Here’s one from Policeman’s Creek recently. Last week’s bird was an American Tree Sparrow, correctly identified by Gavin.
Category: Birds
Feathers on Friday
One of hundreds of California Gulls in Calgary on Tuesday. We saw these, a Glaucous Gull, a male Eurasian Wigeon and a supremely early Black-crowned Night-Heron at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary along with Herring Gulls, Wood Ducks and others.
Other Feathers on Fridays:
What Bird Wednesday
All About the Owls
With spring migration hitting, Alberta birders are getting out more and more, looking for returning waterfowl, gulls, and raptors. One early migrant found me last week, a bird I had never seen before, only heard – Northern Saw-whet Owl!
This was followed up by a big owling trip on Saturday – my Dad, two friends and I set out at 3pm to find 8 or even 9 species of owls, four of which were strictly nocturnal, four diurnal and one crepuscular (dawn/dusk). We started birding east of Calgary, where it didn’t take long to find many Grey Partridge, and a distant lump hunched on a pole which turned out to be a Gyrfalcon! Shortly thereafter, we happened across our goal for that area – one of only a few remaining Snowy Owls. Most of these majestic raptors have already began the short flight north, but there are always some that stay behind for longer.
From there, we aimed for the Water Valley area, hoping for Great Grey Owls and Northern Pygmy Owls. It didn’t take long! In the rapidly falling light, we found three of North America’s largest owls.
A short detour to Winchell Lake area gave us the Pygmy we were looking for.
Hitting a road where we had all seen our fifth target, the Short-eared Owl, we happened across another Great Grey, and not one, not two, not even three, but four Short-ears!
Lamentably, these proved our final owls of the day, as none of the nocturnal birds graced us with a call at any of our numerous stops – where we knew there were owls! Ah well, the owl is a fickle bird, and will turn up only when it wants to – all we pitiful human observers can do is watch and wait for them.
See my other owling posts here:
Feathers on Friday
I was especially lucky to find this little one amongst the recent migrants in Canmore – a Northern Saw-whet Owl! The bird was well hidden in a tangle of branches and twigs indeed, it was so well hidden that I had to lie down on my belly and shot upwards to get even this partially obscured photo.
Other Feathers on Fridays:
Feathers on Friday
There are only two or three consistent flocks of Redpolls in Canmore right now. Here’s one from Policeman’s Creek.
Other Feathers on Fridays:
Feathers on Friday
Not much to photograph recently! Here’s on of our ever-present Black-capped Chickadees from Policeman’s Creek.