Tag Archive | Fish Creek Park

Sunday Showcase: White-headed Red-breasted Nuthatch

Jan25

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

If you find yourself in the Bebo Grove area of Fish Creek Provincial Park (perhaps looking for the Northern Pygmy-Owls) you might come across this unusual little male Red-breasted Nuthatch. It has been in the same area of Bebo Grove, just southeast of the parking lot, for at least three years. At first glance it can be mistaken for a White-breasted Nuthatch because there is so much white on the face.

image6Leucistic Red-breasted Nuthatch. Photo by Tony LePrieur.

This bird is leucistic, lacking some of the coloured pigments that normal birds have. It is usually accompanied by a female, and will readily come to your hand. It actually seems to be the most aggressive bird of the local nuthatches and chickadees.

!cid_109118BD-C845-499E-BD8D-D7F8BB4730F3@telusPhoto by Wayne Walker.

!cid_A371242A-1824-4F7F-BA33-62E62441EC41@telusPhoto by Wayne Walker.

It’s always an interesting bird to see, and very reliable, so have a look for it.

 

Sunday Showcase: Winter Woodpeckers

Jan4

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Fish Creek Park is a great place to find woodpeckers. In the winter, there are up to six species that can be found there: Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, American Three-toed Woodpecker, and Black-backed Woodpecker. Flickers are migratory but there are always some around in the winter here. Downy, Hairy, and Pileated are resident species. Three-toed and Black-backed are generally only seen here in the winter, and not every winter. This winter they have both been seen in Fish Creek Park, and in fact it appears that there are at least six Three-toes and three Black-backed in the park, which is an unusually high number for them.

Over the past couple of months Tony Leprieur has managed to get photos of all six of these species inside Fish Creek Park. All photos by Tony Leprieur.

Pileated Woodpecker:

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Northern Flicker:

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Downy Woodpecker:

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Hairy Woodpecker:

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American Three-toed Woodpecker:

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Black-backed Woodpecker:

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The Latest From Fish Creek Park

Oct10

Tony LePrieur photographed a nice variety of wildlife in the park on October 5.

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Pileated Woodpecker.

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Greater Yellowlegs.

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American Three-toed Woodpecker (male).

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Boreal Chickadee.

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White-breasted Nuthatch.

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Yellow-rumped Warbler.

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Red-breasted Nuthatch.

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American Robin (immature).

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Downy Woodpecker.

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Muskrat.

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White-tailed Deer.

Sunday Showcase: Spring Arrivals

Apr27

Despite (or possibly because of) the snow and cold weather on Saturday, Tony LePrieur got some great shots of spring birds in Carburn Park and Fish Creek Park in SE Calgary, and some resident birds and mammals as well.

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Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle), Carburn Park, April 26, 2014

Sunday warbler

Sunday warbler 2

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Franklin’s Gulls, Carburn Park, April 26, 2014

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American Robin, male, Carburn Park, April 26, 2014

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Resident White-tailed Deer, Carburn Park, April 26, 2014

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Common Loon, Carburn Park, April 26, 2014

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A resident bird in Fish Creek Park, male Ring-necked Pheasant, April 26, 2014

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Ring-necked Pheasant, male, Fish Creek Park, April 26, 2014

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Osprey with nesting material, Carburn Park, April 26, 2014

Tony returned to Carburn Park in the better weather on Sunday and got another shot of a Common Loon on the pond there.

Common Loon Sunday

Common Loon, Carburn Park, April 27, 2014

Spring Arrivals at Fish Creek Park

Apr13

Tony LePrieur saw some new birds for the year in Fish Creek Park on April 5, 2014, as well as some favourite residents.

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Northern Shoveler, male.

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European Starling.

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Red-winged Blackbird, male. This bird is arriving right on time, but all the ponds there were still mostly frozen over on this date. 

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Golden-crowned Kinglet, male. Likely a winter bird that will soon move on.

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Blue Jay, a year-round resident species.

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Snowshoe Hare. Transitioning to summer colours far faster than the surroundings are!

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Muskrat.

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Finally, some close-ups of one of the resident Great Horned Owls. Check the talons in the third photo.

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Sunday Showcase: Late Winter Birds

Mar23

Spring is here and the new migrants are showing up daily, but here is another look at some of the winter birds seen in Fish Creek Park and the Weaselhead Nature Area in Calgary. All photographs by Tony LePrieur.

The photos below were taken in Fish Creek Park on February 17, 2014.

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Great Gray Owl, Bebo Grove.

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Boreal Chickadee.

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Black-capped Chickadee.

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Golden-crowned Kinglet.

These shots of the Three-toed Woodpecker in Bebo Grove were taken on February 23, 2014.

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The remaining photos below were taken on February 23, 2014 in the Weaselhead.

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Great Horned Owl.

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Boreal Chickadee.

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American Tree Sparrow.

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Dark-eyed Junco.

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Golden-crowned Kinglet.

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House Finch.

Sunday Showcase: Three-toed Woodpecker

Dec15

Tony LePrieur found this male American Three-toed Woodpecker, and other birds, in Fish Creek Park on December 8.

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American Three-toed Woodpecker (male)

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Boreal Chickadee

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Black-capped Chickadee

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White-breasted Nuthatch

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Red-breasted Nuthatch

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Downy Woodpecker (female)

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Downy Woodpecker (male)

Wednesday Wings: Mergansers and More

Nov13

These great photos were taken by Larry Doucet in Fish Creek Park in September. They were taken along the creek in the Glennfield area, just east of Macleod Trail.

Fish Creek Merganser 1

Common Merganser, Sep 21, 2013. Canon Rebel T4i. Lens: Canon EF75-300mm at 300mm. Exposure: 1/400 sec, f5.6, ISO 100, aperture priority, spot metering, spot auto focus

Fish Creek Merganser 2

Common Merganser, Sep 21, 2013. Canon Rebel T4i. Lens: Canon EF75-300mm at 300mm. Exposure: 1/640 sec, f5.6, ISO 100, aperture priority, spot metering, spot auto focus

Fish Creek Merganser 3

Common Merganser, Sep 21, 2013. Canon Rebel T4i. Lens: Canon EF75-300mm at 300mm. Exposure: 1/250 sec, f5.6, ISO 100, aperture priority, spot metering, spot auto focus

Fish Creek Merganser 4

Common Merganser, Sep 21, 2013. Canon Rebel T4i. Lens: Canon EF75-300mm at 300mm. Exposure: 1/800 sec, f5.6, ISO 100, aperture priority, spot metering, spot auto focus. This one was taken through some trees to see if I could get a blurred frame around the bird.  She came right into a spot of sunlight just as I was ready for her.

Fish Creek Chickadee 1

Black-capped Chickadee, Sep 29, 2013. Canon Rebel T4i. Lens: Canon EF75-300mm at 180mm. Exposure: 1/400 sec, f5.0, ISO 200, aperture priority, spot metering, spot auto focus

Fish Creek Chickadee 2

Black-capped Chickadee, Sep 29, 2013. Canon Rebel T4i. Lens: Canon EF75-300mm at 180mm. Exposure:  1/500 sec, f5.0, ISO 200, aperture priority, spot metering, spot auto focus

Fish Creek White Breasted Nuthatch

 White-breasted Nuthatch, Sep 29, 2013. Canon Rebel T4i.  Lens: Canon EF75-300mm at 300mm. Exposure: 1/800 sec, f5.6, ISO 800, aperture priority, spot metering, spot auto focus