My 14th
& 15th day in Calgary added three more lifers, two on the
14th and one on the 15th. I checked with ebird.org and realized that on the
13th, Nature Calgary saw two birds I
did not see, Townsend's Warbler (Setophaga townsendi) and Gray
Partridge (Perdix perdix ). Over the next two days, I would search
diligently for these birds but will not find them. Here are the highlights of
those days.
Day 14
 |
| Yellow-rumped
Warbler (Myrtle) |
The morning
started with my usual walk from the bus stop to the public area at Mallard
Point, and over to the shrubbery just across from it. Then I made my way
through the woods, getting very good looks at both sub-species of
Yellow-rumped
Warblers (Setophaga coronate), the more common
Myrtle, with
its white throat, and the scarcer
Audobon, which shows a yellow throat.
Yellow-rumps were the most numerous warbler for the day. In the area just
before the footbridge, I also spent a few minutes trying to turn a
Warbling
Vireo (Vireo gilvus) into a
Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo
philadelphicus), two species that can be difficult to separate. My
attention was drawn to the color of the throat. The philly’s throat is
yellowish, while the warbling is much paler. A close examination of the
images said the bird was a Warbling, but a
Philadelphia Vireo would have
been the highlight of my day, maybe even the trip. I did see my first lifer for
the day in this same area. A
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta
varia) foraging for food
high up in the canopy.
My second lifer came at
Burnsmead, while I was on my way home. I
was photographing a new addition to the pond, a
Redhead (Aythya
Americana) when a
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) flew by.
Day 15
 |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher |
Day 15
brought an unexpected lifer, an
Olive-sided Flycatcher (
Contopus
cooperi). When I first saw this bird I thought it was a
Western
Wood-Pewee (Contopus sordidulus), but then, I noticed the bright
white chest with dark flanks, giving an "open jacket" appearance on
this bird, which is one of the Olive-sided field markings. This was one
of the highlight birds of my trip. I also saw a
Sharp-shinned Hawk
(Accipiter striatus) with its prey but didn't see the
Gray Partridge
(Perdix perdix ) or the
Townsend's Warbler (Setophaga townsendi).
Trip Tally
New Species for the Days: 3
New Lifers for the Days: 3
Total Species for the Trip: 104
Total Lifers for the Trip: 73
Black-and-white Warbler; Mourning Dove; Olive-sided Flycatcher
<---Days 12,13 | Main | Day 16 --->
 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk |
 |
| Blue Jay |
 |
| Yellow Warbler |
 |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher |
 |
| Common Raven |
 |
| Western Wood-Pewee |
 |
| European Starling |
 |
| Redhead |
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