Featuring Journey through the Fabled North-west Passage by John McFaul.
The 2025 season of Calgary Birds & Beers kicks off on Thursday January 9th at the Legion, 9202 Horton Road SW. We meet in the big ballroom starting at 5 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend these social get-togethers.
At about 7 pm there will be a presentation by John McFaul on his Journey through the Fabled North-west Passage.
Photo by John McFaul.
John’s description: The presentation will take the viewers on a 17 day arctic cruise through the North-west Passage from Greenland to Kugluktuk (formerly known as Coppermine). Images of the majestic land and seascapes, the wildlife and the cultural and historical features of this fabled passage are sure to entice everyone to consider undertaking their own journey to Inuit Nunangat – land of the Inuit.
Photo by John McFaul.
John is a long-time Calgary naturalist and former President of Nature Calgary. He runs the nature guiding company Alpenglow Nature Hikes.
Kenya Birds Presentation, Christmas Bird Count, Calendars for sale, Bird Book Exchange – Thursday November 28
Tomorrow night (Thursday the 28th) at the Legion, 9202 Horton Road SW, is our last Birds & Beers of the fall. I wrote about this before but here is an update on some of what you can expect tomorrow evening.
The main presentation, after 7 pm, will be on Birding in Kenya in the summer of 2024, presented by Gavin McKinnon. His presentation will feature many photos of Kenyan birds and mammals, plus information on future tours that he will be leading through his company Meadowlark Birding Tours.
Red Bishop. Photo by Gavin McKinnon.
Before the main presentation, Matthew Wallace will speak about the upcoming Calgary Christmas Bird Count (on Sunday December 15). Find out how you can take part in this long-running Citizen Science project! Read more about the CBC here.
Once again this year, Daniel Arndt has produced a beautiful 2025 wall calendar featuring some of his best bird photos of 2024. He will have calendars available at Birds & Beers for $20 (cash or eTransfer). For those of you who are interested in purchasing a calendar but can’t make it to Birds & Beers, they are available at the Wild Bird Store in Calgary, or you can email us here at birdscalgary@gmail.com and we will put you in touch with Dan. (There is a $5 shipping charge for mail orders.)
Finally, we have talked about having a birding book exchange at Birds & Beers, and thanks to a generous donation by a long-time Calgary birder, we will have several books available to kick it off tomorrow! Feel free to bring a few books if you’d like to exchange them. We don’t want to take any books home after, so please help yourself until they are all gone!
Just a few of the books that will be available tomorrow night..
If you haven’t been to Birds & Beers before, Thursday would be a great time to start!
Gavin McKinnon will have a presentation on his recent birding trip to Kenya.
Everyone is welcome to join us for the last Birds & Beers meeting of 2024 next Thursday, November 28, from 5 to 9 pm at the Royal Canadian Legion, 9202 Horton Road SW.
Birds & Beers (AI version).
At about 7 pm, Gavin McKinnon will present a talk with many photos from his trip to Kenya in the summer of 2024. The presentation will focus on birding in Kenya, and an overview of the route he took this past summer that resulted in seeing 450 species of birds and nearly 50 mammal species in 14 days. He will also have information on future opportunities to visit Kenya.
Birds & Beers resumes on Thursday evening at the Horton Road Legion in Calgary (9202 Horton Road SW). The meeting starts at 5 pm in the big ballroom. At about 7 pm there will be a presentation by Myrna Pearman.
Mountain Bluebird, photographed by Dan Arndt.
Myrna is a very well-know naturalist who lives in Sylvan Lake in central Alberta. She was a Biologist and Site Services Manager at the Ellis Bird Farm (now Ellis Nature Centre) from 1987-2020. The Centre has done pioneering work in the conservation of Mountain Bluebirds and other secondary cavity-nesters. Thanks to Myrna’s leadership, it is now a world-renowned conservation, education and research centre. Myrna has written several books and many articles. See her website for more information.
Everyone is welcome to attend Birds & Beers. The Legion has food and drinks available for reasonable prices, so you can come early if you want to eat, or just want to spend more time socializing. Come any time before 7 pm to attend the presentation.
Upcoming Birds & Beers Meetings:
Thursday November 28: John Gapp will present on Trees in Fish Creek Provincial Park.
After the December break, we resume with meetings from January through June. All are on Thursday evenings.
January 9th February 13th March 13th April 10th May 22nd June 12th
With a presentation on Birding in Northern Tanzania and the Serengeti, by Gordon Sick.
Grey Crowned-Crane, photographed at night by Gordon Sick.
Our monthly Birds & Beers meetings resume next Thursday, September 12. All meetings take place in the big ballroom at the Horton Road Legion, 9202 Horton Road SW. Everyone is welcome to attend these free meetings (we have to collect a small fee for the room, but this amounts to less than a dollar per person and it is optional to contribute). The Legion has food and drinks available for reasonable prices, so you can come early, anytime after 5 pm, if you want to eat or just to spend more time socializing. It is a completely informal social gathering for birders.
We will have a presentation at each meeting on a birding or nature topic. These begin just after 7 pm, so it is fine to arrive at 7 if you can’t make it earlier. This month, Gordon Sick will present on birding in northern Tanzania and the Serengeti.
Here is Gordon’s summary of the talk:
In February, 2024, a group of us took a 12 day Safari in Northern Tanzania. The group included two photographers, whose pictures we will present. We had two 4×4 safari vehicles, each with an African guide who was knowledgeable about birds (most African guides aren’t), and a Canadian naturalist, who was also knowledgeable about birds. We photographed 186 bird species, and 37 mammal species. People who go to this area to see the famous mammals have a lot of quiet time when they see nothing, so looking for birds makes the safari much more interesting. The trip started at the town of Arusha and proceeded to Arusha National Park, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge, and finally using the Ndutu Lodge as a base to visit Serengeti National Park.
Saddle-billed Stork (female). Photo by Gordon Sick.
Please join us for another fun and informative year of Birds & Beers!
Upcoming Meetings:
Thursday October 24: A presentation by Myrna Pearman.
Thursday November 28: John Gapp will present on Trees in Fish Creek Provincial Park.
After the December break, we resume with meetings from January through June. The dates have not yet been set.
With a presentation on a trip to Belize and Guatemala, by Bob and Diane Leonhardt.
Limpkin. Photo by Bob Leonhardt.
The final Birds & Beers of the 2023-2024 season is this coming Thursday, June 13th. As usual, we meet from 5 to 9 pm in the big ballroom at the Legion, 9202 Horton Road SW. We will feature a presentation by Diane and Bob Leonhard about their recent trip to Central Amercia.
Here is the presentation description:
Between January 28 and February 7, 2024, we spent ten days with Eagle Eye Tours in Belize and Tikal National Park, Guatemala. During this time we saw approximately 270 species of birds, including 75 lifers. After starting in Belize City, our first few days were spent at The Jungle Lodge in Tikal where we encountered some incredible birds, such as the Ocellated Turkey, Boat- billed Herons, several wood-creepers, the rare Orange-breasted Falcon, the spectacular Agami Heron and numerous others. We then returned to Belize, where we spent three nights at the Jade Jungle Lodge in the hills of western Belize. Here the highlights included the fabulous food and an incredible look at a spectacular Spectacled Owl. In the Mountain Pine Ridge area we got a good look at the huge King Vulture and excellent views of a very co-operative Rusty Sparrow. Our final few days were spent at Birds Eye View Lodge in the Crooked Tree area north of Belize City. Here we got great looks at many new birds including, Yellow-lored Parrots, Yucatan Jays, Yellow-headed Parrots, Aplomado Falcons, Black-collared Hawks, Snail Kites and many more. A real treat was the excellent look at the scarce and secretive Yellow-breasted Crake. It was a wonderful tour with two excellent guides and a nice group of participants.
This presentation, with many photos of the birds, will begin at about 7 pm. Come early if you want to visit or have a meal and a drink. Everyone is welcome!
Featuring a presentation by Stephen Boucher on winter birding in the Ebro Delta, Spain.
Birds & Beers continues next Thursday, May 9th, from 5 to 9 pm at the usual location, the Royal Canadian Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW in Calgary. At about 7 pm there will be a presentation by Stephen Boucher on a trip he made in November 2023 to the Ebro Delta and the Catalan Pyrenees in N.E. Spain.
Everyone is welcome at Birds & Beers. We meet in the large ballroom. Come early if you want to have something to eat or drink, or just come for the presentation if you wish.
Diane Stinson will present on Canada’s High Arctic.
Next Thursday, April 11th, we will have another Birds & Beers event at the Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW in Calgary. The event starts at 5 pm and at 7 pm there will be a presentation by Diane Stinson on a trip that she and her husband Rob took to the High Canadian Arctic last summer.
Northern Fulmar. Photo by Diane Stinson.
Canada’s High Arctic – Diane Stinson Rob and I went to Canada’s High Arctic in August last year. The original itinerary had us exploring Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg Islands, including stops at Devon and Beechy Islands. The wildfires in Yellowknife changed that. Instead, we started in Iqaluit, sailed north along the east coast of Baffin Island through the Davis Strait and Baffin Bay, crossing the Arctic Circle, and into Lancaster Sound. There we explored areas on Devon and Beechy Islands (Franklin Graves), finishing in Resolute. While we didn’t see some of the bird species we were expecting initially, we did see some great birds (largest colony of Northern Fulmar in Canada), as well as major mammals (polar bears, walrus, Bowhead Whales).
The expedition team of experts included Noah Strycker (author of “Birding without Borders” – a book about his global big year in 2015) and three other ornithologists. A historian, an archeologist, a glaciologist, and a marine biology expert all gave excellent talks. Our outings included zodiac cruising, shore walks, and helicopter excursions. We experienced an amazing “Tundra to Table” dinner and the “Polar Plunge,” before exploring Resolute.
Polar Bears. Photo by Diane Stinson.
Everyone is welcome to Birds & Beers! Come for the good food and drinks that are available, visit with your fellow birders, and stay for the presentation!
Featuring a presentation on the East African wilderness.
Birds & Beers will resume next Thursday, March 14, at the Royal Canadian Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW. Doors open at 5 pm, and we meet in the big ballroom. Enjoy food, drinks, and visiting with your fellow birders. At 7 pm there will be a presentation by Melanie Seneviratne on the wildlife of East Africa.
Secretary Bird. Photo by Melanie Seneviratne.
Here is the presentation description:
Join me as I delve into the heart of East Africa’s wilderness and share with you my amazing journey through Tanzania’s untamed landscapes. You will see where every moment unfolds in a mesmerizing tapestry of safari adventures, awe-inspiring wildlife encounters, and vibrant birding.
Little Bee-eater. Photo by Melanie Seneviratne.
We will also see some African mammals, like these lions.
Results of the January 1, 2024 Fish Creek Park Count.
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
The annual half-day bird count in Fish Creek Park was a lot of fun and a great success again this New Year’s Day. We had a high number of species, with high counts for several, and some new species for the count. It was another mild day, as it had been for pretty much the whole winter up to then.
Sunrise in Fish Creek Park, January 1, 2024. Photo by Matt Wallace.
Forty-three birders went out to eight sections of the park. We found a total of 42 species, up from the ten-year average of 35. There were two new species not recorded before (Cackling Goose and Greater Scaup), and record high counts for six others.
Cackling Goose
10
Canada Goose
2,321
Trumpeter Swan
3
Tundra Swan
4
American Wigeon
7
Mallard
771
Northern Pintail
1
Green-winged Teal
4
Redhead
2
Greater Scaup
1
Bufflehead
179
Common Goldeneye
920
Barrow’s Goldeneye
13
Common Merganser
27
Ring-necked Pheasant
2
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
17
Sharp-shinned Hawk
3
Bald Eagle
12
Great Horned Owl
2
Belted Kingfisher
1
Downy Woodpecker
31
Hairy Woodpecker
11
Pileated Woodpecker
5
Northern Flicker
53
Merlin
4
Northern Shrike
1
Blue Jay
5
Black-billed Magpie
133
American Crow
2
Common Raven
86
Black-capped Chickadee
219
Mountain Chickadee
7
Boreal Chickadee
11
White-breasted Nuthatch
42
Red-breasted Nuthatch
33
Townsend’s Solitaire
2
American Robin
1
Bohemian Waxwing
277
House Sparrow
78
Pine Grosbeak
12
House Finch
20
Dark-eyed Junco
1
Our group covered the Hull’s Wood/Sikome Lake/Boat Launch areas. Matt Wallace took some great photos of our day.
Fish Creek near the Bow River. Photo by Matt Wallace.We found a group of four overwintering Tundra Swans on the Bow. Photos by Matt Wallace.We also count mammals. This Porcupine was snoozing up in a tree. Photos by Matt Wallace.WAY up in a tree.Despite the Park Rules, someone has been leaving seeds for the birds. This Downy Woodpecker was so used to being fed that it kept comng to our hands briefly even though we had no food. Photo by Matt Wallace.We wanted to take a team photo, so Dan grabbed a few seeds so that the Downy would stay long enough to get in the photo too. Photo by Matt Wallace.
This count is not an official Christmas Bird Count, but it has a pretty long history now, and it is an important tool to monitor the long-term population trends in the park. If you want to learn more about the count in all areas of the park, come to Birds & Beers this Thursday, February 8, where the Count Organizer Jim Washbrook will present the results and answer questions.
Results of the Calgary and Priddis Christmas Bird Counts will also be presented at Birds & Beers. In case you missed it, here are some of the results from the Calgary Count, showing the species recorded and the numbers of each:
