Tag Archive | birds in calgary

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Oct 10

Have you seen an unusual bird in Calgary? If it is on this Reportable_Birds (PDF), please report it to the Nature Calgary Rare Bird Alert line at 403 221-4519 and leave a message after the beep at the end of the recording. If you would like some help with species identification, us email us at zoxox@shaw.ca To report injured wildlife call the Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society at 403 239-2488, or the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation at 403 946-2361.

This Bird Alert was recorded on Monday Oct 10 at 10:15 am.

Bird Sightings:

Oct 5:
-COMMON NIGHTHAWK flying over the yard of Matthew Sim, Willow Pk. Calgary.

Oct 8:
-CLARKE’S GREBE (1), 1200 SNOW GEESE, including 2 BLUE varients, 12 SURF SCOTERS, at Eagle Lake on a CFNS field trip, Rob Worona etc.
-800 SNOW GEESE at Third Lake, south of Hwy 552, SE of Calgary, Terry Korolyk.
-GREATER SCAUP (3) on a pond on Leighton Center Rd south of Calgary, TK.
-150-200 SNOW GEESE, RUSTY BLACK-BIRDS (3) at the Calgary Zoo Ranch, Dunbow Rd,south of Calgary, CFNS field trip, Gus Yaki etc.
-SURF SCOTER (1) on Glenmore Reservoir, Bill Wilson.
-SWAINSON’S THRUSH (4), HERMIT THRUSH, TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS (13) at Inglewood B.S., BW.
WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS (2), HERMIT THRUSH, NORTHERN SHRIKE, at S Glenmore Pk, GY and FFCPP.
MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS (10) on the ridge behind Spruce Meadows, TK.
-GRAY CATBIRD, PACIFIC WINTER WREN, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS (4), VARIED THRUSH, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS (8), WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS (2), DARK-EYED JUNCOS, SLATE COLORED (24), DARK-EYED JUNCO, PINK- SIDED (1), LAPLAND LONGSPUR at the Mt. Lorette Raptor watch, Kannaskis, Jim Davis etc.

A record number of migrating raptors (583) and record GOLDEN EAGLES (556) were counted at Lorette.

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Thursday Oct 13.

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Oct 6

Oct7

This Bird Alert was recorded on Thursday Oct 6 at 9:50 am.

Bird Sightings:

Oct 2:
HERMIT THRUSH west side of Nose Hill Park, Steve Kassai.

Oct 3:
HERMIT THRUSH (3), FOX SPARROW (red), several large flocks of GRACKLES, and a raft of 143 COMMON MERGANSERS at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Greg Meyer.

Oct 4:
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS (2) at Mallard Pt, FCPP, Terry Korolyk.

Oct 5:
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER rescued after a window hit at Uof C, Eileen Cora.
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS (15) in Bebo Grove, west FCPP, Al Borgardt.

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Monday Oct 10.

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Oct 3

Oct4

This Bird Albert was recorded on Oct 3, 2011.

SEP 25

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK – 5 seen on a Nature Calgary Field Trip to Plateau Mountain, led by Peter Roxborough
GOLDEN EAGLE – 2 seen on the same field trip

SEP 26

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL – reported by Gus Yaki who saw it at the Yacht Club on the south shore of Glenmore Reservoir

SEP 30

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE – 2000 reported by Cedric Hitchon and Ian Halladay at Stobart Lake southeast of Strathmore, seen by scope from a location off Hwy 901 which goes east of the south end of the lake. They also had 40 at the Cattleland Feedlots Slough.
BONAPARTE’S GULL – more than 100 at the south end of Eagle Lake – CH and IH
PEREGRINE FALCON – Thomas Glen saw one around the Bow Building in downtown Calgary

OCT 1

SURF SCOTER – 4 reported on Glenmore Reservoir by Youssif Attia
GREATER SCAUP – a female seen as above

OCT 2

AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER – 5 juveniles seen by Tony Timmons in the southwest corner of Langdon Reservoir on Hwy 22X
GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH – 32 reported by Bill Wilson off the Mount Nakiska access road. For details call Bill at 403-230-0054
SWAMP SPARROW – at the Mount Lorette raptor watch off Hwy 40 in Kananaskis Country

*BLACK VULTURE – no further reports on this bird reportedly photographed on top of the City Hall building in Raymond, AB on Thu Sept 22

The next scheduled update of the bird alert is on Thu Oct 6.

BIRD STUDY GROUP:

Bird Study Group meets 1st Wednesday of the month, Room 211, BioSciences Building, U of C. October meeting is Wednesday, October 5. Topic is “Birds of Prey”
presented by Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation. Meeting time is 7:30pm.

Sunday Showcase: Black-crowned Night Herons

Oct2

Rob English spotted this family gathering south of Airdrie, early in September. Click to enlarge.

Fish Creek Park Birding

Sep28

I had a very slow birding summer, with a knee problem that kept me out of the field and off my bike for three months. But now my knee is better and I am back birding with Gus Yaki and the Friends of Fish Creek Society. I went out twice with this group to the Hull’s Wood/Sikome/Lafarge Meadows area in mid-September. Here are some pictures from those trips (click on the pictures to enlarge them).

Two Double-crested Cormorants, and on the right, an Osprey, silhouetted against the rising sun.

A cormorant dries its wings.

Double-crested Cormorant, this time with the light on the right side of the bird.

The Osprey perched in a tree.

Red-tailed Hawk in flight.

Northern Flickers.

Greater Yellowlegs, in one of the ponds by highway 22X.

We found a single Wood Duck (centre) hanging out with the Mallards.

Great Blue Heron on its usual rock.

Juvenile Bald Eagle.

This Cedar Waxwing was picking insects out of a spider web high in a tree.

American Kestrel.

Killdeer on the pond.

Killdeer on the river.

Common Raven calling near where they nested in Lafarge Meadows.

Finally, there is this bird, which we found sitting on a path that runs from the Sikome boat launch parking lot to the river. I’ll tell its story next week.

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Sept 26

Sep27

This report was prepared on Monday September 26.

September 22:
–BLACK VULTURE, Raymond, AB. Reported by Jocelyn Hudon. First confirmed record for Alberta. Photographed perched on top of the town hall.

September 23:
–AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, S.end Weed Lk, by Andrew Slater
–SANDERLING(13), same as above.
–TOWNSEND’S WARBLER(1), Confederation Park, by Bill Wilson and Ilya Povalyaev.

September 24:
–WESTERN SANDPIPER(Juv.) S.end Weed Lk, by IP et al.
–ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK(1), along Hwy.#22,just S. of the Water Valley turnoff, by Tim Allison.
–SNOW GOOSE(1), a pond along Hwy.#22x, just S. of Calgary, by Terry Korolyk.

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Thursday September 29.

BIRD STUDY GROUP:

Bird Study Group meets 1st Wednesday of the month, Room 211, BioSciences Building, U of C . October meeting is Wednesday, October 5. Birds of Prey – presented by
Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation. Meeting time is 7:30pm.

Willet (or won’t it)

Sep24

As colder weather begins to descend upon Calgary, it can be nice to reflect a little bit on some birds that we were familiar with during the summer months.

Many species of birds vary greatly from region to region. The Willet is one of these birds that are highly variable with two distinct subspecies, the eastern semipalmata darker, browner and thicker-billed than the western subspecies inornata that we see both in Calgary, and down here on the Gulf Coast.

A western inornata Willet

A large shorebird with a flashy black-and-white wing pattern seen in flight, the willet was given its name thanks to its territorial call: pill-will-willet. A very vocal bird, the Willet, as biologist William Vogt wrote many years ago, has another call, a ringing kaaaty. When William Vogt studied a breeding pair of Willets back in 1938 he couldn’t help but call them Will and Kate, thanks to their calls.

Another western Willet

Several years ago, before I was a big birder, I traveled out east for vacation. I observed my first Willet out there and now I have the chance to compare photographs of eastern and western Willets.

While the shots of the Western Willets are winter plumaged birds, you can still see the smaller size, darker color and stouter bill in the eastern Willet pictured above.

I always find regional variations in birds intriguing and the Willet is a bird with an easily visible difference, making it a good subject to view and compare from the east to the west.

Posted by Matthew Sim

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Sept 23

Sep23

This report was prepared on Thursday September 22.

September 18
— BLACK-NECKED STILT (20), Weed Lake, Terry Korolyk

September 21
— COOPER’S HAWK, Hull’s Woods, Fish Creek Provincial Park, TK

–AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, Weed Lake, Ilya Povalyaev

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Monday September 27.

BIRD STUDY GROUP:

Bird Study Group meets 1st Wednesday of the month, Room 211, BioSciences Building, U of C

October meeting is Wednesday, October 5. Birds of Prey – presented by Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation. Meeting time is 7:30pm.

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Sept 19

Sep20

This Bird Albert was recorded on Sep 19, 2011.

SEP 17

BROAD-WINGED HAWK – over North Haven subdivision, by Steve Kassai
VARIED THRUSH – north end of Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Bill Wilson
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER – numerous over weekend, seen by many observers
WILSON’S WARBLER – as above
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER – as above
COMMON LOON – immature reported by TK at Chestermere Lake
WHITE-FACED IBIS – 19 at 338 Ave and Hwy 799, TK
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER – 8 at Weed Lake, TK

SEP 18

NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL – seen in Weaselhead by Steve Kassai. For more details, phone Steve at 403-289-1351
COOPER’S HAWK – as above
SWAMP SPARROW – Bill Wilson saw one in Confederation Park by the creek
BLUE-HEADED VIREO – as above
BLACKPOLL WARBLER – 2, as above
HERRING GULL – 1st – 2nd year, seen by TK at Weed Lake
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER – 12 at Namaka Lake, seen by David Pugh

The next scheduled update of the bird alert is on Thu Sep 22.