The House Finch
Birds Calgary
by SWAINSONS
1M ago
By Cathy Warwick Male House Finch. Photo by Diane Stinson. If you are walking around Calgary and hear a bird singing its heart out in a long trilling song, it is most likely a House Finch. These small birds are identified by their brown bodies, heavy beaks and the red colour on the male. It’s hard to believe that these now ubiquitous birds were fairly rare in Calgary, until as recently as the 1990’s! In theory most of us can remember a time when there were no House Finches around. In practice I barely remember the 90’s. Look at a group of birds at any feeder now and you will probably see some ..read more
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Birds & Beers, February 8, 2024
Birds Calgary
by SWAINSONS
2M ago
Presenting the Christmas Bird Count Results Next Thursday, January 8th, we will have another Birds & Beers meeting in Calgary. As usual, we meet in the big ballroom at the Royal Canadian Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW. The event starts at 5 pm. A Black-billed Magpie seen by a Feeder Watcher on the 2023 Calgary Christmas Bird Count. Photo by Lou Zaganelli. After some time for socializing, eating, and drinking, there will be a presentation on some of the recent Christmas Bird Counts that took place in the Calgary area. Matthew Wallace will present the results of the Calgary Count, Gavin McKin ..read more
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Pine Grosbeak – Our Winter Bird
Birds Calgary
by SWAINSONS
2M ago
By Cathy Warwick Have you ever seen a Northern Cardinal in real life? These birds are beautiful and striking, and most of all, an intense red. If you haven’t seen them in person, I know you have seen them on Christmas cards and other winter-based accessories. Surrounded by snow and red berries probably. Those of us who live in Western Canada are tired of seeing them on our cards and mugs, and since they refuse to migrate out west I say we get a new bird to be emblematic of winter. I propose the Pine Grosbeak. Male Pine Grosbeak. Photo by Diane Stinson. The Pine Grosbeak is a large (robin sized ..read more
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Birds & Beers Resumes January 11th
Birds Calgary
by SWAINSONS
3M ago
Featuring a presentation on the birds of Indonesia From January through June 2024 we will be meeting monthly at the Horton Road Legion in Calgary for a social get-together and birding presentation. Everyone is welcome to attend these events, have some food and drinks, and enjoy a birding talk from one of our many local volunteers. The first Birds & Beers of 2024 will be on Thursday January 11. We meet in the big ballroom at the Legion, at 9202 Horton Road SW in Calgary. The doors open at 5 pm. At about 7 pm there will be a presentation by Bob and Dianne Leonhardt on their recent trip to se ..read more
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Calgary Christmas Bird Count Results 2023
Birds Calgary
by SWAINSONS
3M ago
72 species seen during a very successful count! Posted by Bob Lefebvre birdscalgary@gmail.com We had really good results on the Calgary CBC on Sunday December 17. The weather was still very mild, and we had a lot of partcipation both in the field and at backyard feeders. The species total was 72, with an additional 2 Count Week species not seen on Count Day but seen on the three days before or after the count. The first Cassin’s Finch ever seen on a Calgary CBC! Photo by Laura Bentley. Below are the results as reported by Matt Wallace, the organizer of the count. First, watch a YouTube video w ..read more
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Help Us Count Birds on December 17!
Birds Calgary
by SWAINSONS
3M ago
More Birders Needed For the Calgary Christmas Bird Count. Many of our regulars are away or busy with other events this year, so we have a bit of a shortage of birders to help with the count, which is next Sunday. We can use experienced birders who could lead the effort in a section of the city, or help with a field team in a section. Even if you are a novice birder you can help assist a field team. The more eyes the better! Plus we are always looking for more people to count birds at their backyard feeders. That can take as little as 30 minutes. House Finch. A common backyard bird, but they al ..read more
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Winter Birding 2023-2024
Birds Calgary
by SWAINSONS
4M ago
Bird Listing from December 1 to February 29 Posted by Bob Lefebvre For the last few years I have been helping to keep track of all species reported in the Calgary region in the winter months. It’s interesing to see which species are here and to see if there are any long-term trends or changes. White-throated Sparrow. They often overwinter here. Calgary, 2018. Photo by Bob Lefebvre Caroline Lambert has been keeping the list of birds from the Bow Valley, and linking to lists from other parts of the province (as well as the entire province). You can see the lists here. Here is Caroline’s descript ..read more
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Calgary Christmas Bird Count 2023
Birds Calgary
by SWAINSONS
4M ago
Register to participate now! The Calgary CBC will take place on Sunday December 17. If you want to take part either as part of a Field Team or as a backyard Feeder Watcher, please fill out the registration form. People who particpated last year will have already received this by email. Please only register once! CBC Coordinator Matthew Wallace has created a CBC2023 Registration Form for all participants to fill out. We know that it’s a bit of a pain to have to fill this out annually. However, it drastically reduces the number of emails Matt receives and helps him to keep all of ..read more
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Birds & Beers, November 23/23
Birds Calgary
by SWAINSONS
4M ago
Thursday November 23, 5-9 pm Next Thursday we will meet at the usual place, the Legion at 9202 Horton Road SW in Calgary. Doors open at 5 pm. Once again we will meet in the big ballroom. At about 7 pm there will be a presentation by Roland Dechesne on The Impacts of Light Pollution on Birds. Earth’s City Lights from Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain. Light pollution has both hormonal and behavioral negative impacts on birds. Though pervasive in our modern world, outdoor artificial lighting is a pollutant that is relatively easy to control, if we can get past some of our irrational attachment to ..read more
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Game Birds Taking Refuge in Our City
Birds Calgary
by SWAINSONS
5M ago
By Cathy Warwick Where is one place a bird bred for the sport of hunting can be and not get shot at? In the city of course! Yes there are lots of other dangers, namely cars, but there are less predators and less people in camouflage fatigues lurking behind trees ready to shoot. It’s positively a paradise for game birds! In Calgary there are a couple populations of game birds hiding out that you might be lucky enough to see. These are the Gray Partridge and the Ring-necked Pheasant. (Another local game bird, the Ruffed Grouse, is usually only found in small numbers in the conifer forests o ..read more
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