Calgary, Alberta - Days 14 & 15 - August 14-15th (Mallard Point)

My 14^th &  15^th day in Calgary added three more lifers, two on the 14^th and one on the 15^th.  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

Calgary, Alberta - Days 12 & 13 - August 12-13th (Mallard Point)

My last 4 days of birding in Calgary were spent mostly at Fish Creek – Mallard Point in search of migrating Warblers.  In those few days, I recorded 59 species,  6 were first for the trip and lifers. I also added a few more species from  Burnsmead.

The 12^th Day 12 –Overcast and raining 

I took the bus to the stop at WB Canyon Meadows Drive and made my first entry to Mallard Point around 7 am,  using the Canyon Meadows trail to the public area.  As I walked the trail, I was greeted with my usual morning serenading by Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia),  but when I  was crossing over from the paved trail to the bike trail, an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), my second for the trip but first at Fish Creek, flew into a tree just across the river.  When I reached the public area, I was drawn to some shrubbery that was teeming with activity. Warblers such as Yellow-rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronate), Tennessee Warblers (Leiothlypis peregrine), and a Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis), also House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) and a few sparrows were busy looking for food.  Another Waterthrush I saw was in an area with stagnant water, and it was in that area I saw my first Mallard Point lifer, an Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla). I saw 25 species of birds on my first day at Mallard Point.

From Mallard Point I crossed over the river, using the footbridge, to the wooded area at Douglasbank Park. My plan was to follow the trail on that side of the river to the bridge at Burnsmead, but my trek was curtailed by rain and I returned to Mallard Point for shelter, before heading home after the rain. I visited my favorite ponds at Burnsmead on my way home and was rewarded with a lifer. I was finally able to separate Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  from Gadwall (Mareca strepera) thanks to a small patch of white on the wing which gave me a Gadwall. 

Day 13, August 13^th

I started about 7 AM and made my first stop by the shrubbery just opposite the car park at Mallard Point. Like the day before it was teeming with activity. From there I followed the path through the woods and saw my first bird of interest but was unable to identify it. This bird was yellow and had a reddish wash over its face. It was later identified as a Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana), thanks to the help of a Nature Calgary birder. My second lifer of the day, Wilson's Warblers (Cardellina pusilla), was seen in an area not far from the footbridge. It became a daily sighting in this very area. I saw 26 species at Mallard Point that day, two of which were new to the trip.

For the two days, I recorded 52 species, of which 4 were lifers.

Trip Tally

New Species for the Days: 4

New Lifers for the Days: 4

Total Species for the Trip: 101

Total Lifers for the Trip: 70  

<---Days 11 | Main | Days 14,15 --->

Tennessee Warbler

Swainson's Hawk

Calgary, Alberta – Day 11 - August 11th – Banff

Banff 

August 11^th was a day I looked forward to, it was the day we went to Banff.  I had heard sooo much about the beauty of Banff, its rivers and lakes, snowcapped mountains, and wildlife, not just birds, but also bears, wolves, and deer.  My targeted birds were Mountain (Poecile gambeli) and  Boreal Chickadees (Poecile hudsonicus), White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) – a bird that continued to evade me in Calgary, White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) and the Kinglets,  Ruby-crowned (Regulus calendula) and Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa).  Since it was a one-day family trip I decided not to get a birding guide but I stayed with the family and birded along the way.

We took an On-It Regional Transit bus from Somerset. This bus then made a stop in downtown Calgary before heading for Banff.  It was a long but very scenic ride, and the bus was very comfortable.  I saw many birds along the way but was only able to identify some of the raptors, mainly Red-tailed (Buteo jamaicensis)  and Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni).  I also saw a few Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) as we got into Canmore.  My uncle and aunt pointed out a few places of interest along the way like the Olympic Park, Three Sisters Mountains, and a theme park of which I cannot remember the name.   Sadly we saw no Bears or Wolves.

We got into Banff City around 11:30 am.  I was surprised not to see many birds around, just the poster birds of invasive species worldwide Rock Pigeons (Columba livia) and

House Sparrows

House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) the latter were everywhere throughout the Banff Town area.  We took a bus to Lake Minnewanka passing many points of beauty along the way but none of them could have prepared me for the supreme, almost heavenly beauty of Lake Minnewanka.  I had lunch, then went off birding.  I was a bit weary after eavesdropping on a park ranger explaining to a family that was going off to hike the trails, how to use bear repellent and mentioning the fact that encounters with bears were more likely at that time of the year because fruiting plants were prevalent which brought the bears out to feed.  From then on I made sure I was never alone in any area.

The most common birds I saw at Lake Minnewanka were Yellow-rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronate) and Alberta’s gull of choice Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis).  I did see a few lifers Mountain Chickadee  (Poecile gambeli)  and Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa) but the star of the show was not a bird but a very photogenic chipmunk.  It was so cute it was unbelievable!  Another highlight was my first time seeing snow. It started to form on the mountains right before my eyes and in an instant, the temperature began to drop.  We spent an hour and thirty minutes at Minnewanka, which was longer than we had planned, thanks to the birder in the group who was nowhere to be found when the group was ready to go. 

Our next place of interest was a massive mid-evil-looking castle, now the hotel of Fairmont Banff Springs.  Not many birds were seen there, but it had an interesting history.  We visited the terrace that looked over Banff,  and also a few of the shops and an art gallery before heading back to get the bus back to Calgary.  In the city, I wandered off in search of the two targeted sparrows on my list but could not find them.  I added another first for the trip while on the bus to Calgary – an American Kestrel (Falco sparverius).

Banff was one of the prettiest places I have ever seen and a must-stop on my return to Canada but next time I will stay for a few days.  The Banff excursion added just 3 new birds to my checklist, a lot less than expected, 2 of these new birds were lifers. 

Trip Tally

New Species for the Days: 3
New Lifers for the Days: 2
Total Species for the Trip: 97
Total Lifers for the Trip: 66

Mountain Chickadee; Golden-crowned Kinglet; American Kestrel

<---Days 9,10 | Main | Days 12,13 --->

Lake Minnewanka 

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Calgary, Alberta - Days 9 & 10 - August 9-10th

House Finch

The ninth and tenth days of birding were uneventful, birding-wise.  I saw two new birds for the trip with one, House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), being a lifer.

I started on the ninth at Burnsmead but this time I followed the trails north towards Bankside.  At Burnsmead I saw a Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto), a first for the trip.  I had a miniature photo session with a few birds playing in a tree at Bankside.  Then, out of nowhere, this cute little weasel-like animal decided to photobomb my photoshoot. 

Long-tailed Weasel

I later learned that this animal was called a Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata) and surprisingly none of my Canadian relatives had ever seen one in person.  That was the highlight of my morning birding.

Later that day, while on my way to the train station at Canon Meadows I saw my only lifer of the day, a House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus). 

I did not go out on the morning of the tenth but took advantage of the long days of sunlight and headed out to Burnsmead around 8:00 pm.  The highlight was seeing six Ruddy Ducklings (Oxyura jamaicensis).  We normally see them as vagrants here in Barbados but I have never seen their ducklings before.

At the end of Days nine and ten my tally increased just slightly.

Trip Tally

New Species for the Days: 2
New Lifers for the Days: 1
Total Species for the Trip: 94
Total Lifers for the Trip: 64

Eurasian Collared-Dove; House Finch 

<---Day 8 | Main | Day 11

Images From Day 9 & 10

Pile Bay, November 28

Brown Pelican

I stopped at Pile Bay on my way home yesterday after work to see what seabirds were there.  I was surprised to find a Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) in among the accustomed Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus) sitting on one of the buoys.  I observed it fishing, plunging into the water to catch fry, a process which displayed the incredible sack under its bill.  Another surprise visitor was a Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus). These large gulls are becoming a  yearly visitor to the island of late.  I saw 13 species in the few minutes I was there.  

See the list below

1. Zenaida Dove (Zenaida aurita)
2. Antillean Crested Hummingbird (Orthorhyncus cristatus)
3. Sanderling (Calidris alba)
4. Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)
5. Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)
6. Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)
7. Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus)
8. Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens)
9. Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster)
10. Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
11. Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)
12. Yellow Warbler (Golden) (Setophaga petechia [petechia Group])
13. Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola)

Calgary, Alberta - Day 8 - August 8th ( Frank Lake)

Observation Hut at Frank Lake

I started my morning as normal at Burnsmead, and what a beautiful morning it was.  I followed the trail next to the river in a northerly direction towards the park Bankside, recording  24 species but no lifers or new birds for the trip.  The highlight of the morning was watching a Merlin (Falco columbarius), unsuccessfully, go after a Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus).  The Flicker, though slower than the bird of prey, kept evading it by flying a circuit in and out and between branches of a tree.  All the while, the deafening calls of a group of Black-billed Magpies (Pica hudsonia) tried their best to distract and confuse the raptor.  In the end, the Merlin gave up the chase and the Flicker survived another day.

In the afternoon my uncle took me to one of the primary birding hotspots in the province, Frank Lake,  located about 30 miles (50 km) south of Calgary.  I enjoyed the long drive along highway 23 as it allowed me to see more of the beauty of Alberta, but after an hour or so we turned off of the highway onto a dirt trail and drove for about 1.5 miles (2.4km) to the end of that trail and a very large lake came into view.  I followed a wooden boardwalk to a lookout hut. While on the boardwalk I got my first lifer, a  Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris).  At the hut four photographers were busy photographing the spread of birds before them, one of them was trying to photograph the American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) fishing.  The lake was massive and many of the birds were really too far to identify but the photographers, one in particular, were helpful in pointing out a few birds to me and also directed me to the best spot along the lake to see my targeted birds. 

Because of following their directions I saw birds such as the grebes - Horned  (Podiceps auritus), Eared (Podiceps nigricollis) and Western (Aechmophorus occidentalis) also one of the main birds I wanted to see, White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi), sadly I cannot remember their names, I blame it on aging, but would like to thank them once again.

I really enjoyed my trip to this Important Bird Area, it is a fine example of conservation at work and I am looking forward to visiting it again on my next trip to Calgary.  At the end of day 8 I saw 11 new birds for the trip, six of which were lifers.

Trip Tally

New Species for the Day: 11

New Lifers for the Day: 6

Total Species for the Trip: 92

Total Lifers for the Trip: 63

Horned Grebe; Eared Grebe; Western Grebe; Black-necked Stilt;  American Avocet;

Killdeer; Long-billed Dowitcher; Black Tern; White-faced Ibis; Barn Swallow;

Marsh Wren

<---Day 7 | Main |Days 9&10

Frank Lake

Pied-billed Grebe

American Avocet (Lifer)

Eared Grebe (Lifer)

Eared Grebe (Lifer)

Eared Grebe (Lifer)

Horned Grebe Juvenile (Lifer)

Calgary, Alberta - Day 7 - August 7th (Lafarge Meadows)

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Lafarge Meadows is located on the south side of Highway 22x, which is over 2.5 miles (4km) from Burnsmead, my entry point into Fish Creek.  My target birds were Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena) and Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula).

I started my morning at Burnsmead recording 25 species, including one new bird for the trip, a Lesser Yellowleg.  I followed the trail through Hull Wood, passed the Boat Launch, passed under the underpass for Highway 22x, and into the Lafarge Meadows.   Lafarge consisted of several ponds and one large lake, as well as a few grassy and wooded areas along the bank of the Bow River. 

At the first pond, I saw a grebe but it turned out to be a Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), however, in the lake I saw a Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena) with a chick.  A large percentage of the birds were too far out in the lake to identify but the ones I was able to identify were American Coot (Fulica Americana), Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), and of course Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos).  In one area along the pathway, I saw a large number of Swallows, mainly Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), sitting on the road.  It presented the perfect opportunity to have a closer look and to photograph these very active birds at rest.

Going in the opposite direction, heading back towards the highway, I followed a trail next to the Bow River.  This trail started out with a grassy area and some spots of shrubbery.  I recorded three lifers in these areas, one being an unexpected lifer.  The lifers were Orange-crowned Warbler (Leiothlypis celata) and Tennessee Warbler (Leiothlypis peregrine) and the surprise was Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus), a bird I thought I saw in Trinidad in 2016 but that bird was really a Yellow-hooded Blackbird (Chrysomus icterocephalus).  I recorded another lifer,  Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) just before entering the wooded area next to the river.  In the wooded area I saw lots of warblers mainly Yellow (Setophaga petechia) and Yellow-rumped (Setophaga coronate) along with a few I was unable to identify.  I was able to identify my second targeted bird, Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) as it flew low among the shrubs along the undergrowth of the woods.

In total, I spent close to 3 hours on the trails at Lafarge Meadows and walked just over 3 miles (5km),  observing 36 species, 8 species were first for the trip and 6 of them were lifers.  I had hopes of visiting the meadow trails before the end of my trip but never made it back.  It is at the top of my list for my next trip.

Trip Tally

New Species for the Day: 9

New Lifers for the Day: 6

Total Species for the Trip: 81

Total Lifers for the Trip: 57

Lesser Yellowlegs; Pied-billed Grebe; Red-necked Grebe; Bank Swallow; Yellow-headed Blackbird; Baltimore Oriole; Brewer's Blackbird; Tennessee Warbler; Orange-crowned Warbler 

<---Day 6 | Main | Day 8 --->

Gray Catbird -Dumetella carolinensis

Red-necked Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Tree Swallows

swallows

Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus

Tennessee Warbler

Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida