Spring continues to roll on here in Calgary, and with it comes the usual unpredictable weather. The past three weekends has seen it be sunny, snowing and raining and various bits in between, however the birds continue to migrate northwards as best they can under the conditions. Likewise, I also …
Spring – finally it has arrived! And with it, the first of the spring migrants are turning up, including large numbers of Common Mergansers heading into Alberta. While this species can be found year-round in the province, their numbers are noticeably higher in spring/summer.Of course, spring also means breeding season …
I’ve been fortunate enough to have spent 2 of the last 4 weeks outside of frigid Canada in the warmer climes of Mexico and Hawaii, so the amount of local birds I’ve seen and photographed has been relatively limited. However, I was able to make two trips to two quite different Calgary locales, the …
This past January, Calgarians were treated to a rather rare occurrence: a week-long visit from a Great Grey Owl in a suburban park. From what I understand from local birders, a GGO has not been recorded in Calgary for over 14 years so it was a sight not to be missed. I must …
Weed Lake, a Ducks Unlimited wetland just east of Calgary, is a popular spot for waterfowl from spring through to autumn and hosts thousands of birds at its peak. However, come November the shallow waters have almost entirely iced over and as a result all of the waterfowl have headed …
At this point in the year I had hoped to be presenting some shots of some of our annual winter visitors, particularly finches like grosbeaks, redpolls and crossbills. Alas, the grim winter finch forecast appears to be depressingly all-too-accurate to date and I have not seen one of these birds; a …
Here in southern Alberta winter is well and truly on its way, and the lakes, ponds and streams are starting to freeze over. The freeze tends to concentrate birds into open water areas, and this is something of a positive if you are trying to find certain birds as it …
While fall may signal that many birds have migrated south (or soon will be) and general bird activity will locally decline for the next several months, I find it’s not all bad…why? Apart from the excitement of the pending arrival of winter visitors, the vivid and saturated colours of autumn …
One of my favourite activities in summer is to go trailer camping with my family in the provincial parks of southern Alberta. The reason I enjoy it so much is that it combines a lot of things I like to do: spend time with my family, relax, and get …
One of my favourite bird photography trips is to cruise out east of Calgary, just beyond the city limits, and work my way up and down the back roads of the prairie and see what birds are out there. Cars make excellent blinds and many birds will let you …