The Calgary List as of December 12, 2025

There have been some good species found in the Calgary area this year, and still many more to find. Christmas Bird Counts are taking place on December 14th in Calgary, and on several other dates until January 5 in the area. We should add some of the regulars then, and with a little luck, some more rarities.

The star of the show so far is the Northern Mockingbird in the city – only the second one since this count started in 2017. The bird is still here and being seen regulary in Rotary Park near Centre Street and Memorial Drive.

A Peregrine Falcon seen on December 3rd in Downtown Calgary was the first one we’ve had. These birds nest downtown and one is quite late in departing. I don’t know if it’s still around.

A Mourning Dove seen along the Bow River in Cranston Meadows was the 4th in 9 years.

It’s been a really good year for Short-eared Owls east of the city, and there have been a few Long-eared Owl sightings as well. Snowy Owl sightings have been concentrated NE of the city in the Irricana/Beiseker area. We added a Prairie Falcon and a Northern Harrier in that region as well.

Gyrfalcon, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Wild Turkey, and Sharp-tailed Grouse have each been reported on Facebook groups, or directly to me.

The Alberta province-wide list has some rarities in its 114 species. In addition to the Mockingbird (reported for the third time in the last ten years), there was also a recent Barn Owl in central Alberta (2nd in ten years) and a Double-crested Cormorant near Stavely, just outside of the Calgary circle (6 of the last 10 years).

On December 12th, the Calgary list was at 89 species. Our eight-year average is 113, and the high count was 120. Here are some species that are usually found that haven’t yet been reported:

Greater Scaup (seen 8/8 previous years; often seen at Carburn Park in the winter), Northern Hawk-Owl (8/8), Harris’s Sparrow (6/8), Varied Thrush (7/8), and Common Grackle (7/8). Some regulars that we don’t have yet that are usually found in the foothills west of the city are Northern Pygmy-Owl, Barred Owl, Black-backed Woodpecker, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Steller’s Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, and American Dipper. Dippers are usually seen in the city as well, on the Elbow River or Fish Creek.

Good luck finding these elusive winter birds! Here is a link to the lists.