or at least this blog's death, are greatly exaggerated.
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| Tundra Swan, Cygnus columbianus, nr. Langdon, Alberta |
October was a hectic month - a nasty cold made the rounds of the family, we helped my parents move house, and one of the kids had his appendix out. Combined with lots going on at school there wasn't a whole lot of time for birding and I watched Rare Bird Alerts go through my mailbox with little action on my part. The last few days have improved somewhat and I managed to catch a few nice migrant birds, mostly on and around Glenmore Reservoir (click above for map) over the course of three visits. The rarity images are a little Bigfoot/UFO-like but it's nice to have a record of a significant sighting.
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| An immature Red-necked Grebe, Podiceps grisegena. The bay where this youngster was feeding was ice-covered when I went by this afternoon, so I'm sure it is long gone. |
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| A very cooperative Townsend's Solitaire, Myadestes townsendi, gave the best views I've ever had of this species before diving back down from the windy treetops. |
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| The Western Grebe, Aechmophorus occidentalis, is a new Calgary city bird for me |
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| A pair of migrant Surf Scoters, Melanitta perspicillata, have been hanging around the reservoir for a while now. I finally had a chance to add them to my Alberta list. |
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| Worst picture, best bird? My lifer Long-tailed Duck, Clangula hyemalis |
