In early April Bruce Brummitt spotted this Long-eared Owl near his home in NW Calgary. These elusive owls are resident in the Calgary area, but this one may have just been passing through. It was seen for a few days but has not been seen since April 4.
The owl was only seen at dusk, in low light. Some of the photos were taken with a flash, so the owl’s iris looks red in those shots. All photos by Bruce Brummitt.
Magpies mobbed the owl.
Shome photos from April 4:
On April 24 Paul Turbitt of Turbo’s Track and Tour blog found a male Ruffed Grouse drumming on a log west of Turner Valley.
Here is a still photo of the grouse.
See Paul’s blog posts about this bird here and here.
Here is a link to his YouTube page.
Despite (or possibly because of) the snow and cold weather on Saturday, Tony LePrieur got some great shots of spring birds in Carburn Park and Fish Creek Park in SE Calgary, and some resident birds and mammals as well.
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle), Carburn Park, April 26, 2014
Franklin’s Gulls, Carburn Park, April 26, 2014
American Robin, male, Carburn Park, April 26, 2014
Resident White-tailed Deer, Carburn Park, April 26, 2014
Common Loon, Carburn Park, April 26, 2014
A resident bird in Fish Creek Park, male Ring-necked Pheasant, April 26, 2014
Ring-necked Pheasant, male, Fish Creek Park, April 26, 2014
Osprey with nesting material, Carburn Park, April 26, 2014
Tony returned to Carburn Park in the better weather on Sunday and got another shot of a Common Loon on the pond there.
Common Loon, Carburn Park, April 27, 2014
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
Since January 2012 Dan Arndt and I have led the Sunday morning group in the Friends of Fish Creek birding course, at 9 am in the Fall and Winter session, and at 7:30 am in the Spring. As the course has gained popularity, more and more groups have been added. There are now over 200 people registered for the Spring session, so there are eighteen different groups that go on the field trips each week. As more groups have been added there is a need for more leaders, so although Dan will continue to lead at 7:30 on Sundays, I have moved to the 9 am group.
Dan will continue to report here about what they see on his outings, with a one-week delay (see last week’s post Spring Begins at Sikome Lake). But on April 13 he was away, so I have arranged to use the photos taken that day by George Best on our group’s outing, and keep you up to date on what’s happening with the birds of Calgary.
We met at the Weaselhead parking lot and carpooled to the westernmost lot in the adjacent North Glenmore Park, to scope out the reservoir for migrants. For such a late date, there was still a lot of ice on the reservoir, with the only open water being on the Elbow River and the extreme west end of the lake where the river enters it. There were quite a few species of waterfowl present, and this pair of Canada Geese stood out right away due to the contrast in their colours.
Canada Geese. All photos by George Best
Among the numerous Mallards and Common Goldeneyes we spotted a pair of Redheads.
Redheads and Mallards.
As we scanned the water from the high ridge in North Glenmore Park, we were treated to the sight of four Trumpeter Swans which suddenly appeared and flew silently in a line right in front of us at close range. They were so close and it happened so fast that George could not get a photo with his big lens. Instead, here is a shot of Mallards in flight. A more common sight in these parts but still a beautiful bird.
Mallards.
We had a few other notable birds on the reservoir, including Canvasbacks, Hooded Mergansers, Ruddy Ducks, and the first two Greater Yellowlegs of the season.
Next we headed to the east end of the reservoir near the Canoe Club to check out the stormwater ponds there. Several House Finches gave us good looks right by the parking lot.
House Finch, male.
On the way to the ponds we spotted this White-tailed Jackrabbit, and George got a great shot as he stood to size us up. Down in the Weaselhead we sometimes see Snowshoe Hares but up in South Glenmore Park it is more common to see these.
White-tailed Jackrabbit.
There wasn’t much on the ponds but the birds are closer so they make good subjects.
Bufflehead, male.
Common Goldeneye, male.
Killdeer.
Finally, we headed down into the Weaselhead proper. At the beginning of the walk we added two more mammals, Richardson’s Ground Squirrel and Least Chipmunk. For most of the participants it was the first ground squirrel of the year. For George, who is from the U.K., it was a life mammal, so he made sure to get some close-ups
Richardson’s Ground Squirrel.
Richardson’s Ground Squirrel close-up.
Least Chipmunk.
The only birds on the Elbow River were these two sleeping Common Mergansers.
We saw one Dark-eyed Junco and a few American Tree Sparrows, but these were too flighty to stay for photos. One problem we have with our Sunday walks is that the parks are very busy with bikers, runners, dog-walkers, etc. We stood still to try to get good looks at the Tree Sparrows and Juncos as they fed, but all the traffic on the path kept flushing them. It is a lot quieter on some of the weekday morning walks.
We had heard Blue Jays calling many times and finally caught up with one by the feeders.
Blue Jay.
Also at a tin-can feeder was this male Hairy Woodpecker.
Hairy Woodpecker, male.
We didn’t have time to go too far into the Weaselhead, but we’ll be back when the Hummingbirds are here to see it again.
Dan will report on the Easter Sunday outing on Monday. Until then, Good Birding!
The photos below were taken by Josh OBrien. He uses a Nikon D600+Sigma 150-500mm. To see more of his photos, check his Facebook page here.
Great Horned Owls
Great Horned Owls
Juvenile Bald Eagles
Juvenile Bald Eagle
Juvenile Bald Eagle stretching
Great Gray Owl
Great Gray Owl
American Robin
Downy Woodpecker
Common Raven
Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl
Juvenile Bald Eagle
Tony LePrieur saw some new birds for the year in Fish Creek Park on April 5, 2014, as well as some favourite residents.
Northern Shoveler, male.
European Starling.
Red-winged Blackbird, male. This bird is arriving right on time, but all the ponds there were still mostly frozen over on this date.
Golden-crowned Kinglet, male. Likely a winter bird that will soon move on.
Blue Jay, a year-round resident species.
Snowshoe Hare. Transitioning to summer colours far faster than the surroundings are!
Muskrat.
Finally, some close-ups of one of the resident Great Horned Owls. Check the talons in the third photo.
Tony LePrieur took the photos below on March 1, 2014.
Horned Lark, from outside the city.
Gray Partridge, from outside the city.
A very cold Common Goldeneye from Fish Creek Park.
Brown Creeper, Weaselhead.
Pileated Woodpecker female, Weaselhead.
House Finch male, Weaselhead.
Golden-crowned Kinglet, Weaselhead.
Golden-crowned Kinglet, Weaselhead.
Coyote, Weaselhead.
Finally, an ID challenge: At first glance I assumed this bird was a Merlin, but something didn’t quite look right. If not a Merlin, what do you think it is, and why?
Spring is here and the new migrants are showing up daily, but here is another look at some of the winter birds seen in Fish Creek Park and the Weaselhead Nature Area in Calgary. All photographs by Tony LePrieur.
The photos below were taken in Fish Creek Park on February 17, 2014.
Great Gray Owl, Bebo Grove.
Boreal Chickadee.
Black-capped Chickadee.
Golden-crowned Kinglet.
These shots of the Three-toed Woodpecker in Bebo Grove were taken on February 23, 2014.
The remaining photos below were taken on February 23, 2014 in the Weaselhead.
Great Horned Owl.
Boreal Chickadee.
American Tree Sparrow.
Dark-eyed Junco.
Golden-crowned Kinglet.
House Finch.
This Long-tailed Weasel was photographed by Bill Thompson in his yard on an acreage near Bragg Creek in April 2010.
It’s a rare day that you see a Canada Lynx, so when Bill and Sharon Thompson spotted this one on a roadside while driving between Calgary and Prince George in 2002, they stopped to get a photograph. The Lynx had crossed the highway but then stopped in the ditch rather than disappearing into the bush.
Canada Lynx. Photo by Bill Thompson
For a few minutes the Lynx stayed still and was vocalizing. When Bill and Sharon looked back on the other side of the road, they saw the reason for this unusual behavior.
Canada Lynx kittens (cubs). Photo by Bill Thompson