With the release of 66 greater sage-grouse into the wild, the Calgary Zoo, in partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and Parks Canada, has significantly boosted one of Canada’s most endangered birds at a time when fewer than 250 remain in their habitat. This milestone release is the …
Endangered species come in all shapes and sizes, and the Calgary Zoo is launching an innovative conservation project to save one of the most unique owls in the country — the burrowing owl. Working in partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)’s Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) and Alberta Environment …
Calgary, AB – One of Canada’s most critically endangered birds is one step closer to being saved from extinction. Eleven greater sage-grouse eggs, collected from the wild, have hatched successfully and are being reared at the Calgary Zoo, marking a conservation first in Canada. “We are extremely pleased to have …
Last summer I watched an exhausted-looking Chestnut-backed Chickadee valiantly feed a demanding Brown-headed Cowbird chick about four times its size. Here’s the cowbird, waiting (impatiently) while the harrowed chickadee gathers food to bring back to him. The year before I’d watched a female Song Sparrow in our back yard feeding …
As I’m sure it’s been made clear by now, I absolutely love Frank Lake. I do a trip down there at least once a month, and in the spring it’s a very productive major staging area for gulls, waterfowl, and even prairie songbirds because the water around the lake opens …
Many North American birders and photographers fawn over the majesty and beauty of birds of prey. From the soaring raptors and eagles, to the swooping and diving falcons, to the deft and agile accipiters, and of course the ever popular owls, there remains one family of carnivorous songbirds whose ingenuity …
Back in early August, I was invited by Gus Yaki to go on a little excursion around south-eastern Alberta. Our ultimate goal was to join a Nature Calgary trip to the area around Manyberries in search of Alberta’s only lizard species, the Greater Short-horned Lizard. Along the way we planned …
May long weekend camping has, as for so many families, become a tradition for us. Living in a “two season” province, this annual ritual feels in many ways like the start of summer and it’s nicely timed for some spring migrant birding. This year procrastination on the booking shut us …
Outstanding video from the Alberta Conservation Association! The sharp-tailed grouse is a native game bird that makes its home in the prairies, parklands and forest openings of Alberta. For much of the year the sharp-tailed grouse is a quiet, well-camouflaged bird; however, its spring shenanigans are undoubtedly one of the …
In April of 2012 the federal government announced it was divesting itself of 2.3 million acres of PFRA community pastures, 1.78 million of which are located in Saskatchewan. The control for these pastures has now reverted back to the prairie provinces and in response the Saskatchewan government has announced they …