The Pine Siskin is a familiar, tame little finch. They are often very approachable, enough to see their beautiful feathers. They are quite noisy, even while they feast on niger, black oil sunflower seeds and the seeds of pinecones, among other foods. Pine Siskins are common in Calgary and can be seen year round.
The Pine Siskin is a very curious bird; the bird in this photo is curious as to who is bothering him.
Posted by Matthew Sim
May is a great month for birds here; plenty of migrants, warming weather and leafless trees combine to make this month arguably one of the best months to see birds in the Calgary region. These factors therefore make it extremely hard to make a decision on just 5 birds to make the cut; but it had to be done, so here they are.
1. Horned Grebe
The Horned Grebe is a small, attractive grebe, a family of aquatic birds seldom seen on land or in flight. The Horned Grebe has a chestnut neck and flanks while its black head is topped with contrasting golden horns. A beautiful bird, the Horned Grebe qualifies easily for the month of May. The Horned Grebe does not breed in Calgary but as it passes through, up to mid-May, you can try to see one at Elliston Park or the Glenmore Reservoir.
2. Black-necked Stilt
A large shorebird that is an erratic and local breeder here in southern Alberta, the Black-necked Stilt has very contrasting colors; black upper parts, white underparts and very long, geranium-red legs. Its long, slender bill is always probing for food as its sharp eyes scan for both food and danger. This Stilt can be seen in wet pastures and on the grassy shorelines of shallow water, especially where there are plenty of mudflats. The stilt was virtually unknown in Alberta until 1994, but now, you can try to find it at places like Shepard Slough, Chestermere Lake and Weed Lake, Chestermere and Weed Lake being outside of the city.
Image courtesy Wikipedia
3. Western Tanager
The male Western Tanager is a very striking bird, easily making it on our list, with a bright red head, black wings, back and tail and his canary yellow neck, rump and underparts. The Western Tanager eats insects and fruits and feeds among bushes and trees, also hawking insects from the air occasionally. The tanager’s main habitat are boreal and montane forests; often being found in coniferous and mixed wood areas. The Tanager does come through Calgary on migration; I had one in my mountain ash in May of 2009. The best places to see this amazing bird are the north end of Weaselhead and the west end of Fish Creek Provincial Park.
4. American Avocet
A handsome and showy shorebird that can often be seen foraging in shallow water or on the barren mud flats along the edges of lakes. A light cinnamon color adorns the Avocet’s head and neck in the breeding season with the rest of its plumage being black and white. These birds start converging in large flocks in central Alberta usually in early May and can be seen best at locations like Shepard Slough and Frank Lake.
5. Yellow Warbler
The male Yellow Warbler is a brilliant yellow with olive-green wings and reddish breast streaks. This is a common bird and has a wide distribution throughout the province, thanks to its ability to nest in a large variety of areas. The female is similarly colored, but is more green above and drabber below. The male, despite his bright colors, is surprisingly well camouflaged and is best seen when the trees still lack their leaves. The Yellow Warbler arrives in Mid-May and is found in river valleys and wooded urban areas; Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is a good place to find this warbler.
See if you can find all 5 birds for the month of may; and then let us know about it!!!
The Calgary region is home to many great birds during the spring and summer that entice many a birder to their habitat in the hopes of finding them. This leads us to a difficult decision that will be debated by many; which birds qualify for the 25 must-see?
As noted in the May/June 2011 issue of Wild Bird magazine, most of the birds that would qualify for a top 25 list have at least one of the following criteria: beauty, charisma, being a rarity and the habitat in which they can be found (spectacular, limited, etc.). We will have 5 of the must-see birds a month, appearing on the blog the month that is best to see them.
Try to get out there and see if you can find the 5 birds for each month and then tell us about your trips!!! Find out which birds made the cut for the month of May on Sunday.
Posted by Matthew Sim
Recently, I visited Southland Park in Southeast Calgary where I found this male Common Goldeneye drinking water on the Bow River, providing for some neat shots. The Common Goldeneye is a diving duck with a mostly white body, topped with a head that can be a visible green sheen when seen in the right light.
The white oval in between the male Common Goldeneye’s beak and his eye distinguishes him from the similar Barrow’s Goldeneye; which has a white crescent.
The first step is to lower his head into the water.
And lower…
He then tosses his head back so that the water runs down his throat.
He then swallows, repeating this method until he has quenched his thirst. This is how most birds drink.
Posted by Matthew Sim
After the mild weather of the past few days, I hope we have finally seen the last of the snow, and I think European Starlings feel the same. The birds in this video seemed to be sheltering or seeking warmth on the stepping-stones on our lawn, which were warm enough to melt the snow. They were feeding on fallen crab apples from the previous summer.
Seeing them hunkered down in those round depressions kind of reminded me of the nursery rhyme “Sing a Song of Sixpence” about the four-and-twenty blackbirds baked in a pie…
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
For the past two weeks I’ve had two Eurasian Collared-Doves, likely a breeding pair, coming to my yard every day. They feed on the lawn (lately, on the snow), eating sunflower seeds that have spilled from the bird feeders.
Eurasian Collared-Doves
Eurasian Collared-Doves are not yet a common backyard bird in Calgary, but that may change. They were introduced to North America in the Bahamas in the 1970’s and have rapidly spread across the continent. I think they were first reported in Alberta in 2003, and in Calgary in 2004. I know of two pairs that have nested in the SE quadrant of the city in each of the past two years: one pair in Shepard, and another in Dover.
This bird has an odd broken feather sticking out on its left side, so I know it’s the same bird returning each day.
Eurasian Collared-Doves are pale buff-grey to pinkish-grey in colour. They are about the same length as a Rock Pigeon, but slimmer and with a longer tail. On the back of their neck they have a narrow black half-ring, edged with white, from which they get their name.
This preening bird shows off its black collar…
Eurasian Collared-Doves are becoming more common in the rural areas south and east of Calgary, and are being seen regularly in the city as well. They seem to occupy an ecological niche between that of the Rock Pigeon and Mourning Dove. It remains to be seen if they will become a common backyard bird like the Rock Pigeon, or primarily a rural one like the Mourning Dove. If you see any in your yard, please let Birds Calgary know!
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
The male Ring-necked Pheasant is a very colourful bird with a loud, harsh and raucous “koork-KOK”, call; one that often emerges from grasslands, deep brush and agricultural land. The pheasant is native to Caucasus and Russia and has been introduced all over the world as a popular game bird.
Ring-necked Pheasant
There is usually one male who guards his harem of plain, mottled females from other males, chasing them away during the breeding season. Pheasants are known to hunker down in a roost in very bad weather, going for days without eating. They nest and forage on the ground, eating seeds, wild fruits, nuts and insects.
I had my own special encounter with a pheasant the other day. I rode my bike to Fish Creek and as I turned a corner, I came to within a couple meters of a pheasant. He was startled (so was I!) and in his haste to get away, slipped on ice! Definitely funny for me to see!
Elegance… This male Pheasant is trying to be as regal as possible.
He hits the ice as he runs away and is unprepared…
Whoa!!! He definitely wasn’t ready for this!
Dignity regained… Or so he thinks.
Posted by Matthew Sim
At this time of year, American Tree Sparrows are moving through the Calgary area on their way north. They like to frequent brushy thickets and back yards across the city. I’ve had a pair in my yard since April 2, and I’ve seen them in many other parts of the city in the past week. These sparrows can also be seen in Calgary on their southward migration in the fall, with some of them occasionally overwintering.
American Tree Sparrows have a brownish-red cap and eyeline, and a dark spot in the centre of the breast. Despite its name (which was bestowed due to its resemblance to the European Tree Sparrow), these birds forage and nest on the ground. Their nesting areas lie north of the treeline.
They seek shelter in thick bushes…
Like many of our native sparrows, they prefer to feed on the ground…
American Tree Sparrows are a beautiful little bird with a beautiful song: one or two clear notes followed by a sweet, rapid warble. Just this week, I heard that song in my yard for the first time.
So don’t just assume that all of those little brown birds in your yard are House Sparrows and House Finches; if you look carefully, you might find that one of them is actually an American Tree Sparrow.
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
On Saturday, upon finally having good weather after a long winter, the Friends of Fish Creek Park group went to Mallard Point to see what could be found on the river. There were seventeen people on the outing, which meant lots of pairs of eyes on the lookout for birds. We saw many of the usual species, but even so, one never tires of the quirks of bird behavior.
Black-capped Chickadee excavating a nest hole…
… and emerging with a beak full of sawdust.
Male Common Goldeneye declaring his love…
…and then a pair of Goldeneyes demonstrating how diving ducks have to run on takeoff.
Male Ring-necked Pheasant chasing the female all over the island.
And for some reason it always seems odd to see Canada Geese up in the trees:
They can’t be thinking of nesting on the picnic table, can they?
We were also lucky enough to see some returning migrants:
Franklin’s Gulls. The one on the right has a pinkish breast colour.
But the highlight was a rare bird sighting, a male Red-breasted Merganser. These are only seen in southern Alberta on migration, and not very frequently within the city. This was a life bird for about ten of us, and even Gus Yaki, the trip leader, said he had not seen one in Calgary for about five years.
Posted by Bob Lefebvre