tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85212566714405773412024-03-13T18:22:25.396-06:00A Calgary BirderDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-1629140260067840782013-07-09T06:00:00.000-06:002013-07-09T06:00:11.470-06:00Where in the World is Calgary Birder? Let me tell you....If you've been following along with this blog over the past couple of months you will have seen a series of posts providing clues on the destination of our, soon to begin, month-long family adventure. Here are the answers to those clues, each of which ties into one of the four legs of our journey. You can click on each image to link-out to more information on the birds, not to mention the original source of the photo.<br />
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<a href="http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/laughing-kookaburra-dacelo-novaeguineae/female-sunning-tree-branch" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ70yxFZzSxCfsO804rzzkQBjjbf4NllxTr9gdyL6S-nc0X8mYYMDNxzQDTfyGunJKPgjutIHjTqeRrVHmc22t6rvbuOzz65P9iTgnzj2RfF4_ZJ-y8IPwhCg2eVDNi7TmXtZKQWFJ2bIF/s400/Mystery4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Clue #4 was the <b>Laughing Kookaburra</b>. A member of the kingfisher family (<i>Halcyonidae</i>), this is an iconic bird of Australia and as such represents our first destination, Australia's iconic city of Sydney.<br />
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<a href="http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/rufous-night-heron-nycticorax-caledonicus/adult-bird-isles-pines-new-caledonia" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWqOdzJdgOdc2vcs_M3spTSVU8dELYBj8S4Gweien_Zx7l0p5OxNfIoOYGh9jCMzV2Zjq5sM5KraxTxvc5ML7t9ydObJj_ncLWBzzBEaa1SQrdJmRVjWyeDN5ww4w35Z9qkq95wgobnq2/s400/Mystery1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
After getting over our jet lag we'll be heading to Darwin for some camping around Kakadu National Park. With 280 species of birds and some wetland tours on the agenda, it's likely that the <b>Nankeen Night-Heron</b> will be among our sightings.<br />
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<a href="http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/dusky-grasswren-amytornis-purnelli/dusky-grasswren-paused-momentarily-while-crossing-large-roc" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOqELkamH7LWlvKvhzjlRojjiLgy5ery3yI7dCWsmlhw1rhCoXEr7YJn1z_whUFjLgno_gclvfRM8d9aXJkh7TuuK1DX6f-GLqvIbr3iYiDbdAlXSt2IUCfjvWi3RWVAK1-VmoarE60sq-/s400/Mystery3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Following on from the Darwin camping trip, we'll be camping once again out of Alice Springs, where the <b>Dusky Grasswren</b> might be seen hopping around among the desert grasses.<br />
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<a href="http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/kadavu-honeyeater-xanthotis-provocator/bird-visiting-big-flower" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYlotShuUVY81d7Ghd8Q8jaaxGD1hyphenhyphenDwa2zMb9VM-xrM4bjzF8fKs96LDhN3GdfLsp4Q-Xud2PvAsqbL_M8St3bzpl4sRXaq-_8ozTy84e9KY8_O8qg2bzEJyHyzAgZ2Cst6-s8jCbHLa/s400/Mystery2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
After nearly 3 weeks in Australia we'll be heading home via Fiji, where the selection of island was absolutely in no way whatsoever based on picking the one with the largest number of endemic birds ;) By strange coincidence, our destination of Kadavu does in fact have the largest number of endemics and this, the <b>Kadavu Honeyeater</b>, is among them. With a week to relax, snorkel, and hike, perhaps I'll turn up a few!<br />
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I'm not sure how much internet, time, or inclination I will have on the trip, but there are a few Alberta related scheduled posts while we are gone. After the trip there should be lots of pictures to show and stories to tell - stay tuned....<br />
<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-47336178372612932832013-07-02T06:00:00.000-06:002013-07-02T06:00:02.716-06:00Where in the World is Calgary Birder? - Clue #4 (and last!)<br />
I'm heading off on an exciting trip this summer: a family vacation with lots of opportunities to see many new birds, as well as other cool wildlife. Rather than just telling you where I'm headed, I figured it might be fun to post a few clues in the form of photos of birds that could/should turn up on this trip. <br />
<br />
This last clue should tell you exactly in which country we are spending about three-quarters of our trip! It is common, noisy, and for many people inextricably linked to the nation in question. Feel free to post your ID's and destination guesses in the comments.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaHoQT0dXT4fhNgld3WHAWkkA7U8mS2IQUcGLshTvByyf5J1jHodI4ERS6wxsWXlvRn7HBcwErxP6m30MWfLkkQa7RMto2BufUd7RubPm2-siPLZ27yIyf2BO3cvepiHtN7d61M0QUx2ro/s1600/Mystery4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaHoQT0dXT4fhNgld3WHAWkkA7U8mS2IQUcGLshTvByyf5J1jHodI4ERS6wxsWXlvRn7HBcwErxP6m30MWfLkkQa7RMto2BufUd7RubPm2-siPLZ27yIyf2BO3cvepiHtN7d61M0QUx2ro/s400/Mystery4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
All answers to be provided in one week from today!<br />
<br />
All of the images used in this series of posts are from <a href="http://ibc.lynxeds.com/" target="_blank">the Internet Bird Collection</a>, links will be posted to the original image and species pages when the big reveal is made.<br />
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-55648899573449868392013-06-11T06:00:00.000-06:002013-06-11T06:00:12.087-06:00Where in the World is Calgary Birder? - Clue #3<br />
I'm heading off on an exciting trip this summer: a family vacation with lots of opportunities to see many new birds, as well as other cool wildlife. Rather than just telling you where I'm headed, I figured it might be fun to post a few clues in the form of photos of birds that could/should turn up on this trip. <br />
<br />
For a third clue, meet this little songbird which is much less famous than the destination where we are most likely to spot it! Feel free to post your ID's and destination guesses in the comments.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6Km7RfDODX_yEueS00SyETIIew95xeJaDmnachyP_6wbgiDpO7w8G1Xd_W3kkjH1ux-MsjPvBvfT8LrGWoqIBiJFg8rcLU-2jzZKGvf24Yr5RJ0QcYYxi87bZcIvlSmqe5m0GtrOszgp/s1600/Mystery3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG6Km7RfDODX_yEueS00SyETIIew95xeJaDmnachyP_6wbgiDpO7w8G1Xd_W3kkjH1ux-MsjPvBvfT8LrGWoqIBiJFg8rcLU-2jzZKGvf24Yr5RJ0QcYYxi87bZcIvlSmqe5m0GtrOszgp/s400/Mystery3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
All of the images used in this series of posts are from <a href="http://ibc.lynxeds.com/" target="_blank">the Internet Bird Collection</a>, links will be posted to the original image and species pages when the big reveal is made.<br />
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-35983885913063676472013-06-07T06:00:00.000-06:002013-06-07T06:00:06.575-06:00Birding in Bowmont ParkLast weekend I joined a small group of intrepid birders in braving the rain and heading out to explore Bowmont Natural Environment Park. This park is on the north bank of the Bow River, below the community of Varsity in northwest Calgary (click on the location above for a map). There is some great birding habitat in this area: riparian habitat, small ponds, deciduous woodland, and shrubby ravines. The area is actually scheduled for redevelopment to reduce the impact of dogs on the river and to reintegrate the old gravel pit into the natural park, among other goals. You can check out the redevelopment plan and, for the next couple of weeks, provide feedback <a href="http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pages/Construction/Bowmont-Park-improvement-project.aspx" target="_blank">on the City of Calgary website</a>.<br />
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As was to be expected with the intermittent, at times heavy rain, the light was not very good for photography but I did get a few decent shots, as captioned below. There's also a species list at the bottom of this post which is probably fairly typical for this area at this time of year, although Violet-Green Swallow and Common Yellowthroat were nice treats and we were surprised not to hear any Warbling Vireo.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3H6FPq7dr3Iu6BmTOUCxg2o24yEX2JbHb2cRu9ifHkdoW5oB0KsT_uFIzUqu1-pV4hDOCxu4Du6w0_9QrjYb0ft73z72F6aIjqb2AzrWbKqpvzO-jBdmVaqYCq_s4jHtriSaJPke5g6-/s1600/_DSC3239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3H6FPq7dr3Iu6BmTOUCxg2o24yEX2JbHb2cRu9ifHkdoW5oB0KsT_uFIzUqu1-pV4hDOCxu4Du6w0_9QrjYb0ft73z72F6aIjqb2AzrWbKqpvzO-jBdmVaqYCq_s4jHtriSaJPke5g6-/s640/_DSC3239.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Osprey</b>, <i>Pandion haliaetus</i>, bringing nesting material back to a platform beside the riverbank </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZrpz6Zn07mpE9GVJDKbd6bmbH3OAxhU7vrcIvWnDneafIJMSQUWpNpqW9WsWNiA77mBDboeN6-Mh0nMvlF4H1gp3HfUI14OfOQqOFuRp19Pnup-QuXjg-WdIyJK-LA3TwXx3NjuGQ-os/s1600/_DSC3270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSZrpz6Zn07mpE9GVJDKbd6bmbH3OAxhU7vrcIvWnDneafIJMSQUWpNpqW9WsWNiA77mBDboeN6-Mh0nMvlF4H1gp3HfUI14OfOQqOFuRp19Pnup-QuXjg-WdIyJK-LA3TwXx3NjuGQ-os/s640/_DSC3270.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Lincoln's Sparrow</b>, <i>Melospiza lincolnii</i>, is differentiated from other Melospiza sparrows by gray "eyebrow" and slightly buffy sides, finer streaking on the breast, and of course voice. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-co4TORpYl7Uz7AsO9yNQ9y_2u1SMUDLWla571fzD9Hq_23YqsKQ_s5FDWOTyPH2nFCQ7t8m6JZ59CihvA3q1MegYu4eCIPsNItTVuTMxpaoIkZ9pLTB2Q2EEfGaZe1e4OOwG6fQBvjy/s1600/_DSC3312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-co4TORpYl7Uz7AsO9yNQ9y_2u1SMUDLWla571fzD9Hq_23YqsKQ_s5FDWOTyPH2nFCQ7t8m6JZ59CihvA3q1MegYu4eCIPsNItTVuTMxpaoIkZ9pLTB2Q2EEfGaZe1e4OOwG6fQBvjy/s640/_DSC3312.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Downy Woodpeckers</b>, <i>Picoides pubescens</i>, don't always come to the hand even in the winter, so it was a nice surprise to have a visit from this male.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1ifry-_NG1zae1hVdfkvAFF_ANztVS9WuDPKclInzUIswB6P5B0TmFd9CkMQx9DsYQtaEO7aKxv28xF9hAtH_z0XzLSDBh4OKMMg0Pijhs0Yjbi3y5vsjnmqBp2HMOGJWK6lueR_3cdp/s1600/_DSC3356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI1ifry-_NG1zae1hVdfkvAFF_ANztVS9WuDPKclInzUIswB6P5B0TmFd9CkMQx9DsYQtaEO7aKxv28xF9hAtH_z0XzLSDBh4OKMMg0Pijhs0Yjbi3y5vsjnmqBp2HMOGJWK6lueR_3cdp/s640/_DSC3356.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This <b>White-crowned Sparrow</b>, <i>Zonotricha leucophrys</i>, was clearly a male - indistinguishable by appearance but singing boldly while his mate was keeping a low profile further down in the bush.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRpEt2KoKLsyxaX76MVpD8L5h46FwByQr42EFkchj71yNND3IEmnumF4Mc32VdAvsuN6YH2qRHOXSmex71xN44aloKpNmS2rPhQesg7U6BT5lvlqexAEGeF3Ngxz_lctSzb80K5GQU2Qj/s1600/_DSC3378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRpEt2KoKLsyxaX76MVpD8L5h46FwByQr42EFkchj71yNND3IEmnumF4Mc32VdAvsuN6YH2qRHOXSmex71xN44aloKpNmS2rPhQesg7U6BT5lvlqexAEGeF3Ngxz_lctSzb80K5GQU2Qj/s640/_DSC3378.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were lots of <b>Grey Catbirds</b>, <i>Dumetella carolinensis,<b> </b></i>mewing from inside the silverberry bushes. They don't just do cat impressions either - also Robin, Flycatcher, Kinglet, and on and on. Check this out... <iframe frameborder="0" height="115" scrolling="no" src="http://www.xeno-canto.org/embed.php?XC=135013&simple=1" width="340"></iframe> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Species List for this outing...<br />
<ol>
<li>Canada Goose</li>
<li>Mallard</li>
<li>Blue-winged
Teal</li>
<li>Common
Goldeneye</li>
<li>Common
Merganser</li>
<li>Ring-necked
Pheasant</li>
<li>Osprey</li>
<li>Spotted
Sandpiper</li>
<li>Rock Pigeon</li>
<li>Downy
Woodpecker</li>
<li>Western
Wood-Pewee</li>
<li>Alder
Flycatcher</li>
<li>Least
Flycatcher</li>
<li>Eastern
Kingbird</li>
<li>Black-billed
Magpie</li>
<li>American
Crow</li>
<li>Common Raven</li>
<li>Northern
Rough-winged Swallow</li>
<li>Tree Swallow</li>
<li>Violet-green
Swallow</li>
<li>Bank Swallow</li>
<li>Black-capped
Chickadee</li>
<li>Red-breasted
Nuthatch</li>
<li>White-breasted
Nuthatch</li>
<li>House Wren</li>
<li>American
Robin</li>
<li>Gray Catbird</li>
<li>European
Starling</li>
<li>Cedar
Waxwing</li>
<li>Orange-crowned
Warbler</li>
<li>Common
Yellowthroat</li>
<li>Yellow
Warbler</li>
<li>Chipping
Sparrow</li>
<li>Clay-colored
Sparrow</li>
<li>Savannah
Sparrow</li>
<li>Song Sparrow</li>
<li>Lincoln's
Sparrow</li>
<li>White-crowned
Sparrow</li>
<li>Red-winged
Blackbird</li>
<li>Brown-headed
Cowbird</li>
<li>House Finch</li>
<li>American
Goldfinch</li>
<li>House Sparrow </li>
</ol>
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com2Bowmont Park, Calgary51.09069329661277 -114.1766166687011751.080720296612768 -114.19678666870117 51.100666296612772 -114.15644666870118tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-82013155175719105542013-06-01T06:00:00.000-06:002013-06-01T06:00:01.036-06:00Magic Moments at the Nest Box
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This term I’m teaching a short course to my Jr. High
students called “Environmental Stewardship”. One of the projects we have undertaken is building nest
boxes under the guidance of local birder Andrew Stiles. He uses recycled and recovered wood to
construct a simple design that, with precut wood, takes kids about an hour to
nail together. You can find out
more about the design and his program<a href="http://calgarybirdman.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank"> on his website.</a> I also came
across<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBQgT6-DhSA" target="_blank"> this short video</a> of him
putting one together and talking about the different types of nest.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rRa0DKiQybbLrqtFC3D_ai4UvfPEY9CzZFtt-CxSuSZ8LgKz1iEvoDMBOpILOWPyelQGgB5wCQEQmbKOjllOybu0BDVF_ptLPKnrRtAv8hkoF5A4oyAUfns81eFOULkSXjxbUUlXAkvP/s1600/_DSC3214+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rRa0DKiQybbLrqtFC3D_ai4UvfPEY9CzZFtt-CxSuSZ8LgKz1iEvoDMBOpILOWPyelQGgB5wCQEQmbKOjllOybu0BDVF_ptLPKnrRtAv8hkoF5A4oyAUfns81eFOULkSXjxbUUlXAkvP/s400/_DSC3214+%25281%2529.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our decorated nestboxes</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
We enjoyed a sunny afternoon on the walkway in front of the
school putting our nest boxes together and later decorating them. As many of last year’s boxes had ended up abandoned at the back of the classroom, I wanted to take it one step further
this year and actually visit some appropriate habitat to put up the boxes. With Andrew’s help we picked a spot on
the west edge of the city and headed out.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0VaPCO3o2J7V3Q2qznxx4uxBqFV86ZaiQ9jLr6XxcefoIg-Lpjp9VeUefW24GVLvVy-s5Hg0HKlRLWkBxpEgXI-aOhErNQdPGbeCk5Py1YfgVZfeemPnAZ8WA2iTWSOJlkNDkr2dJt2r/s1600/_DSC3172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0VaPCO3o2J7V3Q2qznxx4uxBqFV86ZaiQ9jLr6XxcefoIg-Lpjp9VeUefW24GVLvVy-s5Hg0HKlRLWkBxpEgXI-aOhErNQdPGbeCk5Py1YfgVZfeemPnAZ8WA2iTWSOJlkNDkr2dJt2r/s400/_DSC3172.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Student and parent volunteer attaching a box to the fencepost</td></tr>
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I was a little skeptical about how much success we would
have with attracting birds, due to the urban location, and late May
timing. But then something magical
happened….</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjuex7-grtsXsQsjEjhjYlVIxVx2ucjrhc9dABrZR-Dewv0oCj_Yut3lQzkAm4wb7a5nXS6ysLZJo-zUFJWNkF1nueApl7uPd2yydDEn9Z6gnVUYR2Ek1G4m2YUPnhk6MH3o9gSnpVeZf/s1600/_DSC3186+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjuex7-grtsXsQsjEjhjYlVIxVx2ucjrhc9dABrZR-Dewv0oCj_Yut3lQzkAm4wb7a5nXS6ysLZJo-zUFJWNkF1nueApl7uPd2yydDEn9Z6gnVUYR2Ek1G4m2YUPnhk6MH3o9gSnpVeZf/s400/_DSC3186+%25281%2529.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another student and parent at work - take a look in the upper right, just above the horizon!</td></tr>
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At first just one pair of Tree Swallows appeared in agitated
flight overhead. I thought that we
had disturbed a nest somehow but couldn’t see any possible nest site. Then two more pairs arrived
circling and swooping along the fence as we made our way down the line putting
up the boxes. Finally the penny
dropped as one pair landed on the box, the female inspecting inside while the
male kept watch from the wire.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwW_YXrkX_PpDxIdVZleOFAN2GiVWuDCQP6qfNXANpSNJUu-KPmoDI217Yyuaad76nDxLAn-UlMBwcE5zdySc4AzUw6kw8degFG5YiT-wJA83OVyCk5zwCGI5_afGizh4-x3_9T6ZgBkv/s1600/_DSC3189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwW_YXrkX_PpDxIdVZleOFAN2GiVWuDCQP6qfNXANpSNJUu-KPmoDI217Yyuaad76nDxLAn-UlMBwcE5zdySc4AzUw6kw8degFG5YiT-wJA83OVyCk5zwCGI5_afGizh4-x3_9T6ZgBkv/s400/_DSC3189.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree Swallows, <i>Tachycineta bicolor</i>, at nest box</td></tr>
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Can there be any better way to connect with birds than putting
up a nest box that you have made and then watching as, seconds later, it is
occupied by a mated pair? Of
course teens will be teens and there was a little feigned indifference but I’m
certain that those tree swallows connected with some students that afternoon
and made them appreciate the natural world just a little bit more.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrcFDqYRIbUFj1WqEy2rkzPUkmdaCvW7r3UwNg6OX5FtU8wefRb4ljhLh1HUAGbaAmlZOOQGVJrzmcYZ9GqtpH7gkofnsnlCcloamTr4IBJwPvGfS3haCSOga1dTbqAcympaOW_ERRx6E/s1600/img_2445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrcFDqYRIbUFj1WqEy2rkzPUkmdaCvW7r3UwNg6OX5FtU8wefRb4ljhLh1HUAGbaAmlZOOQGVJrzmcYZ9GqtpH7gkofnsnlCcloamTr4IBJwPvGfS3haCSOga1dTbqAcympaOW_ERRx6E/s400/img_2445.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a href="http://prairiebirder.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Prairie Birder</a>, Charlotte Wasylik, used by permission</td></tr>
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Hopefully the above sight will greet any students that
(carefully, quietly, and briefly!) check on their boxes in a few weeks
time. That photo was taken by
“Prairie Birder”, barely out of Junior High herself and with a huge passion for birds. You can find
more information and examples of nest boxes on her website <a href="http://prairiebirder.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/checking-the-tree-swallow-boxes/" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://prairiebirder.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/bird-houses-to-help-people-houses/" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="http://prairiebirder.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/how-to-decorative-bird-house/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-20038889969801375292013-05-27T17:15:00.001-06:002013-05-27T17:15:30.714-06:00A Cross-Province ConundrumWhere's one of the easiest spots to find this subspecies in Canada?<br />
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<a href="http://www.birdcanada.com/cypress-hills-interprovincial-park/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjescA3QjkIWq5Ciw24qG39g3vy-t63sc1Wp2RZSyvdLtYlAY9YW4DJorL6iFd4ts2XB7f0ZrRhFIkmTxuoSKSsHDG9oG-T__zGskdaLZQWgw5sktXNrsw2IZY29SWpC1Fz3-NCAO-RDp-h/s400/_DSC2623.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Find out in my monthly Bird Canada post - click on the picture to link through.Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-83241576016241023802013-05-25T22:59:00.000-06:002013-05-25T22:59:41.585-06:00Counting in the RainLet's start with a typical spring bird count scene - identify these four duck species, click to enlarge if needed....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoU-m3sbQv7lzv_edjZRZF4AA0Xb8sGECcSZRJhVmqI2bZvERF9uYhc80jrGvKXXTZKjxzvcnnQ6l_in12_-8RaXH3WwK30Z6qCz2wykr583uNMrRcVad4p4HyOpn6s2c_lUayqTEN-89/s1600/_DSC2883+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoU-m3sbQv7lzv_edjZRZF4AA0Xb8sGECcSZRJhVmqI2bZvERF9uYhc80jrGvKXXTZKjxzvcnnQ6l_in12_-8RaXH3WwK30Z6qCz2wykr583uNMrRcVad4p4HyOpn6s2c_lUayqTEN-89/s640/_DSC2883+(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Answers at the bottom of this post!</td></tr>
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Having missed last year's spring bird count I was excited to get out again this year. I spent about six hours exploring my fairly nondescript section of prairie north of the town of Strathmore. It's marked as area 32 on the image below...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHNItrrh-W8pGO32gNidb-yBFdO5mi-qfSVcYFtCUIOoC15dxUyu1wEl2xiRWPgS2ZOLk59B1aVX6XEDeZ_hNgstzNsegOjCXOZUFYGkhRaFIhQ4eHDdr86steHRFe9k4LylWVhc7axNG/s1600/Area32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHNItrrh-W8pGO32gNidb-yBFdO5mi-qfSVcYFtCUIOoC15dxUyu1wEl2xiRWPgS2ZOLk59B1aVX6XEDeZ_hNgstzNsegOjCXOZUFYGkhRaFIhQ4eHDdr86steHRFe9k4LylWVhc7axNG/s640/Area32.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The wet and windy weather made finding songbirds somewhat challenging, although a surprise <b>Rose-breasted Grosbeak </b>showed up in a little clump of woodland. The wetland birds were easy to find though, with the highlight being a slough with eight <b>Double-crested Cormorants </b>and seven <b>Hooded Mergansers </b>on the water along with an amazing eight <b>Great Blue Herons </b>and three <b>Black-crowned Night-herons </b>all lined up in less than a hundred yards of shoreline - I guess someone is keeping the fish stocked up!<br />
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Here are a few more photos from the day's count:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzTqYprzHv5othhhEupUv8tSShdPC29Ifjp7XesuywRW5n5xf-Wy3qAQZddEAztMlrutdfDl_-j8I9chKDrZL5c1vmm4XZtX7l04wn1FUPa_9lHAPHAnTNKYJ1Q0_M1WxglIRaV_9iCXv/s1600/_DSC2901+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzTqYprzHv5othhhEupUv8tSShdPC29Ifjp7XesuywRW5n5xf-Wy3qAQZddEAztMlrutdfDl_-j8I9chKDrZL5c1vmm4XZtX7l04wn1FUPa_9lHAPHAnTNKYJ1Q0_M1WxglIRaV_9iCXv/s640/_DSC2901+(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Tern, <i>Chlidonias niger</i>, not actually all that black but agrees that the weather is pretty crappy ;)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvU_A1e2MxBTRuomVu8gfIM3FronOwOUH76tbCj1hC8e4ZMAqZuAHoeOlbFFF_rqGYJzvwTazOcPPzOYd0zBmMJZHLcPCiywZKAZN8sintfKmUoTZ_SelBdkkrdPo3wxMz-U4gTpx8KEA/s1600/_DSC2995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvU_A1e2MxBTRuomVu8gfIM3FronOwOUH76tbCj1hC8e4ZMAqZuAHoeOlbFFF_rqGYJzvwTazOcPPzOYd0zBmMJZHLcPCiywZKAZN8sintfKmUoTZ_SelBdkkrdPo3wxMz-U4gTpx8KEA/s640/_DSC2995.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wilson's Snipe, <i>Gallinago delicata</i>, more proof that Mother Nature has a sense of humour</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZBNMqFjVf24zhgVHwnkqmEGqwI7fC3Xj-gzVMXnPDUD6xG-jdCKbMgkEaBu77xQec7Ev7tyDOY_nJ7vEdJJvdPwlAH6V_4BGqOZCAVuqI5ASzs9RHsQItfJ7-Wimq8D0kUrvxiJDyUv0/s1600/_DSC2958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZBNMqFjVf24zhgVHwnkqmEGqwI7fC3Xj-gzVMXnPDUD6xG-jdCKbMgkEaBu77xQec7Ev7tyDOY_nJ7vEdJJvdPwlAH6V_4BGqOZCAVuqI5ASzs9RHsQItfJ7-Wimq8D0kUrvxiJDyUv0/s640/_DSC2958.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three Bank Swallows, <i>Riparia riparia</i>, arguing over personal space</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_qrKRWelZf4bT8NHqBW9uZ3tzGDKyFEefIBJOW9bwehrVbSW3UeSG5bZBMqlyey6OcdXXvv12KedAKhCbjjfovl14KjW3RywvKAtFJrxnBYcP4JPq6NWidYGTjqz4hSwjPHJU15lRK0G/s1600/_DSC3030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_qrKRWelZf4bT8NHqBW9uZ3tzGDKyFEefIBJOW9bwehrVbSW3UeSG5bZBMqlyey6OcdXXvv12KedAKhCbjjfovl14KjW3RywvKAtFJrxnBYcP4JPq6NWidYGTjqz4hSwjPHJU15lRK0G/s640/_DSC3030.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black-bellied Plover, <i>Pluvialis squatarola</i>, something of a spy shot of one of the day's rarer finds</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5YiWf14vtP_dGUslbgofoTzDgCA3Rfq-ZQ99fvfVNv1Jp42QWNj5UR_a7i3pY8PWer0DisA6qxsbe042dafLBYk4Qr6YhnkG5EFtipK8oTcSKniCtPD1nQc1GvCtUxZ9TIi4he_COh0I/s1600/_DSC3084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5YiWf14vtP_dGUslbgofoTzDgCA3Rfq-ZQ99fvfVNv1Jp42QWNj5UR_a7i3pY8PWer0DisA6qxsbe042dafLBYk4Qr6YhnkG5EFtipK8oTcSKniCtPD1nQc1GvCtUxZ9TIi4he_COh0I/s640/_DSC3084.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't see any Black-necked Stilts, <i>Himantopus mexicanus, </i>in the count area but this beauty was feeding by the road on the way home.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Duck Quiz Answers (left to right): Gadwall, Canvasback, Blue-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup<br />
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Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-60743132384496809162013-05-21T06:00:00.000-06:002013-05-21T06:00:13.092-06:00Where in the World is Calgary Birder? - Clue #2<br />
I'm heading off on an exciting trip this summer: a family vacation with lots of opportunities to see many new birds, as well as other cool wildlife. Rather than just telling you where I'm headed, I figured it might be fun to post a few clues in the form of photos of birds that could/should turn up on this trip. <br />
<br />
Our second bird is likely a real identification challenge but will pinpoint one of our stops with great accuracy as it is endemic to a mere 500 square kilometres of the planet! Feel free to post your ID's and destination guesses in the comments.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu29GEKyFYttDCpwlHiaRhfP0DEOTEPObK5vDPZ3rbu0K___BUpzLF6kQ4NXb1wTQkJPz4JsjJYSVI8sON-OVF7Yvp8WDT343hsmANyGtnkZX5EnQEnoz-kMq31VtlUC5Y7WwQBmdRgpbs/s1600/Mystery2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu29GEKyFYttDCpwlHiaRhfP0DEOTEPObK5vDPZ3rbu0K___BUpzLF6kQ4NXb1wTQkJPz4JsjJYSVI8sON-OVF7Yvp8WDT343hsmANyGtnkZX5EnQEnoz-kMq31VtlUC5Y7WwQBmdRgpbs/s400/Mystery2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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All of the images used in this series of posts are from <a href="http://ibc.lynxeds.com/" target="_blank">the Internet Bird Collection</a>, links will be posted to the original image and species pages when the big reveal is made.<br />
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-13252416446242904762013-05-11T11:59:00.000-06:002013-05-11T12:20:59.377-06:00Mega-Rarity Purple Sandpiper at Inglewood Bird SanctuaryOn Thursday, May 9th, local birder and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mama_lumen/8725118374/in/photostream" target="_blank">photographer Eddy Matuod</a> found and photographed an unusual sandpiper at <a href="https://maps.google.ca/maps?client=safari&q=inglewood+bird+sanctuary&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&hl=en" target="_blank">Inglewood Bird Sanctuary here in Calgary</a>. Uncertain if it was a Rock or Purple Sandpiper, or possibly a weird looking Least Sandpiper, he posted his find to Albertabird. <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/message/22822" target="_blank">After some discussion</a> online, <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/message/22825" target="_blank">opinion seemed to crystallize</a> around this being a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_sandpiper" target="_blank">Purple Sandpiper, </a><i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_sandpiper" target="_blank">Calidris maritima</a>. </i>The bird was present on Friday morning and observed by many birders, <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/message/22827" target="_blank">who all seemed to agree on the Purple identification.</a> If accepted, this would be a<a href="http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/natural/birds/birdlist/taxon.htm" target="_blank"> first Alberta record for this species.</a><br />
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After work on Friday, I popped over to Inglewood to have a look for myself and snapped these photos as well as some video. The video is not great (tricky to shoot video handholding at 400mm!) but may be useful for identification. The starlings in the second half of the clip were behaving very aggressively towards the little peep, as was a magpie. This may have contributed to the birds apparent departure, as of Saturday morning.</div>
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Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com1Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary51.0305048 -114.0106200999999825.508470300000003 -155.31921409999998 76.5525393 -72.702026099999983tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-54542042052741192412013-05-06T22:05:00.000-06:002013-05-06T22:05:06.703-06:00Amazing In-Flight VideoWhile there are a variety of views on falconry in the birding community, there is no denying that this is stunning footage. This video captures a female peregrine hunting, then <b>taking a freaking duck out of mid-air</b> in a triple digit km/h stoop dive (starting at around 2:45)..... <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(note: "freaking duck" is neither a new species nor a poorly pronounced Chinese menu item, but simply a reflection of how cool this video is)</span></i><br />
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....and for an even faster version, minus the carnage, check out this video for<b> the full >300km/h potential.</b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> (note: >300km/h is not a typo, if you were flat out in a Porsche 911, this bird would overtake you)</i></span><br />
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This video was found on kottke.org, <a href="http://www.kottke.org/" target="_blank">a recommended repository of random cool things</a>.</div>
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-56089623240807931062013-04-30T06:00:00.000-06:002013-04-30T06:00:09.851-06:00Where in the World is Calgary Birder? - Clue #1I'm heading off on an exciting trip this summer: a family vacation with lots of opportunities to see many new birds, as well as other cool wildlife. Rather than just telling you where I'm headed, I figured it might be fun to post a few clues in the form of photos of birds that could/should turn up on this trip. <br />
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The first one should narrow down the hemisphere and continent, assuming that Alberta readers realize that this is not the bird they likely first think it is! Feel free to post your ID's and destination guesses in the comments.<br />
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All of the images used in this series of posts are from <a href="http://ibc.lynxeds.com/" target="_blank">the Internet Bird Collection</a>, links will be posted to the original image and species pages when the big reveal is made.<br />
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-69090836931325290742013-04-22T06:00:00.000-06:002013-04-22T08:58:47.351-06:00Waterways of CalgaryToday's post was to have been a detailed exploration of the new <a href="http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pages/Locations/SE-parks/Ralph-Klein-Park.aspx" target="_blank">Ralph Klein Park</a>, on the south-east edge of Calgary. My plan to spend a morning exploring this manufactured wetland was pleasantly thwarted by a call to help out with the early morning birding course at <a href="http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pages/Locations/SE-parks/Inglewood-Bird-Sanctuary.aspx" target="_blank">Inglewood Bird Sanctuary</a>. After a chilly, windy walk along the Bow River at Inglewood, I stopped by <a href="http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pages/Locations/SE-parks/Elliston-Park.aspx" target="_blank">Elliston Park</a>, Calgary's second largest body of water. Finally, with a little time to spare before meeting up with the family for a trip to the model train show, I stopped briefly at the new wetland.<br />
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The following little photo essay takes you through my morning jaunt through river, lake, and wetland. Click on any image to view as a slideshow....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwOoksWDi4TrRpT50D3FfXO4JntPYm4T3fgbGjs6DYW2I6xcAgp9efGz6AeUtfd6w3rnZT_yGllnPfJ_AF3sSTO05DYg_J9x_oAGhs5BAqXsGraxg2IytWmo5oocc1no7_5_C7hZ7Kw3z/s1600/AmericanPipit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPwOoksWDi4TrRpT50D3FfXO4JntPYm4T3fgbGjs6DYW2I6xcAgp9efGz6AeUtfd6w3rnZT_yGllnPfJ_AF3sSTO05DYg_J9x_oAGhs5BAqXsGraxg2IytWmo5oocc1no7_5_C7hZ7Kw3z/s640/AmericanPipit.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spot the pipits! Flocks of <b>American Pipits</b>, <i>Anthus rubescens</i>, migrate through Calgary every spring. They are often found on gravel bars along the river and are extraordinarily well camouflaged, as these two birds show. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguydcmsIa1pQ61d1vTsyXEDc0MfRfdgTt52HhXY8xTo91DLYfarcTGm_RAswQteVHDMEM8jGKwTaC4FoHC7Mg3vqeOb6PKd3l5zWEqzNvCWw8M7U7wxbwr2V6bWRl4NUa7Yx3fEuukBAD_/s1600/BohemianWaxwing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguydcmsIa1pQ61d1vTsyXEDc0MfRfdgTt52HhXY8xTo91DLYfarcTGm_RAswQteVHDMEM8jGKwTaC4FoHC7Mg3vqeOb6PKd3l5zWEqzNvCWw8M7U7wxbwr2V6bWRl4NUa7Yx3fEuukBAD_/s640/BohemianWaxwing.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In contrast to 2012, it is still cold and snowy in Calgary and many winter residents are abundant. This <b>Bohemian Waxwing</b>, <i>Bombycilla garrulus, </i>was part of a flock that briefly flew down to the river for a drink. This one flashed the rusty orange under its tail that helps tell it apart from its Cedar Waxwing summer cousins.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_ulsQBZVT5LxM3VLEe55_DU8vjrsZd8oBg3QFdfsfaMrczFDVbb6SHmsS_Sl4JOmoiw_M5FVbIdiJS0PwhhnydJcvy9HnugCoibqvAK7_8WtB-qYgJ_L6o-S6k0DbhCeuFJlixCTKhEt/s1600/LesserScaup+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_ulsQBZVT5LxM3VLEe55_DU8vjrsZd8oBg3QFdfsfaMrczFDVbb6SHmsS_Sl4JOmoiw_M5FVbIdiJS0PwhhnydJcvy9HnugCoibqvAK7_8WtB-qYgJ_L6o-S6k0DbhCeuFJlixCTKhEt/s640/LesserScaup+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The next stop was Elliston Park where <b>Lesser Scaup</b>, <i>Aythya affinis</i>, were the most abundant species. Here one female at centre and five males.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEZ0y5dDHaRnIEl-cMD0TUq0-OtgA_h2Fi5XmkCVUnVHJ42cOKy2vCwYKOB9yH5RZf6qOV4_4QtqXHwOk7rDVKQL9wrK4ZzD5fb5NPM2-t5khMZbO7dEvYIxSYTrtayn-zMMVrwxdUZJQ/s1600/LesserScaup+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEZ0y5dDHaRnIEl-cMD0TUq0-OtgA_h2Fi5XmkCVUnVHJ42cOKy2vCwYKOB9yH5RZf6qOV4_4QtqXHwOk7rDVKQL9wrK4ZzD5fb5NPM2-t5khMZbO7dEvYIxSYTrtayn-zMMVrwxdUZJQ/s640/LesserScaup+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The males have only one thing on their minds at this time of year...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLFMJvw_6X8xEtTp6neS7ZVtyu3kOMG65fEhVrz8UCf0wGlEG83dIdbIBF6pEbFOCKvYr63-mUEQmz0aLHZ9IecMZoRaJP6g4DyHFxOvVFtSl4NMlD-BvvbYdEM2fVbigblizYKBhyphenhyphenomP/s1600/LesserScaup+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVLFMJvw_6X8xEtTp6neS7ZVtyu3kOMG65fEhVrz8UCf0wGlEG83dIdbIBF6pEbFOCKvYr63-mUEQmz0aLHZ9IecMZoRaJP6g4DyHFxOvVFtSl4NMlD-BvvbYdEM2fVbigblizYKBhyphenhyphenomP/s640/LesserScaup+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and she is fed up with all the attention...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEt9Y7vVzBOxLHYCHwSi-i_LCfyqZgEXmAfABnrTUIkIwgQ0GZBVN40toSRsKpDDCKr75NEcPJX8xW2jZ_C22hY-uqQ1rmc6GzwYiQFQ-iH7SD7nYf_BjosiOajCn9rU9uVc2U2Tw6_fd/s1600/LesserScaup+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEt9Y7vVzBOxLHYCHwSi-i_LCfyqZgEXmAfABnrTUIkIwgQ0GZBVN40toSRsKpDDCKr75NEcPJX8xW2jZ_C22hY-uqQ1rmc6GzwYiQFQ-iH7SD7nYf_BjosiOajCn9rU9uVc2U2Tw6_fd/s640/LesserScaup+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...but unfortunately there's no escape, even in the air - that's six males trying to box her in!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexDedSCygiisYHBRydGKAmZs8J-4ADgtOJJxwabMUeHqdZ5FAM6qs1x7CFlxwShP6QE3OvTZ5n02jZ_Ww_n9MMWurZyjSmLktVXhrYhvmf1FG_Z1zniGZvQnq27bZJZBMLa59BAgdGOfa/s1600/RedCrossbills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexDedSCygiisYHBRydGKAmZs8J-4ADgtOJJxwabMUeHqdZ5FAM6qs1x7CFlxwShP6QE3OvTZ5n02jZ_Ww_n9MMWurZyjSmLktVXhrYhvmf1FG_Z1zniGZvQnq27bZJZBMLa59BAgdGOfa/s640/RedCrossbills.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were songbirds present at Elliston as well, including this stunning <b>Red Crossbill</b>, <i>Loxia curvirostra.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEHQcTpCMNtjHF3CiLdXc68zb7vnheO-_nvLDZvuhP9HnMiUfPl6yf53REYZbMNkOqdT0rdPGq0cZWg-AiA0CtjEdXDYYLTMPbn3Db04q7RktlLOnRJareV5Ucf4lXOydSgEIkId5wCDw/s1600/RedbreastedMerganser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEHQcTpCMNtjHF3CiLdXc68zb7vnheO-_nvLDZvuhP9HnMiUfPl6yf53REYZbMNkOqdT0rdPGq0cZWg-AiA0CtjEdXDYYLTMPbn3Db04q7RktlLOnRJareV5Ucf4lXOydSgEIkId5wCDw/s640/RedbreastedMerganser.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last stop I made was Ralph Klein Park, where I snapped this heavily-cropped, long-range shot of a <b>Red-breasted Merganser</b>, <i>Mergus serrator</i>, (bottom left) a regular but rare migrant through the Calgary area. By the way, that's a pink-legged <b>Herring Gull</b> showing off above the two <b>Common Goldeneyes</b>, likely trying to mind their own business.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwoi2LFm_GcpZm6HK7f5s1kWAVoZCtJpCs-fg2wARFeFg4NHqyoI9yKUsForYP2CxV5qv3tntF3avDxgklZlK9AAvSGX2-TWypaWRZSBxaQTnnN6OM0tOloMGO6zril-MWA0rve26qMFS/s1600/BaldEagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwoi2LFm_GcpZm6HK7f5s1kWAVoZCtJpCs-fg2wARFeFg4NHqyoI9yKUsForYP2CxV5qv3tntF3avDxgklZlK9AAvSGX2-TWypaWRZSBxaQTnnN6OM0tOloMGO6zril-MWA0rve26qMFS/s640/BaldEagle.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Red-breasted Merganser didn't stick around for long as this <b>Bald Eagle</b>, <i>Haliaeetus leucocephalus</i>, flew in, flushing dozens of waterfowl and hundreds of gulls into a tower of circling noise.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyB3ozFQ7w0azTgh93jYF7B1ILY1hqvMMNqMJNQ0v70ifoUT3V1z2fhs1a01ok7TR6xbSpPt6rBAPR0tRGN0tqaF87aPwWv_sgdzfUDo6C9i9R0H1dsyNzhJYVqsoVpfTZtq1hwxw85lOm/s1600/YellowlegsStilts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyB3ozFQ7w0azTgh93jYF7B1ILY1hqvMMNqMJNQ0v70ifoUT3V1z2fhs1a01ok7TR6xbSpPt6rBAPR0tRGN0tqaF87aPwWv_sgdzfUDo6C9i9R0H1dsyNzhJYVqsoVpfTZtq1hwxw85lOm/s640/YellowlegsStilts.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two more new birds for the year, feeding in another part of the park, were <b>Black-necked Stilt</b>, <i>Himantopus mexicanus</i>, and <b>Greater Yellowlegs</b>, <i>Tringa melanoleuca. </i>A lovely way to end the morning's birding.</td></tr>
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<b>Update:</b> Our intrepid leader for the morning, Dan Arndt of Birds Calgary, posted his images <a href="http://birdscalgary.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/when-will-spring-arrive-ive-had-just-about-enough-of-this-cold-and-snow/" target="_blank">from the Inglewood outing here</a>. He's been playing around with a loaner Swarovski scope and digiscoping setup</div>
<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-85744517045983922532013-04-18T21:05:00.000-06:002013-04-18T21:05:01.935-06:00Exciting Changes to the Blog!I've changed the look of this blog, returning it to closer to its original format for entirely selfish reasons that may nevertheless be of use to local birders....<div>
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1) On the right side of the window you'll see <a href="http://www.birdventurebirding.com/p/birdtrax.html" target="_blank"><b>"BirdTrax"</b>, an amazing little application</a> that pulls <b>all of the sightings for a given time and region from eBird</b> and throws them up in a handy little window. I've set it up to do a 50km circle around Calgary for the last 14 days, although I may tweak these settings depending on how it performs (feedback appreciated as always). If you click on the "+" sign it will link out to the eBird checklist. Similarly under the checklists tab you can directly access individual checklists by person and location.<i> </i>This application doesn't currently work with Internet Explorer (but why are you using Internet Explorer?)</div>
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Still with me? ...here is a picture of a bird to maintain your interest ;)</div>
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2) Underneath the Birdtrax window is a <b>blog list with the most recent entries to all the Alberta bird blogs </b>that I know about, including the Albertabird listserv. This should provide me, err, I mean, my readers with more convenient access to these key blogs, especially with Google Reader going the way of the Dodo (Passenger Pigeon, Eskimo Curlew, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Carolina Parakeet, Labrador Duck, crap that's depressing...)</div>
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3) I've <b>widened the blog</b> to accommodate the BirdTrax window alongside extra-large photos. Most people are using relatively high-resolution monitors now but let me know if you find this really irritating.</div>
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4) I'm finally going to use my <b>Twitter account</b>. You can follow me <b>@CalgaryBirder</b> </div>
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Congratulations on making it to the bottom of this grippingly exciting post! Here is another picture of a bird...</div>
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Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-40741964762082334342013-04-16T16:30:00.000-06:002013-04-16T16:30:02.789-06:00Swans in the Air(waves)Yesterday I posted photos from my weekend Frank/Namaka Lake excursion, including both Alberta species of swan (Trumpeter and Tundra). The same day, I heard Brian Keating of the Calgary Zoo talking about swans on the radio! It's a great little piece discussing the history of swans in Alberta, current threats to their population, and their ecology. You can listen to the piece on the CBC website here: <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/homestretch/columnists/wildlife/2013/04/15/swans/">http://www.cbc.ca/homestretch/columnists/wildlife/2013/04/15/swans/</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AirlKag8J9hyphenhyphen22UGsqHfPboTyAJ3X22u_24K_ChrU9U39Qzal-OFhA-dre-HtfgCutB2azCY2ewZVi1TVFuWmWEYKNSiqzkfe5HRCi89oREmazbACopt16V7ILWEBJCWWdbBYfwj29S7/s1600/TundraSwans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AirlKag8J9hyphenhyphen22UGsqHfPboTyAJ3X22u_24K_ChrU9U39Qzal-OFhA-dre-HtfgCutB2azCY2ewZVi1TVFuWmWEYKNSiqzkfe5HRCi89oREmazbACopt16V7ILWEBJCWWdbBYfwj29S7/s640/TundraSwans.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tundra Swans, <i>Cygnus columbianus</i>, in a slough near Frank Lake</td></tr>
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-1526149923619030412013-04-15T16:30:00.000-06:002013-04-15T19:50:32.134-06:00The Last Duck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
On Saturday morning, I headed out of town hoping to get some sunshine birding before the forecast storm. At first I beat the weather, then ran straight into it, but managed to find thirteen new species for the year, including a <b>lifer!</b> I'll let the pictures tell the tale....</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOajFSN14Ic8eeUR73IHVh83go733yb7SyA3sFsJKdcKCSuhOJYm-KJ8EXhZoME7z_eTU8Ogbsdouksskudjfv8qn9oBk-KLOc0XKfNZ8hCBK2nBdO66WNoULhgXDiFo0WYSLZ4htp3UXN/s1600/AmericanCoot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOajFSN14Ic8eeUR73IHVh83go733yb7SyA3sFsJKdcKCSuhOJYm-KJ8EXhZoME7z_eTU8Ogbsdouksskudjfv8qn9oBk-KLOc0XKfNZ8hCBK2nBdO66WNoULhgXDiFo0WYSLZ4htp3UXN/s640/AmericanCoot.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first stop was the blind at Frank Lake, east of High River. There were many <b>American Coots</b>, <i>Fulica americana</i>, calling to each other in the reeds. This is one of a few that came into clear view.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4U7_tgHFPyajKRZ3moBENi1ynXU5Ov7I8ifwlleF7QYozco2ENEdBL2O_FnQHiDwkZesXeSDteW8B527_IoiXVLFPnpzM61GPSqreE1Ab3jZsKH29uxYkAi7nip1-x5q-zQ3lv2qwq7sH/s1600/HornedGrebe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4U7_tgHFPyajKRZ3moBENi1ynXU5Ov7I8ifwlleF7QYozco2ENEdBL2O_FnQHiDwkZesXeSDteW8B527_IoiXVLFPnpzM61GPSqreE1Ab3jZsKH29uxYkAi7nip1-x5q-zQ3lv2qwq7sH/s640/HornedGrebe.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A <b>Horned Grebe</b>, <i>Podiceps auritus,</i> was diving for food in front of the blind, along with many ducks including <b>Common Goldeneye, Lesser Scaup, Mallard, Canvasback</b>, and more. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8l4Exre7X4mTZpmTclEgAc_EmL0sCd5MpfyIvLwOAQzEr4HeuTxZOpEQfaSqgFe3Yp-dX7ZoShlJ9R-oaCz0WKByLsKQ4K1owhY8wcBFLeZNG82kLu3XgDtxgiLAVOg00vJ1qbBP08y20/s1600/TrumpeterSwans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8l4Exre7X4mTZpmTclEgAc_EmL0sCd5MpfyIvLwOAQzEr4HeuTxZOpEQfaSqgFe3Yp-dX7ZoShlJ9R-oaCz0WKByLsKQ4K1owhY8wcBFLeZNG82kLu3XgDtxgiLAVOg00vJ1qbBP08y20/s640/TrumpeterSwans.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As I walked away from Frank Lake, this family of <b>Trumpeter Swans</b>, <i>Cygnus buccinator</i>, were also continuing their northward journey.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGlYniHL0oDdkk6GqVJo1GdhtNIAxUEbMIwhvD1YBNZLa97CVsKC3k0CVq6E42RreBcKIlBsd5RqbXkblFMm7Rrj97F8jgXjrWvmkObxNFOzEicFZayP4OIP1ozC-6bGmLXX3K1d60cu-/s1600/NorthernPintails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggGlYniHL0oDdkk6GqVJo1GdhtNIAxUEbMIwhvD1YBNZLa97CVsKC3k0CVq6E42RreBcKIlBsd5RqbXkblFMm7Rrj97F8jgXjrWvmkObxNFOzEicFZayP4OIP1ozC-6bGmLXX3K1d60cu-/s640/NorthernPintails.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heading north and east from Frank Lake the prairie is dotted with little marshes and sloughs. Some were still frozen but, with no discernible pattern, others were completely open and each one had its own little birding treasures such as these <b>Northern Pintail</b>, <i>Anas acuta</i>, surely the most dapper of ducks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0e4wVIRYm1lM5xYh1ymUZcpe7bWBeGTkZcRaEMlcLPsw3ayWoVMqHvxmS819GovxfODPres9dP5i6I6zekr-qyBU5g-0PvCFEgKXbDlcGSOq3ZM-Z86xgiOFbWyzego901MJOh2avwBgw/s1600/TundraSwans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0e4wVIRYm1lM5xYh1ymUZcpe7bWBeGTkZcRaEMlcLPsw3ayWoVMqHvxmS819GovxfODPres9dP5i6I6zekr-qyBU5g-0PvCFEgKXbDlcGSOq3ZM-Z86xgiOFbWyzego901MJOh2avwBgw/s640/TundraSwans.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was in these prairie potholes that I completed my set of swans for the day with this pair of <b>Tundra Swans</b>, <i>Cygnus columbianus.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQy-7gmq_t2PY-tJ5nGth_g0rW1WZAifwgm9Knf_eG1quo-lRVtPMY-86TX_X4rCgYOuqpkHsBnDVjt6zpRp4lOwNGk4pS3cLirqIdWPKGayDSvIHeyGbF_bg3xpmJoXomkxSyvS01Pq5/s1600/SnowyOwl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQy-7gmq_t2PY-tJ5nGth_g0rW1WZAifwgm9Knf_eG1quo-lRVtPMY-86TX_X4rCgYOuqpkHsBnDVjt6zpRp4lOwNGk4pS3cLirqIdWPKGayDSvIHeyGbF_bg3xpmJoXomkxSyvS01Pq5/s640/SnowyOwl.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just north of Blackie I drove into a wall of fog and snow as the forecast storm arrived - welcome to April, Calgarians! Pushing on to my next destination, Namaka Lake, this young <b>Snowy Owl</b><i>, Bubo scandiacus</i>, sat forlorn in the middle of a field opposite the lake. I'm used to seeing these owls on poles but this bird sat for the whole time I was there - I hope it is not "out of gas" on its return journey north.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8N6ycYJr-eeWHHBs1PuqR4hMFDSXCySsCtmwNg-lKh8KdWLnsxTmuQfTmBs7GUtvaE8SwD5Dgxl_fyXlFX1hJKLhUua2hxPKgV6tJ9ZBDOuR1MXDdWdCRUevRSZNfxy8k6NJplSemd0U8/s1600/Wigeons+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8N6ycYJr-eeWHHBs1PuqR4hMFDSXCySsCtmwNg-lKh8KdWLnsxTmuQfTmBs7GUtvaE8SwD5Dgxl_fyXlFX1hJKLhUua2hxPKgV6tJ9ZBDOuR1MXDdWdCRUevRSZNfxy8k6NJplSemd0U8/s640/Wigeons+%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main body of Namaka Lake was completely frozen over but the south wetland was open and filled with ducks. Standing on the shore were these four Wigeon and the second from the right is a male <b>Eurasian Wigeon</b>, <i>Anas penelope</i>, the last of Alberta's 33 regularly occuring species of waterfowl for me to find! As you can see in this image, the bird was aggressively chasing the two male <b>American Wigeon</b>, away from the female at right. What's odd about this is that the female appears to be an American Wigeon as well.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3y0rS0ZjWU3WxVOaKgmjRpXmWeKtX1aoEAFiIzM2GqxiVWKs4yCbttjdUoHxavz00EGhmA84j-cOgczCiSb3nsS37X52_ga57oV_UdVPTRWLYMvT6C6p9DEcQesbVBJzqsZ9JsqEneSpz/s1600/Wigeons+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3y0rS0ZjWU3WxVOaKgmjRpXmWeKtX1aoEAFiIzM2GqxiVWKs4yCbttjdUoHxavz00EGhmA84j-cOgczCiSb3nsS37X52_ga57oV_UdVPTRWLYMvT6C6p9DEcQesbVBJzqsZ9JsqEneSpz/s640/Wigeons+%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When these same four birds flew off for a few laps of the lake, the female continued, to paraphrase Tammy Wynette, to "Stand By Your Interspecific Hybridizing Man". Of course it could just be that I'm wrong about the ID on the female but after some reading it really seems like an American to me - <a href="http://aba.org/birding/v37n2p156.pdf" target="_blank">more on Wigeon ID in a pdf article from the ABA magazine if you're so inclined</a>.</td></tr>
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All in all a lovely day out on the prairie, in spite of the weather. I'm looking forward to my next wetland outing on the 21st, this time to<a href="http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pages/Locations/SE-parks/Ralph-Klein-Park.aspx" target="_blank"> Ralph Klein Park</a>.<br />
<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-1410488172153244542013-03-27T12:17:00.000-06:002013-04-02T11:24:00.851-06:00Taxidermy and Taxonomy at the Canadian Museum of NatureI've been invited to contribute to the Bird Canada multi-author blog and will be writing on the 27th of each month. My first post is up and you can read it by clicking on the image below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.birdcanada.com/taxidermy-for-birders-birding-the-canadian-museum-of-nature/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEvP9fN7Yhu5JmMEwt7dXB_Utl-K9_EGJcetdIF9ydt0QPDmZsbu-xw765j4rhCTd9zVoe074mAdv59L1iCFRVz-wB5hXHwadEU3ThqLMpPrN5NlOpXP-EZ_zwsjXE4Rr5wXRIq7Azx64h/s320/NaturalHistoryMuseum+(10).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click it! (You know you want to!)</td></tr>
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By the way, I'll have a little more on my Ontario trip in the next little while - I'm still searching for that American Black Duck!</div>
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-81846712320900195822013-03-18T21:25:00.000-06:002013-03-18T22:41:07.723-06:00Weekend at Bluetail's<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This past weekend Calgary Birder, Mrs. Calgary Birder and our two nestlings flew to Vancouver. We were taking their 98 year old great-grandmother to attend her big sister's 100th birthday party! It was a wonderful celebration and we all enjoyed the time visiting with family. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUObAU2y9ldzFhVNtDu22Qn5oO8ESAuA9lBNm1fM_N3ybHNPB6_FXnSKybX0lk79Rw_iB4FxL0O5uuVVIa59LzQbZfkdJdlmOO4BVq8KZ3oCW26QHLXHbrL3BbOLWnrv9PYBbOXZPdTTP/s1600/StellersJay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUObAU2y9ldzFhVNtDu22Qn5oO8ESAuA9lBNm1fM_N3ybHNPB6_FXnSKybX0lk79Rw_iB4FxL0O5uuVVIa59LzQbZfkdJdlmOO4BVq8KZ3oCW26QHLXHbrL3BbOLWnrv9PYBbOXZPdTTP/s400/StellersJay.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As many as twenty <b>Steller's Jays</b>, <i>Cyanocitta stelleri</i>, at a time in our host's front yard - but these aren't the blue tails I was looking for...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course, I wasn't going to pass up the chance to chase the Vancouver area's current "mega" - a <b>Red-flanked Bluetail</b>, showing in a park in New Westminster since being <a href="http://blog.aba.org/2013/01/abarare-red-flanked-bluetail-british-columbia.html" target="_blank">discovered by<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Colin McKenzie</span> </span>on January 13th</a>. For the non-birding followers of this blog (or birders who have been living under a rock for the past two months) this little Eurasian flycatcher, which should be spending the winter in Indochina, is the second ever mainland North American record of this species.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I slipped out of a dark house in North Vancouver shortly before dawn and headed for Queen's Park in New Westminster. The only birds I saw on the half hour drive were members of a huge flock of <b>Northwestern Crows</b> leaving their roost in Burnaby but even in the predawn light the park was jumping with activity. <b>American Robins</b> and <b>Dark-eyed Juncos</b> were busy feeding on the ground along with, to my delight, several <b>Varied Thrushes</b> - a life bird before the sun had risen.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBVgRNJrk8_hgvTAF6kd_ncf3dv3gZOZ49Ry3f4ToLU5KaHTa-trajzVykALr-p4Wy9IQFWlBYweRfPDUUQQfv4LU61chc072Ei5uW3TGPS85fqxWDW37PcLIbK7j7aHTCDEmOt2YMsvV/s1600/VariedThrush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBVgRNJrk8_hgvTAF6kd_ncf3dv3gZOZ49Ry3f4ToLU5KaHTa-trajzVykALr-p4Wy9IQFWlBYweRfPDUUQQfv4LU61chc072Ei5uW3TGPS85fqxWDW37PcLIbK7j7aHTCDEmOt2YMsvV/s400/VariedThrush.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Varied Thrush, <i>Ixoreus naevius</i>. Not bad views for a shy resident of the damp, dark understory. The patterning on the feathers gives a textured quality to the plumage.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I spent about thirty minutes exploring the area around the playground, enjoying the melodic but frantic trills and buzzes of <b>Pacific Wrens</b> high above, before seeing a little brownish bird flicking its tail in a low shrub. It flew a short distance, landed on a tree stump and flicked its tail again. I brought my binoculars up and, in the dim lit of the understory, made out a faint eye-ring and what looked like reddish sides. Almost certainly the bird but far from definitive views. I wandered a little further north in the park and eventually relocated the bird, getting a good look and a passable identification photo.</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ89IQNpBvE5s4ZFXpOlQn79ejYzJ9sAeR48d3LYYLDCC1pib2pJgZ1jKQ0dvp3I8dEqPiH7ncwp_Yr9aF4Lzu9R07VJ76yqiKK93NUNJVp9uH4b7s-x8erqVzdS-HyT_zh5WxeVnesTkK/s1600/Bluetail+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ89IQNpBvE5s4ZFXpOlQn79ejYzJ9sAeR48d3LYYLDCC1pib2pJgZ1jKQ0dvp3I8dEqPiH7ncwp_Yr9aF4Lzu9R07VJ76yqiKK93NUNJVp9uH4b7s-x8erqVzdS-HyT_zh5WxeVnesTkK/s320/Bluetail+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red-flanked Bluetail, <i>Tarsiger cyanurus, </i>a long way from home.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoeZ79RR2Rl0vF62UoqBqhmc7hMaqEiQv-iZCDx8cGEN0jxFPH0VZ2FVQJiJItoN45vCwvfMYehMq7CMm8Hnmp-nZrXe283BI5wZaUY-8nrfaejlaTvD_tzORJjVsJ_Rrd8YAf3BVJ3OI/s1600/Bluetail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguoeZ79RR2Rl0vF62UoqBqhmc7hMaqEiQv-iZCDx8cGEN0jxFPH0VZ2FVQJiJItoN45vCwvfMYehMq7CMm8Hnmp-nZrXe283BI5wZaUY-8nrfaejlaTvD_tzORJjVsJ_Rrd8YAf3BVJ3OI/s320/Bluetail.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncropped, 420mm lens!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By this time there were a couple of other birders in the area and we chatted for a little while, enjoying the cedar trees which maybe reminded the little wanderer of the Northern Russian forests where it should be heading to breed at this time of year. With limited views of the Bluetail and a deadline to be back in North Vancouver, I decided to head back through Vancouver and try to find a Brambling reported in the Fairview neighbourhood. Thanks to a great set of directions from </span><a href="http://islandnature.ca/2013/01/red-flanked-bluetail-brambling-lower-mainland-twitch/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Dave Ingram over at Island Nature</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, I had no problem finding the right alley and backyard where another birder was quietly peering through the brambles. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Brambling was here until 10 minutes ago" </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Apparently it's often only seen before 9 or 10 in the morning"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Uh-oh.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I stuck around in the rain for as long as possible - about forty-five minutes - but no sign of the Brambling. What we did enjoy was a great selection of west coast songbirds: <b>Song Sparrow</b>, <b>Pine Siskin</b>, <b>Golden-crowned Sparrow</b>, <b>Fox Sparrow</b>, <b>House Finch, Black-capped Chickadee</b>, <b>House Sparrow</b>, and both the Slate-coloured and Oregon subspecies of<b> Dark-eyed Junco</b>. To wrap things up, here are a few shots of those birds....</span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGb4nXhfZfyuh6Vq12H7_KwUB0gPeBrCs3gl0qxFNKta1izKP7pgJ2Ls4W6YMYl1GtpjADS_H0Fy8KDASF1dnB4oR6iMYzzyadVY6POw6tnD3VG8K6y8zQrcEy_a8BFuadj-qK6pKwHJEK/s1600/FoxSparrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGb4nXhfZfyuh6Vq12H7_KwUB0gPeBrCs3gl0qxFNKta1izKP7pgJ2Ls4W6YMYl1GtpjADS_H0Fy8KDASF1dnB4oR6iMYzzyadVY6POw6tnD3VG8K6y8zQrcEy_a8BFuadj-qK6pKwHJEK/s400/FoxSparrow.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>"Sooty" Fox Sparrow</b>, <i>Passerella iliaca unalaschcensis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYHNm0_jFLMFYvfsWI9cJ_-ieMYqiGAquMiNJUdQgvWkTQ4omDWq8XKlIy6SyLF_UT-Qsf2CNZrFISVSw4raAL18xYwIDdvyWyrV46P-weMCMCHokiowKwUvgjylY4JeACZHUdjskfIqS/s1600/OregonJunco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigYHNm0_jFLMFYvfsWI9cJ_-ieMYqiGAquMiNJUdQgvWkTQ4omDWq8XKlIy6SyLF_UT-Qsf2CNZrFISVSw4raAL18xYwIDdvyWyrV46P-weMCMCHokiowKwUvgjylY4JeACZHUdjskfIqS/s400/OregonJunco.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>"Oregon" Dark-eyed Junco</b>, <i>Junco hyemalis</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0isKIKBxfLVOjJ8bXzHhi-n8rvbMs9eW2u-hcrf95CrC7eqsVRbzdFC0SJa7_bCPdMAWQN2fHNDjHUs7pGjcYEc098ytU80DYZx85ISMy_37E4BFZK7abiQx6ORfWCn7Xqu1bAfyobSiS/s1600/SongSparrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0isKIKBxfLVOjJ8bXzHhi-n8rvbMs9eW2u-hcrf95CrC7eqsVRbzdFC0SJa7_bCPdMAWQN2fHNDjHUs7pGjcYEc098ytU80DYZx85ISMy_37E4BFZK7abiQx6ORfWCn7Xqu1bAfyobSiS/s400/SongSparrow.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Song Sparrow</b>, <i>Melospiza melodia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-60290762238980198032013-03-10T18:00:00.000-06:002013-03-10T18:00:01.209-06:00Year of the Woodpecker?Regular followers of this blog may remember that my nemesis
bird in Alberta was the Pileated Woodpecker. I finally tracked one down early last year and <a href="http://calgarybirder.blogspot.ca/2012/11/a-nemesis-no-longer.html" target="_blank">finally had some decent views in the fall</a>. This
year seems to be off to a different start on the woodpecker front!<br />
<br />
To begin with, a <b>Pileated Woodpecker</b> was the very first bird I
saw for the entire year. Arriving
at dawn in the Shannon Terrace parking lot of Fish Creek Provincial Park for
our January 1st bird count, one of these crow-sized woodpeckers flew
across the valley calling as it went.
There have been more sightings since then, notably a pair of birds
feeding at ground level by the bike path in Bebo Grove a short distance from
our bird course group.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_nWctJ__ZV8znGHVDegIYDkNhJyJ-sjjQRpl4cppryAn7u1ban9vSm-NKxIK4AnlDnqxdlnAEUvqorFHA5i8iJqDfwq9L5aC3Ro-cgzA-wQKdMFUul0HwjyCjpOhDCVmRiwqsOYN5vtX/s1600/PileatedWoodpecker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC_nWctJ__ZV8znGHVDegIYDkNhJyJ-sjjQRpl4cppryAn7u1ban9vSm-NKxIK4AnlDnqxdlnAEUvqorFHA5i8iJqDfwq9L5aC3Ro-cgzA-wQKdMFUul0HwjyCjpOhDCVmRiwqsOYN5vtX/s640/PileatedWoodpecker.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above:<b> Pileated Woodpecker</b>, <i>Dryocopus pileatus, </i>Bebo Grove, Fish Creek Provincial Park<br />
Below: Example of flight call from xeno-canto.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe frameborder="0" height="220" scrolling="no" src="http://www.xeno-canto.org/embed.php?XC=102028" width="340"></iframe>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
On that January 1<sup>st</sup> bird count, even
the Pileated wasn’t the woodpecker highlight of the day, as we found a
<b>Black-backed Woodpecker</b> later in the morning. There had been some sightings earlier in the winter and we
soon found tell-tale signs of the feeding activity of a three-toed woodpecker species. The three species in this group are
specialist woodpeckers, needing mature coniferous forests with dead and dying trees, from which they meticulously peel the bark, searching for insect larvae. The resulting pile of fine bark shavings in the
snow around the base of these trees is distinctive but sometimes finding the responsible bird is a little trickier. Eventually one of our group members
spotted this beauty feeding high up on spruce trunk and we were able to watch
it at work.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztUbJKPUcIuEQb0f5ljKjvBDYhtyPfI0yQA6wEBbZfucvcOLtlwxHH5Gb-qpMFC-7Gb5IS9jJODk1V4UOuYewblUUOzagRjcYRPCldrvGOuQpPwajWWX4ReSPAKJLzT51uZP6LOo4fC2i/s1600/BlackbackedWoodpecker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgztUbJKPUcIuEQb0f5ljKjvBDYhtyPfI0yQA6wEBbZfucvcOLtlwxHH5Gb-qpMFC-7Gb5IS9jJODk1V4UOuYewblUUOzagRjcYRPCldrvGOuQpPwajWWX4ReSPAKJLzT51uZP6LOo4fC2i/s640/BlackbackedWoodpecker.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Black-backed Woodpecker</b>, <i>Picoides arcticus</i>, Marshall Springs, Fish Creek Provincial Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the same genus (for now?) as the three-toed woodpeckers
are the Calgary area's more common species – the Hairy Woodpecker and the ubiquitous
Downy Woodpecker - both of which we also saw on that woodpecker-filled New Year's Day. Although common, these two
species can play tricks on birders, as they can be confused with each
other. Here’s the Hairy
Woodpecker, in South Glenmore Park last year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Pu7LEH2T0awEU2u8_yjgpTzx0a7R4seXMyIzCzIOCgb7ZJ0id18KguLT_tWl1RzjRIDPfCDf7kf6gDZcTZqKnCZ-lX5FdUTq0pR6l-1tDanLadwq9I4OLujvPzkpNVqVoom-XjjNEbeC/s1600/HairyWoodpecker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Pu7LEH2T0awEU2u8_yjgpTzx0a7R4seXMyIzCzIOCgb7ZJ0id18KguLT_tWl1RzjRIDPfCDf7kf6gDZcTZqKnCZ-lX5FdUTq0pR6l-1tDanLadwq9I4OLujvPzkpNVqVoom-XjjNEbeC/s640/HairyWoodpecker.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Hairy Woodpecker</b>, <i>Picoides villosus</i>, South Glenmore Park, Calgary. <br />
The red spot indicates that this is a male bird.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are a few physical characteristics that help to separate the two species. The Hairy is larger than the Downy, although there is a tiny
bit of overlap between the smallest and largest of the two species. The outer tail feathers on a Hairy are pure white - although this can be hard to see and is not universally true. Less ambiguously, the bill is always
proportionately larger in the Hairy – as long as the head. However, the easiest way to tell the two species apart is their calls. The Hairy is fairly flat in pitch while the Downy's call is distinctly descending (“Downy goes down”). Here’s
the Downy Woodpecker, this one at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. If you look closely you can see the black spots on the outer tail feathers and the bill is clearly shorter than the bird above, but it's that call that makes it clear, as you can hear below.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCb0D0CsKzg0QCdrmwluZhx3nUU3E8yMclv8YetgFCHrvCuX_SyV_d1b6q1mHUWYcJmeBibKF6_CxCPEPcyTYjHI5655phcUbLvUGIXpoKy2ARB5dTKEW5H-F90zDnPfulkg4O0L7TL77/s1600/DownyWoodpecker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCb0D0CsKzg0QCdrmwluZhx3nUU3E8yMclv8YetgFCHrvCuX_SyV_d1b6q1mHUWYcJmeBibKF6_CxCPEPcyTYjHI5655phcUbLvUGIXpoKy2ARB5dTKEW5H-F90zDnPfulkg4O0L7TL77/s640/DownyWoodpecker.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above: <b>Downy Woodpecker</b>, <i>Picoides pubescens</i>, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary. <br />
No red spot on the head means this is a female.<br />
Below: Example of call from xeno-canto.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe frameborder="0" height="220" scrolling="no" src="http://www.xeno-canto.org/embed.php?XC=56225" width="340"></iframe>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Four of Calgary’s woodpecker species on January 1st is a
pretty good start to any birding year.
I’ve seen Northern Flicker since then which leaves three more common
Southern Alberta woodpeckers – American Three-toed, Red-naped Sapsucker, and
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – to turn up for the remainder of the year. Here’s to the year of the woodpecker!</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-12160201082714568182013-03-04T18:00:00.000-07:002013-03-04T18:00:01.264-07:00The End of Winter?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Winter List is traditionally kept between December 1<sup>st</sup>
and February 28<sup>th</sup> and records all the species seen between those
dates in the designated area. <a href="http://birdscalgary.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/the-alberta-winter-bird-list/" target="_blank">The Alberta Provincial list is usually about 120-150 species</a>, with traditional winter
residents such as Bohemian Waxwings, American Tree Sparrows, and of course
Snowy Owls keeping company on the list with more rare winter hangers-on like
the Northern Shoveler at Weed Lake and a vagrant Northern Mockingbird in
Vulcan.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdYQJfxY9s3XN0ZdDLluvOhu_AHCIewTHBD7qg8NbQGNmwrDz3zACQ7W4lJa0hyphenhyphenIXyZ9JAFkVwGYHgxLYilQmX8YEPMi-WDEUFcGqGf1ShbqFFiYO_MuoqXWGdJRKIZZ4Vp2LfSFMslX3/s1600/SnowyOwl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdYQJfxY9s3XN0ZdDLluvOhu_AHCIewTHBD7qg8NbQGNmwrDz3zACQ7W4lJa0hyphenhyphenIXyZ9JAFkVwGYHgxLYilQmX8YEPMi-WDEUFcGqGf1ShbqFFiYO_MuoqXWGdJRKIZZ4Vp2LfSFMslX3/s400/SnowyOwl.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Snowy Owl</b>, <i>Bubo scandiacus</i>, near Mossleigh, Alberta</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What have I been up to over the last couple of months? Not much blogging and only a little bit
of birding with the <a href="http://www.friendsoffishcreek.org/content/view/48/51/" target="_blank">Friends of Fish Creek winter birding course</a>. Nevertheless, as of the end of the
winter listing period, I was up to fifty species for the year so far. The big question today is: why does the
list end on February 28<sup>th</sup>? To illustrate my point, here are the conditions in front of our house yesterday (March 3<sup>rd</sup>)…</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierrsaBe5yefUlOjugDEMU3ljPWbxAIZaJqN9rQARINVYRWQymjaDi__OiK-IAtiDa5ngud1vBsoJNJgeo-yIMT5tgjnHqltqH7u4Ut9HgBrtUKsLIh6AF2TVQaSeIjd81RuKHbvGFexpy/s1600/StreetSnow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEierrsaBe5yefUlOjugDEMU3ljPWbxAIZaJqN9rQARINVYRWQymjaDi__OiK-IAtiDa5ngud1vBsoJNJgeo-yIMT5tgjnHqltqH7u4Ut9HgBrtUKsLIh6AF2TVQaSeIjd81RuKHbvGFexpy/s400/StreetSnow.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snowy weather in Calgary</td></tr>
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Even in these kind of harsh conditions, evidence of birds is
everywhere. Judging from the
noise, the nicely sculpted tree pictured below was sheltering
a dozen or more House Sparrows and a few Black-capped Chickadees in front of a neighbour's house. Between the dense foliage and the layer
of snow, I suspect they were cozier than I was! (I should probably mention that
<a href="http://birdscalgary.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/friends-of-fish-creek-winter-birding-week-8-beaverdam-flats-snowed-out/" target="_blank">two of the birders over at Birds Calgary</a> were actually out birding in this and <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/message/22272" target="_blank">turned up a dozen species</a>)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIDJdSk5l8c-mBa6r3GV8XpVkg6bcWRhtpg-icitSDAiDKX7TQ2QGASYMfaYKC7788fOGelFc7k7391DX_4t1smpHpOCr9diaBHv0iFxtK_HyyBsa9RmkuJTIiZaAGIFCEZvaj4rvVaGo/s1600/SnowTree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoIDJdSk5l8c-mBa6r3GV8XpVkg6bcWRhtpg-icitSDAiDKX7TQ2QGASYMfaYKC7788fOGelFc7k7391DX_4t1smpHpOCr9diaBHv0iFxtK_HyyBsa9RmkuJTIiZaAGIFCEZvaj4rvVaGo/s320/SnowTree.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Winter is clearly not yet done here in Alberta but signs of
spring are all around. On this
past Saturday’s bird group outing we had Mallards and Common Goldeneye
vigourously courting and copulating in the river, we saw our first starlings of the year, and several of the magpies we saw
were carrying nesting material. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpCgJL-sqbT4rS_wrgLR5aM2M7dRJ5KUgUCnEjE7wP2Qigj9RQsId_NPAamcQnMYrGzvn5q8PjGhaqt_r4l9QB14jQwGdihYr5uObhfWEgA7xdbqVmdr70O8rbIBblQx74yoxdDh-ERNb/s1600/Magpie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpCgJL-sqbT4rS_wrgLR5aM2M7dRJ5KUgUCnEjE7wP2Qigj9RQsId_NPAamcQnMYrGzvn5q8PjGhaqt_r4l9QB14jQwGdihYr5uObhfWEgA7xdbqVmdr70O8rbIBblQx74yoxdDh-ERNb/s400/Magpie.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A winter <b>Black-billed Magpie</b>, <i>Pica hudsonia</i></td></tr>
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I’ll be taking a break from the course for the spring
session. This change should leave
a little more time for photography and blogging, as well as home life. I’m also interested to see how early
morning starts and smaller groups impact the birds I see, although I’ll
certainly miss the group birding and learning experience. Whatever birds I see, there’ll
certainly be more time to share with you!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxefNmt0bUHgZ4PkGK5SAPnQtt1F-Aa1Uxj9jKSVyvos95RTtqMeePZEGrt99KUtx6o-kbx-7Lps4P-ozT9Fq0gxKKpfVD8p_-yYPsMDIgD-vznNz8xJWdKM1wOCLJHsOa9pn7sXcDtydY/s1600/BarrowsGoldeneye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxefNmt0bUHgZ4PkGK5SAPnQtt1F-Aa1Uxj9jKSVyvos95RTtqMeePZEGrt99KUtx6o-kbx-7Lps4P-ozT9Fq0gxKKpfVD8p_-yYPsMDIgD-vznNz8xJWdKM1wOCLJHsOa9pn7sXcDtydY/s400/BarrowsGoldeneye.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A highlight of the winter session - a digiscoped <b>Barrow's Goldeneye</b>, <i>Bucephala islandica</i>, at Carburn Park showing two of it's most obvious identification traits: a steeper peaked head with shorter bill than Common Goldeneye and the crescent shaped white patch in front of the eye. </td></tr>
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Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-34352851225472245752012-12-25T06:00:00.000-07:002012-12-25T06:00:12.056-07:00Season's Greetings from A Calgary BirderMerry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you've had a great year of birding, as I have. The next one is just around the corner....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yEpsfKw5GaSpqlglItNpxw1j94wsBo3mZU-97pED0ZG7YL0AJZdX_x1MpecaMnreTLi5QKYD_JDZRICLGYkQqDrvdkR5GRpQJCJxuXakdgQXvajsvmEnqnO8Ng7rB_J7mn5Bm-v0b4Z8/s1600/CanadaGeeseonIce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3yEpsfKw5GaSpqlglItNpxw1j94wsBo3mZU-97pED0ZG7YL0AJZdX_x1MpecaMnreTLi5QKYD_JDZRICLGYkQqDrvdkR5GRpQJCJxuXakdgQXvajsvmEnqnO8Ng7rB_J7mn5Bm-v0b4Z8/s400/CanadaGeeseonIce.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-18327792568060703212012-12-22T23:27:00.001-07:002012-12-22T23:27:36.596-07:00Christmas Bird Count - CalgaryPlans for a quiet Christmas around town enable me to participate in three <a href="http://www.bsc-eoc.org/volunteer/cbc/index.jsp?targetpg=index&lang=EN" target="_blank">Christmas Bird Counts</a> this year. The first of these was last weekend's Calgary count where I counted with four other birders in <a href="http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pages/Locations/SW-parks/South-Glenmore-Park.aspx" target="_blank">South Glenmore Park</a> and the <a href="http://www.calgaryarea.com/calgary_parks/weaselhead_park/weaselhead.htm" target="_blank">Weaselhead Natural Area</a>. This area has been referred to as "the long walk" by some as it's a relatively remote area for an urban count, has historically low species diversity and is therefore assigned to birders willing to spend six or seven hours wandering the woods in winter weather. Nevertheless, I've had fun on this count <a href="http://calgarybirder.blogspot.ca/2011/12/christmas-bird-count-continued.html" target="_blank">the last couple of years</a> and looked forward to our day out. Here are a few shots of some of the twenty-one species we encountered.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjXdCtrCQp1Rd_vMtxEHfS_2QN4VlIc7gPBh0u4lWTIZeq1vcFZqdbmeWMkOxEAgS7cOSIGlZN-fX8kmD3wchrIetw7ziXR_EmGbpW-5wyrvzllSvtCMPxw_NKpmoRwLbr6I19Tkx15iu/s1600/CBC+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjXdCtrCQp1Rd_vMtxEHfS_2QN4VlIc7gPBh0u4lWTIZeq1vcFZqdbmeWMkOxEAgS7cOSIGlZN-fX8kmD3wchrIetw7ziXR_EmGbpW-5wyrvzllSvtCMPxw_NKpmoRwLbr6I19Tkx15iu/s400/CBC+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Although I've seen a lot of <b>Golden-crowned Kinglets</b>, <i>Regulus satrapa, </i>I've not had much luck photographing them. That's perhaps not surprising as they are Alberta's tiniest songbirds, barely bigger than our smallest hummingbirds, and weighing in at just six grams - less than a<a href="http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_does_a_Canadian_loonie_weigh" target="_blank"> loonie</a>! Their flight reminds me of hummingbirds too as they flit around the shadowy branches of spruce trees looking for food and somehow eking out a living at thirty below. This particular bird finally sat still in the sun long enough for me to get a decent shot.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOs8AkY5QHXBi_cYRfr_RnlbQg5Z8DLh46rzQCqCyJo8m9VH-7iIC-bIux3iV8aC9NJnR41aRi9Ezg_4wH8eO2CyzrzR1EU4mY__i77Jd3BEnGwNXr__iIAjcAdYkatQ55iBKFeQtDeOr/s1600/CBC+1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOs8AkY5QHXBi_cYRfr_RnlbQg5Z8DLh46rzQCqCyJo8m9VH-7iIC-bIux3iV8aC9NJnR41aRi9Ezg_4wH8eO2CyzrzR1EU4mY__i77Jd3BEnGwNXr__iIAjcAdYkatQ55iBKFeQtDeOr/s400/CBC+1.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Believe it or not, this photo is also an improvement on previous work. Of course that's easy when I have never managed to photograph<span style="text-align: center;"> </span><b style="text-align: center;">Brown Creeper</b><span style="text-align: center;">, </span><i style="text-align: center;">Certhia americana, </i><span style="text-align: center;">in Alberta!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZoS57Nv0pTScIwnsCVU5SncNsw1HVT95qnpaAdhyOBLfcFxRXl_Mt-5JEsvhOws-AabZs6-x9lu6HUqAThyphenhyphenks_Fv3HMz8c2fM5CTpEbnHnO8svA9GV0I5VJGNBz7oqk39i1CbnrSP47h/s1600/CBC+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZoS57Nv0pTScIwnsCVU5SncNsw1HVT95qnpaAdhyOBLfcFxRXl_Mt-5JEsvhOws-AabZs6-x9lu6HUqAThyphenhyphenks_Fv3HMz8c2fM5CTpEbnHnO8svA9GV0I5VJGNBz7oqk39i1CbnrSP47h/s400/CBC+3.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<b>Pileated Woodpecker</b>, <i>Dryocopus pileatus</i>, started the year as a bit of nemesis for me - never seen in Alberta or anywhere since I started birding in earnest a few years ago. I finally found one in the spring and then got <a href="http://calgarybirder.blogspot.ca/2012/11/a-nemesis-no-longer.html" target="_blank">fantastic looks a few weeks ago</a>. Two of the members of our group, who were newer birders, had been having similar issues so it was nice to relive my experience through them as we got great looks and a startlingly close flypast from this female.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_33x4zeX4VbGZh4vOoGCTFR0xNW2y9_59LWvNn0Ppii7F4fISnKmsvMFW5JQHKQ7CBnUBMYkIL72UoFCnG0MeDlo1I5brajeA3ooreKjh1pTNFMlM7rU3V9fOBcNB8TyvVZIqEXrfSZn/s1600/CBC+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_33x4zeX4VbGZh4vOoGCTFR0xNW2y9_59LWvNn0Ppii7F4fISnKmsvMFW5JQHKQ7CBnUBMYkIL72UoFCnG0MeDlo1I5brajeA3ooreKjh1pTNFMlM7rU3V9fOBcNB8TyvVZIqEXrfSZn/s400/CBC+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I don't have much to say about this photo except that it's a<b> Common Redpoll</b>, it's very pretty, we saw a hundred and thirty others just like it, and no, we didn't see any Hoary Redpolls. But that's fine because these birds are perfectly lovely with their streaks intact.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Sta4onaOr01ArnMVEdNg-nnar45JXLOvD5_pYKulPXv_UThLyijSny_HQavkjOmw6z2T7jUa29z2QEYNHF1a-fOEvmUiHXnkOSw9Pmq2-yawDBsJduZp2rQqd-8oiIt1UBHdrExd1Xx5/s1600/CBC+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Sta4onaOr01ArnMVEdNg-nnar45JXLOvD5_pYKulPXv_UThLyijSny_HQavkjOmw6z2T7jUa29z2QEYNHF1a-fOEvmUiHXnkOSw9Pmq2-yawDBsJduZp2rQqd-8oiIt1UBHdrExd1Xx5/s400/CBC+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Boreal Chickadees</b>, <i>Poecile hudsonicus, </i>are a target species for this count area and we found a half dozen of them hanging out with various flocks of Black-capped Chickadees. They are distinguishable by their brown caps, reddish-brown flanks and different calls but this uncharacteristically bold individual made life easier by feeding a few feet away while we ate lunch.<br />
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At the end of the day, we had another great count experience and I look forward to the next one - Sheep River/Turner Valley on December 29th. There's a <a href="http://birdscalgary.wordpress.com/2012/11/22/calgary-region-christmas-bird-counts/" target="_blank">full list of counts on the Birds Calgary website</a> and lots of time to get involved. Hope to see you out there!Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com0South Glenmore Park, Calgary50.974633399999988 -114.1232949000000250.954638399999986 -114.16363540000002 50.994628399999989 -114.08295440000002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-88124310206656373332012-11-19T18:00:00.000-07:002012-11-19T18:41:33.098-07:00A Nemesis No LongerSome of my childhood was spent in Ontario and I clearly remember seeing Pileated Woodpeckers a few times in the forests around Peterborough and Ottawa, mostly while out cross-country skiing. When I started keeping track of my bird sightings a few years ago, I assumed it would be a quick addition to my Alberta list. No such luck! Eventually I followed some advice to Griffith Woods in early March of this year and got my "tick" - a quick disappointing flash of distinctive white underwing vanishing into the trees across the Elbow River. With that backdrop in mind, you may understand why I was approaching this past weekend's Friends of Fish Creek Birding in Bebo Grove, where Pileateds had been reported all week, with more than the usual excitement.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=201434323473799481573.0004ced5643430626dd18&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=50.927492,-114.114304&spn=0.03787,0.072956&z=13&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br /></div>
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<small>View <a href="https://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=201434323473799481573.0004ced5643430626dd18&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=50.927492,-114.114304&spn=0.03787,0.072956&z=13&source=embed" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Bebo Grove</a> in a larger map</small></div>
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The first thirty minutes of our outing was extremely quiet with a handful of <b>Black-billed Magpies</b>, <b>Pine Grosbeaks</b>, <b>Black-capped Chickadees</b>, and a flyover <b>Sharp-shinned Hawk</b>.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRt6X75zP2PVArc9_laj02a6aC6it9oOQr23D2UShGHISNAT4fJkKnMj8yVCGZuTMV8F04lCIDReOEmoLy6vDjnfdnDpePwSJTRDD5v8dMQIQ9EAUReB5h2aQSfLVdRmhKue_zikazH-I_/s1600/Sharpie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRt6X75zP2PVArc9_laj02a6aC6it9oOQr23D2UShGHISNAT4fJkKnMj8yVCGZuTMV8F04lCIDReOEmoLy6vDjnfdnDpePwSJTRDD5v8dMQIQ9EAUReB5h2aQSfLVdRmhKue_zikazH-I_/s400/Sharpie.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A <b>Sharp-shinned Hawk</b> (possibly the same bird), <i>Accipiter striatus,</i> that we connected with later in the morning</td></tr>
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Eventually we made it to the creek where we enjoyed the company of <b>Brown Creepers</b>, <b>Boreal </b>and <b>Black-capped Chickadees, </b>and <b>Golden-crowned Kinglets.</b> Unnoticed by the main group, the star of the show - a <b>Pileated Woodpecker </b>- flew across the creek behind us and alit on a trunk right in front of three birders who had lingered by the water. As soon as they got our attention it flew off downstream, landing among some picnic tables that were a more comfortable distance from our mob of nearly two dozen birders.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8Rz02vRFHs4wncoQUe0Ku9_dmKiZmFRlTeBDX-WEIHoLKF35BOSNEAY4O66Mzldg1fi1XlFvc9Rl_Rg9G6DBtbmrwxPenQJIUE86a4f0ZLqWUooVuepn23P7k0dFV_j2sGIiGVbZLdTS/s1600/PileatedWoodpeckerDistant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8Rz02vRFHs4wncoQUe0Ku9_dmKiZmFRlTeBDX-WEIHoLKF35BOSNEAY4O66Mzldg1fi1XlFvc9Rl_Rg9G6DBtbmrwxPenQJIUE86a4f0ZLqWUooVuepn23P7k0dFV_j2sGIiGVbZLdTS/s400/PileatedWoodpeckerDistant.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More deeply unsatisfying views of my nemesis (this is a 420mm lens) - right in the centre of the frame, apparently headless!</td></tr>
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Given the woodpecker's tolerance of birders earlier in the week, I decided to play a hunch and headed off by myself to make a giant (and hopefully nonthreatening) loop around through the trees to get the sun behind me and hopefully to move closer to the bird. As you can see from these photos, it worked...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5r9sjgPPfbS-cYQAybhdqUPbeTX6iaOlY6LzHQLi9TTdaa6svDTz4eRM5uav2sv0Z9s0PMzzQQSLvnX8wIll00h01Z5_AeP6ITv6AQeD89q9CTdUNq4Iuy3YzixancG-t_YSradrJCKI/s1600/PileatedWoodpecker1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5r9sjgPPfbS-cYQAybhdqUPbeTX6iaOlY6LzHQLi9TTdaa6svDTz4eRM5uav2sv0Z9s0PMzzQQSLvnX8wIll00h01Z5_AeP6ITv6AQeD89q9CTdUNq4Iuy3YzixancG-t_YSradrJCKI/s400/PileatedWoodpecker1.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male <b>Pileated Woodpecker</b>, <i>Dryocopus pileatus</i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4WS8vdY3XWKRN8im3I1sRW1G0JyFNRaP1q9Q3nqlINNcS-yKnAn2Tgz3N8uU3X_LKSRXwZKu9QwcvMrh_RTfU3fgDF7XgPH2clm5Gi8g6ivXQ4mO0fJkJYRxgafOiPcuwYCVQ6-8GZLW/s1600/PileatedWoodpecker2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj4WS8vdY3XWKRN8im3I1sRW1G0JyFNRaP1q9Q3nqlINNcS-yKnAn2Tgz3N8uU3X_LKSRXwZKu9QwcvMrh_RTfU3fgDF7XgPH2clm5Gi8g6ivXQ4mO0fJkJYRxgafOiPcuwYCVQ6-8GZLW/s400/PileatedWoodpecker2.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Pileated Woodpeckers are, probably needless to say, the largest of North American woodpeckers, about the size of a crow. They chisel away at trees with their large powerful beaks, often foraging close to the ground where they excavate rectangular holes to feed on ants and other insects inside the tree. The whole woodpecker family has evolved a number of fascinating adaptations to enable this feeding behaviour: stout bills with an elastic layer of tissue between bill and skull bones, long barbed tongues that curl around the back the skull, nasal tuft feathers (visible above) that protect their nostrils from flying wood chips, and stiffened central tail feather shafts (visible below) that help prop the bird up on the trunk.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-doX4zDSjW0hyphenhyphentGBvz381w1IE_nYTNYLZeiM4VLYic3tXO_8U8u2xOZz43Td1G_xxPen1h5mdjyyE-ColGzHiHa2GM-2TeizMj9kajSDE65QTQYvliBDE3yF09h41iug22nMd0-hUhSHf/s1600/PileatedWoodpecker3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-doX4zDSjW0hyphenhyphentGBvz381w1IE_nYTNYLZeiM4VLYic3tXO_8U8u2xOZz43Td1G_xxPen1h5mdjyyE-ColGzHiHa2GM-2TeizMj9kajSDE65QTQYvliBDE3yF09h41iug22nMd0-hUhSHf/s400/PileatedWoodpecker3.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going up!</td></tr>
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That was the main excitement of the morning - certainly no <a href="http://naturalestnaturalist.blogspot.ca/2012/11/citrine-wagtail-twitch.html" target="_blank">Citrine Wagtail</a> or <a href="http://canadafurandfeathers.blogspot.ca/2012/11/the-chase.html" target="_blank">Hepatic Tanager</a> but a stunning bird and an important sighting for me. We concluded our morning by heading down to the westernmost bridge in the park, on the off chance of an American Dipper, but "settled" for the first <b>Common Redpolls</b> of the season, along with more friendly Black-capped Chickadees and a particularly characterful Red Squirrel.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZeYIKVjKqeqb_6WYVfDpgQayOMjcQhpbC_mpffXQgeRcLzAMieoAD6UzZRhJHuvu7sFpbOoMAVJghxys76o6WAe-K0KZqbgZW5NsTSzSiyUiCBmXSPtjaSWcz92k5Hf7UGA1q_erQ9vb/s1600/BCChickadee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZeYIKVjKqeqb_6WYVfDpgQayOMjcQhpbC_mpffXQgeRcLzAMieoAD6UzZRhJHuvu7sFpbOoMAVJghxys76o6WAe-K0KZqbgZW5NsTSzSiyUiCBmXSPtjaSWcz92k5Hf7UGA1q_erQ9vb/s400/BCChickadee.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Black-capped Chickadee</b>, <i>Poecile atricapillus</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCv6etxlze67JMveLdSoIBa81rKwGnBe65tvC6zDIGfqOjzBtImC7YfQTAUUvysYt7hLKo8qUuHpvlh-S9REH0cQf9GQW8Wn-flR1ZUOE4W-xq_nGnfx9xzTdBxB8bpgiSFEqROPTfsQPB/s1600/RedSquirrel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCv6etxlze67JMveLdSoIBa81rKwGnBe65tvC6zDIGfqOjzBtImC7YfQTAUUvysYt7hLKo8qUuHpvlh-S9REH0cQf9GQW8Wn-flR1ZUOE4W-xq_nGnfx9xzTdBxB8bpgiSFEqROPTfsQPB/s400/RedSquirrel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Red Squirrel</b>, <i>Tamiasciurus hudsonicus</i></td></tr>
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<br />Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-20542640969379357892012-11-11T19:32:00.002-07:002012-12-12T10:32:43.915-07:00Technology in BirdingEarlier this week, <a href="http://birdscalgary.wordpress.com/contact-us/" target="_blank">Dan Arndt</a> and I presented to the <a href="http://birdscalgary.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/the-bird-studies-group/" target="_blank">Nature Calgary Bird Study Group</a> at <a href="http://www.naturecalgary.com/bsg/index.html" target="_blank">their monthly meeting</a>. We spent about 75 minutes trying to illuminate the world of birding software and birding on the internet to a group of about fifty or sixty birders. Dan did a fantastic sales pitch for eBird, highlighting its value both as a conservation tool and for sharing information about bird sightings. We spent some time going over digital field guides with our tablets plugged into the projector. Finally, we spread the word on some Alberta and North American blogs and tried to demonstrate that Facebook can be a force for good!<br />
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Anyway, this post is largely for the benefit of those that are Alberta birders and wanted to see the slides that were presented - all of the links in the slides should work. If you have problems viewing these you can contact me as described under the "About Me" tab above. Enjoy!</div>
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/112903776/Nature-Calgary-Bird-Study-Group-Presentation-November-2012" style="-x-system-font: none; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 12px auto 6px auto; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Nature Calgary Bird Study Group Presentation - November 2012 on Scribd">Nature Calgary Bird Study Group Presentation - November 2012</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" data-aspect-ratio="undefined" data-auto-height="false" frameborder="0" height="600" id="doc_614" scrolling="no" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/112903776/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll" width="100%"></iframe>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-4443413083379459582012-09-18T17:00:00.000-06:002012-09-18T17:00:03.527-06:00Back to School (In More Ways Than One...)What a fantastic summer! There are so few opportunities for birding adventures during the school year that time spent at the computer seems like wasted time during July and August. Now that I'm back to work and feeling somewhat organized after the first few weeks, it's time to start sharing a few of those adventures, as well as update you on what's been going on over the past few months. I'm also helping out with the fall Friends of Fish Creek birding courses again and looking forward to getting out every Saturday with this group.<div>
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Here's a preview of what to expect on the blog over the next couple of months....<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUfCEvBXWxBjUXQMM3fCBNUi4rB5wMw2o7EMlntItsyXDXpz1E2xkPdMwCmp2MuXh1MiiptmhkWBIkPJPvtvgH5fICvEidw29JRXa2HEw10JCwi8hpm8HKoLj_XOZxaN0wadapzjxHrZx/s1600/DSC_4802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUfCEvBXWxBjUXQMM3fCBNUi4rB5wMw2o7EMlntItsyXDXpz1E2xkPdMwCmp2MuXh1MiiptmhkWBIkPJPvtvgH5fICvEidw29JRXa2HEw10JCwi8hpm8HKoLj_XOZxaN0wadapzjxHrZx/s640/DSC_4802.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Big(ish) Day...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryCyVhXA23sMqNEkJnvDkr1U0aNEjIKukO1BT7bhdXnm0L2O_SZGjsZ1FVM2xEYmNP_yATvoWFSdfUfgnLOACxD9uH9hs2d9A3hwKct2dgAKeRPcSMUJz9PaOAgDyFr_jHv64i6DtBiZU/s1600/DSC_4894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryCyVhXA23sMqNEkJnvDkr1U0aNEjIKukO1BT7bhdXnm0L2O_SZGjsZ1FVM2xEYmNP_yATvoWFSdfUfgnLOACxD9uH9hs2d9A3hwKct2dgAKeRPcSMUJz9PaOAgDyFr_jHv64i6DtBiZU/s640/DSC_4894.jpg" width="508" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...hungry migrants...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZ_Nkznf7V_ZQMLkmQwQN7jWVKItXJsXqBlBcD3GM5Z5f1vGsYw2SKJxvuQv62t0ITgKmpxRSu1X0gMtxa_4ZLxNdHVk_F6g-Qs5Mwnlj6YMOnJ14g-Nh44CSz67AaCkiiTs38W7WmAw6/s1600/IMG_0592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZ_Nkznf7V_ZQMLkmQwQN7jWVKItXJsXqBlBcD3GM5Z5f1vGsYw2SKJxvuQv62t0ITgKmpxRSu1X0gMtxa_4ZLxNdHVk_F6g-Qs5Mwnlj6YMOnJ14g-Nh44CSz67AaCkiiTs38W7WmAw6/s640/IMG_0592.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...Calgary Birders' Junior in action,...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY92xeqvjPoTPRIDbzSlQTZwx5PaFYmKy5Xgi0K8dpLR-acHq37DmdbikMIohyphenhyphenpDPn4mqyZwu0nlCKMI7X-XzT9mYNqBaQwvvVQKEwx27BLeFQA1e6qFn5A1CJvY8PiMf8K3KyRC96JCD3/s1600/DSC_4780.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY92xeqvjPoTPRIDbzSlQTZwx5PaFYmKy5Xgi0K8dpLR-acHq37DmdbikMIohyphenhyphenpDPn4mqyZwu0nlCKMI7X-XzT9mYNqBaQwvvVQKEwx27BLeFQA1e6qFn5A1CJvY8PiMf8K3KyRC96JCD3/s640/DSC_4780.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...lifers...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCbDLB2VqcDnV15h-pkQCSjc3QniY3aOtVLUrlpjnx3vj94c4of6ajS7g_n5jkb9wvtH_4WAKUAQbh6ZstirsRJIkFOMUW4EnFEeqJDhKtGKwFsx_MIMNaoWAROSAtl7_qsHoWDbqDhqi/s1600/DSC_5105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCbDLB2VqcDnV15h-pkQCSjc3QniY3aOtVLUrlpjnx3vj94c4of6ajS7g_n5jkb9wvtH_4WAKUAQbh6ZstirsRJIkFOMUW4EnFEeqJDhKtGKwFsx_MIMNaoWAROSAtl7_qsHoWDbqDhqi/s640/DSC_5105.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and, of course, what a great place Calgary is to live and bird.</td></tr>
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Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8521256671440577341.post-82643268725799364282012-07-05T14:07:00.000-06:002012-07-05T14:07:44.128-06:00Purple Martins' MajestyAnother school year is finished with a mad flurry of activity but CalgaryBirder now finds himself enjoying vacation sunshine on the west side of Vancouver Island. <i>En route</i>, we spent two rainy days in North Vancouver and I took the opportunity to checkout the Maplewood Flats Conservation Area. This is considered to be a "must see" birding spot in BC's Lower Mainland and, as it's been well covered by local bloggers, I'll simply leave you with these two links and move on to the digiscoped photos:<div>
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<li><a href="http://birdinginvancouver.wordpress.com/site-guides/maplewood-conservation-area/" target="_blank">Birding in Vancouver</a> has a site guide with recommended trails, and,</li>
<li><a href="http://birdtrekkerbc.com/maplewood-flats-north-vancouver/" target="_blank">BirdtrekkerBC</a> has some photos and a species checklist</li>
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The species I particularly wanted to see were <b>Purple Martins</b>, which nest on the piers out on the mudflats. So far I've missed these in Alberta - just haven't been in the right place at the right time. There were certainly no trouble to find as they were bombing around the shoreline hunting and calling loudly.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpmaMB8Zfz0IOeW3Pm67U36LPE5iYGphc43t0awLSJ4BOaA3m43Bd05GcDO1QwQXabSdztW7FhKNocjBX0wnTMOV0Sgi2d9E_r0pIAcPpQg_1cCDihO3k-Grek7T1w6X5pEBU5u9shaypQ/s1600/DSCN1243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpmaMB8Zfz0IOeW3Pm67U36LPE5iYGphc43t0awLSJ4BOaA3m43Bd05GcDO1QwQXabSdztW7FhKNocjBX0wnTMOV0Sgi2d9E_r0pIAcPpQg_1cCDihO3k-Grek7T1w6X5pEBU5u9shaypQ/s400/DSCN1243.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nestboxes out on the mudflats<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGg04PGMZbWVJe9zvjQCIDMAu81P8Zya7Q-3a8DkFGaA3Iko8ESTY4BlPyMOU5gValuRgm1D8GaTf8QcoF2FIzhEnFD_UlP7aeIwRwgOdkdm-bbvv55mAP-hXunGR0XXLsHxzHp-Z20OGc/s1600/DSCN1248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGg04PGMZbWVJe9zvjQCIDMAu81P8Zya7Q-3a8DkFGaA3Iko8ESTY4BlPyMOU5gValuRgm1D8GaTf8QcoF2FIzhEnFD_UlP7aeIwRwgOdkdm-bbvv55mAP-hXunGR0XXLsHxzHp-Z20OGc/s400/DSCN1248.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Purple Martins</b> pausing for a rest between feedings. The two birds with the pale faces are juveniles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6aOPlBLRqh-1E_LOUyVP0f7bi_u7tEm04pIurdzbarEQSgWnTpysSA5Wj1RW_NDiRsWKvI5S3GxMqNLnFibRy7rF22d_NbtKl0vOpSncI8t49vy7bfWCFSU2HgYvQVCe6irJN2c3buGR/s1600/DSCN1244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6aOPlBLRqh-1E_LOUyVP0f7bi_u7tEm04pIurdzbarEQSgWnTpysSA5Wj1RW_NDiRsWKvI5S3GxMqNLnFibRy7rF22d_NbtKl0vOpSncI8t49vy7bfWCFSU2HgYvQVCe6irJN2c3buGR/s400/DSCN1244.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Other birds also make use of the piers (I think that's the right term?). This is a <b>Bald Eagle</b>, like I needed to tell you that!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc54Xn7iMeqlJM3rFZjzFhalo7Y0eNH7Ij3VyF32dLz-X3eDpCkFuK0VWMHAp6OvUqN78m0kE6LbOmqB1u5nwyU09zqF4nuaM3SIYAOv_5eJ_01ZCwKGy48E9YxY7jC5_swXeOvzOkvBVK/s1600/DSCN1253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc54Xn7iMeqlJM3rFZjzFhalo7Y0eNH7Ij3VyF32dLz-X3eDpCkFuK0VWMHAp6OvUqN78m0kE6LbOmqB1u5nwyU09zqF4nuaM3SIYAOv_5eJ_01ZCwKGy48E9YxY7jC5_swXeOvzOkvBVK/s400/DSCN1253.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "flats" part of Maplewood Flats looks like this. I didn't see any shorebirds, as early July is the narrow window between northbound stragglers and southbound early-birds. There were 6 <b>Great Blue Herons, </b>almost all in the arc of this photo.</td></tr>
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Purple Martins weren't the only life bird for the morning. Although I'm fairly certain I've seen this particular flycatcher before, I've never had the chance to confirm the ID, which is by song. Anyway, here's the bird:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IcsyLXu5WGS2P9vrdCZSOmTCYYOo77473vwtxAankyhMZNqCuYBcGYVLkNfKjQDL_m7RgSm4n6R4ZLhlWG4dOCXTP3IOcft54xs-c-aChrIthz7B4g0AMdAWYRd67paS8UMJw8aINX-N/s1600/DSCN1259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IcsyLXu5WGS2P9vrdCZSOmTCYYOo77473vwtxAankyhMZNqCuYBcGYVLkNfKjQDL_m7RgSm4n6R4ZLhlWG4dOCXTP3IOcft54xs-c-aChrIthz7B4g0AMdAWYRd67paS8UMJw8aINX-N/s400/DSCN1259.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An <i>Empidonax </i>Flycatcher, but which one?</td></tr>
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And here's the ID...</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/JVs2zbLPZFM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Handheld videoscoping doesn't give great results but it's the soundtrack that counts - "<i>rrritz-bew</i>" is unmistakably a <b>Willow Flycatcher</b>, common enough but still eluding me in Alberta.</div>
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I'm off on a sea kayaking trip tomorrow but will keep the blog updated with some more sightings, although if you want a sneak preview have a look under "Checklists".</div>Davidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15318833422968033115noreply@blogger.com1Maplewood Flats Conservation Area49.305650494006336 -122.9994964599609449.284944994006338 -123.03897845996094 49.326355994006335 -122.96001445996093