Tag Archive | Merlin

A rare no-show at Beaverdam Flats, but waterfowl galore!

Posted by Dan Arndt

Our outing last week took us down to Beaverdam Flats, primarily in search of a Cassin’s Finch visiting a feeder at the south end of the park, with the added bonus of seeing a wide variety of waterfowl and a few woodpeckers as well! We also had the great fortune of having beautiful light and incredibly warm weather, making this one of the most pleasant, if not the most productive walk of the season so far.

Beaverdam Flats - January 25, 2015

Beaverdam Flats – January 25, 2015

From the parking lot, we headed immediately downstream for the feeders where Calgary’s first Cassin’s Finch had been recorded for over a week on a near-daily basis. After giving it a good twenty minutes, with no Cassin’s Finch in sight, we headed back north to check out the abundant waterfowl along the Bow River. We did manage to see a few House Finches at the feeder, so it wasn’t a total loss!

male House Finch Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/1000sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 1600

male House Finch
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1000sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 1600

As we headed up the river, we had good looks at the incredible iridescence of both Bufflehead and Common Goldeneye, but it was really the Bufflehead that stood out early on.

male Bufflehead Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/640sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 250

male Bufflehead
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/640sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 250

Our route did offer us a great view of a bit of a sign of summer, this Baltimore Oriole nest that has been in the trees for a number of years, made out of what appears to be fishing line and maybe a few other bits of plastic. Along this stretch of river in just over three months will be Baltimore Orioles singing their hearts out to attract a mate. In fact, it was right across the river from this southern stretch of Beaverdam Flats where I saw one of my first Baltimore Orioles in Calgary.

Baltimor Oriole nest Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/800sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 320

Baltimor Oriole nest
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/800sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 320

As we walked away from the river for a bit, and through the primarily poplar, willow and aspen dominated pathways, and spotted a couple other photographers who had their eyes on this gorgeous male Merlin. After a few minutes, he took off and flew in our direction, allowing me to get some fairly close looks at him, and some rather close photos as well!

male Merlin Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 1250

male Merlin
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 1250

Just a few minutes later, and less than a hundred meters along the pathway was this male Northern Flicker, calling out like he had nothing to worry about from the Merlin so close by. Maybe he could tell that the Merlin had recently eaten, or just wasn’t really that interested in a meal at that time of the morning.

Northern Flicker Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 500

Northern Flicker
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 500

We continued north along the pathway, with relatively few looks at much of anything, and only heard a handful of Black-capped Chickadees, but a flyover of Common Goldeneyes with their wings whistling in flight and heads reflecting in the bright sun made for a beautiful sight overhead.

Common Goldeneye in flight Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 400

Common Goldeneye in flight
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 400

A brief look at a female Hooded Merganser was my first of the year, but she flew off after only a few seconds of us having our binoculars on her, so as we headed toward the north end of the park, we found a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers sharing a few trees searching for food. This male seemed to not be particularly concerned about our distance from him.

male Hairy Woodpecker Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 1600

male Hairy Woodpecker
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 1600

We were about to call it a day when a smaller brown duck caught our attention under the train bridge at the north end of the park. A few seconds later, we had it clearly identified as a female Lesser Scaup, always a great winter bird to find in Calgary!

Lesser Scaup Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/1250sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 640

Lesser Scaup
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1250sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 640

And with that, we headed back to the parking lot to go off in our own ways. It is nice to see that both bridges in the park and the majority of the pathways are fully restored following the extensive damage that this park received in the flooding we received in 2013.

Thanks again as always for reading, and good birding!

Celebrity Swans and Weasels at Sikome Lake

Posted by Dan Arndt

This week we headed down to Sikome Lake in search of the beginnings of the massive waterfowl flocks that we find along the Bow River each winter. We were not at all disappointed as there seemed to be no end of Mallards and Canada Geese flying overhead, but on top of that, we had a few pleasant surprises throughout this area of Fish Creek Provincial Park.

Sikome Lake - November 23, 2014

Sikome Lake – November 23, 2014

Underneath the paired bridges over the Bow River, we found this immature Tundra Swan, which seemed to have made friends with a few Mallards. While it was a little out of place among the many smaller waterfowl, it didn’t seem too disoriented, and not visibly injured, so we took some photos, had a bit of a chat about why this particular juvenile was a Tundra Swan and not a Trumpeter Swan, and then headed on our way. Hopefully this young bird will head south before the weather turns again!

Long-tailed Weasel Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/500sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 1600

immature Tundra Swan
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/500sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 1600

immature Tundra Swan Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/500sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 3200

immature Tundra Swan
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/500sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 3200

We headed over to the area where, for many years, a family of Great Horned Owls has nested, and while we were in the area, we stumbled across another local celebrity. A Long-tailed Weasel in winter plumage was actively hunting and caching food away for the winter, relentlessly picking off every Meadow Vole it can find, as evidenced by the fact that even with our minimal encounter with it, it hunted one down and headed back to its cache again. The entire encounter lasted about five minutes, and left all of us happy and quite satisfied with our looks at this beautiful, and often quite shy creature.

Long-tailed Weasel Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 3200

Long-tailed Weasel
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 3200

Long-tailed Weasel Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 3200

Long-tailed Weasel
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 3200

Long-tailed Weasel Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 3200

Long-tailed Weasel
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 3200

Nearby, we found the adult Great Horned Owl pair in their usual haunt, followed quickly by a pair of Merlins fighting over a meal of relatively unknown identity, which gave us a little bit of concern for the safety of the Long-tailed Weasel, since it would make a fine meal for either of these predatory birds, but with all of the small birds and many voles around, it’s likely much safer than we gave it credit for.

Great Horned Owl Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/1000sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 1600

Great Horned Owl
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1000sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 1600

Merlin Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 500

Merlin
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 500

We actually watched the Merlins chase each other over, around, and through a patch of poplar trees for a few solid minutes, and when it was all over, each of them had a smaller piece of the original prey item that had been caught by the individual above. The aerobatics and speed of the two birds was absolutely stunning to experience.

We headed back north to follow the river’s edge back down to the parking lot at the Boat Launch, and as we were scanning the large flock of waterfowl on the opposite shore, something startled a nearby Killdeer, one of the few that’s still sticking around despite the cold. Moments later, it was gone, flying upstream with its distinctive flight call and drawing our attention to the skies.

Killdeer Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 1250

Killdeer
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 1250

As its flight call moved into the distance, our attention was drawn to not one, but two Bald Eagles in a nearby tree, watching over the waterfowl on the river, trying to identify any of them that might be injured or otherwise unable to escape the talons of these large, powerful raptors.

female Bald Eagle Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm 1/800sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 320

female Bald Eagle
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/800sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 320

female (left) and male (right) Bald Eagles Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@340mm 1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 400

female (left) and male (right) Bald Eagles
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@340mm
1/1250sec., ƒ/6.3, ISO 400

Soon enough, the two Bald Eagles flew off in search of their next meal, flushing up hundreds of ducks in all directions, and making a perfect end to another eventful and exciting morning in Fish Creek Provincial Park!

Have a great week, and good birding!

More surprises and new discoveries in the Weaselhead

While it has only been two weeks since our last visit to the Weaselhead, and only a week since my last post on it, that amount of time can lead to a huge difference in the birds one will see and hear in such a dynamic habitat. In addition to some of the birds we only heard on our last visit, a bunch of new arrivals made for an eventful day. I was thankful for that, because by the time I started with our group at 7:30, I’d already been out in the Weaselhead for almost 4 hours with the Dawn Chorus, listening for birds in the pre-dawn light, and had already accumulated a list of close to 60 species for the day!

Return to the Weaselhead

Return to the Weaselhead

A small contingent of six of us decided to visit the Weaselhead again, and while we didn’t expect too much in the way of new birds, we were very pleased with what we did find! One of our first new finds though was a pair of Least Chipmunks rummaging around in the freshly stocked feeders. This one actually sat inside while we watched him snacking on the sunflower seeds.

Least Chipmunk

Least Chipmunk

Looking out over the Elbow River towards the area where the Rufous Hummingbirds are, we spotted this little fellow much closer still, and snapped a few shots. When we confirmed the ID as a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, we edged closer and were able to get some very nice views and photos.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Showing off his gorget

Showing off his gorget

Down the hill we went, checking on the Rufous Hummingbirds, but not before finding a couple of the birds we’d heard well the past few weeks but hadn’t seen. Both the Cedar Waxwings and Gray Catbirds seemed much more comfortable sitting out in the open this week, and both allowed nice photo opportunities.

Cedar Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing

 

 

Gray Catbird

Gray Catbird

The old faithful pair of Eastern Phoebes under the wooden bridges in the Weaselhead were both present, but we got our first good looks at the male under the north bridge. After looking the wrong way for him for a few minutes, thought I’d look down over the edge, and sure enough, less than five feet away from me, there he was! Once he knew that I’d seen him though, he flew under the bridge and away from us to continue his hunting for the morning.

Eastern Phoebe

Eastern Phoebe

As we walked through the meadow where the Calliope Hummingbirds nest, we heard two separate Ruffed Grouses drumming, and as we neared our usual Boreal Chickadee grove, this male was drumming so close to us that I could actually hear the wind whistling through his flight feathers.

 

Ruffed Grouse

Ruffed Grouse

Onward and westward we went, staying away from the main pathway as much as possible, as apparently there was a race going on along the main central path… though we didn’t see or hear much in the way of runners. As we neared the pathway though, we did hear this Yellow-bellied Sapsucker calling and tapping on this dead snag… at least when he wasn’t preening himself.

 

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

A visit to the south ponds netted the calls of a Sora, a few American Wigeon on the ponds, more Least Flycatchers than one could count, and at least two Rose-breasted Grosbeaks calling from the treetops. This male allowed us a few minutes of viewing before flying off once again.

 

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

One notably absent species were the Cliff Swallows. Their nests were empty, and we weren’t the only ones who noticed. This Merlin was sitting near the bridge staring intently down at the nest colony, in hopes of snagging some lunch. He sat there until long after we left, waiting for his lunch “on the wing” to be delivered.

 

Merlin

Merlin

Our last new species of the day was actually one that is generally more evasive than the most secretive birds, but for some reason, this young Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel was sitting on the ground nibbling away on grass and seeds when we nearly stumbled over it. We could have sat there all morning taking hundreds of photos of it, but this little ground squirrel was completely fearless!

Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel

Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel

 

Next week I’ll be away, but I will share some highlights from the May Species Count with you, along with some really great sightings we had at the annual Livingstone Ranch Golf Course bird count! Have a good week, and good birding!

The Barred Owl of Bebo Grove

Posted by Bob Lefebvre

Since the Barred Owl was first reported in the Bebo Grove/Shannon Terrace area of Fish Creek Provincial Park, Tony LePrieur has made many trips there to search for it. After almost two months without success, he finally was able to see and photograph it on December 7. He watched it for almost an hour as it hunted. All photos by Tony LePrieur.

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Barred Owl with Meadow Vole.

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Barred Owls are uncommon in the area and rarely seen in the city. This one (or another Barred Owl) has been in the Bebo Grove area for the last two winters (they are non-migratory, but I don’t think it has been reported in the summer – likely it nested in another nearby area).

If you go looking for it, please stay on the trails and watch from a respectful distance. Do not try to flush it – Barred Owls are vulnerable to predation, especially from Great Horned Owls, which are also in this area.

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On the same trip, Tony was entertained by this Merlin which took a bath in Fish Creek.

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