Tag Archive | calgary birdwatching

Loon Survey, Part Two

Last month I reported on my trip to Leisure Lake, southwest of Calgary, to monitor the breeding Common Loons there (see the blog post, Loon Survey, Part One). On June 14 there was a breeding pair of loons, with two eggs in the nest. I returned to the lake on July 10 to see if the young loons had fledged.

Leisure Lake, in the Bragg Creek/Priddis area, southwest of Calgary.

I soon saw the loons, the two young birds following their parents around the lake. The newly fledged loons were already quite large, and seemed to be doing well.

Two young loons following their parents.

One of the young loons in its brownish plumage.

The next step in the loon survey was to return to check on the loons in August, to see if the young have survived their first few weeks of life. I’ll report on that in Part 3.

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: August 29

Aug30

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 Aug 29, 2011.

AUG 27:

–GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE(300), S.of Eagle Lk, and 10 at Cattleland slough, by Rob Worona
–RUDDY TURNSTONE(3),Cattleland Feedlot slough, n.of Strathmore, by RW.
–LAPLAND LONGSPUR(20),same as above.
–CANADA WARBLER(5), one reported by Tony Timmons et al. at Mallard Pt.;3 at Mallard Pt./Bankside on Aug.28 by Janet Gill/ Bernie Diebolt, and one by RW at Eagle Lake on the 28th.
–BLACKPOLL WARBLER(1), Mallard Pt.by TT et al.
–AMERICAN REDSTART(4), Mallard Pt. by TT et al.
–OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER(1),Sikome Lk, Fish Creek PP(FCPP), by TT et al.

AUG. 28:

–CASPIAN TERN(2) adult and imm.,S end Weed Lake, east of Langdon, by Terry Korolyk et al.
–SANDERLING(5), S end Weed Lk, by TK et al.
–LESSER YELLOWLEGS(500) Weed Lk, by TK et al.
–STILT SANDPIPER(150), Weed Lk, by TK et al.
–MAGNOLIA WARBLER(2)one at Mallard Pt./Bankside, FCPP, by JG/BD.; one by RW at Eagle Lk.
–OVENBIRD(1),RW, at Eagle Lk.
–CONNECTICUT WARBLER(1)Hull’s Wood, FCPP, by TK.

The next scheduled update of the bird alert is on Thursday Sept. 1.

BIRD STUDY GROUP:

Bird Study Group meets 1st Wednesday of the month, Room 211, BioSciences Building, U of C. September meeting is Wednesday, September 7 with Ken Havard presenting

“Birding in Northwest India”. Meeting time is 7:30pm. Contact Andrew Hart at <andrewhart AT shaw.ca>

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: August 25

Aug26

This Bird Albert was recorded on Aug 25, 2011.

AUG 19

AMERICAN REDSTART – Al and Helga Borgardt at Mallard Point

AUG 20

PHILADELPHIA VIREO – Hull’s Wood by Terry Korolyk, 2 birds
SWAINSON’S THRUSH – Hull’s Wood by TK

AUG 23

OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, immature COOPER’S HAWK – Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, seen by Andrew Slater

BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON – 2 seen at Confluence Park by Bernie Diebolt, Janet Gill and a Nature Calgary group immature WESTERN TANAGER – TK at Hull’s Wood

The next scheduled update of the bird alert is on Mon Aug 29.

Nature Calgary Bird Study Group Meeting

Bird Study Group meets 1st Wednesday of the month, Room 211, Bio Sciences Building, U of C. Meeting is free and open to everyone interested in birding.

September meeting is Wednesday, September 7 with Ken Havard presenting “Birding in Northwest India”. Meeting time is 7:30pm.

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: August 22

Aug23

This Bird Alert was recorded on Monday, Aug.22.

Bird Sightings:

There were many observations of wading and shorebirds over the weekend by many observers. Below are some of the larger numbers observed. Weed Lake is located on Hwy 560 (extension of Glenmore Tr) just east of Langdon

SUNDAY, August 21
–WESTERN SANDPIPER (2 im) – Weed Lake by Ilya Povalyaev
–COOPER’S HAWK (1 im) – Porcupine Valley on Nose Hill by Steve Kassai
–NORTHERN CARDINAL (1 f) – seen by Laura Herperger and 2 other observers in Laura’s yard on Crescent Bluff, overlooking Sandy Beach.

SATURDAY, August 20
–GOLDEN PLOVER (1 im) – Weed Lake by IP
–HUDSONIAN GODWIT (3) – as above
–SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER (340) – as above
–SANDERLING (7) – as above
–STILT SANDPIPER (140) – as above
–RED-NECKED PHALAROPE (300) – as above
–LESSER YELLOWLEGS (250) – as above
–PECTORAL SANDPIPER (19) – flooded field just E of RgeRd 275 just S of Hwy 1 by IP
–BLACKPOLL WARBLER (2) – Hull’s Wood in Fish Creek PP (FCPP) by Terry Korolyk
–CAPE MAY WARBLER (1 f) – as above
–CONNECTICUT WARBLER (1 im) – as above
–TOWNSEND’S WARBLER (2) – as above

FRIDAY, August 19
–OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER (1) – Mallard Point in FCPP by Al & Helga Borgardt

THURSDAY, August 18
–MOURNING WARBLER (1 im) – Confederation Park by Bill Wilson
–BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER (1) – Inglewood Bird Sanctuary (IBS) by Gus Yaki and CFNS field trip
–BLACKPOLL WARBLER (1) – as above

WEDNESDAY, August 17
–WHITE-FACED IBIS (flock of 75) – Frank Lake by Shonna McLeod and Vivian Bissette

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Thursday August 25.

Sunday Showcase: Long-eared Owls

Aug7

These superb owl photos were sent to us by Russell Bachmann, who has been lucky enough to locate a few of these beautiful birds. I love the way these pictures typify any Long-eared sighting – you rarely see these birds when they’re not tucked away behind the branches! Click to enlarge.

Posted by Pat Bumstead

Must-see Birds: August

Aug2

August means migration for many birds here in Calgary while others are having a second brood of young ones or are concentrating on raising their first brood. This month’s birds are:

1. Common Loon

Best known for its lonely echoing calls that are considered by most people to be heard in unspoiled wilderness. The Common Loon has a seemingly star-studded back, a white necklace and a bright red eye that stands out in the right light. The Common Loon can stay underwater for long periods, up to a minute while feeding and longer if the bird is escaping from danger. Common Loons inhabit clear, open lakes where there are few people and plenty of fish. They can be seen in the mountains, foothills, parkland and boreal forest but are few in the grasslands.

2. Western Meadowlark

A stocky bird with a grayish brown back and a yellow breast with a black V on the bib, the male Western Meadowlark delivers a rich melodious song from posts in the grasslands. The Meadowlark breeds where there is a thick growth of weeds and grasses, laying 3-7 white eggs. The male bird is beautiful and defends his territory with various displays. Look for the Meadowlark in grasslands around Calgary.

Image courtesy Wikipedia

3. Yellow-headed Blackbird

Our third bird is the loud and noisy Yellow-headed Blackbird. The male is easily recognized by his bright yellow head and neck, black eye patch and white wing patch. the female is brown and mottled with a faint yellow head. The Yellow-headed Blackbird nests in the same marshes as Red-winged Blackbird and will displace the smaller Red-winged Blackbird from the prime nesting spots. The yellow-headed Blackbird is easy to see at Frank lake.

4. Black-crowned Night-Heron

A small stocky heron that at times appears to have no neck, the Black-crowned Night-Heron has a greenish black crown and long slender white head plumes. Most active at night, the Black-crowned Night-Heron was not observed in Alberta until 1958; it is now a local breeder. these herons colonize large bodies of water with dense emergent vegetation; I have seen them at Frank lake every time I have gone there during the spring and summer.

5. Peregrine Falcon

Our final bird this month is the speedy Peregrine falcon.One of the swiftest birds in the world when diving at prey, it can attain speeds of over 300km/h when diving. The adults are blue-grey above with barred underparts and a dark head with thick sideburns. One of the most widespread birds in the world, the name peregrine means ‘wanderer’ and the Peregrine falcon has one of the longest migrations of any North American bird. Look for this fast falcon nesting on the U of C campus and at shorebird concentration spots like Weed lake, where a Peregrine will hunt the migrating shorebirds.

Image courtesy Wikipedia

These are our 5 birds for August, see which ones you can find! We will have our final must-see birds post on September 1.

Posted by Matthew Sim

The Woodpecker Tree

Jul27

While on my latest bike ride into Fish Creek Provincial Park, I came across one very special tree. I have started calling it: The Woodpecker Tree. Standing proud and tall on the banks of the creek, this poplar tree seemed to be a gathering place for woodpecker food. I abruptly stopped on the dirt path I was riding on because I had heard a Hairy Woodpecker calling. I approached the tree for closer inspection and I was surprised to see 2 Downy Woodpeckers and a large female Hairy Woodpecker. Much to my surprise I heard another Downy Woodpecker calling high up in the tree and I looked up to see a male Downy Woodpecker and a White-breasted Nuthatch. I then heard a tapping coming from the opposite side of the tree and found it to be a male Hairy Woodpecker tapping away. Eventually, my final count of woodpeckers came up to 3 Hairy Woodpeckers, 4 Downy Woodpeckers and the lone White-breasted Nuthatch.

This tree obviously fulfilled the nourishment needs for 7 woodpeckers and a nuthatch. As I continued to watch all these birds, I saw them eating insects, tapping at fungal growths on the tree and investigating sap.

After a dozen of minutes or so, the woodpeckers started to spread out into the surrounding area to hunt down more food. Yet some of the birds, stayed on the woodpecker tree, clearly enjoying the abundance of good food.

Now, I can’t help but wonder if this is a regular occurrence at this tree, or was it a one-time event?

Posted by Matthew Sim

Rare Bird Alert Calgary: July 18

Jul19

This report was prepared on Monday July 18.

Bird Sightings

July 13
— GREAT EGRET, Silver Lake, east side of Hwy 2 about 4 km. north of Nanton (or 1 km. north of Mosquito Creek), Gus Yaki

July 16
— OVENBIRD, Fish Creek Provincial Park west of bridge 7, Bill Wilson

July 17
— WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, Ralph Klein Park, north side of Glenmore Trail and just east of 84th St., Terry Poulton and Grant Danielson
— PACIFIC WREN, Sibbald Meadows Pond, Sibbald Creek Trail (Hwy 68), BW

The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Thursday July 21.

Bird Profile: Red-winged Blackbird

Jul16

Up here in the northern part of the continent, we know when spring is here when the robins arrive. These are not the only harbingers of warmer days however; the Red-winged Blackbird heralds the arrival of spring as well, the males arriving before the females to claim their territory.

One of the most abundant and widespread birds in North America, the male is a striking bird; all-black plumage save for his bright red and yellow wing epaulets. The female is a heavily streaked brown bird with a light streak over the crown and above the eye. Males have harems of females living in their marshes, these harems can sometimes number up to 15, but up to one half of the nestlings turn out to be sired by a male other than the territorial bird. During the breeding season, Red-winged Blackbirds are rarely seen far from water and are communal nesters, often nesting alongside other species of blackbirds. Once nesting is over, the Red-winged Blackbird forms flocks and go out to forage over the countryside, returning to marshes to roost at night.

Red-winged blackbirds are a common victim of the parasitic Brown-headed Cowbird but this does not seem to affect the former`s numbers. The young are mostly fed insects, and this is exactly what the female Red-winged Blackbird pictured above is doing; she is feeding insects to a fledgling hidden in the grass. The male does a remarkable job and helps feed the fledglings in is territory; there can be quite a few young birds to feed!

Red-winged Blackbirds may be seen at any marsh, lake or pond in Calgary with cattails and bulrushes. Don`t forget to listen; you can always tell if there is a Red-winged Blackbird nearby if you can hear the males distinctive “Conk-la-ree“ song.

Posted by Matthew Sim

Photo Feathers: House Finch

Jul13

When I first saw this bird I thought it was a Purple Finch. It has raspberry-red plumage that extends over the top of the head and onto its back like a Purple Finch. In all other respects it looks like a House Finch, so it is probably just another male House Finch with unusual colouration.