Shrikes are a little smaller than Northerns, and have a clear breast without the barring of the Northern. They have a smaller bill with a tip that is less hooked, but they share the feeding habits of the Northern Shrike. -Bob
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.
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!
Ghosted By A Sora
By Catherine Warwick
One of the birds leaving Calgary this September is the Sora. Were you one of the lucky few who saw it at the North Glenmore storm pond?
A few years ago I saw one of these charismatic birds at Inglewood, I was with my sister who is not really a birder. The conversation went like this:
(a Sora just casually standing in a pond in full view)
Me: Holy Cow! A Sora! Wow I can’t believe it, look at it! Wow! We are so lucky, how rare!
Sister: That’s nice.
Me: We are so lucky! This is amazing!
Sister: Uh huh (starts walking).
And yet if she became a birder and started looking for a Sora it would probably take years to see one. I trolled that North Glenmore Storm pond so many times this summer and nothing! The Sora is one of those birds only birders know about. Even though they are common they are really good at hiding in the reeds.
The Sora is a plump little chicken-like bird that belongs to the Rail family. They frequent ponds and wetlands. The Sora has very long toes that help them walk on floating mats of vegetation. They are grey and brown with an impossibly yellow triangle beak. The first time I saw one at the storm pond I thought it was floating because it was standing in water that came up to its undercarriage. I was flipping through my Sibleys looking for a duck with a yellow triangle beak. The most obvious identifier is their call, a descending laughing sound. Although lately I feel like the Red Winged Blackbirds around the storm pond are mimicking it which has caused me a lot of disappointment. Birding – what a roller coaster!
When a Sora walks it puts its head forward with each step as it looks for aquatic plant seeds or bugs to eat. It’s been known to use its long toes to rake the vegetation. Their long legs are great for running away really quickly, often you will just get a glimpse of them. A brown blur with a yellow streak.
Now that it’s September our little storm pond Sora will be departing on a very long journey, possibly as far as South America. They fly further than any other Rail despite their circular form and long legs. Hopefully it is back next year and I can have another season of attempting to spot the beguiling Sora.
Birds & Beers Returns September 11, 2025!
With a Presentation on “Birding in Belize” by Daniel Arndt.
The fall season of Birds & Beers begins next Thursday, September 11th. As usual, we meet from 5-9 pm in the ballroom at the Royal Canadian Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW. Everyone is welcome!
Come early if you can, but be sure to be there by 7 pm, when Dan Arndt will present “Birding in Belize: An Introduction to Birding the Tropics.”
Dan has travelled Belize extensively, and visited some of the best birding locations the country has to offer. In March 2026, Dan will be leading a tour to Belize along with local guide, Roni Martinez, to La Milpa Biological Station, Blue Creek, Mountain Pine Ridge, Caracol, Chiquibul Forest Reserve, La Milpa Archaeological Site, and Crooked Tree Lagoon. Some of the most sought after birds in Belize include Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Ocellated Turkey, King Vulture, Jabiru Stork, and Agami Heron.
Belize is an excellent introductory tour for folks new to birding the tropics, with many familiar species that breed in North America on full display and preparing for their northern migration, and travel throughout the relatively small country allows for quick access to a variety of habitats. The archaeological history of the Mayan people, and the great birding found at these archaeological sites is a unique blend of human history and ecological conservation that is rarely found elsewhere in the world.
Here is a link to Dan’s 2026 Belize Birding Tour on the Meadowlark Birding Tours website.
This will be a great start to the Birds & Beers season. Upcoming meeting dates are Thursday October 9, and Thursday November 13 (all are on the second Thursday of the month). We take the month of December off, and then resume again in January.
One change this year is that we are being charged a little more for the use of the room. (It is still very reasonable at $100.) So we will again ask that people make a small donation, if they wish, to help cover this. We usually get anywhere from 50 to 100 attendees, so if you give a dollar or two, that will be plenty. Paying is optional, though, so please don’t feel you have to contribute! Attendees have been very generous with this, and we have always received more than was needed to cover the room cost, and we just donated the extra money to the Legion. We will continue to do this.
See you there!
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!
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.
Wood Ducks: A Living Work of Art
By Cathy Warwick
Calgary is lucky to have Wood Ducks within our city limits. In June eBird checklists have about a 5% chance of including a Wood Duck, compare this with Edmonton with only a 0.1% chance! Virtually zero! Something to keep in your back pocket next time the subject of hockey comes up. “Well we have Wood Ducks!”.
If you have seen a Wood Duck you will know why this is a brag. They are like a beautiful sculpture come to life. If you want to see one for the first time (or again) head to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, a Wood Duck hotspot. This waterfowl has a beautiful shimmery green pompadour swept back to the nape of its neck and bright red eyes. No boring modern minimalism for this guy, it has speckles, stripes, shimmers and all kinds of colour: burgundy, blue, a bit of beige. Its latin name is “Aix Sponsa”, which can be loosely translated to “bridal duck”, it’s all dressed up for a fancy wedding. (Audubon). The female has plainer plumage, she makes do with some speckles on her front and a large white eye ring.
Its name comes from its close relationship to trees. The Wood Duck has claws on its duck feet that allow it to climb up trees. This is necessary since it nests in trees. The female will have two broods a year, which apparently is very rare for ducks. When the chicks are ready they will jump out of the tree, up to 50 feet! You have probably seen a video on the internet of ducklings jumping from trees in slow motion, landing like little puff balls on leaf litter. Their mom calls them out, encouraging them to jump, but doesn’t help otherwise. Then they follow her to the pond.
So make a trip to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary and you might get lucky and see the famous Wood Duck. They will be in the pond looking for weeds to eat. They also love perching on the logs in there, firmly in place with their claws, making it easier for you to get a picture of their finery.
Photo: wikimedia commons no restrictions.
Birds & Beers, May 22, 2025
With a presentation on Birding By Ear by Annie Finch.
Next Thursday’s Birds & Beers will feature a presentation by Annie Finch on Bird Sounds: Birding Better by Ear. Birding by ear is an extremely important skill, and one which many birders find difficult to master. Annie is a great birder and really knows bird calls and songs. She will teach us how to use apps and online resources to hone our skills, and will give practical advice on identifying and finding birds in the field. She will also go into recording bird sounds and contributing sounds to online databases.
Birds & Beers is a social gathering of birders that is open to anyone. We meet at the Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW. The ballroom is open at 5 pm and the presentation will be at about 7 pm. Everyone is welcome!