Tag Archive | calgary birds

It’s good to be back…

Dec19

I flew in to Calgary from Houston last Friday night and was greeted by snow on the ground! Something that I haven’t seen since April. Never thought that I would be so excited to see snow. My first day back, Saturday, I took a walk around my neighborhood and was fortunate enough to see most of the locals; no not the neighbors, the birds.

First thing in the morning, I woke to see several Black-billed Magpies jumping and hollering about in the willow. Several Common Ravens flew overhead and 2 pairs of Chickadees visited the feeders. I was very happy to see the Black-capped Chickadees, nothing can compare with this species’ friendliness!

I have been following the reports from Albertabird still and I have seen all the reports of winter finches; I knew what a good year it was for these birds. I just didn’t know how good! In my hour or so walk, I saw more Crossbills then I did all last winter. I must have seen more than 100 crossbills!

Most of the crossbills were White-winged however there were a few Red Crossbills in the mix ( see photo above). I also observed many Pine Siskins that were flocking with the crossbills and feeding on the abundant cones.

My neighborhood, for some reason, never seems to be popular with Common Redpolls, however this year, within my first 24 hours of being back in Calgary, I had already seen 2 in my community. Also, we hosted a Pine Grosbeak, which is unusual for us. At one point, I was privileged to see several crossbills, a redpoll and many siskins on the ground just feet in front of me, licking up some sort of salt or rock from the ground.

Then, later on in the day, I discovered why my feeders were so empty. Three Sharp-shinned Hawks were all together in a tree. When 3 raptors start calling your neighborhood home, there are definitely going to be some songbird declines.

All in all, it’s good to be back!

Posted by Matthew Sim

Tips on Bird Photography

Dec12

I think it is safe to say that most of us here have an interest in birdwatching. Some of us are also interested in photographing birds, documenting what we see and also enabling others to enjoy these sightings . Bird photography can be very tricky though and doesn’t always come out the way we want it to. Through trial and error as well as tips from other nature photographers, I have slowly learned different tricks of the trade and am still learning. Here is one trick that I have found helps me a lot.

Take a look at the picture above. Probably doesn’t do much for you, right? Just a killdeer photograph, nothing exciting about the shot itself. What could have been done to make this a better photograph? I have found that getting low can often drastically improve the photo. Get down at eye level with the bird, you can often create better eye contact with the bird, bringing the viewer into a connection with the photo. The Killdeer will then seem more interesting, not only because of the lower angle, but because of the  change in the depth of field of the shot.

Depth of field (also known as DOF), is the term for the amount of distance between the closest and farthest objects that appear sharp in the photograph. In the second picture above, a shallower depth of field (meaning a blurry background) makes the photo less distracting and more pleasing to the eye. In the photo pictured below, I took it one step further, instead of simply kneeling, I lay on my stomach, creating a very shallow depth of field and therefore, a picture that is more likely to catch your eye than the first photo.

Changing the depth of field is a remarkably simple technique but incredibly powerful in the way a photo comes out. By getting low, chances are you can improve your bird photography.

Posted by Matthew Sim

Sunday Showcase: Calgary Corvids

Dec4

Corvids, which are crows and jays, are classified by their harsh voices and their aggressive manner, both of which draw attention to themselves; large and often very gregarious birds. Most corvids have bristles on their nostrils, located on very powerful, all-purpose beaks built specially for handling their varied diet ( berries, fruits, seeds, invertebrates, small mammals and carrion). Here are most of the species that you may see in the Calgary region, the only one missing, is the colorful Steller’s Jay.

American Crow

Blue Jay

Grey Jay

Clark's Nutcracker

Common Ravens

Black-billed Magpie

Posted by Matthew Sim

Autumn Birding in LaFarge Park

Nov28

I continue to be amazed at the diversity of birds in Calgary that for one reason or another choose to overwinter here. When I signed up for the Autumn birding course with Fish Creek Provincial Park, led by the legendary Gus Yaki, I was expecting to learn a lot about the bird population of Calgary, but also expected that once the temperatures dropped and the usual summer birds migrated southward, that the walks would turn to more of a discussion and less spotting and identification of birds themselves. So far, I have been thankfully disappointed. Thirteen weeks into the course, I am still spotting new birds and exploring new locations for birding within the city limits.

This past weekend I spent Saturday morning in LaFarge Park and Sikome Lake, as well as a brief stop at the visitor’s centre before heading home. The first highlight of the day was one of the Great Horned Owls that have been roosting near the buildings at Sikome Lake for the past few years.

Owl is not amused.
Great Horned Owl
Great Horned Owl
I see you seeing me

Moving on down we stopped to check out a local feeding spot that walkers, joggers and nature lovers keep well stocked year-round for the White-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadees, and Downy Woodpeckers nearby.

Downy Woodpecker

Picking back up down the road at the boat-launch parking lot, we walked along the Bow River for the next couple of hours, spotting a number of species. Common Goldeneyes, Buffleheads, Common Mergansers, Mallards, Killdeer, and even a pair of Green-winged Teal were taking advantage of the warm weather to feed.

Buffleheads
Common Goldeneye
Male (front) and female (rear) Common Goldeneye
Green-winged Teal (male)
Male (left) and two female (center, right) Common Mergansers

The highlight for me was the family of Bald Eagles that had taken up residence just south of Highway 22X. They were very tolerant of our intrusion into their park, and even posed quite nicely for us.

Adult Bald Eagles

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Adult Bald Eagle

A little further south , we were alerted to a flock of Common Redpoll in feeding from a stand of water birch, which allowed us to get very close before being flushed by something nearby, which would soon make its presence known.

Common Redpoll

Common Redpoll

Just before reaching the southernmost point of our journey, we spotted a lone Killdeer walking across a gravel bar in the centre of the river, and it was moments later that the culprit who flushed the Common Redpolls appeared just over the opposite bank of the Bow River; this juvenile Northern Harrier.

Northern Harrier

Wheeling northward once again along the pathway we passed by the two juvenile Bald Eagles, who again seemed undisturbed by our proximity, and then onward to the vehicles. Only one more brave bird would present itself so beautifully at this far southern extent of the walk. A female Hairy Woodpecker industriously worked away at a fallen log, poking not one, but two separate holes through the bark and both times coming up with a tasty morsel.

Hairy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

In our walk around the visitors centre a little later on, we were once again gifted with a Red-breasted Nuthatch along with a number of Black-capped Chickadees along the pathway, and a Northern Shrike being chased by a Black-billed Magpie as we returned to the parking lot. Sadly I wasn’t quite fast enough with the camera to catch that pair.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Posted by Daniel Arndt

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: Nov 21

Nov22

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 Albert was recorded on Nov 21, 2011.

NOV 19

SWAN sp. – 2 juveniles below the Carseland Weir, Terry Korolyk
BARROW’S GOLDENEYE – male and female on McElroy Slough, TK
RUDDY DUCK – on McElroy Slough, TK
GADWALL – male on Bow River in east Fish Creek PP, TK
LESSER SCAUP – (possible) female, Beaverdam Flats, Bill Wilson
SNOWY OWL – Grand Valley Road 5 kms south of the Bates Bar J Ranch Gateway southwest of Water Valley, Richard Clarke
COMMON REDPOLL – common throughout area over the weekend
PINE GROSBEAK – as above
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL – as above
SNOW BUNTING – a flock of 300 reported just south of Frank Lake, TK

NOV 20

SWAN sp. – an adult at the dam at Pine Coulee Reservoir along Hwy 527 just west of Stavely, TK
WESTERN GREBE – 6, as above
AMERICAN COOT – as above
RUDDY DUCK – as above
GADWALL – a few, as above
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK – 23 around the Pine Coulee Reservoir boat launch, TK
GYRFALCON – an adult at Twp Rd 162 – Rge Rd 26 east of Nanton

The next scheduled update of the bird alert is on Thu Nov 24.

Sunday Showcase: Goldeneye With Egg

Nov20

Some unique photos from Rob English, who says “I shot these last June in Carburn Park at the hundred year old tree. It was early in morning so the photos aren’t the best but I thought you might enjoy them anyway. I sent them to Gus Yaki  and he said it was something seldom seen, never mind photographed.

Who knows what she was doing? Cleaning her nest of a cracked egg or raiding the nest site for a takeover as there was a Common Merganser circling the tree.

What she was doing I guess we will never know, but it is interesting to see. After she had done the deed she just sat in the tree cavity”.

Bird Profile: Bohemian Waxwing

Nov5

A rush of wings, followed  instantly by  high-pitched trills break the silence. It is a cold, wintry scene, snow falling slowly from the never-ending sheet of clouds that blanket the sky in a gloomy grey. Standing still, nothing is to be heard; no cars, no people, and, above all, no birds. Just when it seems as though the entire world has gone into a peaceful slumber, the calm is broken by the sound of nature.

When they descend in hundreds, berries don’t last long at all. These birds are highly social and travel tight together, descending en masse on fruit bearing trees, where they proceed to rapidly consume thousands of berries. A very hardy bird, the Bohemian Waxwing toughs out the frigid winters of northern latitudes, enduring harsh conditions.The waxwing is both gregarious and elegant with a slick crest, and soft, silky plumage; it is deemed attractive by many. Named for the red, drop-shaped, waxlike tip on their feathers, this bird has warm grey-brown plumage, a black patch through the eye and a yellow-tipped tail. Bohemian Waxwings are berry aficionados and during winter, survive on the fruit of trees such as mountain ash and juniper, but also eat saskatoon and choke berries. Such a heavy reliance on one source of food can greatly affect a birds population and will cause much fluctuation. If there is a high population one year and a low fruit crop the same year, many waxwings will disperse in winter further south out of their regular mapped range. These years are known as irruptive years and are cherished by southern birders who do not usually get the opportunity to observe these birds.

I love witnessing large flocks of Bohemian Waxwings, it is possible to hear the whir of thousands of wings as they land, the twittering as they communicate endlessly, and the soft thud of berries as the fruit falls into the snow below, dropped by  a careless tug from the beak of a waxwing. Sometimes, after the flock has left, the snow will be littered with bright red berries. Then as cars and people pass over the fruit, the snow will be stained a rose color, evidence of the masses of birds that banqueted there.

Remember next time you are shoveling snow in -30 degree weather; you are privileged in that you can witness this elegant species brightening up the dull grey day. These birds are truly northern and hardly extend into the U.S. They are definitely one of the things I will miss most about Calgary winters.

Posted by Matthew Sim

Saturday Selection: Winter Birds in the Calgary area

Oct29

Here is a photographic collection of some of the birds you may see in the Calgary region this winter.

Snowy Owl

Common Merganser

Hairy Woodpecker

Mountain Chickadee

Brown Creeper

Red Crossbill

Posted by Matthew Sim

Revering a Raptor

Oct28

From the day that I first laid eyes on the species, gliding on broad wings over a coniferous forest in the Rocky mountains of Alberta, I have always looked with awe at it, astounded by its sheer magnificence. Many people have soft spots for raptors. I have a soft spot for one in particular: the Northern Goshawk.

I first saw a goshawk just over a year ago. It was early October 2010, and I had signed up for the Mount Lorette Golden Eagle field trip with Nature Calgary. I went out on my own to explore the area right around the location of the watch, and, while out on the path, witnessed an adult goshawk rise up from the spruce trees and circle away. From that moment on I was always looking for goshawks; every chance I got, I would go searching for them.

Rising up out of the forest; my first views of a Northern Goshawk

Several days later, on a biking trip to Fish Creek Provincial Park, I came across an adult Goshawk perched high up in a poplar, sitting and gazing at the world around him. I stood and watched this magnificent raptor for more than half an hour, pointing the bird out to anybody who came near. Many of these were joggers or were merely walking their dogs. They took little interest in this bird, that is somewhat tricky to spot in the city of Calgary. I was rewarded though by the few who did pause to look up at the goshawk and comment on his size.

“What did you say it was called?”

“A Northern Goshawk”, I would reply eagerly, ” it’s somewhat unusual here in Calgary.”

“Really? Wow! Look at how big he his!” After staring up at him for several more seconds, they would smile and move on. Hopefully the Goshawk had made an impression on them though.

While I watched this large, strong accipter (agile, forest dwelling hawks with short rounded wings and long tails) it scratched its head withs its talon, giving me glimpses of those wicked sharp utensils it uses to tear apart its prey. Eventually, it lifted off and disappeared amongst the trees.

Goshawks are among the largest, strongest and most audacious of the hawks of North America. In November 2010, a little over a month since I first observed this species, I got an excellent opportunity to view this audacity. I was riding my bike home from Fish Creek and was running slightly late. I looked down for a moment as I pulled onto a dirt path going around a storm water pond, and, when I looked up again, there, sitting merely yards away from me in a small tree no taller than 10 feet, was an adult goshawk. They now seemed to be everywhere I went! I slammed on the brakes as hard as I could and screeched to a stop, panting breathlessly. Pulling out my camera, I marveled at how close this bird had let me get. I stood watching him, he stood watching me, this went on for several minutes before he abruptly flew away.

Taken with a 200mm lens and no crop; I could see every detail in the feathers

Instead of leaving altogether though, the goshawk started hovering over a field, pulled up, started hovering again and then pulled up once more. Then, with a sharp turn, he came whizzing right at me and flew by me at a distance of about 4 feet! The raptor was so close that my lens couldn’t focus on it!

These incredibly neat personal experiences combined with an amazingly beautiful species, have come to make me love the Northern Goshawk.

Posted by Matthew Sim