Tag Archive | calgary birdwatching

Down at the pond

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

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

Photo Feathers: Pine Siskin

May6

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

Must-see birds: May

May1

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!!!

Photo Feathers: Common Goldeneye

Apr29

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

Backyard Birds: Eurasian Collared-Dove

Apr18

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

Bird Profile: Ring-necked Pheasant

Apr17

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!