Tag Archive | calgary birds

Join the 2024 Calgary Christmas Bird Count!

Please register to take part in the field or at home

The Calgary CBC will be on Sunday December 15. We need birders to take part out in the field counting birds, as well as Feeder Watchers counting in their yards. All participants, whether new or returning birders, must register so we have up-to-date contact information, and, for Feeder Watchers, correct addresses.

Redpoll (at the time, Common Redpoll) taken by Lou Zaganelli on the 2023 Count.

Here is everything you need to know about the Christmas Bird Count, from organizer Matt Wallace:

I am inviting you to take part in the upcoming 2024 Calgary Christmas Bird Count (CBC) happening on December 15!

As you likely know, the CBC is the longest-running citizen science project which began in the year 1900 as a way to encourage people to appreciate birds while helping to conserve them through data collection. The Calgary event began in 1952 and is one of the largest CBC events in Western Canada with nearly 400 people participating annually.

Consider this event to be the annual census of our winter birds in Calgary! It requires lots of people and effort to conduct this event, so we are always looking for birders of all experiences and abilities to take part. We really aim to use this event as a way to build up our community of nature enthusiasts and would love for you to share the event information with your friends, family, colleagues, and community.

Skip the details below if you’re ready to sign up and hit the registration form here: https://forms.gle/cNMoCPZZ9FNNrq3Q8

There are a few ways to participate:

Field Teams:

We have 38 circle sections and assign people to survey designated sections. All birds are identified and counted, and it usually runs the entire day depending on our participant’s availability. Bird submissions are made via eBird and shared with our CBC Compiler account. We also accept field templates from people who prefer to use them.We have section leaders who work with their groups to determine meeting locations, targeted areas, summarize effort data, and submit it back to our compilation team. We are looking for both field participants and field leaders (both returning and new).

Feeder Watchers (FWs):

People (individuals and families) observe birds visiting their yards and feeders for a minimum of 30 minutes on count day. FWs submit their data using a pre-formatted template which we provide. FWs are very important for our count as they help to fill in the data gaps where our field teams can’t access due to time or privacy. FWs must reside within the count circle, but we will confirm your address to ensure you are eligible to participate.

Data Entry/ Analysis:

Anyone interested in helping us to compile data is welcome! I often receive hundreds of emails with data templates, photos, and stories of the CBC. I manage but would love to have an assistant to help with this!
We continue to expand on our ways of showcasing the hard work of our volunteers. We have approximately 20 years of data (30 binders or so) which includes the detailed “section data” for the Calgary count. Yes, we submit all of the cumulative count “Circle” data to Audubon each year, but the section data is of interest to us on a local scale for showing how changes in our landscape and may influence bird populations.We would like to get all of this data entered prior to the 2024 count so that we can provide some additional infographics and analysis at the results presentation in January 2025.
In addition to the data entry, we would love anyone with skills in GIS and data visualization to join our compilation team in producing the final report (for media and the community).

So, all that’s left to do is register so I have your contact information, and we will be in touch soon! We look forward to you joining our CBC and thank you! Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions citynatureyyc@gmail.com.

Naturally, Matt

Moulting Is Not Revolting

Oct27

By Cathy Warwick

No! Of course moulting is not revolting, it is a natural part in the seasonal cycle of being a duck. No need to be embarrassed and hide away. Wait a second, maybe there is a need, since they can’t fly anymore to get away from predators!

Did you know many ducks moult once a year, in late summer or early fall? This means they shed most of their primary feathers all at once to grow new ones. The process can take about 20-30 days and during that period they lay low since they become flightless. If you have ever seen a pile of feathers and thought a coyote had lunch, it may not be so. The duck feathers can come off quickly and dramatically.

Not only do they become flightless, they become difficult to identify. Their beautiful and colourful plumage becomes a beige-gray bore before moulting begins. Typically this is in the summer months. This outfit is called their ‘eclipse plumage’ and it isn’t a favourite of birders. The term eclipse refers to the boring plumage darkening their usual colours. If you do an internet search for any type of waterfowl the pictures will show them in their breeding plumage, striking and unmistakable. Meanwhile you are peering through the binoculars at a beige lump wondering why birding is so difficult. We’ve all been there. At that point you can start looking for eye rings and tail shapes, which gets challenging. Or you also have the option of saying ‘oh a duck’ and watching them paddle around a bit.

Mallard
Moulting — A photo by Diane Stinson showing a Mallard that is moulting. Mallards are easy to identify at this stage of moulting.

I was surprised to learn that the Blue Jay moults all its head feathers at once. I have never seen that out in the wild and I suspect it’s because they hide away during this phase. It is such a radical difference from their usual spiky crown, They look like a tiny vulture with bugged out eyes. It only lasts for a week but you get the feeling if any bird were vain, it would be the Blue Jay. It’s amazing how much shape and bulk the feathers give birds, look at the difference between the two pictures of the Blue Jay, it’s hard to believe it’s even the same bird.

Blue Jay
Moulting — Blue Jay: Before on left (moulting) and After (beautiful crown feathers are grown in) Photos: Diane Stinson.

The larger birds and waterfowl are more inconvenienced by their moult season than smaller birds. Their feathers take longer to grow in. They often moult right before migration to have a nice strong set of new feathers to take them south. I imagine they are in the air now with their new outfits, ready to party in Mexico.

Osprey in the City

Jun1

By Cathy Warwick

Our sports fans are back in town. There is a pair of Osprey in Calgary’s southwest that have a nest overlooking an athletic centre and parking lot. The hustle and bustle of sports surrounds them and they appear to be used to it. I went and checked them out on a spring morning and watched one eat some fish while perched on top of a pole. As I watched the big bird with my binoculars surveying her territory, she was probably counting the breakfast crumbs on my sweater, her eyesight is that good.

The Osprey is also called a fish hawk because of its strict diet of fish. The pair of Osprey I visited fly over to Sandy Beach and patrol the river. For every hunting trip an Osprey makes it is estimated that they are successful 70% of the time. According to Cornell, the Osprey spends an average of only twelve minutes hunting per trip! Human anglers should take note of their tactics.

They spot a fish and then dive in with their sharp talons, which have a ‘opposable thumb’ type of claw at the back. Their talons also have scales going in a direction that snags the fish onto them. This feature, coupled with their strong grip, means they can be dragged under the water by a larger fish, if they get too greedy. They have also been known to dive under the water to get a fish, then to get out they ‘swim’ with their wings. These skills, coupled with their amazing vision, make them fishing machines. It’s enough to make the average angler throw their little pole and string in the bushes and march off in disgust.

Ospreys are often used to illustrate the effects DDT and PCBs had on our ecosystems, since they are the pinnacle of their food chain. Being at the top, they end up absorbing all the bad stuff in our waterways and DDT causes their eggs to have thin shells. This had catastrophic effects back in the 70’s – Ospreys were actually endangered in some areas. It’s heartening to see how they have rebounded and now have a status of ‘Least Concern’. Ospreys are all over the world, on every continent except Antarctica, and who would want to live there and hang out with a bunch of silly penguins.

During nest building the male Osprey usually gathers the materials and the female arranges it to make a nest. Last year the male had brought his mate a pair of black athletic shorts and they were acting more as a flag, hanging from the bottom. Perhaps from their favourite team? This year it looks like they are making use of a rope and an unidentified piece of cloth. I couldn’t really tell, with all the sticks and extras making up its nest, but it looked like there was no actual nesting platform for this pair. It brings up the question of why the Osprey don’t like the very sturdy nest platforms in Weaslehead. I have never seen an Osprey nest on those ones in all the years they have been there. Perhaps it is about the fishing opportunities down there? Maybe we need to organize some sporting events for them to watch?

Below are some photos of Osprey from another well-known nesting site in the city – the art sculpture on St. Patrick’s Island by the zoo downtown. The photos were taken by Onkar Kadim in summer 2023.

The Birds Of Alberta Podcast

May15

Chris Fisher’s new podcast is entertaining and informative.

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

I listen to a lot of podcasts, and recently I stumbled upon a new one from the Alberta naturalist Chris Fisher. Chris is probably best-known as the co-author (with John Acorn) of the excellent Birds Of Alberta field guide. The new podcast, also called Birds of Alberta, began on March 28, and there have been sixteen episodes so far. Each one focuses on a single wildlife species that can be found in Alberta. This is usually a bird, but there was also a really good episode about Wood Frogs.

Each episode is fairly short, ranging from eleven minutes to twenty-two minutes. As the description above says, they are about “the special experiences that the birds have while in this province to the special experiences that Albertans have with their birds”. It is not an interview format, but just Chris sharing his wide knowledge of Alberta wildlife.

I really enjoyed all the episodes so far, and I’m looking forward to more.

Check out the Birds of Alberta podcast – it is a welcome addition to Alberta’s wildlife media.

Buy Bob a Coffee.

Great Horned Owlets

May12

Happy Mother’s Day from Birds Calgary!

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

A pair of Great Horned Owls have nested on Ramona Casault’s acreage west of Calgary for several years. Ramona calls the adults Winnie and Waldo. There are three chicks this year, the last of which hatched just last week.

According to Ramona, both parent owls have taken turns brooding the chicks, and now sometimes will both be outside the nest tree and leave the chicks for a while.

Cuteness overload! Happy Mother’s Day!

Video by Ramona Casualt.

Bob needs birdseed!

Or coffee. Thanks for your support!!

City Nature Challenge 2024

Apr7

Thursday April 26 through Monday April 29

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

The sixth annual Calgary City Nature Challenge is coming up soon. This four-day bioblitz is an effort to try to record as much of the Calgary and area biodiversity as possible. Cities around the world will be taking part in this effort, and competing to see who makes the most observations and records the most species. As usual, Calgary will be competing to try to increase our own participation and species numbers here.

From CNC Organizer Matthew Wallace:

The sixth annual Calgary City Nature Challenge takes place April 26-29! Over 650 cities worldwide will compete and collaborate to showcase their urban biodiversity! Participate by taking photos of wild plants and animals in your yards, neighborhoods, and favorite parks over the four days. Then, upload your observations to the iNaturalist app or iNaturalist.ca!

There are several public events happening across the city which include pollinator walks, guided birding tours, and park bioblitzes. You can also just head out to explore on your own or with a group of friends.

Participate anywhere within the Calgary Metropolitan Region which includes Calgary, Airdrie, Chestermere, Okotoks, Rocky View County, and Foothills County.

The deadline to upload your observations to iNaturalist is midnight May 5.

Cities will compete to see which can make the most observations, document the most species, and engage the most people. Calgary aims to be the top-performing Canadian city with a goal of over 10,000 observations posted. Make as many observations as you can April 26-29 so get outside and help to put Calgary’s biodiversity on the map!

Check out all of the CNC resources on the following pages:

The City Nature Challenge webpage. Watch the events tab as more field trips are added.

CNC 2024 Facebook Page

The Project Page on the iNaturalist website.

As birders, we can participate by taking as many photos of birds as we can over the four days. Any identifiable photo is good so don’t worry too much about the quality of your pictures. We also need to document everything, so don’t hesitate to photograph House Sparrows, Black-billed Magpies, and other common species. Then you have until midnight on May 5 to upload your photos to iNaturalist.

An adult Bald Eagle I photographed near the Inglewood Golf Course on the 2023 CNC. Photo by Bob Lefebvre.

While you’re out there, you can also get photos of non-bird biodiversity with your camera. Maybe you won’t know what species you have, but iNaturalist has an artificial intelligence that can help with the ID, and even if you have no idea, other iNaturalist users will help to identify everything.

Canadian Beaver — Green-striped Grasshopper

These were a few of the other species I saw on the 2023 CNC. I didn’t know some of the species identifications until I entered them into iNaturalist. (Photos by Bob Lefebvre.)

Since I have my phone with me when I’m birding, I can use it to get photos of other species which are difficult to get with a big camera (photos by Bob Lefebvre):

Brickwork Woodlouse — Elegant Sunburst Lichen

I have found it to be a great experience to use iNaturalist to learn more about our overall biodiversity. Like most birders, I am interested in all of nature, not just birds.

Watch this short video about the 2024 Calgary City Nature Challenge:

Matthew has set a goal of having 10,000 observations made over the four days this year. In 2023 we had 9,301, so we are getting closer! We also hope to better our total of 762 species recorded last year.

So check out the project links above and plan to participate in an event, or just head out on your own!

The House Finch

Feb25

By Cathy Warwick

If you are walking around Calgary and hear a bird singing its heart out in a long trilling song, it is most likely a House Finch. These small birds are identified by their brown bodies, heavy beaks and the red colour on the male. It’s hard to believe that these now ubiquitous birds were fairly rare in Calgary, until as recently as the 1990’s! In theory most of us can remember a time when there were no House Finches around. In practice I barely remember the 90’s. Look at a group of birds at any feeder now and you will probably see some. The females have a striped body, and I find if you look for the stripes you can tell them apart from the House Sparrow fairly readily.

The House Finches origins start in the Southwestern US and Mexico. In the 1940’s someone tried to rebrand them as a ‘Hollywood Finch’ and sold them to pet stores in New York. In what way are they symbols of Hollywood I’m not sure, it was a different time back then. The Migratory Bird act came into effect, and all of a sudden pet store owners had illegal birds in their store. What do you do with a bird you don’t want? You open the window and let it fly away! If that bird is a tough and hardy finch, it will spread across North America.

The House Finch is prone to an eye disease called Mycoplasmal Conjunctivitis. If you see one with red puffy eyes don’t bother running out with tiny little cucumber slices, that bird is too far gone. According to Project FeederWatch you should take down your feeder for a couple days and then wash it. This will stop the spread of the disease to other House Finches.

These birds are fairly strict vegetarians, they fill up on seeds, buds, roots and foliage. Their colour is believed to be related to how well they are fed, if you see an orange male it could be that he isn’t getting all the nutrients he needs. Studies show the females choose the redder males. The male House Finch is responsible for feeding the young so it’s important to choose one that is a good provider. According to allaboutbirds, during courtship the male mimics regurgitating food to the female, showing off how good a feeder he is! These are monogamous birds, and very social, so really what you are seeing around the feeder are just a bunch of couples hanging out together.

What I love about them is their song that seems so out of place on a cold day. Listen for a “zzz” buzzing sound that is part of the up and down warble and it sure to be a House Finch. You can look for the singer and you will see a little brownish bird way up in the heights of a tree singing, perhaps lamenting its ancestors’ move from Mexico. Or perhaps it’s trying to win back its Hollywood moniker with a winning solo.

More about the House Finch on All About Birds, including audio.

New Year’s Day Bird Count

Feb2

Results of the January 1, 2024 Fish Creek Park Count.

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

The annual half-day bird count in Fish Creek Park was a lot of fun and a great success again this New Year’s Day. We had a high number of species, with high counts for several, and some new species for the count. It was another mild day, as it had been for pretty much the whole winter up to then.

Bow River — Sunrise in Fish Creek Park, January 1, 2024. Photo by Matt Wallace.

Forty-three birders went out to eight sections of the park. We found a total of 42 species, up from the ten-year average of 35. There were two new species not recorded before (Cackling Goose and Greater Scaup), and record high counts for six others.

Cackling Goose	10
Canada Goose	2,321
Trumpeter Swan	3
Tundra Swan	4
American Wigeon	7
Mallard	771
Northern Pintail	1
Green-winged Teal	4
Redhead	2
Greater Scaup	1
Bufflehead	179
Common Goldeneye	920
Barrow’s Goldeneye	13
Common Merganser	27
Ring-necked Pheasant	2
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)	17
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3
Bald Eagle	12
Great Horned Owl	2
Belted Kingfisher	1
Downy Woodpecker	31
Hairy Woodpecker	11
Pileated Woodpecker	5
Northern Flicker	53
Merlin	4
Northern Shrike	1
Blue Jay	5
Black-billed Magpie	133
American Crow	2
Common Raven	86
Black-capped Chickadee	219
Mountain Chickadee	7
Boreal Chickadee	11
White-breasted Nuthatch	42
Red-breasted Nuthatch	33
Townsend’s Solitaire	2
American Robin	1
Bohemian Waxwing	277
House Sparrow	78
Pine Grosbeak	12
House Finch	20
Dark-eyed Junco	1

Our group covered the Hull’s Wood/Sikome Lake/Boat Launch areas. Matt Wallace took some great photos of our day.

Fish Creek near the Bow River. Photo by Matt Wallace.

We found a group of four overwintering Tundra Swans on the Bow. Photos by Matt Wallace.

North American Porcupine — We also count mammals. This Porcupine was snoozing up in a tree. Photos by Matt Wallace.

Despite the Park Rules, someone has been leaving seeds for the birds. This Downy Woodpecker was so used to being fed that it kept comng to our hands briefly even though we had no food. Photo by Matt Wallace.

This count is not an official Christmas Bird Count, but it has a pretty long history now, and it is an important tool to monitor the long-term population trends in the park. If you want to learn more about the count in all areas of the park, come to Birds & Beers this Thursday, February 8, where the Count Organizer Jim Washbrook will present the results and answer questions.

Results of the Calgary and Priddis Christmas Bird Counts will also be presented at Birds & Beers. In case you missed it, here are some of the results from the Calgary Count, showing the species recorded and the numbers of each:

Birds & Beers, February 8, 2024

Feb1

Presenting the Christmas Bird Count Results

Next Thursday, February 8th, we will have another Birds & Beers meeting in Calgary. As usual, we meet in the big ballroom at the Royal Canadian Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW. The event starts at 5 pm.

A Black-billed Magpie seen by a Feeder Watcher on the 2023 Calgary Christmas Bird Count. Photo by Lou Zaganelli.

After some time for socializing, eating, and drinking, there will be a presentation on some of the recent Christmas Bird Counts that took place in the Calgary area. Matthew Wallace will present the results of the Calgary Count, Gavin McKinnon on the Priddis Count, and Jim Washbrook on the Fish Creek Park New Year’s Day Count. The presentation starts at about 7 pm.

A Common Redpoll seen on the Calgary Count. They have been scarce this winter here, but we had almost a hundred on the count. Photo by Lou Zaganelli.

Everyone is welcome at Birds & Beers! See you there!

Pine Grosbeak – Our Winter Bird

Jan14

By Cathy Warwick

Have you ever seen a Northern Cardinal in real life? These birds are beautiful and striking, and most of all, an intense red. If you haven’t seen them in person, I know you have seen them on Christmas cards and other winter-based accessories. Surrounded by snow and red berries probably. Those of us who live in Western Canada are tired of seeing them on our cards and mugs, and since they refuse to migrate out west I say we get a new bird to be emblematic of winter. I propose the Pine Grosbeak.

The Pine Grosbeak is a large (robin sized) pinkish-red bird that flocks around berry-laden trees whilst looking festive. Although it is only the male Pine Grosbeak that have the red hue, and the females tend to be a mustard yellow, they still are very striking. As All About Birds describes them “a large and plump, heavy-chested finch with a round head”, sounds like they just need a Ho Ho Ho and their big bellies will shake like a bowl full of jelly.

I have been seeing them often on my street this winter, eating fruit from the trees. They travel in a small flock, and are identified by their color, their heavy finch beaks and their white wing bars. As the Audubon website says, they are “absurdly tame” so you can go stand under the tree and watch them. They dwarf the regular house finch, and probably can bully them off of bird feeders. I have never seen them on my feeder, probably because they are so big they would trigger the squirrel cage around it.

They are often seen in Weaselhead, just past the big bridge, where people put seeds. One year, a long time ago now, I saw some there that were a very rich brick red. Interestingly, their size and color varies across the continent. The males in California tend to be more orange for example. The Pine Grosbeak in British Columbia tends to be smaller. If they want a shot at supplanting the Cardinal they better start emphasizing the red.

Like most finches they have a pleasant song, warbly and melodic. I can’t say I have heard them sing in person. Perhaps this is because they sing during breeding season and by then they have vacated the city. According to the Government of Canada this bird is an ‘irruptive’ species whose populations are poorly understood. That means they move to southern locales when the food in the North is scarce. It is very special that they can overwinter in our city and I love seeing them here.

The Pine Grosbeak has a reputation for being slow-moving. In Newfoundland they have the nickname of ‘mopes’ because of their mopey, sluggish movements. I’m not sure how fast things usually move in Newfoundland but I would never call a bird mopey. However this does mean they make great photo subjects, and that should fit right in with my idea of overtaking the Cardinal in winter and Christmas memorabilia.

In Calgary Pine Grosbeaks can be found most readily in coniferous forests of the Weaselhead, the west end of Fish Creek Park, west Bowness, and Griffith Wood Park. In big irruptive years they might be seen almost anywhere in the city.

Here is a map showing sightings of this species in the Calgary area this year, from November 2023 to January 2024, as posted on eBird. As you can see, they are most often seen in the west end of the city and to the west of it.

Read more about the Pine Grosbeak on eBird here.

Please register to take part in the field or at home

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By Cathy Warwick

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Chris Fisher’s new podcast is entertaining and informative.

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Happy Mother’s Day from Birds Calgary!

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Thursday April 26 through Monday April 29

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By Cathy Warwick

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Results of the January 1, 2024 Fish Creek Park Count.

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Presenting the Christmas Bird Count Results

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By Cathy Warwick

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