Birdingonthe.Net Recent Postings from Alberta Birds > Home > Mail > Alerts Updated on Friday, February 3 at 11:53 PM EST The most recently received Mail is at the top.	Western Sandpiper,©Shawneen Finnegan

3 Feb RBA: Calgary AB, Feb.2, 2012 [Arina/Hank ] 04 Feb Jasper this week ["ann carter" ] 3 Feb Harris's & White-crowned Sparrows and a Dozen Snowies ["Malcolm McDonald" ] 03 Feb Gyrfalcon-Calgary Industrial Area ["Tony" ] 03 Feb Re: Raptors in SE Calgary ["zoxoxmelko" ] 2 Feb Raptors in SE Calgary ["Phil Cram" ] 2 Feb Edmonton Grain Terminal today [Gerald Romanchuk ] 02 Feb Feisty Merlin ["dlhuget" ] 2 Feb FFCPPSoc. Birding, Votier's Flats, FCPP, 9:15-11:45am, Thu. 02 Feb2012. ["Gus" ] 02 Feb VARC Spring Workshops ["Derek Matthews" ] 2 Feb Re: Canada Geese [Gerald Romanchuk ] 2 Feb Re: Further to the mystery bird [Gerald Romanchuk ] 02 Feb Canada Geese ["Jill Bhar" ] 1 Feb Re: Northern Goshawk and Brown Creeper [Diane Wynn ] 01 Feb Further to the mystery bird ["stiltca" ] 1 Feb Monthly Elbow River Survey, Stanley Park to Glenmore Res, Calgary, 0815-11:45am, 01Feb2012. ["Gus" ] 01 Feb Parking lot birding ["jkaybird" ] 1 Feb Harris's & White-crowned Sparrow - Calgary [Yousif Attia ] 01 Feb Re: Wonderful "Snowy" Day! East of Calgary [Gordon Sick ] 1 Feb Northern Goshawk and Brown Creeper ["Phil Cram" ] 01 Feb birdhouses for nuthatches ["Kathy" ] 01 Feb Madagascar birding trip on blog ["clibbob" ] 31 Jan Re: Trumpeter Swans [Ryan Heavy Head ] 31 Jan Trumpeter Swans [George Garden ] 31 Jan Northern Cardinal in south Calgary [Andrew Slater ] 31 Jan Re: mystery bird in Herald [Gerald Romanchuk ] 31 Jan Northern Cardinal in south Calgary [Andrew Slater ] 31 Jan Wonderful "Snowy" Day! ["deanna5592" ] 31 Jan Weaselhead - Jan 30 ["Ilya" ] 30 Jan Re: mystery bird in Herald ["Mike Mulligan" ] 30 Jan RBA: Calgary AB, January 30. 2012 [Jean Moore ] 30 Jan Re: mystery bird in Herald [Bhalchandra Pujari ] 30 Jan Re: mystery bird in Herald [Gerald Romanchuk ] 30 Jan Re: mystery bird in Herald ["Mike Mulligan" ] 30 Jan Re: mystery bird in Herald [Gordon Sick ] 30 Jan Re: mystery bird in Herald ["Mike Mulligan" ] 29 Jan Re: mystery bird in Herald [Gerald Romanchuk ] 30 Jan FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 9am-12:00pm, Sun 29 Jan.2012. Partly cloudy, ["zoxoxmelko" ] 30 Jan FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 1:15 - 3:45, Sun Jan 29/12... ["woodduck330" ] 30 Jan Beaverhills Sunday ["Curtis" ] 29 Jan Re: ENC Whitemud Ravine 2012 Jan 28 [Zoltan Domahidi ] 29 Jan Re: Highwood River Valley ["zoxoxmelko" ] 29 Jan ENC Whitemud Ravine 2012 Jan 28 ["BJSEdmonton AT yahoo.com" ] 29 Jan Highwood River Valley [Andrew Slater ] 29 Jan Ducks at Peenaquim Park ["coltprins" ] 29 Jan VARC - 2011 Year end Report ["Derek Matthews" ] 29 Jan Re: Harris's Sparrow [Scott Lovell ] 28 Jan Re: FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 9:15-11:45am, THU 26 Jan.2012 [Brant Lavery ] 29 Jan Snowy Owls East of Calgary ["cowtown_scribe" ] 29 Jan Carburn Park, Calgary: Song Sparrow ["Rob" ] 28 Jan Townsend's Solitaire ["William J. F. Wilson" ] 28 Jan Harris's Sparrow [Arina/Hank ] 29 Jan Weaslehead walk and hello ["sgt1111" ] 28 Jan FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 9am-11:45am, Sat 28 Jan.2012 ["Gus" ] 28 Jan another great raptor evening ["dlhuget" ] 27 Jan Re: RFI Carburn Saw-Whet [Eddy Matuod ] 26 Jan Re: RFI Carburn Saw-Whet ["Gus" ] 27 Jan Re: Great Grey Owls ["cowtown_scribe" ] 27 Jan Great Grey Owls ["cowtown_scribe" ] 27 Jan Re: 9 Snowy Owls ["cowtown_scribe" ] 26 Jan RFI Carburn Saw-Whet [Sandra Savage ] 27 Jan 9 Snowy Owls ["woodduck330" ] 26 Jan RBA: Calgary AB, January 26 2012 ["Mike Mulligan" ] 26 Jan FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 9:15-11:45am, THU 26 Jan.2012 ["Gus" ] 26 Jan Re: Juvenile Eagles ["cowtown_scribe" ] 25 Jan Prairie Falcon at the Edmonton Grain Terminal [Gerald Romanchuk ] 25 Jan Re: Re: Juvenile Eagles [Andrew Slater ] 25 Jan Re: Juvenile Eagles ["cowtown_scribe" ] 25 Jan Gadwall in Bow River ["davidlilly57" ] 24 Jan FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 9:15-11:45am, Tue 24 Feb.2012. ["Gus" ] 24 Jan Re: Juvenile Eagles [Andrew Slater ] 24 Jan Re: Early Duck Migration [Gerald Romanchuk ] 24 Jan Re: Early Duck Migration ["Bill Walker" ] 24 Jan Early Duck Migration [Ryan Heavy Head ] 24 Jan Juvenile Eagles ["cowtown_scribe" ] 23 Jan RBA: Calgary AB, January 23. 2012 [Jean Moore ] Subject: RBA: Calgary AB, Feb.2, 2012 From: Arina/Hank <rhvander AT shaw.ca> Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 21:41:27 -0700 - RBA * Alberta (Canada) * Calgary, AB * February 2, 2012 * ABCA1202.02 - Birds mentioned Trumpeter Swan(2) Northern Goshawk(2) Northern Shrike(2) Townsend Solitaire American Robin Harris's Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Northern Cardinal Pine Grossbeak Transcript Hotline: City of Calgary and Calgary Field Naturalists' Society Bird Alert Number: 403-221-4519 To Report: 403-221-4519 Coverage: Southern Alberta Compiler: Terry Korolyk Transcriber: Hank Vanderpol (rhvander AT shaw.ca) Welcome to the City of Calgary and CFNS Bird Alert. This report was prepared on Thursday, Feb.2. To report a bird sighting, call 403-221-4519 and leave a message after the recording. To speak to a naturalist, phone 311 during office hours and ask for the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. January 15 --NORTHERN CARDINAL(f). Seen in the Brittania area of Calgary since at least Jan.15.No further details known. January 29 --AMERICAN ROBIN, Lowery Gardens, W. of Edworthy Park, by Steve Kassai. --PINE GROSSBEAK, 11 found in Edworthy Park, 13 in Lowery Gardens, by SK. January 30 --TRUMPETER SWAN(2). Seen on the Bow River W.of Exshaw, by G. Gorden. February 1 --NORTHERN GOSHAWK(2).One along the Elbow River, by GY, and one in the Sandy Beach are of the Elbow River, by Phil Cram. --NORTHERN SHRIKE(2). One seen along the Elbow River by Gus Yaki et.al, and one seen in W. Bowness Park by Gary Malcolm. --TOWNSEND SOLITAIRE(4).Along the Elbow River during the monthly Elbow River Survey, by GY. --HARRIS'S SPARROW(imm).Seen along 51st. Ave, about 2km east of 52nd.Str.SE. by Yousif Attia and Ilya Povalyaev. --WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW(1) same location and observers as above. The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Monday Feb.6. BIRD STUDY GROUP - Meets the first Wednesday of the month, September - May at 7:30 pm, Room 211, BioSciences Building, University of Calgary. The next meeting will be Wednesday March 7. The program is titled "High Science: The Natural History of Alpine Ptarmigan", by Kathy Martin. BIRDING FIELD TRIPS Nature Calgary (CFNS) field trips are free and open to all. Sun Feb 5, 8:15am: 20th Annual Duck Waddle, (4-5 hours). Meet Beaverdam Flats Park S parking lot (Lynnview Rd & Lynnview Way, S of 62 Av SE). N from Glenmore Tr at 18 St SE, then left. Carpool to Carburn Park; walk back. See varied waterfowl on Bow River. Bring lunch, hot drink. Leader, Tony Timmons, 403-256-0754. Sat Feb 11, 9am: Bird Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Leader, Penny Smith, 403-283-9260. Sat Feb 18, 9am: Bird Bebo Grove, FCPP, S end of 24 St SW. Leader, Howard Heffler, 403-284-2961. Sat Feb 18, 9:30am: Search for Snowy Owls and other birds, E of Calgary. Meet at the W end of Deerfoot Mall, Deerfoot Tr & 64 Av NW. Leader, Terry Korolyk, 403-254-1878. Sun Feb 19, 9:30am: Search for winter birds at Bowness Park, 48 Av, W of 85 St NW. Meet first parking lot. Leader, Jan Roseneder, 403-286-5920. Mon Feb 20, 8:30am: Family Day. Bird Griffith Woods Park. Go 2.5km W from Sarcee Tr SW on Hwy 8, then left at 69 St SW into Discovery Ridge, past the traffic circle. At the bottom of the hill, turn left on Discovery Link into parking lot. Leader, Grant Brydle, 403-720-4957. Sat Feb 25, 7:15am. Several hundred Black-billed Magpies roost in the Weaselhead area each night. Watch their dawn dispersal, then see other local winter birds. Meet parking lot, 66 Av & 37St SW. Leaders: Bernie Diebolt, 403 210-2446; Janet Gill, 403 230-5671. Sun Feb 26, 9am: Bird Votier's Flats, FCPP, S end of Elbow Dr SW. Leader, Tony Timmons, 403-256-0754. Thu Mar 1, 8am: Monthly Elbow River Birding Survey. Meet Stanley Park, 42 Av SW, just W of Macleod Tr. Walk to Glenmore Reservoir, ride back (3.5 hours). Call leader Gus Yaki, 243-2248, to ensure vehicle space for return. Sun Mar 11, 9am: Bird Frank Lake area for early arrivals, E of High River. Meet at Anderson LRT Station, next to Macleod Tr, S of pedestrian overpass. Bring lunch. Leader, Andrew Hart, 403-279-5209. Sun Mar 11, 9am: Bird Beaverdam Flats Park. Meet S parking lot (Lynnwood Rd & Lynnwood Way, S of 62 Av SE). N from Glenmore Tr at 18 St SE, then left. Leader, Kingsley Blades, 403-291-4278. Sat Mar 17, 9am: Bird Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Leader, Penny Smith, 403-283-9260. Sat Mar 24, 9am: Bird Beaverdam Flats Park. Meet S parking lot (Lynnwood Rd & Lynnwood Way, S of 62 Av SE). N from Glenmore Tr at 18 St SE, then left. Leaders: Bernie Diebolt, 403-210-2446; Janet Gill, 403-230-5671. Sun Mar 25, 9 am: Peak of Golden Eagle Migration, Mt. Lorette, Kananaskis Country. Bring Lunch, Warm Clothing. Meet Assumption School, 34th Av NW (NW corner of Sarcee Tr at Hwy 1). Leader, Andrew Hart, 279-5209. Sun Mar 25, 10am: Bird Bowmont Park. Meet Maranatha Church, 2111 52 St NW (N end of Home Rd). Leaders, Paula/Jack Sisko, 403-286-7103. Sat Mar 31, 9am: Look for early spring arrivals at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Leader, Jan Roseneder, 403-286-5920. Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is a City of Calgary Natural Area. Staff offer information, courses and field trips relating to natural history. For information call 311 during office hours and ask for the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Nature Calgary (Calgary Field Naturalists' Society) promotes the observation, study and conservation of the native habitat through lectures, field trips and collection of scientific data. For membership or event information, email naturecalgary AT cfns.fanweb.ca or visit the website at www.naturecalgary.com. The Birding section of the website http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/index.html includes descriptions of birding locales in the Calgary area. Nature Calgary also publishes a newsletter, Nature News, available to members by email and on the website. - End transcript [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Jasper this week From: "ann carter" <ann555john AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:23:56 -0000 Spent a few days in and around the Jasper town site this week. Our trip list follows (in the order seen). A. Dipper Bald Eagle Raven RB Nuthatch Magpie Mtn Chickadee T. Solitaire BC Chickadee Boreal Chickadee C. Redpoll W.W. Crossbill Pine Grosbeak N. Shrike House Sparrow B. Creeper R. Pigeon Clark's Nutcracker E. Starling Evening Grosbeak N. Hawk Owl Ann Carter ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Harris's & White-crowned Sparrows and a Dozen Snowies From: "Malcolm McDonald" <luscinia AT telus.net> Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 09:39:26 -0700 On Thursday morning we went out with Jerry Pilny to try to locate the sparrows which have been seen along 50th Ave SE in Calgary. Armed with the map from Yousif Attia, we eventually found the HARRIS'S and the WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS in the trees on the south side of the railway tracks, opposite the electrical substation which is on the north side of 50th Ave SE, just west of the railway crossing. The Harris's was trying out its song but it sounded a little thin and reedy. After this success we decided to look for SNOWY OWLS and in the afternoon made a circuit up Hwy 9 to SR 564, east to Nightingale, north to Twp Rd 270, west to RR 253, then south through Strathmore to Glenmore Trail, then back to Calgary. We found a total of 12 owls. The only other notable birds seen were a single RING-NECKED PHEASANT (RR 253 south of Twp Rd 270) and a single STARLING (feedlot on SR 817 south of Strathmore) A great day, bird and weather-wise! Malcolm & Joan McDonald [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Gyrfalcon-Calgary Industrial Area From: "Tony" <tonytimmons99 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:39:38 -0000 A Gyrfalcon was perched on a power transmission tower,along 34 Ave. S.E. East of Blackfoot Trail-Thursday afternoon,Feb.2. Tony Timmons Calgary ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: Raptors in SE Calgary From: "zoxoxmelko" <zoxox AT shaw.ca> Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:49:13 -0000 I was also there looking for the Harris's Sparrow a little later this afternoon, between 3:00 and 4:00 pm. No luck on the Harris's either. There were four sparrows mixed in with the redpolls east of 68 St. but to my surprise they were all House Sparrows. I did find one American Tree Sparrow on 51 Ave a little west of 68 St., and I also saw the juvenile Northern Harrier (perhaps the same one we saw there on the Christmas Bird Count?), hunting both north and south of 51 Ave, west of 68 St. Bob Lefebvre,Calgary --- In Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com, "Phil Cram" wrote: > > This afternoon Mike Mulligan and I went to look for the Harris’s Sparrow recently reported on 50th and 51st Avenues, east of 52nd St SE in Calgary. No luck with the sparrow, but ample compensation in the form of the following birds, seen within a half-hour interval around 1 PM, all close to 51st Ave SE: > > Gray Partridge (2); Prairie Falcon (1); Northern Harrier (juv) (1); Sharp-shinned Hawk (1). > > Around 3 PM we saw a Snowy Owl west of Langdon on Hwy 22X, about 2 km E of Hwy 791. > > This morning I saw a Northern Shrike near Sandy Beach on the Elbow River in SW Calgary (perhaps the same bird reported yesterday by Gus Yaki), and a male Wood Duck just upstream of the 25th Ave SW bridge over the Elbow River. > > Phil Cram > Calgary > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Raptors in SE Calgary From: "Phil Cram" <crampj AT telusplanet.net> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 16:47:43 -0700 This afternoon Mike Mulligan and I went to look for the Harris’s Sparrow recently reported on 50th and 51st Avenues, east of 52nd St SE in Calgary. No luck with the sparrow, but ample compensation in the form of the following birds, seen within a half-hour interval around 1 PM, all close to 51st Ave SE: Gray Partridge (2); Prairie Falcon (1); Northern Harrier (juv) (1); Sharp-shinned Hawk (1). Around 3 PM we saw a Snowy Owl west of Langdon on Hwy 22X, about 2 km E of Hwy 791. This morning I saw a Northern Shrike near Sandy Beach on the Elbow River in SW Calgary (perhaps the same bird reported yesterday by Gus Yaki), and a male Wood Duck just upstream of the 25th Ave SW bridge over the Elbow River. Phil Cram Calgary [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Edmonton Grain Terminal today From: Gerald Romanchuk <geraldjr AT telusplanet.net> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 16:39:27 -0700 Saw 2 Prairie Falcons catch pigeons at the terminal today. Lunch hour still seems to be the best time for the action - roughly between 11:30 and 1:00. Also saw 6 ravens hassling a bird about 500 yards east of the terminal - turned out to be a juvenile Gyrfalcon. Later in the pm I stopped in at Hawrelak Pk and was watching a large flock of when Gerry and James Fox pulled up. While we were talking the birds suddenly took off and a few seconds later we saw an adult Gyr come cruising over our heads. Gerald Romanchuk Edmonton Sent from my iPhone ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Feisty Merlin From: "dlhuget" <hawkathome AT shaw.ca> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:35:21 -0000 This morning while walking in the Whitemud Ravine north of 53rd. avenue a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers were relentlessly pursued by a female Merlin smaller in size than both of them. The Merlin made repeated attacks on the birds, probably one swoop every 90 seconds or so whether they were on a treetrunk or flying from one tree to another. It appeared that the Merlin was looking for a meal rather than protecting a nesting or hunting territory as the woodpeckers kept moving and a fair distance was covered over the 40 minutes or so that other hikers and I followed them. The woodpeckers just kept changing positions rather than mounting any counterattack and the Merlin was unsuccessful at least until the 3 birds disappeared from sight. Lots of Chickadees, Nuthatches and the usual other suspects in the ravine this morning with the exception of a Northern Flicker, the first I have seen there in 2012. Still no sign of the Barred Owls that were seen frequently in that area last February and March. Del Huget Edmonton ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: FFCPPSoc. Birding, Votier's Flats, FCPP, 9:15-11:45am, Thu. 02 Feb2012. From: "Gus" <gyaki AT calcna.ab.ca> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 15:26:18 -0700 FFCPPSoc. Birding, Votier's Flats, FCPP, 9:15-11:45am, Thu. 02 Feb2012. Sunny, calm, -6 to 3 C. 1. Canada Goose-150 2. Mallard-2 3. Rock Pigeon-4 4. Downy Woodpecker-1 5. Hairy Woodpecker-1 6. Northern Flicker-3 7. Northern Shrike-1, noted by Gordon L. 8. Black-billed Magpie-6 9. Common Raven-7 10. Black-capped Chickadee-25 11. Boreal Chickadee-1 12. Red-breasted Nuthatch-6+ 13. White-breasted Nuthatch-4 14. Brown Creeper-1 15. American Dipper 16. Pine Grosbeak-8 17. Common Redpoll-40+ 18. Pine Siskin-8+ American Mink-1 Red Squirrel-5 Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248 ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: VARC Spring Workshops From: "Derek Matthews" <Derek AT birdvancouver.com> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:27:23 -0000 The Vancouver Avian Research Centre has just posted spring dates for Bird Monitoring and Banding and Bird Identification Workshops. Bird Identification Workshop: � April 28 � 29 Bird Monitoring and Banding Workshop: � May 11 � 13 � June 8 - 10 The Bird Identification Workshop is designed for beginner and intermediate birders who may wish to participate in citizen science projects such as the BC Breeding Bird Atlas or similar programs or who just want to take their bird knowledge and identification skills to the next level. This course covers groups, topography, field marks, song, habitat, molt, ageing and more and includes a guided field session to the Colony Farm banding station. Although developed for beginner and intermediate birders the ornithological aspects of the course benefit even the most experienced birders and the workshop is invaluable for birders traveling overseas. The Bird Monitoring and Banding Workshop is designed for people with little or no bird banding or bird in the hand experience and provides a fantastic opportunity to see birds up close and personal, to learn about their plumage, molt sequences and life habits. Most of all, these workshops are designed to be a fun and interesting experience and a way to take your interest in birds and the environment to the next level. See what people who have attended the workshops have to say and why the average rating from course participants is 9.5 out of 10!! http://www.birdvancouver.com/testimonials.html Full details of course schedules and content and registration information can be found online at: http://www.birdvancouver.com/workshops.html Derek Matthews Vancouver Avian Research Centre Vancouver, BC www.birdvancouver.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: Canada Geese From: Gerald Romanchuk <geraldjr AT telusplanet.net> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 09:14:03 -0700 Hi Jill, It might be hard to say for sure whether or not your geese were migrants, but large numbers of geese do over-winter in the Calgary area. It's probably pretty safe to assume the geese were Canada's. Gerald Romanchuk Edmonton On 2012-02-01, at 8:01 PM, Jill Bhar wrote: > This evening around 4:30 pm, while driving in High River, I saw a flock of what I presume were Canada Geese very, very high in the sky travelling in a roughly northerly direction. There were at least two V formations. A conservative estimate would be about 100 but probably more. I assumed they were returning from the south. > > My thoughts were this was a bit early (not that I know when they normally arrive). However, I've seen Canada Geese mentioned recently on AlbertaBird. Can anyone tell me if 'mine' were early migrants back to Canada and the other postings were of over-wintering Canada Geese? And whether I'm right in assuming they were Canada Geese? > > Jill Bhar > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: Further to the mystery bird From: Gerald Romanchuk <geraldjr AT telusplanet.net> Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 08:56:44 -0700 Thanks for the info Ian. Any chance of a link to the other photo? Gerald Romanchuk Edmonton On 2012-02-01, at 4:00 PM, stiltca wrote: > Reuters gives the location as Rehoboth Beach, Deleware, USA on September 10, 2010. Also they advise that there has been no retouching. > Consequently it would seem well located for both Laughing Gulls and jaegers. It also rules out any retouching, as I and others had suggested as being a consideration. > > My guess that the gull on page A8 of the same Herald issue is a Kittiwake. > > Ian Halladay > Calgary > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Canada Geese From: "Jill Bhar" <jill.bhar AT shaw.ca> Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:01:24 -0000 This evening around 4:30 pm, while driving in High River, I saw a flock of what I presume were Canada Geese very, very high in the sky travelling in a roughly northerly direction. There were at least two V formations. A conservative estimate would be about 100 but probably more. I assumed they were returning from the south. My thoughts were this was a bit early (not that I know when they normally arrive). However, I've seen Canada Geese mentioned recently on AlbertaBird. Can anyone tell me if 'mine' were early migrants back to Canada and the other postings were of over-wintering Canada Geese? And whether I'm right in assuming they were Canada Geese? Jill Bhar ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: Northern Goshawk and Brown Creeper From: Diane Wynn <diane.wynn57 AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 16:31:32 -0800 (PST) I saw a brown creeper yesterday at Eau Claire unfortunately I didn't take my camera on my run and it wasn't there today when I did take my camera.  But on another point.  Has anyone see the movie The Big Year - it came out on dvd yesterday and, if you are a birder - it's a must see.  I absolutely loved it - so cute! and so us!:) ________________________________ From: Phil Cram To: albertabird AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 1:17:23 PM Subject: [Albertabird] Northern Goshawk and Brown Creeper   This morning’s walk with our dog in the Sandy Beach-Britannia area of SW Calgary yielded a nice surprise in the form of a juvenile Northern Goshawk. The dog and I first saw the bird as it made a low swoop over a flock of Mallards on the Elbow River, thawed again after a brief freeze-up the week before last. At this stage I could not determine whether it was a Cooper’s Hawk or a Northern Goshawk. Fortunately we re-found the bird a short time later, as it had perched on a tall poplar tree on the ridge top by Britannia Drive. Its presence there was nicely pointed out by an interested group of eight Black-billed Magpies. Turning on the after-burners, a manoeuvre which surprised the dog, I scrambled up to the ridge top to allow a close look at the accipiter, which was facing away from us. It was only after I had climbed level with the bird, which cooperatively remained on its perch, the magpies having lost interest, that I saw the prominent white eye-stripe, putting its identity beyond doubt. Its other markings (mottled back, heavily streaked breast) were typical of a juvenile bird. I was just about to sign off this post when I noticed a Brown Creeper climbing one of the four spruce trees in the middle of our back yard in the Mount Royal district. Like the goshawk, a new year bird for me. Phil Cram Calgary [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Further to the mystery bird From: "stiltca" <nihalladay AT shaw.ca> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:00:18 -0000 Reuters gives the location as Rehoboth Beach, Deleware, USA on September 10, 2010. Also they advise that there has been no retouching. Consequently it would seem well located for both Laughing Gulls and jaegers. It also rules out any retouching, as I and others had suggested as being a consideration. My guess that the gull on page A8 of the same Herald issue is a Kittiwake. Ian Halladay Calgary ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Monthly Elbow River Survey, Stanley Park to Glenmore Res, Calgary, 0815-11:45am, 01Feb2012. From: "Gus" <gyaki AT calcna.ab.ca> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 15:23:06 -0700 Monthly Elbow River Survey, Stanley Park to Glenmore Res, Calgary, 0815-11:45am, 01Feb2012. Cloudy, calm, -3 to 3 C. 1. Canada Goose-650+ 2. Mallard-800+ 3. Common Goldeneye-11 4. Common Merganser-6 5. Bald Eagle-1+ ad (3 sightings). 6. Northern Goshawk-1 7. Merlin-1 8. Rock Pigeon-2 9. Downy Woodpecker-6+ 10. Northern Shrike-1 11. Blue Jay-2 12. Black-billed Magpie-61 13. Common Raven-9 14. Black-capped Chickadee-17 15. Red-breasted Nuthatch-6+ 16. White-breasted Nuthatch-4 17. Townsend's Solitaire-4 18. Pine Grosbeak-2 19. House Finch-4+ 20. House Sparrow-10 Red Squirrel-1 Eastern Gray Squirrel-12 Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248 ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Parking lot birding From: "jkaybird" <jkaybird AT yahoo.ca> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:23:17 -0000 I was surprised to find a Chukar wandering through the west parking lot of Northland Village Mall today about 2:00 pm. Probably not a "countable" bird in the Calgary area, but it certainly was surprising to see. Ed Kissinger ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Harris's & White-crowned Sparrow - Calgary From: Yousif Attia <ysattia AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 13:46:39 -0700 Birders, Ilya Povalyaev and I relocated the Harris's Sparrow last reported by Hank Vanderpol in southeast Calgary today at 12:30. It was hanging out with one juvenile White-crowned Sparrow, 15 House Sparrows and at least 100 Common Redpolls. Oddly enough there were no American Tree Sparrows there today. I've attached a link to a google map that has the exact location of the sighting. The birds were moving along the hedge between the new road and the railroad (south of railroad). http://g.co/maps/jbhj3 Yousif Attia, Calgary ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: Wonderful "Snowy" Day! East of Calgary From: Gordon Sick <gordonsick AT mac.com> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:41:09 -0700 I followed Deanna Campbell's nice instructions to find Snow Owls east of Calgary. I only found 4 (she found 9), but I was alone and had to keep my eyes on the road. I went on January 31. Highway 564 (the extension of Country Hills Blvd) between Range Roads 261 and 245 (Nightingale) were good. Township Road 262 just west of Range Road 254 was good. Both roads have the telephone poles on the north side, which means you can view and photograph them with the light behing you. I've posted some photos at http://malfam.me/gordon/photos/Birds.html --Gordon Sick ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Northern Goshawk and Brown Creeper From: "Phil Cram" <crampj AT telusplanet.net> Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 13:17:23 -0700 This morning’s walk with our dog in the Sandy Beach-Britannia area of SW Calgary yielded a nice surprise in the form of a juvenile Northern Goshawk. The dog and I first saw the bird as it made a low swoop over a flock of Mallards on the Elbow River, thawed again after a brief freeze-up the week before last. At this stage I could not determine whether it was a Cooper’s Hawk or a Northern Goshawk. Fortunately we re-found the bird a short time later, as it had perched on a tall poplar tree on the ridge top by Britannia Drive. Its presence there was nicely pointed out by an interested group of eight Black-billed Magpies. Turning on the after-burners, a manoeuvre which surprised the dog, I scrambled up to the ridge top to allow a close look at the accipiter, which was facing away from us. It was only after I had climbed level with the bird, which cooperatively remained on its perch, the magpies having lost interest, that I saw the prominent white eye-stripe, putting its identity beyond doubt. Its other markings (mottled back, heavily streaked breast) were typical of a juvenile bird. I was just about to sign off this post when I noticed a Brown Creeper climbing one of the four spruce trees in the middle of our back yard in the Mount Royal district. Like the goshawk, a new year bird for me. Phil Cram Calgary [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: birdhouses for nuthatches From: "Kathy" <kgbooks AT shaw.ca> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:20:40 -0000 Does anyone have an idea of what would be a suitable birdhouse for a nuthatch? I have timber around the house, one piece has a knot that has fallen out, leaving a bit of a hole. Each year, the nuthatches find it and try digging it deeper. This morning there are 2 of them working at it, making me think it's mama and papa. I think they are red-breasted nuthatches. I would like to put something there that they might find suitable. It's far away from any chance of predators and would be awesome if they accepted it! Thanks Kathy Grill Calgary ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Madagascar birding trip on blog From: "clibbob" <brooke AT webfoundations.com> Date: Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:15:50 -0000 Hi all, especially those who have been to Madagascar -- I just (finally) posted Eric's & my trip to Madagascar on my blog. For those who have been, it may be an interesting reminder of your trip there; for those who would like to go, it should give you somewhat of an idea of what it's like. See http://clibbob.wordpress.com/ Hope everyone is enjoying a bit of spring-like weather finally and that any snow & ice are rapidly melting. I miss you all... Brooke -- Brooke Clibbon // Eric Tull brooke AT webfoundations.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: Trumpeter Swans From: Ryan Heavy Head <akayokaki AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:06:00 -0800 (PST) Thought I'd post my reply re. the swans to the whole group, as there may be some interested. The Blackfoot Beaver Medicine Bundle (the embodiment of the first treaty between humans and animals in this region), which my wife and I are present caretakers of, is publicly opened in ceremony twice a year - at the end of winter and the end of summer, the two seasons we recognize. In both cases, our phenological cue to host the ceremony comes from the swans. When we start seeing swans, we know we have one moon cycle until the end of the season. So given that we're only in the 4th of the normal 7 winter moons, I'd say these swans are definitely early. The question is really why? Or maybe that's not so much the question, given the weather we've had. Maybe the question is... are we going to have real winters again now? Or, more importantly, how is this change we're experiencing going to affect the lives of the plants and animals? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Trumpeter Swans From: George Garden <gsgarden AT telus.net> Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:24:41 -0700 My wife & I were out birding today and were quite surprised to see a pair of presumably Trumpeter Swans on the Bow River approx.1-2 Km. west of Exshaw.This seems rather early. George Garden Canmore ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Northern Cardinal in south Calgary From: Andrew Slater <andrewslater AT shaw.ca> Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:47:22 -0700 The feeder owner has requested that the address not be revealed beyond what I have announced. You'll have to take the dog for various walks, Phil! The bird was coming to the feeder at uneven intervals earlier in the month, but I am not sure about recently. Sorry for the delay, mainly my fault.. Andrew Slater [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: mystery bird in Herald From: Gerald Romanchuk <geraldjr AT telusplanet.net> Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:28:11 -0700 Thanks Bhalchandra, for the direct link! I asked one of the province's top ornithologists for an opinion - he said it looked like a Laughing Gull to him. I kinda think what looks like longer central tail feathers, are the birds feet dangling down a bit. This reminds me of Mike's earlier challenge for us to find a Laughing Gull in AB - have to keep our eyes peeled this spring! Gerald Romanchuk Edmonton On 2012-01-30, at 2:09 PM, Bhalchandra Pujari wrote: > Hi, > May be these larger and colorful pictures of some help > > http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/6033701.bin > http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/full/2011/06/30/122112-couple-at-beach.jpg > > Cheers > -Bhalchandra > > On Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 1:07 PM, Gerald Romanchuk > wrote: > > > ** > > > > > > I thought it looked more like dangling feet than longer central tail > > feathers. But the detail isn't great... Still an interesting quiz. > > > > Gerald Romanchuk > > Edmonton > > > > Sent from my iPhone > > > > On 2012-01-30, at 10:08 AM, "Mike Mulligan" wrote: > > > > > Thanks Gerald. You are the only response that takes a shot at it. > > > > > > My best guess was Pomerine or Parasitic Jaeger. I suspect that the bird > > > image was superimposed on that of the relaxing couple. > > > > > > Mike > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "Gerald Romanchuk" > > > To: > > > Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2012 11:03 PM > > > Subject: Re: [Albertabird] mystery bird in Herald > > > > > > Hi Mike, > > > > > > Don't know if you got any replies, but my best guess is juvenile > > Laughing > > > Gull. Unless it's something from outside N.America. > > > > > > Gerald Romanchuk > > > Edmonton > > > > > > On 2012-01-22, at 9:43 AM, Mike Mulligan wrote: > > > > > > > To readers of the Calgary Herald: > > > > > > > > On today's page A11is a large photo of a couple relaxing on a beach > > > > somewhere. In the picture is a fairly clear image of a flying bird. > > > > > > > > Would you like to post an educated guess of the identity of the bird? > > (I > > > > don't know what it is.) > > > > > > > > On the Herald website you will find the photo by inserting the > > writer's > > > > name "Mark Sutcliffe" into the Quick Links box. The article headline > > is > > > > "Public-sector pensions are unfair to taxpayers." The photo appears > > with > > > > the article. > > > > > > > > Mike Mulligan > > > > Calgary > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > > > > > __________________________________________________________ > > > > > > * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com > > > * Guidelines: > > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txtYahoo! > > Groups > > > Links > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > -- > Bhalchandra S. Pujari, PhD. > (भालचंद्र श्री. पुजारी, वि वा) > > Theory and Modeling Group, > National Institute of Nanotechnology, > University of Alberta, > 11421 Saskatchewan Drive NW, > Edmonton, AB T6G 2M9, Canada > > http://bspujari.googlepages.com > http://photokatta.blogspot.com/ > --~~----~----~-------~---~~---~----~~---~----~--~--- > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Northern Cardinal in south Calgary From: Andrew Slater <andrewslater AT shaw.ca> Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:18:14 -0700 A female Northern Cardinal was photgraphed on January 15th at a yard feeder in the community of Brittannia near Riverdale Park Andrew Slater, Calgary [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Wonderful "Snowy" Day! From: "deanna5592" <deacamp1 AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:23:24 -0000 Hello! Hello! My 9 year old daughter, Maria, and I decided to take advantage of the amazing irruption of Snowy Owls yesterday (Jan. 29), and following the reports of various Albertabird folks - Thanks Janet! - we headed out east on Country Hills Blvd. We also started to see Snowies after Highway 9 - right after Highway 9! We saw four females/immatures before we headed south on Range Road 245. My Maria, who is very keen on owls right now, was VERY excited to see her first ever Snowies! We then saw three more along RR245, including a beautiful male between TWP Rds 245 and 244, out in a field to the west. Without any significant snow, they sure are easy to spot! Add another on Highway 1 just as we came into Strathmore, another male on a fencepost (albeit far off along the road that becomes Glenmore Trail), and the last one just before the Langdon intersection, and we saw 10 Snowies in about 2 hours! We also had a nice little flock of Common Redpolls in some bushes along RR245. What a great morning! Next - we try for Great Grays! Happy Birding! Deanna Campbell, Calgary ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Weaselhead - Jan 30 From: "Ilya" <ipovalyaev AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:03:30 -0000 Hi, An afternoon walk around the Weaselhead Nature Area proved very birdy with the following species observed: 1 Bald Eagle 1 Downy Woodpecker 4 Common Ravens 5 Black-billed Magpies 30 Bohemian Waxwings 1 AMERICAN ROBIN 3 White-breasted Nuthatches 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch 20 Black-capped Chickadees 1 BOREAL CHICKADEE 2 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS 3 DARK-EYED JUNCOS (including one OREGON subspecies; north side of the big bridge) 12 Pine Grosbeaks 20 White-winged Crossbills 30 Common Redpolls Lots of birds whisper singing on a day that felt a lot like spring. Good Birding, Ilya Povalyaev, Calgary, AB ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: mystery bird in Herald From: "Mike Mulligan" <potoo AT shaw.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:51:26 -0700 Thank you, Bhalchandra. Mike Mulligan Calgary ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bhalchandra Pujari" To: Sent: Monday, January 30, 2012 2:09 PM Subject: Re: [Albertabird] mystery bird in Herald Hi, May be these larger and colorful pictures of some help http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/6033701.bin http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/full/2011/06/30/122112-couple-at-beach.jpg Cheers -Bhalchandra On Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 1:07 PM, Gerald Romanchuk wrote: > ** > > > I thought it looked more like dangling feet than longer central tail > feathers. But the detail isn't great... Still an interesting quiz. > > Gerald Romanchuk > Edmonton > > Sent from my iPhone > > On 2012-01-30, at 10:08 AM, "Mike Mulligan" wrote: > > > Thanks Gerald. You are the only response that takes a shot at it. > > > > My best guess was Pomerine or Parasitic Jaeger. I suspect that the bird > > image was superimposed on that of the relaxing couple. > > > > Mike > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Gerald Romanchuk" > > To: > > Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2012 11:03 PM > > Subject: Re: [Albertabird] mystery bird in Herald > > > > Hi Mike, > > > > Don't know if you got any replies, but my best guess is juvenile > Laughing > > Gull. Unless it's something from outside N.America. > > > > Gerald Romanchuk > > Edmonton > > > > On 2012-01-22, at 9:43 AM, Mike Mulligan wrote: > > > > > To readers of the Calgary Herald: > > > > > > On today's page A11is a large photo of a couple relaxing on a beach > > > somewhere. In the picture is a fairly clear image of a flying bird. > > > > > > Would you like to post an educated guess of the identity of the bird? > (I > > > don't know what it is.) > > > > > > On the Herald website you will find the photo by inserting the > writer's > > > name "Mark Sutcliffe" into the Quick Links box. The article headline > is > > > "Public-sector pensions are unfair to taxpayers." The photo appears > with > > > the article. > > > > > > Mike Mulligan > > > Calgary > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > > > __________________________________________________________ > > > > * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com > > * Guidelines: > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txtYahoo! > Groups > > Links > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > -- Bhalchandra S. Pujari, PhD. (भालचंद्र श्री. पुजारी, वि वा) Theory and Modeling Group, National Institute of Nanotechnology, University of Alberta, 11421 Saskatchewan Drive NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M9, Canada http://bspujari.googlepages.com http://photokatta.blogspot.com/ --~~----~----~-------~---~~---~----~~---~----~--~--- [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: RBA: Calgary AB, January 30. 2012 From: Jean Moore <jmmoore AT ucalgary.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:42:01 -0700 - RBA * Alberta (Canada) * Calgary, AB * January 30, 2012 * ABCA1201.30 - Birds mentioned Redhead Bald Eagle Sharp-shinned Hawk Harlan's Hawk Prairie Falcon Eurasian Collared-Dove Northern Saw-whet Owl Snowy Owl American Crow Townsend's Solitaire American Tree Sparrow Song Sparrow Harris's Sparrow Transcript Hotline: City of Calgary and Calgary Field Naturalists' Society Bird Alert Number: 403-221-4519 To Report: 403-221-4519 Coverage: Southern Alberta Compiler: Terry Korolyk Transcriber: Jean Moore (jmmoore AT ucalgary.ca ) Welcome to the City of Calgary and CFNS Bird Alert. This report was prepared on Monday January 30. To report a bird sighting, call 403-221-4519 and leave a message after the recording. To speak to a naturalist, phone 311 during office hours and ask for the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. --SNOWY OWL - seen is good numbers east of Hwy 9 and north of Strathmore over the past week Sunday, JANUARY 29 --REDHEAD (1m) - Hwy 22x bridge over the Bow R by Terry Korolyk --SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (1 or 2) - Carburn Park by Bob Lefebvre, Dan Arndt and Friends of Fish Creek PP Society (FFCPPS) field trip; and by Steve Kassai --HARLAN'S HAWK (1) - Carburn Park by BL, DA et al --BALD EAGLE (7) - Carburn Park by SK --NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL (1) - Carburn Park; f irst seen on Thursday, January 26, by Gus Yaki and FFCPPS and then seen again by FFSPPS field trips on Saturday Jan 28 and Sunday Jan 29. Call Gus at 403-243-2248 for more info. --AMERICAN CROW (75) - Carburn Park by BL, DA et al --EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE (3) - Longview by Andrew Slater Saturday, JANUARY 28 --PRAIRIE FALCON (1) - hunting Mallards just south of Ralph Klein Park in SE Calgary by TK --BALD EAGLE (2) - hunting Mallards, location as above by TK --TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE (1) - Sandy Beach by Bill Wilson --SONG SPARROW (1) - residential area south of Carburn Park parking lot by Rob Worona --AMERICAN TREE SPARROW (2) - location as above by RW --HARRIS'S SPARROW (1) - SE Calgary by Hank Vanderpol. Call Terry Korolyk 403-254-1878 for precise location The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Thursday, February 2. BIRD STUDY GROUP - Meets the first Wednesday of the month, September - May at 7:30 pm, Room 211, BioSciences Building, University of Calgary. The next meeting will be Wednesday February 1. The program is titled "Understanding the Bird-brained: The Psychology of Bird Watching", presented by Chip Scialfa. Dr Scialfa is a professor of psychology at the UofC, a birdwatcher and a volunteer for the Alberta Wilderness Assoc. BIRDING FIELD TRIPS Nature Calgary (CFNS) field trips are free and open to all. Wed Feb 1, 8:15am: Monthly Elbow River Birding Survey. Meet Stanley Park, 42 Av SW, just W of Macleod Tr. Walk to Glenmore Reservoir, ride back (3.5 hours). Call leader Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248, to ensure vehicle space for return. Sun Feb 5, 8:15am: 20th Annual Duck Waddle, (4-5 hours). Meet Beaverdam Flats Park S parking lot (Lynnview Rd & Lynnview Way, S of 62 Av SE). N from Glenmore Tr at 18 St SE, then left. Carpool to Carburn Park; walk back. See varied waterfowl on Bow River. Bring lunch, hot drink. Leader, Tony Timmons, 403-256-0754. Sat Feb 11, 9am: Bird Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Leader, Penny Smith, 403-283-9260. Sat Feb 18, 9am: Bird Bebo Grove, FCPP, S end of 24 St SW. Leader, Howard Heffler, 403-284-2961. Sat Feb 18, 9:30am: Search for Snowy Owls and other birds, E of Calgary. Meet at the W end of Deerfoot Mall, Deerfoot Tr & 64 Av NW. Leader, Terry Korolyk, 403-254-1878. Sun Feb 19, 9:30am: Search for winter birds at Bowness Park, 48 Av, W of 85 St NW. Meet first parking lot. Leader, Jan Roseneder, 403-286-5920. Mon Feb 20, 8:30am: Family Day. Bird Griffith Woods Park. Go 2.5km W from Sarcee Tr SW on Hwy 8, then left at 69 St SW into Discovery Ridge, past the traffic circle. At the bottom of the hill, turn left on Discovery Link into parking lot. Leader, Grant Brydle, 403-720-4957. Sat Feb 25, 7:15am. Several hundred Black-billed Magpies roost in the Weaselhead area each night. Watch their dawn dispersal, then see other local winter birds. Meet parking lot, 66 Av & 37St SW. Leaders: Bernie Diebolt, 403 210-2446; Janet Gill, 403 230-5671. Sun Feb 26, 9am: Bird Votier's Flats, FCPP, S end of Elbow Dr SW. Leader, Tony Timmons, 403-256-0754. Thu Mar 1, 8am: Monthly Elbow River Birding Survey. Meet Stanley Park, 42 Av SW, just W of Macleod Tr. Walk to Glenmore Reservoir, ride back (3.5 hours). Call leader Gus Yaki, 243-2248, to ensure vehicle space for return. Sun Mar 11, 9am: Bird Frank Lake area for early arrivals, E of High River. Meet at Anderson LRT Station, next to Macleod Tr, S of pedestrian overpass. Bring lunch. Leader, Andrew Hart, 403-279-5209. Sun Mar 11, 9am: Bird Beaverdam Flats Park. Meet S parking lot (Lynnwood Rd & Lynnwood Way, S of 62 Av SE). N from Glenmore Tr at 18 St SE, then left. Leader, Kingsley Blades, 403-291-4278. Sat Mar 17, 9am: Bird Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Leader, Penny Smith, 403-283-9260. Sat Mar 24, 9am: Bird Beaverdam Flats Park. Meet S parking lot (Lynnwood Rd & Lynnwood Way, S of 62 Av SE). N from Glenmore Tr at 18 St SE, then left. Leaders: Bernie Diebolt, 403-210-2446; Janet Gill, 403-230-5671. Sun Mar 25, 9 am: Peak of Golden Eagle Migration, Mt. Lorette, Kananaskis Country. Bring Lunch, Warm Clothing. Meet Assumption School, 34th Av NW (NW corner of Sarcee Tr at Hwy 1). Leader, Andrew Hart, 279-5209. Sun Mar 25, 10am: Bird Bowmont Park. Meet Maranatha Church, 2111 52 St NW (N end of Home Rd). Leaders, Paula/Jack Sisko, 403-286-7103. Sat Mar 31, 9am: Look for early spring arrivals at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Leader, Jan Roseneder, 403-286-5920. Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is a City of Calgary Natural Area. Staff offer information, courses and field trips relating to natural history. For information call 311 during office hours and ask for the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Nature Calgary (Calgary Field Naturalists' Society) promotes the observation, study and conservation of the native habitat through lectures, field trips and collection of scientific data. For membership or event information, email naturecalgary AT cfns.fanweb.ca or visit the website at www.naturecalgary.com. The Birding section of the website http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/index.html includes descriptions of birding locales in the Calgary area. Nature Calgary also publishes a newsletter, Nature News, available to members by email and on the website. - End transcript [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: mystery bird in Herald From: Bhalchandra Pujari <bspujari AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:09:08 -0700 Hi, May be these larger and colorful pictures of some help http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/6033701.bin http://img.ibtimes.com/www/data/images/full/2011/06/30/122112-couple-at-beach.jpg Cheers -Bhalchandra On Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 1:07 PM, Gerald Romanchuk wrote: > ** > > > I thought it looked more like dangling feet than longer central tail > feathers. But the detail isn't great... Still an interesting quiz. > > Gerald Romanchuk > Edmonton > > Sent from my iPhone > > On 2012-01-30, at 10:08 AM, "Mike Mulligan" wrote: > > > Thanks Gerald. You are the only response that takes a shot at it. > > > > My best guess was Pomerine or Parasitic Jaeger. I suspect that the bird > > image was superimposed on that of the relaxing couple. > > > > Mike > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Gerald Romanchuk" > > To: > > Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2012 11:03 PM > > Subject: Re: [Albertabird] mystery bird in Herald > > > > Hi Mike, > > > > Don't know if you got any replies, but my best guess is juvenile > Laughing > > Gull. Unless it's something from outside N.America. > > > > Gerald Romanchuk > > Edmonton > > > > On 2012-01-22, at 9:43 AM, Mike Mulligan wrote: > > > > > To readers of the Calgary Herald: > > > > > > On today's page A11is a large photo of a couple relaxing on a beach > > > somewhere. In the picture is a fairly clear image of a flying bird. > > > > > > Would you like to post an educated guess of the identity of the bird? > (I > > > don't know what it is.) > > > > > > On the Herald website you will find the photo by inserting the > writer's > > > name "Mark Sutcliffe" into the Quick Links box. The article headline > is > > > "Public-sector pensions are unfair to taxpayers." The photo appears > with > > > the article. > > > > > > Mike Mulligan > > > Calgary > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > > > __________________________________________________________ > > > > * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com > > * Guidelines: > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txtYahoo! > Groups > > Links > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > -- Bhalchandra S. Pujari, PhD. (भालचंद्र श्री. पुजारी, वि वा) Theory and Modeling Group, National Institute of Nanotechnology, University of Alberta, 11421 Saskatchewan Drive NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 2M9, Canada http://bspujari.googlepages.com http://photokatta.blogspot.com/ --~~----~----~-------~---~~---~----~~---~----~--~--- [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: mystery bird in Herald From: Gerald Romanchuk <geraldjr AT telusplanet.net> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:07:24 -0700 I thought it looked more like dangling feet than longer central tail feathers. But the detail isn't great... Still an interesting quiz. Gerald Romanchuk Edmonton Sent from my iPhone On 2012-01-30, at 10:08 AM, "Mike Mulligan" wrote: > Thanks Gerald. You are the only response that takes a shot at it. > > My best guess was Pomerine or Parasitic Jaeger. I suspect that the bird > image was superimposed on that of the relaxing couple. > > Mike > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Gerald Romanchuk" > To: > Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2012 11:03 PM > Subject: Re: [Albertabird] mystery bird in Herald > > Hi Mike, > > Don't know if you got any replies, but my best guess is juvenile Laughing > Gull. Unless it's something from outside N.America. > > Gerald Romanchuk > Edmonton > > On 2012-01-22, at 9:43 AM, Mike Mulligan wrote: > > > To readers of the Calgary Herald: > > > > On today's page A11is a large photo of a couple relaxing on a beach > > somewhere. In the picture is a fairly clear image of a flying bird. > > > > Would you like to post an educated guess of the identity of the bird? (I > > don't know what it is.) > > > > On the Herald website you will find the photo by inserting the writer's > > name "Mark Sutcliffe" into the Quick Links box. The article headline is > > "Public-sector pensions are unfair to taxpayers." The photo appears with > > the article. > > > > Mike Mulligan > > Calgary > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > ------------------------------------ > > __________________________________________________________ > > * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com > * Guidelines: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: mystery bird in Herald From: "Mike Mulligan" <potoo AT shaw.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:38:23 -0700 Thanks for your comments, Gordon. Mike Mulligan Calgary ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gordon Sick" To: Sent: Monday, January 30, 2012 10:28 AM Subject: Re: [Albertabird] mystery bird in Herald >I dug out the digital edition of the Jan 22 Herald and the bird certainly >has a long tail and wide wingspan. So, I am inclined to think it could be a >Jaeger. Also, there are a lot more jpeg artifacts around the bird than >around other parst of the picture with hghi contrast (e.g. the man and >woman against the sky). So, it looks like a photoshop job. Otherwise, we'd >all love to know where that beach is and save our money on pelagic cruises. > > --Gordon > > > ------------------------------------ > > _____________________________________________________________ > > * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com > * Guidelines: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txtYahoo! > Groups Links > > > > ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: mystery bird in Herald From: Gordon Sick <gordonsick AT mac.com> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:28:25 -0700 I dug out the digital edition of the Jan 22 Herald and the bird certainly has a long tail and wide wingspan. So, I am inclined to think it could be a Jaeger. Also, there are a lot more jpeg artifacts around the bird than around other parst of the picture with hghi contrast (e.g. the man and woman against the sky). So, it looks like a photoshop job. Otherwise, we'd all love to know where that beach is and save our money on pelagic cruises. --Gordon ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: mystery bird in Herald From: "Mike Mulligan" <potoo AT shaw.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:08:49 -0700 Thanks Gerald. You are the only response that takes a shot at it. My best guess was Pomerine or Parasitic Jaeger. I suspect that the bird image was superimposed on that of the relaxing couple. Mike ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gerald Romanchuk" To: Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2012 11:03 PM Subject: Re: [Albertabird] mystery bird in Herald Hi Mike, Don't know if you got any replies, but my best guess is juvenile Laughing Gull. Unless it's something from outside N.America. Gerald Romanchuk Edmonton On 2012-01-22, at 9:43 AM, Mike Mulligan wrote: > To readers of the Calgary Herald: > > On today's page A11is a large photo of a couple relaxing on a beach > somewhere. In the picture is a fairly clear image of a flying bird. > > Would you like to post an educated guess of the identity of the bird? (I > don't know what it is.) > > On the Herald website you will find the photo by inserting the writer's > name "Mark Sutcliffe" into the Quick Links box. The article headline is > "Public-sector pensions are unfair to taxpayers." The photo appears with > the article. > > Mike Mulligan > Calgary > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: mystery bird in Herald From: Gerald Romanchuk <geraldjr AT telusplanet.net> Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:03:00 -0700 Hi Mike, Don't know if you got any replies, but my best guess is juvenile Laughing Gull. Unless it's something from outside N.America� Gerald Romanchuk Edmonton On 2012-01-22, at 9:43 AM, Mike Mulligan wrote: > To readers of the Calgary Herald: > > On today's page A11is a large photo of a couple relaxing on a beach somewhere. In the picture is a fairly clear image of a flying bird. > > Would you like to post an educated guess of the identity of the bird? (I don't know what it is.) > > On the Herald website you will find the photo by inserting the writer's name "Mark Sutcliffe" into the Quick Links box. The article headline is "Public-sector pensions are unfair to taxpayers." The photo appears with the article. > > Mike Mulligan > Calgary > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 9am-12:00pm, Sun 29 Jan.2012. Partly cloudy, From: "zoxoxmelko" <zoxox AT shaw.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:21:26 -0000 The Northern Saw-whet Owl continues to perch at the same site where found on Thursday. A large flock of 75+ American Crows is likely an early migrating flock. 1. Canada Goose-400+ 2. Mallard-2500+ 3. Bufflehead-40 4. Common Goldeneye-60+ 5. Barrow's Goldeneye-2 (1m/1f) 6. Common Merganser-2 7. Bald Eagle-4+ imm/1+ad. 8. Sharp-shinned Hawk-1 9. HARLAN'S RED-TAILED HAWK-1 10. Rock Pigeon-15 11. NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL-1 12. Downy Woodpecker-6 13. Hairy Woodpecker-3 14. Northern Flicker-5+ 15. Black-billed Magpie-25 16. American Crow - 75+ 17. Common Raven-25+ 18. Black-capped Chickadee-12 19. Red-breasted Nuthatch-2 20. White-breasted Nuthatch-3 21. Bohemian Waxwing - 6 22. Common Redpoll-70+ 23. House Sparrow-150+ Eastern Gray Squirrel-20 Red Squirrel-1, reported by early arrivers White-tailed Deer-3 Coyote-1, extremely mangy Bob Lefebvre/Dan Arndt Calgary ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 1:15 - 3:45, Sun Jan 29/12... From: "woodduck330" <woodduck330 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:01:53 -0000 FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 1:15 - 3:45pm, Sun Jan 29/12, overcast, calm, warm, +9 to +13C. The Northern Saw-Whet Owl was seen again at the same spot it has been seen since Thursday. 1. Mallard - 1000 2. Common Goldeneye - 80 3. Barrow's Goldeneye - 1m 4. Bufflehead - 20 5. Bald Eagel - 1ad, 4imm 6. RING-NECKED PHEASANT - 1m 7. Rock Pigeon - 6 8. NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL - 1 9. Northern Flicker - 1 10. Downy Woodpecker - 3 11.Black-billed Magpie - 11 12.Common Raven - 10 13.Black-capped Chickadee - 16 14.White-breasted Nuthatch - 5 15.Common Redpoll - 30 16.House Sparrow - 40 White-tailed Deer - 10 Eastern Gray Squirrel - 5 Coyote - 1 Janet Gill/Bernie Diebolt Calgary, AB ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Beaverhills Sunday From: "Curtis" <whitelinereaper AT yahoo.ca> Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:43:38 -0000 Hi guys Mich and I took a bit of a Sunday drive this am out around Beaverhill Lake. Nice warm day. Highlights included 4 Snowy Owls (two with red dyed heads), somewhere between 14 and 20 Rough-leggged Hawks, and a Northern Goshawk in full on (though ultimately unsuccessful) pursuit of a Pigeon. First Snowies were on the new house on the south side of 510 just before Francis Viewpoint and from the Francis parking lot. Apparently we missed one on the way in from Tofield as well. Cheers Curtis and Michelle Manly Spruce Grove ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: ENC Whitemud Ravine 2012 Jan 28 From: Zoltan Domahidi <domahidi AT ualberta.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:50:14 -0700 Hi, before we met up in the parking lot, on some open water on the NS River I counted 15 Mallards and one Canada goose. Zoltan Domahidi, Edmonton On Sun, Jan 29, 2012 at 1:16 PM, BJSEdmonton AT yahoo.com < bjsedmonton AT yahoo.com> wrote: > ** > > > Overcast, mild weather saw 34 ENC members explore Whitemud Ravine from Fox > Drive to Snow Valley. We kept a leisurely pace spending about 3 hours along > the trails. Fortunately the trail had a dusting of recent snow that had not > iced up. > Thanks to Richard for leading and the enlightening commentary on various > species. > Brian Stephens > Edmonton > > Total Species: 15 > Species List: > Chickadee, Black Capped > Chickadee, Boreal > Creeper, Brown > Crossbill, White Winged > Waxwing, Bohemian > Grosbeak, Pine > Jay, Blue > Magpie, Black Billed > Nuthatch, Red Breasted > Nuthatch, White Breasted > Dove, Rock > Raven > Woodpecker, Downy > Woodpecker, Hairy > Woodpecker, Pileated > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: Highwood River Valley From: "zoxoxmelko" <zoxox AT shaw.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:29:20 -0000 Re: Eurasian Collared-Doves in Longview I had ten in the village on the 2011 May Species Count, but didn't see any on the two previous May counts. Bob Lefebvre, Calgary --- In Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com, Andrew Slater wrote: > > This morning an immature Golden Eagle was soaring against a stiff wind, westward along the ridge 4 kms west of Longview that leads to the hills near the Rio Alto ranch where they can often be found from late March on. This was the first one that I remember ever seeing in Alberta in January. > > 1 km west of Longview, an adult Bald Eagle was following it up the valley. > > In the Village of Longview I found 3 Eurasian Collared-doves, which I have not seen there before. > > Andrew Slater, Calgary > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: ENC Whitemud Ravine 2012 Jan 28 From: "BJSEdmonton AT yahoo.com" <bjsedmonton@yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:16:18 -0000 Overcast, mild weather saw 34 ENC members explore Whitemud Ravine from Fox Drive to Snow Valley. We kept a leisurely pace spending about 3 hours along the trails. Fortunately the trail had a dusting of recent snow that had not iced up. Thanks to Richard for leading and the enlightening commentary on various species. Brian Stephens Edmonton Total Species: 15 Species List: Chickadee, Black Capped Chickadee, Boreal Creeper, Brown Crossbill, White Winged Waxwing, Bohemian Grosbeak, Pine Jay, Blue Magpie, Black Billed Nuthatch, Red Breasted Nuthatch, White Breasted Dove, Rock Raven Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Highwood River Valley From: Andrew Slater <andrewslater AT shaw.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:57:48 -0700 This morning an immature Golden Eagle was soaring against a stiff wind, westward along the ridge 4 kms west of Longview that leads to the hills near the Rio Alto ranch where they can often be found from late March on. This was the first one that I remember ever seeing in Alberta in January. 1 km west of Longview, an adult Bald Eagle was following it up the valley. In the Village of Longview I found 3 Eurasian Collared-doves, which I have not seen there before. Andrew Slater, Calgary [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Ducks at Peenaquim Park From: "coltprins" <colton.prins AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:42:54 -0000 This morning I thought I would try my luck at Peenaquim Park on the north side of Lethbridge. It was very windy when I arrived but I went for a walk anyway. There were huge amounts of ducks on the river and a couple raptors as well. Almost everything was a highlight for me so here is a complete list of what I saw. Canada Goose-100+ Mallard-2000+ NORTHERN PINTAIL-1 male(sitting on ice with Mallards) BUFFLEHEAD-2, 1male, 1female HOODED MERGANSER-1 male (associating with goldeneyes) Common Merganser-5 Common Goldeneye-50+ BARROW'S GOLDENEYE-1male NORTHERN HARRIER-1 (at wood chip piles near parking lot) Bald Eagle-2 Northern Shrike-1 Black-billed Magpie-8 American Tree Sparrow-2 Colton Prins Lethbridge, AB ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: VARC - 2011 Year end Report From: "Derek Matthews" <Derek AT birdvancouver.com> Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:00:25 -0000 Hi Birders and Banders, All the rain and snow this month has meant little or no banding at Colony Farm but it has given us the opportunity to work on the VARC year end report for 2011 which we've just finished and put up for anyone interested. http://birdvancouver.com/pdf/varc_2011yearendreport.pdf It's a fairly large file so please give it a moment or two to load! Cheers. Derek Derek Matthews Vancouver Avian Research Centre Vancouver, BC www.birdvancouver.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: Harris's Sparrow From: Scott Lovell <sflovell AT ucalgary.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:35:17 -0700 ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 9:15-11:45am, THU 26 Jan.2012 From: Brant Lavery <blavery2007 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:05:51 -0700 Hi I was wondering if you could email me a little bit of detail to where in the park the owl is. I would really love to get a picture of this bird. Thanks Brant Lavery Sent from my iPhone On 2012-01-26, at 2:06 PM, "Gus" wrote: > FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 9:15-11:45am, THU 26 Jan.2012. Mostly > sunny, N. wind 12kph, -11 to -3 C. > > The most interesting sighting today, was a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL, sitting in > almost the same site where one was first found in the year 2000 and again in > 2005. If it is the same bird, it is at least 12.5 yrs old. > > 1. Canada Goose-2000+ > 2. Mallard-2500+ > 3. Bufflehead-25 > 4. Common Goldeneye-100+ > 5. Barrow's Goldeneye-2 m. > 6. Common Merganser-5 > 7. Bald Eagle-2+ imm. > 8. Rock Pigeon-7 > 9. NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL-1 > 10. Downy Woodpecker-6 > 11. Hairy Woodpecker-1 > 12. Northern Flicker-2 > 13. Black-billed Magpie-15 > 14. Common Raven-9 > 15. Black-capped Chickadee-20 > 16. White-breasted Nuthatch-1 > 17. Common Redpoll-30+ > 18. House Sparrow-2 > > Eastern Gray Squirrel-8 > White-tailed Deer-10 > > Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248. > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Snowy Owls East of Calgary From: "cowtown_scribe" <streamside AT telusplanet.net> Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 04:26:24 -0000 Not a bad day for Snowy Owls E of Calgary. Saw 9 in total � all females, and all but one perched on telephone poles. No males, but maybe next time. Lots of pictures, including one yawning. Will post once converted. Locations: 1 � TWP 262 RR 264 1 � TWP 262 RR 261 1 � TWP 262 RR 255 1 � TWP 275 RR 262 1 � TWP 273A RR 262 1 � TWP 262 RR 262 1 � TWP 262 RR 265 1 � TWP 252 RR 264 1 � TWP 244 RR 264 Happy Birding! Frank Wood. Calgary ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Carburn Park, Calgary: Song Sparrow From: "Rob" <semperaves AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 04:04:04 -0000 South of the Carburn Park parking area there is a 50 metre wide path to Riverbend Elementary School and a paved sidewalk separates 178 and 186 Riverview Park SE. In the backyard of the house on the east side of the path (186) there many feeders and House Sparrows move between the trees of both residences. A Ring-necked Pheasant was at the west corner and a Song Sparrow at the east corner. The deer are used to people feeding them. While I was looking along the river one came to within a metre of me. Rob Worona Calgary ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Townsend's Solitaire From: "William J. F. Wilson" <wjfwilso AT ucalgary.ca> Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:54:22 -0700 I cycled to Sandy Beach in Calgary this morning specifically to look for Townsend's Solitaire, following up on Gus's sightings of several there a month or so ago. None were visible in the northern part of the park so I walked the trail south along the west side of the river and finally spotted a distant silhouette that looked solitairish, against bright clouds. On the theory that solitaires don't sit still for long, I sat back on a patch of snow and waited, and after a quarter hour or so it flew down to a perch on the bluff, down to another two or three and finally landed on the snow on the opposite side of the river for a drink. After that it flew across the river and landed almost right above my head for a couple of minutes before flying off. A nice way to find a new bird for the year. I checked for the pintail at Carburn before heading home, but no luck. It must move around a lot. Good birding, Bill Wilson Calgary. ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Harris's Sparrow From: Arina/Hank <rhvander AT shaw.ca> Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:58:19 -0700 I went looking for the Harris's Sparrow reported on the Calgary Christmas bird count. I figured it might still be around given the inclination of sparrows to stick to their winter area. Sure enough, it was there with a few American Tree Sparrows, along 52nd. Ave, a few km east of 52nd Str. SE. I saw the bird just south of the railroad track. Not sure how many Tree Sparrows there were as I only saw two. Hank Vanderpol Calgary ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Weaslehead walk and hello From: "sgt1111" <sgt1111 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:15:37 -0000 Hello everyone, I have just joined this group and look forward to learning more about our local birds and birders. I am an amateur photographer and enjoy taking pictures of birds. I have 4 feeders at home in the Acadia area of Calgary that see regulars like blue jays, northern flickers, nuthatches, chickadees, various sparrows, a sneaky magpie and some acrobatic squirrels. Today (Jan 28 2012 10:00-12:30) my wife and I went for a walk to the weaslehead area, accessing it from the 37th street parking lot, in hopes of finding some Boreal Chickadees. We saw lots of black capped chickadees, pine grosbeaks, and nuthatches bothe red and white, and a good dozen squirrells, but no boreal chickadees. I guess we will try there again next week. Tomorrow we plan to visit the same area of Fish Creek where we had good luck finding woodpeckers, Downey, Hairy and Pileated, from the ranch area to Sikome. ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 9am-11:45am, Sat 28 Jan.2012 From: "Gus" <gyaki AT calcna.ab.ca> Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:00:24 -0700 FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 9am-11:45am, Sat 28 Jan.2012. Thin cloud, calm, -8 to -3 C. The Northern Saw-whet Owl continues to perch at the same site where found on Thursday. 1. Canada Goose-2000+ 2. Mallard-2500+ 3. Bufflehead-25 4. Common Goldeneye-100+ 5. Barrow's Goldeneye-2 m/1f. 6. Common Merganser-3 m/1f 7. Bald Eagle-5+ imm/1+ad.. 8. Rock Pigeon-3 9. NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL-1 10. Downy Woodpecker-3 11. Northern Flicker-2 12. Blue Jay-1 13. Black-billed Magpie-12 14. Common Raven-10 15. Black-capped Chickadee-12 16. Common Redpoll-60+ 17. House Sparrow-2+ Eastern Gray Squirrel-8 White-tailed Deer-7 Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248. ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: another great raptor evening From: "dlhuget" <hawkathome AT shaw.ca> Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:29:53 -0000 Late day trip out to Beaverhill Lake was rewarding again with a lot of raptors about. Overcast day -1C to -3C and no wind, 1445 hrs. to 1745 hrs. List as follows: Magpie 19 Crow 1 Raven 8 Bohemian Waxwing 20+ Pigeon 7 Rough Legged Hawk 1 Bald Eagle 1 Great Horned Owl 2 Snowy Owl 2 Short Eared Owl 6 (5 in view hunting, 1 on a fencepost) Coyote 1 WT Deer 7 Del Huget Edmonton ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: RFI Carburn Saw-Whet From: Eddy Matuod <gnude2000 AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:57:36 -0800 (PST) Me too (directly). Thanks, Eddy gnude2000 AT yahoo.com ________________________________ From: Sandra Savage To: albertabird Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2012 7:06 PM Subject: [Albertabird] RFI Carburn Saw-Whet   Hi - I don't know where the saw whet was in 2000 - could someone please give me directions as to how I might see this bird. If you don't want to post on-line, please reply directly to me Sandra Savage Calgary savagebirder AT shaw.ca [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: RFI Carburn Saw-Whet From: "Gus" <gyaki AT calcna.ab.ca> Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:14:42 -0700 Hi Sandra: Give me a call, 403-243-2248. It would take me a half hour trying to type up a description of the location. I should be home all day tomorrow. Gus ----- Original Message ----- From: Sandra Savage To: albertabird Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2012 7:06 PM Subject: [Albertabird] RFI Carburn Saw-Whet Hi - I don't know where the saw whet was in 2000 - could someone please give me directions as to how I might see this bird. If you don't want to post on-line, please reply directly to me Sandra Savage Calgary savagebirder AT shaw.ca [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: Great Grey Owls From: "cowtown_scribe" <streamside AT telusplanet.net> Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:38:48 -0000 Sorry, neglected to mention that this is Frank Wood from Calgary. Oops..... --- In Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com, "cowtown_scribe" wrote: > > Has anyone seen any Great Grey Owls so far this year? The last one I saw was in September just inside Sheep River Provincial Park. Since then - nothing. Any help would be appreciated. > > Thanks. > > Frank. > ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Great Grey Owls From: "cowtown_scribe" <streamside AT telusplanet.net> Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:55:02 -0000 Has anyone seen any Great Grey Owls so far this year? The last one I saw was in September just inside Sheep River Provincial Park. Since then - nothing. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. Frank. ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: 9 Snowy Owls From: "cowtown_scribe" <streamside AT telusplanet.net> Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:52:02 -0000 Wow - that was quite the outing! Will have to head out that way myself this weekend. Thanks for posting. --- In Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com, "woodduck330" wrote: > > After leaving Carburn Park & the FFCPPSociety outing this morning (where we saw a Northern Saw-whet Owl) I drove north on Deerfoot Trail to Country Hills Blvd (Hwy 564)and headed east to look for Snowy Owls. Started seeing them after crossing Hwy #9. Saw 5 from that point to Hwy 817 (all on the north side of 564) then 2 more just after turning south on 817. This was between 1:20 & 2:08pm. Only one of these was an adult male. > After visiting friends in Strathmore for a couple of hours headed back to Calgary on Hwy #1. Saw 2 more along the highway between Strathmore & Hwy #9 turn-off. These were seen at 4:35 to 4:45pm. One of these was an adult male. > Also saw a Northern Harrier at Deerfoot Trail & Airport Rd and a second one along Country Hills Blvd just west of 36ST NE. Not a bad day of birding, eh? > > Janet Gill, > Calgary, AB > ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: RFI Carburn Saw-Whet From: Sandra Savage <savagebirder AT shaw.ca> Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:06:04 -0700 Hi - I don't know where the saw whet was in 2000 - could someone please give me directions as to how I might see this bird. If you don't want to post on-line, please reply directly to me Sandra Savage Calgary savagebirder AT shaw.ca ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: 9 Snowy Owls From: "woodduck330" <woodduck330 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:03:16 -0000 After leaving Carburn Park & the FFCPPSociety outing this morning (where we saw a Northern Saw-whet Owl) I drove north on Deerfoot Trail to Country Hills Blvd (Hwy 564)and headed east to look for Snowy Owls. Started seeing them after crossing Hwy #9. Saw 5 from that point to Hwy 817 (all on the north side of 564) then 2 more just after turning south on 817. This was between 1:20 & 2:08pm. Only one of these was an adult male. After visiting friends in Strathmore for a couple of hours headed back to Calgary on Hwy #1. Saw 2 more along the highway between Strathmore & Hwy #9 turn-off. These were seen at 4:35 to 4:45pm. One of these was an adult male. Also saw a Northern Harrier at Deerfoot Trail & Airport Rd and a second one along Country Hills Blvd just west of 36ST NE. Not a bad day of birding, eh? Janet Gill, Calgary, AB ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: RBA: Calgary AB, January 26 2012 From: "Mike Mulligan" <potoo AT shaw.ca> Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:18:27 -0700 - RBA * Alberta (Canada) * Calgary, AB * * January 26, 2012 * ABCA1201.26 - Birds mentioned Gadwall Northern Pintail Lesser Scaup Gyrfalcon Transcript Hotline: City of Calgary and Calgary Field Naturalists' Society Bird Alert Number: 403-221-4519 To Report: 403-221-4519 Coverage: Southern Alberta Compiler: Terry Korolyk Transcriber: Mike Mulligan (potoo AT shaw.ca) Welcome to the City of Calgary and CFNS Bird Alert. This report was prepared on Thursday January 26. To report a bird sighting, call 403-221-4519 and leave a message after the recording. To speak to a naturalist, phone 311 during office hours and ask for the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. January 22 -- LESSER SCAUP, Carburn Park, Bow River (Calgary), Janet Gill, Bernie Diebolt, CFNS group January 23 -- GADWALL male, Fish Creek PP, Bow River (Calgary), David Lilly January 24 -- NORTHERN PINTAIL male, Carburn Park, Bow River, Gus Yaki, FFC group -- GYRFALCON, Hwy 8 west of Calgary, Richard Clarke The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Monday January 30. BIRD STUDY GROUP - Meets the first Wednesday of the month, September - May at 7:30 pm, Room 211, BioSciences Building, University of Calgary. The next meeting will be Wednesday February 1. The program is titled "Understanding the Bird-brained: The Psychology of Bird Watching", presented by Chip Scialfa. Dr. Scialfa is a professor of psychology at the U of C, a birdwatcher and a volunteer for the Alberta Wilderness Association. BIRDING FIELD TRIPS Nature Calgary (CFNS) field trips are free and open to all. Sat Jan 28, 9am: Bird Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Leader, Penny Smith, 403-283-9260. Sun Jan 29, 9am: Bird Bowness Park, 48 Av, W of 85 St NW. Meet first parking lot. Leader, Howard Heffler, 403-284-2961. Wed Feb 1, 8:15am: Monthly Elbow River Birding Survey. Meet Stanley Park, 42 Av SW, just W of Macleod Tr. Walk to Glenmore Reservoir, ride back (3.5 hours). Call leader Gus Yaki, 243-2248, to ensure vehicle space for return. Sun Feb 5, 8:15am: 20th Annual Duck Waddle, (4-5 hours). Meet Beaverdam Flats Park S parking lot (Lynnview Rd & Lynnview Way, S of 62 Av SE). N from Glenmore Tr at 18 St SE, then left. Carpool to Carburn Park; walk back. See varied waterfowl on Bow River. Bring lunch, hot drink. Leader, Tony Timmons, 256-0754. Sat Feb 11, 9am: Bird Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Leader, Penny Smith, 403-283-9260. Sat Feb 18, 9am: Bird Bebo Grove, FCPP, S end of 24 St SW. Leader, Howard Heffler, 403-284-2961. Sat Feb 18, 9:30am: Search for Snowy Owls and other birds, E of Calgary. Meet at the W end of Deerfoot Mall, Deerfoot Tr & 64 Av NW. Leader, Terry Korolyk, 403-254-1878. Sun Feb 19, 9:30am: Search for winter birds at Bowness Park, 48 Av, W of 85 St NW. Meet first parking lot. Leader, Jan Roseneder, 403-286-5920. Mon Feb 20, 8:30am: Family Day. Bird Griffith Woods Park. Go 2.5km W from Sarcee Tr SW on Hwy 8, then left at 69 St SW into Discovery Ridge, past the traffic circle. At the bottom of the hill, turn left on Discovery Link into parking lot. Leader, Grant Brydle, 403-720-4957. Sat Feb 25, 7:15am. Several hundred Black-billed Magpies roost in the Weaselhead area each night. Watch their dawn dispersal, then see other local winter birds. Meet parking lot, 66 Av & 37St SW. Leaders: Bernie Diebolt, 403 210-2446; Janet Gill, 403 230-5671. Sun Feb 26, 9am: Bird Votier's Flats, FCPP, S end of Elbow Dr SW. Leader, Tony Timmons, 403-256-0754. Thu Mar 1, 8am: Monthly Elbow River Birding Survey. Meet Stanley Park, 42 Av SW, just W of Macleod Tr. Walk to Glenmore Reservoir, ride back (3.5 hours). Call leader Gus Yaki, 243-2248, to ensure vehicle space for return. Sun Mar 11, 9am: Bird Frank Lake area for early arrivals, E of High River. Meet at Anderson LRT Station, next to Macleod Tr, S of pedestrian overpass. Bring lunch. Leader, Andrew Hart, 403-279-5209. Sun Mar 11, 9am: Bird Beaverdam Flats Park. Meet S parking lot (Lynnwood Rd & Lynnwood Way, S of 62 Av SE). N from Glenmore Tr at 18 St SE, then left. Leader, Kingsley Blades, 403-291-4278. Sat Mar 17, 9am: Bird Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Leader, Penny Smith, 403-283-9260. Sat Mar 24, 9am: Bird Beaverdam Flats Park. Meet S parking lot (Lynnwood Rd & Lynnwood Way, S of 62 Av SE). N from Glenmore Tr at 18 St SE, then left. Leaders: Bernie Diebolt, 403-210-2446; Janet Gill, 403-230-5671. Sun Mar 25, 9 am: Peak of Golden Eagle Migration, Mt. Lorette, Kananaskis Country. Bring Lunch, Warm Clothing. Meet Assumption School, 34th Av NW (NW corner of Sarcee Tr at Hwy 1). Leader, Andrew Hart, 279-5209. Sun Mar 25, 10am: Bird Bowmont Park. Meet Maranatha Church, 2111 52 St NW (N end of Home Rd). Leaders, Paula/Jack Sisko, 403-286-7103. Sat Mar 31, 9am: Look for early spring arrivals at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Leader, Jan Roseneder, 403-286-5920. Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is a City of Calgary Natural Area. Staff offer information, courses and field trips relating to natural history. For information call 311 during office hours and ask for the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Nature Calgary (Calgary Field Naturalists' Society) promotes the observation, study and conservation of the native habitat through lectures, field trips and collection of scientific data. For membership or event information, email naturecalgary AT cfns.fanweb.ca or visit the website at www.naturecalgary.com. The Birding section of the website http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/index.html includes descriptions of birding locales in the Calgary area. Nature Calgary also publishes a newsletter, Nature News, available to members by email and on the website. - End transcript ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 9:15-11:45am, THU 26 Jan.2012 From: "Gus" <gyaki AT calcna.ab.ca> Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:06:47 -0700 FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 9:15-11:45am, THU 26 Jan.2012. Mostly sunny, N. wind 12kph, -11 to -3 C. The most interesting sighting today, was a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL, sitting in almost the same site where one was first found in the year 2000 and again in 2005. If it is the same bird, it is at least 12.5 yrs old. 1. Canada Goose-2000+ 2. Mallard-2500+ 3. Bufflehead-25 4. Common Goldeneye-100+ 5. Barrow's Goldeneye-2 m. 6. Common Merganser-5 7. Bald Eagle-2+ imm. 8. Rock Pigeon-7 9. NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL-1 10. Downy Woodpecker-6 11. Hairy Woodpecker-1 12. Northern Flicker-2 13. Black-billed Magpie-15 14. Common Raven-9 15. Black-capped Chickadee-20 16. White-breasted Nuthatch-1 17. Common Redpoll-30+ 18. House Sparrow-2 Eastern Gray Squirrel-8 White-tailed Deer-10 Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248. ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: Juvenile Eagles From: "cowtown_scribe" <streamside AT telusplanet.net> Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:52:00 -0000 Thanks Andrew. Since my first post I also found some really good pictures that help show the differences between the two species at http://www.hancockwildlife.org/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=132018 I felt quite fortunate to have seen the number I did. I only wish I could've had the chance to shoot from a blind - as it didn't take much to cross into their saftey zone. I was using a 300mm lens with a 1.4 converter - and it just didn't have the reach needed to get those frame filling shots. I've already told my wife a 500mm lens would be nice - but I suspect she's not convinced! Frank. --- In Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com, Andrew Slater wrote: > > I think your pictures are all of Bald Eagles, Frank. The third one appears to have some gold on its crown, but it also has the heavy head and large bill of a Bald Eagle, and on a Golden Eagle the gold would extend farther down onto its nape. Also the white markings on the back are a good indicator for immature Bald Eagle, which tend to have white patches on various parts of their plumage, while immature Goldens have white restricted to the undersides of the mid-wings and tail. > > Andrew Slater > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Prairie Falcon at the Edmonton Grain Terminal From: Gerald Romanchuk <geraldjr AT telusplanet.net> Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:35:38 -0700 Saw the Prairie Falcon both Mon and Tues - around lunch hour both days. Also saw quite a few birders: Kurt Brauner, Jack Dehaas, Don Delaney, Alan Hingston, & 1 or 2 others I didn't know. Yesterday, the falcon put on quite an extended show. The first little while it was mostly gliding and circling around the top of the building. A bit later, it started making determined attacks on the pigeons. It caught one and flew east down the tracks and we thought the show was over. But it soon came back in attack mode again. It was unclear what happened to the pigeon - maybe it lost it to ravens or some other raptor? After what seemed like quite a while it caught another pigeon and flew west. A few of us drove over to the NW of the terminal, where we saw the falcon circling around the noise wall and a small park area. It seemed to have lost it's pigeon again. Couldn't find any sign of another bird or birds feeding on it. I started to wonder if the Prairie hadn't actually killed the pigeons and they both recovered and escaped somehow. We also saw an adult Bald Eagle cruise past. Gerald Romanchuk Edmonton [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: Re: Juvenile Eagles From: Andrew Slater <andrewslater AT shaw.ca> Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:25:56 -0700 I think your pictures are all of Bald Eagles, Frank. The third one appears to have some gold on its crown, but it also has the heavy head and large bill of a Bald Eagle, and on a Golden Eagle the gold would extend farther down onto its nape. Also the white markings on the back are a good indicator for immature Bald Eagle, which tend to have white patches on various parts of their plumage, while immature Goldens have white restricted to the undersides of the mid-wings and tail. Andrew Slater [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: Juvenile Eagles From: "cowtown_scribe" <streamside AT telusplanet.net> Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:38:46 -0000 I've added 3 pictures to the Photos site. Enjoy! Frank. --- In Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com, "cowtown_scribe" wrote: > > > Greetings everyone. > > > > As a new member, I thought I would introduce myself. My name is Frank > Wood, and I am an Outdoor Writer and Nature Photographer based out of > Calgary. I have followed Albertabird for some time, and decided that it > is well past time that I start to contribute. > > > > So let me start off by mentioning that there is great opportunity right > now to view Eagles along the Bow River in behind the Lafarge plant > located East of Deerfoot Trail and North of Glenmore. There are a lot of > waterfowl in the open water at this location, and it has brought in not > only the Eagles, but also Magpies and Crows as well. On Sunday afternoon > alone I spotted 6 eagles in this area. At first I thought they were all > juvenile Bald Eagles, but now I am wondering whether any could have been > Golden's. I am still converting the images, but will post as soon as > possible. I would appreciate any feedback that any members have to > offer. > > > > Thanks for reading, and happy birding! > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Gadwall in Bow River From: "davidlilly57" <davidlilly57 AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:57:11 -0000 Hi Everyone, On Sunday I photographed a Snowy Owl catching a Muskrat. It was one of the most amazing events I have witnessed. The Muskrat was so heavy the Snowy could only fly a short distance. On Monday there was a Gadwall in the Bow River at the Boat launch in Fish Creek. Today, 24 Jan, across from the boat Launch (East Side of Bow River) there were at least a thousand Bohemian Waxwings feeding on the ice at the rivers edge. They have been there for two days. I was a great sight standing there with my camera and no more then 15 meters as hundreds were feeding. Good Birding David Lilly Calgary ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 9:15-11:45am, Tue 24 Feb.2012. From: "Gus" <gyaki AT calcna.ab.ca> Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:37:23 -0700 FFCPPSociety BIRDING, Carburn Park, 9:15-11:45am, Tue 24 Feb.2012. Cloudy, calm, -3 to 0C. What a difference a day makes! No eagles today, after 9 sightings yesterday; and no deer. We did however add a male Northern Pintail. 1. Canada Goose-2500+ 2. Mallard-3000+ 3. NORTHERN PINTAIL-1 m. 4. Bufflehead-25 5. Common Goldeneye-100+ 6. Barrow's Goldeneye-4 m/1+ f. 7. Common Merganser-8 8. Rock Pigeon-6 9. Downy Woodpecker-3 10. Northern Flicker-5 11. Black-billed Magpie-10 12. AMERICAN CROW-20 13. Common Raven-4 14. Black-capped Chickadee-10 15. Common Redpoll-30+ 16. House Sparrow-6 Eastern Gray Squirrel-6 Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248. ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: Juvenile Eagles From: Andrew Slater <andrewslater AT shaw.ca> Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:18:54 -0700 Inspired by Frank's post yesterday, I took a walk in Beaverdam Flats Park this morning. There were eagles all over the place! Hard to be sure of the exact number, as they were flying about quite a lot, but I reckoned a minimum of 11, all Bald Eagles: 2 adults and the rest in various immature plumages. 2 of them were in the very confusing phase that resembles a huge Swainson's Hawk. This is the most I ever remember seeing in the city at one time. There was likewise a large number of ravens "assisting" the eagles to keep the place clean and tidy. They were even harder to count, but I estimated 14, the same number as magpies. I tried hard to find a dabbling duck that was not a Mallard, but without success, and slightly less hard to count them. Anyone settle for 6000, with 655 Canada Geese and much smaller numbers of Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser and Bufflehead? A Townsend's Solitaire was singing on the brush-covered hillside near the entrance path when I arrived, and was still around there when I left. As usual, I will post the results of this trip on eBird. Andrew Slater, Calgary [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: Early Duck Migration From: Gerald Romanchuk <geraldjr AT telusplanet.net> Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:36:55 -0700 Don't know about Ryan's ducks, but I've heard there's been large numbers over-wintering near Shepard. A falconer friend has been seeing more there this year than he's ever seen in the past. Because of a very mild winter? Gerald Romanchuk Edmonton On 2012-01-24, at 9:36 AM, Bill Walker wrote: > Ryan's informants are right re duck movements. On Saturday there were 2 to 3 thousand packed in shoulder to shoulder just south of Shepard [very rough estimate] and I suspect it was migration overshoot. > > Bill > > W.H.Walker > whwalker AT shaw.ca > Calgary, Alb., Canada > 403-278-7271 > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Re: Early Duck Migration From: "Bill Walker" <whwalker AT shaw.ca> Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:36:01 -0700 Ryan's informants are right re duck movements. On Saturday there were 2 to 3 thousand packed in shoulder to shoulder just south of Shepard [very rough estimate] and I suspect it was migration overshoot. Bill W.H.Walker whwalker AT shaw.ca Calgary, Alb., Canada 403-278-7271 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Early Duck Migration From: Ryan Heavy Head <akayokaki AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:27:32 -0800 (PST) According to reports shared by participants in my phenology class yesterday, aggregates of thousands of ducks, mostly mallards, but some others in the mix as well, were seen flying over the Blood Reserve, as well as feeding in a stubble field near Brocket, over this past weekend as our temperature returned above zero. We do not normally have this many ducks in our area in winter. It sounds like very early migration activity [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: Juvenile Eagles From: "cowtown_scribe" <streamside AT telusplanet.net> Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:57:07 -0000 Greetings everyone. As a new member, I thought I would introduce myself. My name is Frank Wood, and I am an Outdoor Writer and Nature Photographer based out of Calgary. I have followed Albertabird for some time, and decided that it is well past time that I start to contribute. So let me start off by mentioning that there is great opportunity right now to view Eagles along the Bow River in behind the Lafarge plant located East of Deerfoot Trail and North of Glenmore. There are a lot of waterfowl in the open water at this location, and it has brought in not only the Eagles, but also Magpies and Crows as well. On Sunday afternoon alone I spotted 6 eagles in this area. At first I thought they were all juvenile Bald Eagles, but now I am wondering whether any could have been Golden's. I am still converting the images, but will post as soon as possible. I would appreciate any feedback that any members have to offer. Thanks for reading, and happy birding! [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt Subject: RBA: Calgary AB, January 23. 2012 From: Jean Moore <jmmoore AT ucalgary.ca> Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:33:39 -0700 - RBA * Alberta (Canada) * Calgary, AB * January 23, 2012 * ABCA1201.23 - Birds mentioned Lesser Scaup Barrow's x Common Goldeneye Golden Eagle Red-tailed Hawk Northern Goshawk Sharp-shinned Hawk Prairie Falcon Snowy Owl Northern Hawk Owl Townsend's Solitaire Transcript Hotline: City of Calgary and Calgary Field Naturalists' Society Bird Alert Number: 403-221-4519 To Report: 403-221-4519 Coverage: Southern Alberta Compiler: Terry Korolyk Transcriber: Jean Moore (jmmoore AT ucalgary.ca) Welcome to the City of Calgary and CFNS Bird Alert. This report was prepared on Monday January 23. To report a bird sighting, call 403-221-4519 and leave a message after the recording. To speak to a naturalist, phone 311 during office hours and ask for the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Sunday, JANUARY 22 --LESSER SCAUP (1) - Carburn Park by Janet Gill, Bernie Diebolt & CFNS field trip --RED-TAILED HAWK (light phase) - Raven Rocks in Fish Creek PP by Steve Kassai --SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (subadult) - Votier's Flats in Fish Creek PP by SK --PRAIRIE FALCON (1m) - Shepard by Terry Korolyk Saturday, JANUARY 21 --COMMON x BARROW'S GOLDENEYE (1m) - Bankside in Fish Creek PP by TK --PRAIRIE FALCON (1) - Symon's Valley Rd area just N of Calgary by Bill Wilson --SNOWY OWL (1) - Symon's Valley Rd near Hwy 567 by BW Friday, JANUARY 20 --TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE (1) - still surviving the deep freeze, observed in Andrew Slater's yard Thursday, JANUARY 19 --GOLDEN EAGLE (1 subadult) - just east of Winchell Lake, south of Water Valley, by Ray Woods --NORTHERN GOSHAWK (2) - one on Grand Valley Rd a mile north of Hwy 1A by RW; one in the Weaselhead by Gus Yaki & Friends of Fish Creek Society field trip --PRAIRIE FALCON (1+) - one, possibly two, seen near the Scotia Centre in downtown Calgary by Wlad Franco-Valias --SNOWY OWL (1) - Symon's Valley Rd near Hwy 567 by RW --NORTHERN HAWK OWL (1) - 300 m south of entrance to Bates Bar J Ranch on Grand Valley Rd by RW Wednesday, JANUARY 18 --PRAIRIE FALCON (1) - near the Scotia Centre by WF-V The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is on Thursday January 26. BIRD STUDY GROUP - Meets the first Wednesday of the month, September - May at 7:30 pm, Room 211, BioSciences Building, University of Calgary. The next meeting will be Wednesday February 1. The program is titled "Understanding the Bird-brained: The Psychology of Bird Watching", presented by Chip Scialfa. Dr Scialfa is a professor of psychology at the UofC, a birdwatcher and a volunteer for the Alberta Wilderness Assoc. BIRDING FIELD TRIPS Nature Calgary (CFNS) field trips are free and open to all. Sat Jan 28, 9am: Bird Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Leader, Penny Smith, 403-283-9260. Sun Jan 29, 9am: Bird Bowness Park, 48 Av, W of 85 St NW. Meet first parking lot. Leader, Howard Heffler, 403-284-2961. Wed Feb 1, 8:15am: Monthly Elbow River Birding Survey. Meet Stanley Park, 42 Av SW, just W of Macleod Tr. Walk to Glenmore Reservoir, ride back (3.5 hours). Call leader Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248, to ensure vehicle space for return. Sun Feb 5, 8:15am: 20th Annual Duck Waddle, (4-5 hours). Meet Beaverdam Flats Park S parking lot (Lynnview Rd & Lynnview Way, S of 62 Av SE). N from Glenmore Tr at 18 St SE, then left. Carpool to Carburn Park; walk back. See varied waterfowl on Bow River. Bring lunch, hot drink. Leader, Tony Timmons, 403-256-0754. Sat Feb 11, 9am: Bird Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Leader, Penny Smith, 403-283-9260. Sat Feb 18, 9am: Bird Bebo Grove, FCPP, S end of 24 St SW. Leader, Howard Heffler, 403-284-2961. Sat Feb 18, 9:30am: Search for Snowy Owls and other birds, E of Calgary. Meet at the W end of Deerfoot Mall, Deerfoot Tr & 64 Av NW. Leader, Terry Korolyk, 403-254-1878. Sun Feb 19, 9:30am: Search for winter birds at Bowness Park, 48 Av, W of 85 St NW. Meet first parking lot. Leader, Jan Roseneder, 403-286-5920. Mon Feb 20, 8:30am: Family Day. Bird Griffith Woods Park. Go 2.5km W from Sarcee Tr SW on Hwy 8, then left at 69 St SW into Discovery Ridge, past the traffic circle. At the bottom of the hill, turn left on Discovery Link into parking lot. Leader, Grant Brydle, 403-720-4957. Sat Feb 25, 7:15am. Several hundred Black-billed Magpies roost in the Weaselhead area each night. Watch their dawn dispersal, then see other local winter birds. Meet parking lot, 66 Av & 37St SW. Leaders: Bernie Diebolt, 403 210-2446; Janet Gill, 403 230-5671. Sun Feb 26, 9am: Bird Votier's Flats, FCPP, S end of Elbow Dr SW. Leader, Tony Timmons, 403-256-0754. Thu Mar 1, 8am: Monthly Elbow River Birding Survey. Meet Stanley Park, 42 Av SW, just W of Macleod Tr. Walk to Glenmore Reservoir, ride back (3.5 hours). Call leader Gus Yaki, 243-2248, to ensure vehicle space for return. Sun Mar 11, 9am: Bird Frank Lake area for early arrivals, E of High River. Meet at Anderson LRT Station, next to Macleod Tr, S of pedestrian overpass. Bring lunch. Leader, Andrew Hart, 403-279-5209. Sun Mar 11, 9am: Bird Beaverdam Flats Park. Meet S parking lot (Lynnwood Rd & Lynnwood Way, S of 62 Av SE). N from Glenmore Tr at 18 St SE, then left. Leader, Kingsley Blades, 403-291-4278. Sat Mar 17, 9am: Bird Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Leader, Penny Smith, 403-283-9260. Sat Mar 24, 9am: Bird Beaverdam Flats Park. Meet S parking lot (Lynnwood Rd & Lynnwood Way, S of 62 Av SE). N from Glenmore Tr at 18 St SE, then left. Leaders: Bernie Diebolt, 403-210-2446; Janet Gill, 403-230-5671. Sun Mar 25, 9 am: Peak of Golden Eagle Migration, Mt. Lorette, Kananaskis Country. Bring Lunch, Warm Clothing. Meet Assumption School, 34th Av NW (NW corner of Sarcee Tr at Hwy 1). Leader, Andrew Hart, 279-5209. Sun Mar 25, 10am: Bird Bowmont Park. Meet Maranatha Church, 2111 52 St NW (N end of Home Rd). Leaders, Paula/Jack Sisko, 403-286-7103. Sat Mar 31, 9am: Look for early spring arrivals at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Leader, Jan Roseneder, 403-286-5920. Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is a City of Calgary Natural Area. Staff offer information, courses and field trips relating to natural history. For information call 311 during office hours and ask for the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. Nature Calgary (Calgary Field Naturalists' Society) promotes the observation, study and conservation of the native habitat through lectures, field trips and collection of scientific data. For membership or event information, email naturecalgary AT cfns.fanweb.ca or visit the website at www.naturecalgary.com. The Birding section of the website http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/index.html includes descriptions of birding locales in the Calgary area. Nature Calgary also publishes a newsletter, Nature News, available to members by email and on the website. - End transcript [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt