It was inevitable, but my shorebird stint (no pun intended) has come to an end, with this, the penultimate entry to the series. I’m going to break this down into four sections based somewhat on genetics, but also somewhat on the “easy” ones and the “hard” ones. The scare quotes …
In Part 1 of this series, we covered in some detail the Suborder Charadrii, which included such beauties as the American Avocet, Black-bellied Plover, and the ever-present Killdeer. In that suborder, we went over the 11 endemic species in some detail and mentioned 4 vagrant species. This month, we’ll …
Posted by Bob Lefebvre, Calgary The last two winters have seen huge irruptions of redpolls into the Calgary area, and across much of southern Canada and the northern continental US. This doesn’t happen every year, and it has been difficult to find any Common Redpolls in some recent winters. Finding …
Hello everyone and welcome to my inaugural post for the Bird Canada blog! My name is David Pugh and I’m a birder from Calgary, Alberta who writes a blog named, with shocking originality, “A Calgary Birder”. If you would like to know a little more about me there is a …
Everyone loves owls. Their big eyes, large size, and charismatic facial expressions can make even a non-birder sit up and take notice, and many birders have had their start with some incredible experience or other either chasing, discovering, or simply learning about them. Here in Calgary, there has been at …
Recently, my husband and I had occasion to take a prairie drive to a small town south east of Calgary. Having taken this route many times, the camera and binos were on my lap, ready for any snowy owls we might happen across. We had been on the road for …
Calgary photographer Tim Hopwood has joined the ranks of Bird Canada authors, and I asked him for a short introduction to go with these stunning photos of both red and white-winged crossbills. Watch for more of Tim’s photos in the coming months! My dad was always passionate about nature and …
Posted by Pat Bumstead For a bird lover, these photos are heart rendering. I apologize for the poor quality, but these few pictures are the only ones I managed to get before he flew away, and I haven’t seen him since. He was part of a small flock of house …
Good day, gentle readers. In my inaugural post for Bird Canada, I thought I’d start with a proper introduction and brief biography of my experiences in my relatively newfound hobby. I’ve given some thought to an introduction in the past, and as my photos have been highlighted on this blog …
More than 12,000 volunteers across Canada – and over 60,000 continent-wide – will be counting birds from December 14, 2012 to January 5, 2013. Many will rise before dawn and brave winter weather to participate in the world’s longest running wildlife census, begun in 1900. The Christmas Bird Count is …