Some birds photographed in Calgary and area this fall by Tony LePrieur.
Warbling Vireo
Solitary Sandpiper
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
American Redstart
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Greater Yellowlegs
Wilson’s Warbler
Cedar Waxwing
Common Grackle
Song Sparrow
Great Horned Owl
Merlin
Swainson’s Hawk
White-throated Sparrow
Greater Yellowlegs
To see more of Tony’s nature photographs, see his Flickr page.
In May we posted some photos taken by Lorraine Glass in Bowmont Park in NW Calgary (see this post). Gord Smith was inspired by these photos to go and see what he could find. Here are his photos from May 22 and May 27, 2017.
Western Tanager (male), Bowmont Park, May 2017. Photo by Gord Smith.
White-breasted Nuthatch, Bowmont Park, May 2017. Photo by Gord Smith.
Northern Flicker (male), Bowmont Park, May 2017. Photo by Gord Smith.
Yellow Warbler (male), Bowmont Park, May 2017. Photo by Gord Smith.
Yellow Warbler (male), Bowmont Park, May 2017. Photo by Gord Smith.
Gray Catbird, Bowmont Park, May 2017. Photo by Gord Smith.
Song Sparrow, Bowmont Park, May 2017. Photo by Gord Smith.
Northern Flicker (male), Bowmont Park, May 2017. Photo by Gord Smith.
Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Bowmont Park, May 2017. Photo by Gord Smith.
If you have some photos of local birds you’d like to post here, send them to us at birdscalgary@gmail.com.
Here are some photos of birds taken in South Glenmore Park on a Friends of Fish Creek birding course walk on April 29, 2017. All Photos by Max Ortiz Aguilar.
Red-necked Grebe.
Red-breasted Merganser (male).
Red-breasted Merganser (female).
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle subspecies).
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Intergrade of Audubon’s and Myrtle subspecies).
Cooper’s Hawk.
Downy Woodpecker (male).
Bufflehead (male).
Horned Grebe.
Osprey.
Song Sparrow.
Red-tailed Hawk.
Sandhill Crane.
Swainson’s Hawk.
Boreal Chorus Frog singing.
To see more of Max’s photos, see his website, Photos by MOA.
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
Photographs of spring birds, by Tony LePrieur.
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s), Bridlewood Wetland, April 30, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.
Yellow-rumped Warblers are usually among the first warblers to pass through Calgary on Spring migration, along with Orange-crowned Warblers. Most of the ones we get here are the Myrtle subspecies, the eastern and northern form, which have a white throat and a more prominent black mask. They breed in the boreal forest. The Audubon subspecies, shown here, breeds in the western mountains. This year, quite a few Audubons were reported here. There is talk that the two subspecies will be split again into two separate species, so it is important to note which one you see, especially if you are recording your sightings on eBird.
Common Grackle, Bridlewood Wetland, April 30, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.
The Bridlewood Wetland is located just north of Spruce Meadows, on James McKevitt Road in SW Calgary. It is a small wetland but has a trail around it and a bridge from which to view the birds.
The Bridlewood Wetland in SW Calgary.
The rest of the photos were taken in Carburn Park on the Bow River in SE Calgary.
Common Goldeneye (female), Carburn Park, April 30, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.
Common Merganser (female), Carburn Park, April 30, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.
Lesser Yellowlegs, Carburn Park, April 30, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.
On spring migration, we get more Lesser Yellowlegs than Greater Yellowlegs in the city. But we do get both species. The Lesser is slighter, with a smaller head, and the bill is about the length of the head from front to back, as with this bird. The Greater Yellowleg’s bill is about one and a half times the head length, and often slightly curved upwards.
Song Sparrow, Carburn Park, April 30, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.
This Song Sparrow is missing its tail. Birds don’t molt their tail feathers all at once, so a missing tail probably indicates that the bird narrowly survived an attack by a predator.
Beaver, Carburn Park, April 30, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.
See more of Tony’s photos on his Flickr page.
Redheads (female on left, male right), Carburn Park, April 23, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.
Song Sparrow, Carburn Park, April 23, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.
Common Goldeneye, male, mating display, Weaselhead, April 9,2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.
Common Goldeneye, female, Weaselhead, April 9,2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.
American Robin, Carburn Park, April 23, 2017. Photo by Tony LePrieur.
To see more of Tony’s photos, see his Flickr page.
More summer bird photos from Tony LePrieur, taken in and around Calgary, except for the Western Kingbirds, which were near Brooks in SE Alberta.
Horned Grebe with chick.
Tennessee Warbler.
Tennessee Warbler.
White-throated Sparrow.
Western Kingbird (adult).
Western Kingbird (very young bird, just fledged).
Warbling Vireo.
Savannah Sparrow.
Song Sparrow.
Swainson’s Hawk.
Posted by Bob Lefebvre
Brown-headed Cowbirds are obligate nest parasites, so they do not nest or raise their own young – the female cowbird lays her eggs in a number of nests of other species. If the host birds don’t realize that they are incubating a foreign egg, they will feed the cowbird chick until it fledges and for a while afterwards, until it can forage on its own and rejoin its cowbird cousins.
Brown-headed Cowbird chick, just out of the nest and begging for food. (All photos taken by Tony LePrieur, July 1, 2016.)
Many of the songbirds that are parasitized in this way are quite a bit smaller than cowbirds, so it makes for a comical sight when the “parents” are feeding their giant “offspring”. It’s no joke for the host parents, though, as this is a great drain on their food-gathering resources, and it has a negative impact on their ability to raise their own biological young.
Tony LePrieur has recently seen a number of young cowbirds being fed by different hosts in the Calgary area. Thanks to Tony for these fantastic photos!
Song Sparrow (left) feeding a Brown-headed Cowbird chick. Sikome Lake, Fish Creek Provincial Park.
Calling for food from the host Song Sparrow.
Another cowbird being fed by a Western Wood-Pewee, not far from the Song Sparrow and chick at Sikome, Fish Creek Park. This could very well be a biological sibling of the bird being fed by the Song Sparrow.
The Western Wood-Pewee adult, probably a little worn out from trying to provide for the cowbird chick.
Two cowbirds were being fed by a pair of Savannah Sparrows at Frank Lake, also on Canada Day.
A close-up taken from the above photo.
Those of you with teen-aged boys will know how this Savannah Sparrow feels 🙁
Cowbirds also often parasitize Clay-colored Sparrows and even smaller birds like Yellow Warblers and House Wrens, so if you see any of those species carrying food, watch to see if they are feeding cowbirds.
Do you have photos of birds taken in the Calgary area? Send them to us and we may post them on the blog! birdscalgary@gmail.com
Posted by Dan Arndt
My first week back leading the Friends of Fish Creek outings after being away at work for most of the month of September turned out to be quite the adventure, with a few really great finds.
Lafarge Meadows – October 4, 2015
The light was a bit dim early on, but it seemed as though the day would be productive as the first really impressive birds we found were a couple of Green-winged Teal, back in their striking breeding plumage. The poor light didn’t do them justice though.
Green-winged Teal – [exif id=”14816″]
Not too far from him was a young Pied-billed Grebe, one of the seven we would see throughout the day.
Pied-billed Grebe – [exif id=”14817″]
We followed the bank of the Bow River north at the beginning of our outing, turning up a Bald Eagle perched across the river in a tree. A couple of us remarked how this might have even been the same bird in the same tree as we had seen earlier this year in the winter course.
Bald Eagle – [exif id=”14818″]
We were a little surprised a few minutes later when we were passed by a lone American White Pelican, which we would see nine more of later in the day. I think this might be the latest I have seen these massive white birds within the city.
American White Pelican – [exif id=”14820″]
While he was flying by, we also heard a chip note of a nearby Yellow-rumped Warbler, another migrant that was foraging in the low trees and shrubs. 
Yellow-rumped Warbler – [exif id=”14819″]
Things got a lot quieter for the next half hour or so, as we crossed the tributary stream and walked along the banks of the river that had been hardest hit by the flood two years ago. We were almost ready to turn around and head back to the south ponds when things began to chatter and chirp all around us. A pair of Downy Woodpeckers were the first ones to draw our attention.
female Downy Woodpecker – [exif id=”14821″]
While we were watching her, we heard the chip notes of some sparrows in the nearby shrubs, and on investigation, we found a couple of Song Sparrows (and a Lincoln’s sparrow that we heard, but could not track down for the life of us!)
Song Sparrow – [exif id=”14822″]
Song Sparrow – [exif id=”14822″]
The best sighting of the day (and maybe of the year?) was found while I was crouched down taking some photos of this dragonfly who was all but immobilized due to the cold, and hanging under a blade of grass.
Dragonfly sp. – [exif id=”14824″]
Dragonfly sp. – [exif id=”14825″]
While I was carefully focusing on the detail of this beautiful little insect, the call of “HOODED WARBLER!” from Bob Lefebvre came about fifty meters south, as much of the group had continued on and were carefully scanning a group of songbirds foraging in the low brush. After a good half hour, I did manage to capture a few images of this quick little skulking bird, though I was more than happy to just see it!
Hooded Warbler – [exif id=”14826″]
Hooded Warbler – [exif id=”14827″]
It was an incredible find, and we all left quite satisfied with how the day had turned out. We headed back to end our walk and stopped briefly to enjoy the antics of the American Coots and American Wigeon fighting over the vegetation they were picking up from the bottom of the south pond.
American Wigeon and American Coots – [exif id=”14828″]
So all in all, I’d say that my first outing back was a rousing success!
I did manage a few outings during the next week to the Bow River Irrigation Canal, so keep an eye here for that next Tuesday!
Have a great week, and good birding!
Posted by Dan Arndt
Our walk last week took us to Carburn Park once again. We actually headed there this week as well, so I’ll cover the birds we found on the south end of the park this week, and the north end in next week’s post.
Carburn Park – April 19, 2015
The Sue Higgins Bridge south of the parking lot in Carburn Park is a regular roost (and nesting location) for any number of Rock Pigeons, and you can usually find at least a few here. It was really nice to find this rather beautifully colored bird, and in great light to show off some of the iridescence on the neck.
Rock Pigeon
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1000sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 1600
On the gravel bar just south of the bridge were over a hundred Franklin’s Gulls, and also a few Ring-billed Gulls flying by eating the freshly hatched insects flying up from the river. One of the advantages of being out so early is that the insects aren’t too high up, and neither are the gulls and swallows yet either.
Ring-billed Gull
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1000sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 500
Did I say swallows? Yes indeed, the Tree Swallows have really started showing up in big numbers too, and we had flocks overhead almost the whole time, wheeling and darting around and getting their fill of hatching mayflies and midges.
Tree Swallow
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1000sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 320
We followed the river edge south and came across some interesting sights, as well as the real first returning migrant Song Sparrows. We also found lots of American Robins foraging about, posing, and searching for nesting materials in preparation of the coming breeding season.
American Robin
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1000sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 640
Song Sparrow
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1000sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 400
One of the most amazing finds last week was a group of four Wood Ducks perched high up in a tree, set exactly at the wrong angle for our approach. By the time I got around to have the light in at least a little bit of a helpful angle, three of them had moved into hiding, but at least I got this lone female! Yes, Wood Ducks are tree nesting ducks. How crazy is that? They’re one of the few ducks that have strong feet and claws capable of gripping branches and bark.
Wood Duck
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1000sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 1250
At the far south end of our walk we found another large group of Franklin’s Gulls, many showing quite a bit of pink in the breast and bright red bills typical of fresh breeding plumage. Their raucous cacophony followed us all throughout the park these past two weeks, often drowning out some of the more subtle songs and chip notes of other returning birds, but it is really great to have these birds back!
Franklin’s Gull
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1600sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 400
On our way back we came across a couple of active nests as well, one containing a pair of Northern Flickers (and presumably their eggs), as well as a Black-billed Magpie nest, with either mom or dad standing guard and keeping a sharp eye on us.
Black-billed Magpie
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/1600sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 800
So that was another week with the Friends of Fish Creek. Next week we’ll see how the north end of the park treated us!
Have a great week, and good birding!
Posted by Dan Arndt
Our outing on March 15, 2015 was a bit chillier than we’ve been accustomed to the past few weeks, but it didn’t dampen our spirits on the slightest. In fact, we had quite a few new spring arrivals to keep us busy in the park, and to keep our eyes and ears attentive all morning long!
Mallard Point – March 15, 2015
Sometimes it takes just the right light and the right conditions to make a relatively normal and common bird stand out. It was no different with the Mallards we saw occasionally at their namesake area in Fish Creek Provincial Park. With their bright green iridescent heads, bright yellow bills and curly tail feathers, they do take on a character of their own in the spring!
male Mallard
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/800sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 1600
We were also greeted along our walk by quite a number of American Robins feeding in the nearby trees. Some on some Mountain Ash, some on local crab apple trees, and a few just sitting pretty and singing away. It’s really nice to see these guys back again! Pretty much all of the American Robins we found were males, which is exactly what we’d expect this time of year as they return from their overwintering grounds and establish territories. It’s usually the first early birds on the block that get the most coveted territories, so for them it pays to stay as close to ones own breeding grounds as possible. While many non-birders consider them the true harbinger of spring, it’s a well documented fact that there are quite a few of them that spend the winter right here in Calgary!
American Robin
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/800sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 640
On the other hand, it’s relatively uncommon for us to have any gulls stick around over winter. They usually depart in mid- to late- November and return in early March. The two species that tend to show up the soonest are both the Ring-billed and the California Gull, both of which were present on the Bow River on our walk that Sunday morning.
Ring-billed Gull
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/800sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 1250
California Gull
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/800sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 1600
We were delighted to find a couple of surprises on our walk though as well, the first being a lone Song Sparrow, giving chip calls and high pitched “seep” calls while it foraged under the overhanging sections of the river bank, and in a small willow nearby. While it didn’t sing, it did respond to both pishing and a quick call playback by popping up into view allowing a few of us to get both good looks, and a few good close pictures of it!
Song Sparrow
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/800sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 1600
The second was a White-throated Sparrow hanging around a yard full of typical feeder birds, both House Sparrows and House Finches. Once again it was the diagnostic chip notes that made its presence known to us, and it did take a little while to pick it out from the underbrush. Once we had it found though, a little playback of chip notes and a bit of pishing brought it out into the open as well!
White-throated Sparrow
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@500mm
1/500sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 1600
On the last leg of our journey one of our group drew our attention to a hawk-shaped outline in the trees bordering on the edge of the park. Its large size and relatively identifiable coloration pointed out the species to us right away, it’s just unfortunate that a couple of walkers passed right underneath it and flushed it from its perch just as we were getting into the open. Hopefully you can make the ID on this bird as well as we were able to!
Northern Goshawk
Pentax K-5 + Sigma 150-500@150mm
1/800sec., ƒ/8.0, ISO 1600
It seems like every week more and more birds are arriving back in our beautiful city, and soon the leaves will be out on the trees and the warblers, vireos, and flycatchers of summer will be nesting, laying eggs, and raising their young!
Have a good week, and good birding!