Tag Archive | calgary birds

Swainson’s Hawk

May15

While we were at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary doing our Big Sit, we came across a very interesting sight. There, perched on the ground, maybe ten feet off the path, was a dark-morph Swainson’s Hawk. The dark-morph Swainson’s Hawk has a dark-brown colour over most of its body; the more common light morph has a brown bib contrasting with white underparts. This particular hawk had a Richardson’s Ground Squirrel clutched in his claws and was regarding all the photographers and interested visitors with a haughty look.

This Swainson’s Hawk intrigued many visitors to Inglewood Bird Sanctuary.

And there he sat; for over an hour we were told, he had stayed in the same spot. He finally got tired of all this hustle and bustle, deciding to try to find a quieter place to enjoy his meal in peace. However, he had not counted on catching such a heavy meal…

 Attempted take-off

After he couldn’t achieve lift-off by taking a running leap, he tried a different tactic: taking off from the spot where he stood.

Flap!!!

Well that didn’t work either…

The hawk then decided that, seeing as he wasn’t going anywhere with his meal, he might try to eat it right then and there. And that’s what he did. He hopped back a couple of feet with his meal, to a slightly more secluded area and began to eat.

 Here, he shields his meal from potential thieves.

Hopefully his meal didn’t weigh him down too much after he ate it; otherwise, he might not be able to take off again!!!

Posted by Matthew Sim

Big Sit results

May14

A very windy morning was spent down at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary by us three bloggers; several people came by to join us. The large gusts of wind kept the birds down and hard to hear but we still had some great birds. From 8 -10 a.m., we counted birds down at the river recording 24 species of birds.

  1. Canada Goose
  2. American Wigeon
  3. Mallard
  4. Common Goldeneye
  5. Common Merganser
  6. Double-crested Cormorant
  7. Osprey
  8. Swainson’s Hawk
  9. Merlin
  10. Spotted Sandpiper
  11. Franklin’s Gull
  12. Rock Pigeon
  13. Belted Kingfisher
  14. Northern Flicker
  15. American Crow
  16. Common Raven
  17. Tree Swallow
  18. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
  19. European Starling
  20. Yellow-rumped Warbler
  21. Song Sparrow (heard 5 minutes before 8a.m.)
  22. Red-winged Blackbird
  23. Common Grackle
  24. Brown-headed Cowbird

At 10a.m., due to the frigid wind, we moved base to the Walker house ( we were there 10:30-12:15) where we added:

  1. Cooper’s Hawk
  2. Red-tailed Hawk
  3. Black-capped Chickadee
  4. Chipping Sparrow
  5. House Finch

All and all, not a bad morning to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day; a grand total of 29 species of birds from within the count circles. There were also some good birds from outside the circles; right after we called it a morning and took down the circle, an American Kestrel showed up. We also saw White-crowned Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, House Wren, Warbling Vireo, Northern Pintail and a Barn Swallow. One of the highlights was a Swainson’s Hawk less than twenty feet off the path, with a kill. A story will follow shortly!

Posted by Matthew Sim

Bird Songs 101

May14

Ever heard that beautiful song coming from deep inside a dense bush, but don’t know what exactly is the source of that amazing sound?  You can check out this great site to help you match the song with the bird.

http://www.natureinstruct.org/dendroica/

The Blackpoll Warbler gives a very high-pitched song that can be inaudible at times.

Dendroica.com is a great site; whether you are a novice and just learning the songs, or you are a seasoned pro and brushing up for the spring migration. Photographs of the bird are provided on this site, as well as a description of the song or call and then the song itself. Once you have gotten familiar with the sounds, you can go out into the field with this newly-found or rediscovered knowledge, and be able to identify that beautiful song coming from deep inside the bush.

 

Posted by Matthew Sim

Down at the pond

May13

Ponds can be a great place to see birds. They provide a home to not only birds, but many plants, mammals, insects, fish; the list could go on forever! The key factor is the water. Water attracts birds almost without fail; they need it to bathe, to drink and to keep cool. You can see birds at big lakes, such as Frank Lake, or you can see birds at small ponds, like the one close to my house.

 A male Red-winged Blackbird calling. These birds are common at ponds that have rushes and reeds along the banks.

At my local pond, which sits on the Willow Park golf course, you can just about always see Mallards, Common Goldeneye, American Wigeon, Redheads and Red-winged Blackbirds. Lately, there has been a pair of Canvasbacks on the pond as well. Ponds where you are likely to find birds need to be the right types of ponds. Several characteristics define a good pond, including: moderately deep water, plenty of vegetation, both on and under the water, reeds around the banks and good, fairly undisturbed nesting spots. These factors can make ponds irresistible to many birds.

The male Redhead is a striking duck with its rust red head and dusky grey back.

Do you have a pond near you? If you do, go check it out, you never know what you might see!

Posted by Matthew Sim

Free Summer Bird Walks

May10

Last week, the first of Nature Calgary’s Tuesday evening bird walks was held.  For those of you who can’t make it out on weekend mornings, these evening walks may be a good opportunity.  Throughout the spring and summer, a free birding field trip to one of Calgary’s many parks will be offered every Tuesday beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary

For information on upcoming walks, check the “Free Nature Walks” page on our banner above.  The page is updated regularly.  This evening, May 10, the field trip will be at Edworthy Park in the northwest.  Spring migration is getting into full swing, so get out and see the latest arrivals.

Carburn Park

All Nature Calgary field trips are free and open to all members of the public.  You don’t have to be a member of Nature Calgary to attend.  If you need any more information about a particular walk, you can phone the walk leader at the number listed.  But in general, you just have to show up!  Dress for the weather, have your binoculars and/or camera ready, and have fun while learning about the birds of Calgary and our natural areas.

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Migratory Bird Day: The Big Sit

May8

Saturday May 14 is World Migratory Bird Day.  To celebrate this, and to see the birds of Calgary at the peak of our spring migration, Birds Calgary will be doing a Big Sit at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary.

Sit birding is an activity that requires the birder to count all the birds that are seen and heard while remaining within a circle seventeen feet in diameter.  Essentially, you stay put and let the birds come to you.  On May 14, the Birds Calgary writers will see how many species they can find from a spot in the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary near the Bow River.

Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, 2425 9 Avenue SE, Calgary

We will begin the count at 8 a.m. and go until 11 a.m (noon if the birds keep coming).  Anyone who wants to join us for the count and help out is welcome.  You can also just drop by at any time during the count to see how we are doing.  If you plan to stay, bring a lawn chair, binoculars, water, and either sunscreen or rain gear (or both) as the weather requires.

Harlequin Ducks, male and female, seen last year from our Big Sit spot.

Here is a link to the World Migratory Bird Day website:  http://www.worldmigratorybirdday.org/2011/

I hope you can join us next Saturday for a great morning of birding!

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Sunday Showcase: Skating Geese and more

May8

These stunning shots were sent to us by Rosanna Evans. Thanks for sharing! Click pictures for a larger view.

Taken at Carburn Park, Calgary:

Taken at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary:

Help Us With the May Species Count!

May7

The May Species Count is an event held on the last weekend of May each year, in which birders try to find every species of bird in the Calgary area.  Over the two-day period, teams or individuals scour their assigned areas to identify every bird species they see and hear, and also note the total numbers of each species.  This year the count will be on May 28 and 29.

How many Mallards?

The area covered is huge – a circle 160 kilometres in diameter centred on the Centre Street bridge in Calgary.  Organizers have broken the count circle into many smaller territories, and assigned volunteers to each area.  We need a lot of birders to cover all this territory!

          The Count Circle.  The numbers indicate the territories to which birders or teams of birders are assigned.  Click on the map to enlarge it.

There are still some territories that are not covered, so if you want to contribute to a very worthwhile citizen science project, contact the co-ordinator:

Terry Poulton  –  May Species Count, May 28-29, 2011

phone    403-274-7393        email    tpoulton@yahoo.com

Everyone is invited to participate, whether beginner or seasoned pro.  You can do a whole day, a half day, or both days.  Terry will try to assign you to an interesting route, and try to match new-comers with experienced birders, and drivers with riders.  There are a wide variety of environments, from urban to prairie to foothills habitats. Most years, more than 200 bird species are seen in total within the circle.

This is a great opportunity to get involved in Calgary and area birding, and to see as many as one hundred species of birds in a single day.  If you can identify most birds you see, you can survey an area yourself.  If you are a new birder, you will be assigned to a team with other experienced birders where you can help to spot and count birds, and learn about the process.

If you are at all interested in this, please contact Terry to get more information.  It’s one of the funnest birding experiences of the year, at the birdiest time of the year!

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Rare Bird Alert: May 5

May6

Have you seen an unusual bird in Calgary? If it is a species on this Reportable_Birds list (PDF), please report it to the 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, email us at 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 Albert was recorded on May 5, 2011

APRIL 29

COMMON LOON: 4 on large slough in Lafarge Meadows in east Fish Creek PP

MAY 1

BROAD-WINGED HAWK: Matthew Sim had 1 fly over his home in Willowpark
HUDSONIAN GODWIT – 26 seen by Nimali Seneviratne and Isabel Anderson. The birds were flying over Basin One at Frank Lake
STILT SANDPIPER – several seen by NS and IA at the same location

MAY 2

BROAD-WINGED HAWK: Terry Korolyk saw one moving northward over Hwy 791 east of Chestermere Lake
COMMON LOON – 7 seen by TK at the dam at Chestermere Lake
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER – 2 males seen at the south end of Chestermere Lake by TK
VARIED THRUSH – in Phil Cram’s yard in Mount Royal
HUDSONIAN GODWIT – 11 reported by Lloyd Bennett in the Taber area
PIED-BILLED GREBE – seen by LB in Taber area
SOLITARY SANDPIPER – as above
FORSTER’S TERN – as above
COMMON TERN – as above
WHIMBREL – 11 seen by LB in a field NW of Fincastle Lake near Taber

MAY 3

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW – reported by Gary Malcolm in his yard in Calgary’s Silversprings subdivision
HARLEQUIN DUCK – 2 males still seen at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, reported by Gus Yaki and the Friends of Fish Creek Park
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN – 2, as above

MAY 4

BROAD-WINGED HAWK – Bill Wilson saw one in the trees along the upper part of the creek in Queen’s Park Cemetary in NW Calgary
VARIED THRUSH – reported by PC and Jerry Pilny on Hwy 68 west of Calgary
RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER – 4, as above
BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS – as above
COMMON LOON – Katrina Lybbert saw 27 on Glenmore Reservoir

The next scheduled update of the bird alert is on Mon May 9.

Bountiful Birding at Frank Lake

May2

Last week I took the short drive out to Frank Lake, east of High River (see the directions under the “Birding Resources” tab above).  I was hoping to see some of the many Short-eared Owls that are often seen there at dusk, and I had about two hours before that to scope out the lake for waterfowl and other birds.  This is a very productive wetland, and I managed to see 24 species of birds, 13 of which were new ones for the year for me.

The water level is very high this year.  As you can see, the path to the observation blind was flooded.  There was also still quite a bit of ice on the lake, but much of Basin 1 was open.

By far the most common bird there was the Franklin’s Gull.  Frank Lake is home to perhaps the largest breeding colony of these gulls in the world, with up to 55,000 pairs.  They build floating nests in the cattails, and if the water levels remain this high they may not be able to breed here successfully.

There were other gulls as well.  This one, which I believe is a California Gull, was having eggs for dinner.

The gull took the egg onto the roof of the blind, and although it almost rolled off at one point, he finally did manage to eat it.

I had good views of Eared Grebes and Ring-necked Ducks…

But the highlight was when a flock of four White-faced Ibises flew in.  I had never seen this large, beautiful bird before.  It has dark, glossy, chestnut and bronze colouration, a long decurved bill, and of course a white face.

(Click on photos to enlarge them.)

The four flew on, but a little later another flock of twelve Ibises arrived…

They landed on the island…

And virtually disappeared in the grass…

(Cinnamon Teal in the foreground.)

At dusk, I started to drive back out on the dirt access road, but I didn’t get far, since I brake for Short-eared Owls…

This owl was right next to the road, so it flew before I could get very close.  However,  I saw another one hunting a little farther down the road…

All in all, a great evening of birding topped off by a fine southern Alberta sunset.

Posted by Bob Lefebvre