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19 Nov RBA: Calgary AB, November 19, 2009 ["lenora & dick flynn" ] 19 Nov long-tailed duck at clear lake ["Mike Mulligan" ] 19 Nov calgary - anyone want [savagebirder ] 19 Nov Northern Pygmy-owl ["Andrew Slater" ] 19 Nov ENC meeting - Nov. 20 ["Gerald" ] 18 Nov Northern Pygmy Owl finally [Eddy Matuod ] 18 Nov Re: Mallard x Black Duck hybrid? [John Acorn ] 18 Nov Mallard x Black Duck hybrid? ["Gerald" ] 17 Nov Re: Short-eared Owl and Northern Shrike in Jasper [John Acorn ] 17 Nov Short-eared Owl and Northern Shrike in Jasper ["kchannah" ] 17 Nov Shore Cache [Ryan Heavy Head ] 16 Nov RBA: Calgary AB, November 16, 2009 ["lenora & dick flynn" ] 17 Nov Prairie Falcon - Ponoka ["Jim H Davis" ] 16 Nov still more Eurasian Collared Doves ["dlhuget" ] 15 Nov Cold Lake Area birding ["tedh AT albertacom.com" ] 15 Nov White-tailed Ptarmigan ["Malcolm McDonald" ] 15 Nov Birds, Bebo Grove-Shannon Terrace, 9am-12:30pm. 15 Nov 2009. Cloudy, mostly calm, 2-7C. ["Gus Yaki" ] 15 Nov Grassland Naturalists Bird Walk at Police Point Park [Milton Spitzer ] 15 Nov Orange-crowned Warbler ["Daniel G" ] 14 Nov FFCPPSoc Birding, Carburn Pk, FCPP, 9-12am, Sat 14Nov09. ["Gus Yaki" ] 14 Nov sightings this week [Lloyd Bennett ] 14 Nov Snowy in St Albert ["Gerald" ] 13 Nov Birds seen on last Saturday's Snow Goose field trip [Lloyd Bennett ] 12 Nov RBA: Calgary AB, November 12, 2009 ["lenora & dick flynn" ] 12 Nov FFCPPSoc Birding, Carburn Pk, FCPP, 9:15-11:45am, Thu 12Nov09. ["Gus Yaki" ] 12 Nov Re: RE: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - ID'd as ANNA's ["Dick Cannings" ] 12 Nov RE: RE: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - ID'd as ANNA's [Jason Rogers ] 12 Nov RE: RE: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - ID'd as ANNA's ["Wayne Weber" ] 12 Nov (unknown) [Johan Van Onna ] 11 Nov Northern Pygmy-Owl. ["Gus Yaki" ] 11 Nov Whitemud Creek today [Martin Sharp ] 11 Nov Wednesday Birding in Fish Creek Provincial Park [Dwight Knapik ] 11 Nov Brown Pelican removed from U.S. Endangered Species list ["Wayne Weber" ] 11 Nov Gull Lake birding [John Acorn ] 11 Nov Lunch Hour Birding ["Phil Cram" ] 10 Nov Whitemud - Sunday [Martin Sharp ] 10 Nov Cold Lake Updates ["tedh AT albertacom.com" ] 10 Nov FFCPPSoc Birding, Carburn Pk, FCPP, 9:15-11:45am, Tue 10Nov09. ["Gus Yaki" ] 10 Nov Hillsborough Happenings Pine Grosbeaks ["tedh AT albertacom.com" ] 10 Nov House Finches NE of Edmonton ["tedh AT albertacom.com" ] 9 Nov RBA: Calgary AB, November 9, 2009 ["lenora & dick flynn" ] 9 Nov RE: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - ID'd as ANNA's ["tedh AT albertacom.com" ] 9 Nov Niistsimii [Ryan Heavy Head ] 9 Nov Snow Goose field trip [Lloyd Bennett ] 9 Nov Calgary Pine Grosbeak and Townsend's Solitaire ["Sandy Ayer" ] 09 Nov Grosbeaks in Edmonton ["braun.willi" ] 09 Nov Elk Island today ["Gerald" ] 09 Nov Re: ID : loon please ["Gerald" ] 09 Nov Whitemud Fox Farm - Snow Valley trail - Edmonton ["avi8fauna" ] 08 Nov Nature Calgary Field Trip-Bird the Bow River ["tonytimmons99" ] 08 Nov Re: ENC trip to the Wabamun area ["Curtis" ] 8 Nov RE: ID : loon please ["Phil Cram" ] 08 Nov ID : loon please ["Ron" ] 08 Nov Devil's Lake ["avi8fauna" ] 08 Nov ENC trip to the Wabamun area ["Gerald" ] 7 Nov FFCPPSoc Birding, Bebo Grove, FCPP, 9-11:45am, Sat 07Nov09 ["Gus Yaki" ] 07 Nov NMT Birding: Glenmore Reservoir - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary ["William J. F. Wilson" ] 6 Nov bird sightings ["Shonna McLeod" ] 06 Nov IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Update [Dwight Knapik ] 6 Nov Re:Black Scoter, Long-Tailed Duck, Glaucous Gull at Cold Lake ["Bob Storms" ] 6 Nov RBA: Calgary AB, November 5, 2009 ["lenora & dick flynn" ] 06 Nov Reports of Short-eared Owl sightings Needed [Barb Beck ] 5 Nov Black Scoter, Long-Tailed Duck, Glaucous Gull at Cold Lake ["tedh AT albertacom.com" ] 5 Nov Grosbeaks - Cold Lake ["tedh AT albertacom.com" ] 04 Nov Yellow-billed Loon at Genesee ["Gerald" ] 04 Nov Re: Diary members - Albertabird Guidelines ["Ted" ] 4 Nov RBA: Calgary, AB, Nov. 2, 2009 [Arina/Hank ] 04 Nov Diary members ["Larry" ] 04 Nov Re: SWANALERT2009.doc ["Curtis" ] 3 Nov SWANALERT2009.doc ["Gus Yaki" ] 04 Nov Re: Five Gulls ["Curtis" ] 03 Nov Re: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird ["Ted" ] 03 Nov Re: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird ["Ted" ] 03 Nov Re: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird ["Curtis" ] 3 Nov Re: Re: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird ["Kirk Huffstater" ] 03 Nov Wabamun Lake Sunday ["Curtis" ] Subject: RBA: Calgary AB, November 19, 2009 From: "lenora & dick flynn" <lendic AT shaw.ca> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:45:41 -0700 -RBA * Alberta (Canada) * Calgary, AB * Nov 19, 2009 * ABCA0911.19 -Birds mentioned Thayer's Gull Northern Pygmy-Owl Spotted Towhee Transcript Hotline: City of Calgary and Nature Calgary's (CFNS) Bird Alert Number: 403 221-4519 To Report: 403 221-4519 Coverage: Southern Alberta Compiler: Terry Korolyk (Nature Calgary & IBS) Transcriber: Lenora Flynn (lendic AT shaw.ca) Welcome to the City of Calgary and Nature Calgary's (CFNS) Bird Alert. This Bird Alert was recorded on Thursday, Nov 19 at 9:45a.m. To report a bird sighting, leave a message after the beep at the end of the recording. To bypass the recorded message press the pound key on your touch tone phone. To speak to a naturalist during office hours dial 0 after reaching the Bird Alert. For inquiries after office hours please call 311 to speak with a Customer Service Agent. To report injured wildlife please call Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society at 403 239-2488, or the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation at 403 946-2361 SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 18 --NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL (1) - at Shannon Terrace in Fish Creek PP in SW Calgary off 37th St by Eduardo Matuod. There have been several sightings of this species reported the past two weeks between Bebo Grove and Shannon Terrace in SW Fish Creek PP. SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 17 --THAYER'S GULL (1 first year) - on the pond just west of the Gate at the Browning Ferris lnland Landfill on 194 Ave SE in Calgary reported by Terry Korolyk. Another location that was still attracting Gulls this week was the Weir at Pearce Estates in SE Calgary. SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 16 --SPOTTED TOWHEE (1) - reported by Thomas Glen in his yard in the Rundle subdivision of NE Calgary. The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is Monday, November 23. BIRD STUDY GROUP - Meet September - May, 7:30 PM on the 1st Wednesday of the month, Room 211, BioSciences Bldg, University of Calgary. The next meeting is Wednesday, December 2, with a talk by Sandy Ayer on Birding Adventures in the Congo. Doors open at 7:00 PM. ***2010 CALGARY BIG-YEAR BIRDING COMPETITION*** Join us in 2010 in our Calgary wide birding competition! It's free and open to all. There will be prizes, fun events, field trips and get-togethers throughout the year. Sign up now to be kept up-to-date with news about the competition and to be informed of events in which you can participate. For more information and to register see http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/2010/ and watch the web and Nature News for updates. NATURE CALGARY (CFNS) BIRDING FIELD TRIPS Sun Nov 22, 9am: Bird Votier's Flats, FCPP, S end of Elbow Dr SW. Leader, Grant Brydle, 403-720-4957. Sun Nov 29, 8:30am; Bird Sibbald/Exshaw/Harvie Heights. Meet Assumption School, 34th Av NW (NW corner of Sarcee Tr at Hwy #1). Bring lunch. Leader, Andrew Hart, 403-279-5209. Tues Dec 1, 8:30am: Monthly Elbow River Birding Survey. Meet Stanley Park, 42 Av SW, just W of Macleod Tr. Walk to Glenmore Reservoir, ride back (3.5 hours). Call leaders Aileen Pelzer/Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248 to ensure vechicle space for return. Sat Dec 5, 9 am: Bird Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, E end of 9 Av SE. Leader, Penny Smith, 403-283-9260. Sun Dec 6, 9:30am: Bird Beaverdam Flats Park. Meet Beaverdam Flats Park S parking lot (Lynnview Rd & Lynnview Way, S of 62 Av SE). N from Glenmore Tr at 18 St SE, then left. Leader, Andrew Hart, 403-279-5209. Sat Dec 12, 9:30am: Bird Carburn Park. From Glenmore Tr SE, take 18 St S exit. At 2nd stoplight, turn right, follow sign to parking lot. Leader, Howard Heffler, 403-284-2961. Sun Dec 13. Scout your groups' Calgary CBC territory - or meet at 8:30am, 420 Brunswick Av SW (46 Av & 4 St SW), to scout Rideau/Roxboro CBC. Leader, Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248. Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is a City of Calgary natural area. Staff offer information, courses and field trips relating to natural history. Nature Calgary (Calgary Field Naturalists' Society) promotes the observation, study, and conservation of the native habitat through lectures, field trips and collection of scientific data. Nature Calgary publishes a monthly newsletter. For membership or event information email naturecalgary AT cfns.fanweb.ca or visit the website at www.naturecalgary.com. The Birding section of the website http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/index.html includes descriptions of Birding Locales in the Calgary area. -End transcript [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: long-tailed duck at clear lake From: "Mike Mulligan" <potoo AT shaw.ca> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:30:00 -0700 I have been told that a Long-tailed Duck was seen and photographed on Clear Lake yesterday (Nov 18). The photographer was Russ Amy. Clear Lake is located 20 km aprx east of Stavely. Mike Mulligan Calgary [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: calgary - anyone want From: savagebirder <savagebirder AT shaw.ca> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:50:52 -0700 Hi - I live in Inglewood in Calgary - if anyone would like these items, reply directly to me and I will give you an address you could pick up at: The Great North American Trivia Bird Game (a little like trivial pursuit, with three levels for each card so that beginners can play against experts) the audubon bird clock - it chimes a different bird call each hour savagebirder AT shaw.ca Subject: Northern Pygmy-owl From: "Andrew Slater" <andrewslater AT shaw.ca> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:57:27 -0700 The Northern Pygmy-owl photographed by Eddy yesterday was perched on top of a spruce tree, thirty yards from the footbridge downstream from Shannon Terrace, around nine this morning. By the time I walked under it's tree it had flown, I saw not where. Three minutes later I met a lady with a camera who was looking for it. All I could do was direct her to the tree it had just left; I hope she found it. Andrew Slater, Calgary [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: ENC meeting - Nov. 20 From: "Gerald" <geraldjr AT telusplanet.net> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:44 -0000 The Edmonton Nature Club Monthly Meeting Place: Royal Alberta Museum Date: Friday November 20th, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. for coffee, 7:30 p.m. for meeting Topic: "Galapagos Travels-A Trilogy" Join Linda Kershaw, Lorna Allen, and Derek Johnson: three very well known biologists for their presentation which will include both flora and fauna of this remarkable area where Charles Darwin did his original research. Admission by Donation. Non-members are welcome to attend. Gerald Romanchuk, Edmonton [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Northern Pygmy Owl finally From: Eddy Matuod <gnude2000 AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:04:16 -0800 (PST) November 18, 2009-around 10:00 am After Bob Storms and company left the area (Shannon Terrace, FCPP), I tried my luck at the other side of the bridge (that trail going uphill westward) and got my reward, a Northern pygmy owl, a lifer for me. And I saw it caught a little mouse. I've been looking this for 8 days. Yeheeey! (Photos can be seen at my album, Eduardo) and at my flickr site, http://www.flickr.com/photos/mama_lumen/ Eduardo [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Mallard x Black Duck hybrid? From: John Acorn <janature AT compusmart.ab.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:02:27 -0700 Hi Gerald, Birders, Interesting. It makes me wonder what happened during the 1970s, when there were more records of American Black Ducks in Alberta, especially in winter. (Pinel et al. 1991. Alberta Birds, 1971-1980 V. 1 Non- passerines. Nat Hist Occ Paper 13. Provincial Museum of Alberta). I remember wanting to see one when I first started birding, but recently I've heard so few reports that I just don't think about it much. John Acorn Edmonton On Nov 17, 2009, at 11:35 PM, Gerald wrote: > > Anyone have any experience with these? There was a duck hanging around > Hawrelak Pk last week that I lazily passed off as a molting bird - > until > some other birders pointed out that it looks pretty similar to the > hybrid illustrated in Sibley & Nat Geo. Photo here: > http://www.pbase.com/image/119494106 > Comments would be appreciated. > > Gerald Romanchuk, Edmonton > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txtYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: Albertabird-digest AT yahoogroups.com Albertabird-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Albertabird-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Mallard x Black Duck hybrid? From: "Gerald" <geraldjr AT telusplanet.net> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:35:22 -0000 Anyone have any experience with these? There was a duck hanging around Hawrelak Pk last week that I lazily passed off as a molting bird - until some other birders pointed out that it looks pretty similar to the hybrid illustrated in Sibley & Nat Geo. Photo here: http://www.pbase.com/image/119494106 Comments would be appreciated. Gerald Romanchuk, Edmonton [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Short-eared Owl and Northern Shrike in Jasper From: John Acorn <janature AT compusmart.ab.ca> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:44:40 -0700 Hi Kevin, Birders, Our family was in Jasper on the weekend (too bad we didn't connect!), and our bird highlights were a Northern Hawk Owl near the Jasper Park Lodge gates, a Northern Goshawk hunting pigeons in the town rail yard, and both Bald and Golden Eagles overhead. John Acorn Edmonton On Nov 17, 2009, at 12:14 PM, kchannah wrote: > > Not much activity in Jasper over the weekend with some less than > fantastic November weather (from my perspective). On a short walk > around Lake Mildred near Jasper Park Lodge yesterday, a Short-eared > Owl flushed out of some sedge/grass at the margin of the lake. The > bird flushed within 10 feet and was apparently roosting (on > migration). I checked some of the other grassy areas, but this > seemed to be the only short-eared in the area. > > On the road out of JPL, heading back to the Yellowhead, we came > across a sub-adult Northern Shrike perched on the side of the road > (approx. halfway between JPL and the highway). > > Still lots of Juncos, Tree Sparrows, and some good flocks of Golden- > crowned Kinglets, but not much other activity. > > Kevin Hannah > Edmonton > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txtYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: Albertabird-digest AT yahoogroups.com Albertabird-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Albertabird-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Short-eared Owl and Northern Shrike in Jasper From: "kchannah" <kchannah AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:14:46 -0000 Not much activity in Jasper over the weekend with some less than fantastic November weather (from my perspective). On a short walk around Lake Mildred near Jasper Park Lodge yesterday, a Short-eared Owl flushed out of some sedge/grass at the margin of the lake. The bird flushed within 10 feet and was apparently roosting (on migration). I checked some of the other grassy areas, but this seemed to be the only short-eared in the area. On the road out of JPL, heading back to the Yellowhead, we came across a sub-adult Northern Shrike perched on the side of the road (approx. halfway between JPL and the highway). Still lots of Juncos, Tree Sparrows, and some good flocks of Golden-crowned Kinglets, but not much other activity. Kevin Hannah Edmonton Subject: Shore Cache From: Ryan Heavy Head <akayokaki AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:13:06 -0800 (PST) IIII ) lllllllllllllllllllll Sa'aiksi Aamsskapooyaa (10Nov09) 0902 Too nice a morning to pass up a survey of the canal on the way to work 0909 Between the 509 and Innokimi, we first encounter three magpies on the bank of the canal, who fly off as we approach, landing briefly in nearby willows, but then moving on to the BTAP stubble-fields. Then we come across about a dozen grey partridge, who were high on the bank above the access road, but flew to the other side of the canal all the same when they saw us coming through. On the road itself, there were two horned larks. And when we arrived at Innokimi, far back toward the distant shore we can see six or seven swans. No doubt there are plenty of ducks down here too, but the lake's surface is nowhere near as covered with fowl as it was last week 0932 Between Innokimi and Mookoan Reservoir, we find more magpies feeding in the stubble-fields. No owls today. Both Piipiiaakii and I suspect the kakanottsstookii we found dead on the 509 yesterday morning was the one who normally hunts the canal 0939 As at Innokimi, the waters of Mookoan Reservoir are virtually empty of birds. We find just six trumpeter swans: a mother with her three grey-colored young, and a single mature pair. I'm surprised to find so few birds here overall. Hard to believe that those we saw last week represented the peak of this year's migration. I hope not 1634 Sspopiikimi - The Sun is already fallen from view when we arrive, lighting just the tops of the east side of the coulee. There's a cold wind this evening, making the water on the pond choppy. All the dried plants are drab shades of yellow, grey and red, the colors of the earth from which they emerged 1652 It's just a quick walk to the ksisskstakioyis and back. The wind is too cold, and Piipiiaakii isn't dressed for this weather. In any case, far fewer sa'aiksi on the pond these days. North of the ksisskstakioyis there are just four mi'ksikatsi, seven american wigeons, and a lone aiksikksksisi. These birds are fairly spread out. Two male mallards and three wigeons hug the east shore near the bulrush tufts behind the muskrat lodge. The lone coot is out in the middle of the pond, diving for milfoil, with a wigeon lurking just above, waiting to steal a meal. South of there, also along the east shore, are three more wigeons and a mallard couple. I suspect it won't be long before all but a few of these birds clear-out for winter IIII ) llllllllllllllllllllll Oyiiyis (11Nov09) 1056 Alexander Wilderness Park, Sikoohkotoki - Today Ki'naksaapo'p and I join one of our students, Charleton Weasel Head, at his chosen study site. I've never been down this part of the coulee before, so I'm excited to see what's here. I'm the first to arrive to the parking area at the bottom of the access road. The skies are clear, but there's a bit of wind, and it's a chilly day, though nothing like what's in store for us later in the season 1103 I decide to poke around on the cliffs near the parking lot while I wait for them to show. There's a fat, but young, four-tine mule buck grazing the cliff opposite that which I'm climbing. It doesn't seem at all concerned about my presence. Obviously it knows it's in a protected area. When I get to a high shelf of the cliff though, three whitetail does jump out from some brush below and run toward the river. The whitetails’ reaction is quite different than that of the mule deer buck, who's now staring up the draw along the entry road 1118 The buck continues to stare for about five minutes. Then I hear the sound of a dog barking from that direction, and this scares the buck into making a short run to get further up the side of the coulee. Ki'naksaapo'p and Charleton are pulling up. I'm going to meet them 1139 The three of us make our way down the established path toward the river. Along this route, Ki'naksaapo'p points out important features: the layer of alkali-topped glacial till on the cliffs, how our agricultural projects are having a similar alkali-lifting effect, and the Blackfoot names of some plants. I direct our attention toward siiksinoko (creeping juniper) and talk about Soaatsaakii, the okaan, and the use of juniper in vision questing 1148 Some of the words and other things Ki'naksaapo'p introduced that I wasn't aware of before: kaaniiksi (deadwood), ipoyikaaniiksi (standing deadwood, preferred firewood), use of dry maanikapi flowerhead as sponge for enjoying soup, iitsiki'tsiisaokii (prairie in the coulee bottom) 1156 As we explore the brush, still moving toward the river, a bald eagle passes overhead. We stop to look at and talk about all the different berry plants, as well as flicker cavities and a bald-faced hornet nest 1219 On the river there's a large flock of perhaps four-hundred mi'ksikatsi. I suspect ma ksikkihkini (the eagle) is hunting them 1243 Walking back up the path to our vehicles, Ki'naksaapo'p speaks about having a relationship to all these plants and animals. About half-way up, we come across an ant hill that has been dug out. I see no footprints to indicate what animal had done this, but the ants were hard at work putting their lodge back together. I'd have liked to sit there and watch them, but we were on our way 1445 Akaiinissko - Nitsitsskoo my familiar kawaahkoyi. This morning's hike was enjoyable and informative, a kind of Blackfoot inventory of Charleton's study site, an important first step in learning from a place. But for me, it was like a teaser in the opportunities passed. What might we have learned if we'd sat a while and watched the sa'aiksi, or ksikkihkini, or the ants? I feel compelled to get right back out to my winter site, which I'm visiting more and more often as the season shifts, to search for more lessons. I'm a learning junkie 1450 I've left my heavy camera backpack at home, opting for just my fanny-pack with a few tools: an elph camera, a knife, a small flashlight, my flip mino. It's a trade-off for mobility purposes, given that I have only a couple hours of sunlight left to work with. But not knowing what I'll encounter, there's no telling if the decision will be regretted 1458 I have a few objectives in mind, though I don't know if there'll be adequate sunlight left to fill all of them, and I'm never so firm in my agenda as to not respond to important happenstance encounters. But just in case, I would like to start surveying the birds' nests down here, those used over the breeding period of niipo and now abandoned, this in hopes of learning more about what was hidden while the leaves were out. I'd also like to check back on the rodent nest in the hollow stump, to visit The Twin, and to rack a few more logs on the side of my lean-to 1504 Most of what I'd like to see this evening is in the coulee bottom. So I hustle down the shallow-incline trail that leads to the upriver end of the flood-plane 1512 Toward the bottom of the slope, as it transitions to sagebrush flat, my path crosses with several of those rust-brown fuzzy caterpillars. Always, when I see them, they are just inching their way across my trail 1521 Soon I'm by the forest, scanning the buckbrush, saskatoons, chokecherries, and low poplar limbs for bird nests. The first I find is the relatively loosely-placed grass platform of a mourning dove, waist-high in the branches of a bulberry bush. Among the grasses used for this project, I recognize the seed heads of blue gramma. But there are others as well, including the spindly tops of a plant that seems to have the dried remains of tiny aster-like flowers 1539 Stopping off at the rodent hollow, nothing looks to have changed since my last visit. And peering in with my flashlight, I find no residents at home. Moving on, I follow the outer-most line of poplars and cottonwoods, running parallel to the river, but with a sandy willow flat separating them. About twice my height above, I spot what looks like it must have been one of this-year's downy woodpecker cavities. It's fairly recent and unweathered, but too high up on an almost branchless stump for me to be able to look inside. There are a lot of candidates for who may have lived there once the woodpecker originally excavated 1600 The next two nests I find are set in the crooks of narrow-leaf cotton branches, where the branches meet their respective trees. They would have been well in a different season, as both trees are supporting tangles of mature clematis, wound so tight as to cinch many of the lower branches down. These two nests are cup-shaped, made of grass and thin, dark roots (the latter look to me very much like some of the roots exposed on the sand and rocks nearer the river). The cups are not entirely symmetrical, which may have more to do with their placement among the constricting clematis, but they are mud-walled on the inside, which makes me think they belong to robins. One of the nests is out of my reach, but the other I pull down. Its bowl is filled with fallen (or placed) cottonwood leaves. When I remove these leaves, I find there's a grass lining that has been laid-down on the bottom, over the mud wall. I see some rodent droppings in there as well, but it does not look warm enough to be a rodent nest. More-likely just a safe stop-over when a mouse has something it wants to sit and munch on 1614 Moving on, I come to a poplar stump about my height with a natural cavity just below eye-level. I peek in with my flashlight and see that about eight inches down from the cavity entrance there's a platform of grass and fiber from the inner bark of poplar. And just a bit further along there is a similar sized stump with three entrances leading to what seems a single central cavity. One of the entry holes is the familiar, small circle of a downy woodpecker. The other two, though, are somewhat elongated 1648 Checking nearby for other such cavities, I find a tree that has, in the past, lost one of its lower limbs. The bark has healed, but there is still an exposure to the inner wood, and this is thickly encrusted with some kind of whitish-orange fungus or sap. It's powdery when crushed between my fingers, which makes me think fungus. But the crust is greater at the lower end of the wound, which makes me think it's a pool of sap. In any case, it looks to me as though something has been eating this substance, perhaps a mouse, as such sign only exists near where there is bark to stand on 1641 While I'm looking over the stumps and cavity nests, a flock of about thirty aapsspini passes, coming from downriver and moving up over the top of the coulee rim to the south. Four mule deer does watch me from the mid-forest meadow as I observe the geese. From here, I can also see my lean-to across the meadow, reminding me that I intend to add a little more to its walls before I leave. And in the canopy heights of one of the poplars near my lean-to, there's a sizeable hawk nest. No sooner do I notice this nest than I hear the cry of a redtail nearby. I search the trees and skies in the dimming light, but don't see it. Then the bird emerges, crying and flying straight at me. It banks suddenly about twenty meters in front of me, and quickly disappears into another part of the forest 1658 Just after the strange hawk encounter, one of the mule does begins walking straight toward me. I stand perfectly still as she proceeds, a few steps at a time, taking an opportunity to scan for danger with all her senses at every pause. This goes on for about ten minutes before she is very close to me. I'm surprised, the wind must be carrying my scent right to her. Eventually she does catch it, and there's a moment of startled recognition before she hops away across the meadow. But it doesn't end there. Just as she’s leaving, two of this year's fawns approach, this time from upwind. And as with the doe, they don't seem to notice me standing there. What they do notice is another deer snorting on the opposite side of me, very close. I slowly turn my gaze to look for the snorting deer, and it emerges from the trees as I do. It's another adult doe. I am flanked by deer now, all at fairly close range. I start to wonder if they're coming toward me for a purpose. Do I smell good? Are they going to speak to me like in the old stories? Or is it just that, standing still amidst this line of trees, I appear to be part of the forest edge zone to them? 1720 As I wait to see what will happen with these deer, my fingers and face begin to chill. There's a pair of great horned owls singing to one another from across the river. My nose is running from one nostril, a cold liquid flow down my upper lip, but I don't dare sniff or wipe at it. I just wait as the three come closer and closer. The doe continues to snort on occasion, and a thought comes to me that perhaps these are her two fawns, and I just happen to have come dangerously between them. At this thought, I decide to move just a bit, to let them know - calmly and quietly - that I am here. I use my arms, slipping gloves over my hands. This is enough for the deer, they take a few hops away. And since it is getting so dark and I know Piipiiaakii will be expecting me home soon, I decide it's enough for me as well 1730 I walk slowly across the meadow to the lean-to. The deer are not surprised, they move away, but not beyond the meadow's perimeter. I realize I need to spend a full day down here to really get the survival shelter whipped into shape. All the same, I take a moment to collect a few more logs and fit them in place before I leave. I have to move carefully to get out of the forest in the dark. I can see the deer trails enough to follow them, but I don't want to step in any holes. Finally I arrive to the sagebrush flats, and from there move upriver to the trail that will take me back along a gradual slope to my truck 1745 The coyotes begin to howl when I'm about half-way up the coulee. They're singing and barking from the other side, across the river. After about five minutes, they stop and all grows quiet again. It's too dark to see much of what's around me. Between the coyote chorus and the time I reach the truck, I daydream of what it will be like to spend a few cold, snowy sleeps out here this winter, observing the drama at the open crags of river-water by day, tucked away and listening to all the nocturnal sounds from the wooden shelter by night IIII ) lllllllllllllllllllllllll Shore Lodge Upriver (14Nov09) 0833 The magpies of Riverstone are busy with their house to house morning search for grub caught in spiderwebs 1458 Sspopiikimi - big changes since our last visit. With exception of small pools on the south side of both the ksisskstakioyis and the mi'sohpsskioyis (muskrat lodge), the pond surface has now completely frozen over. All of the mallards, wigeons, and coots have moved on 1518 Five aapsspini fly overhead when we first arrive. The iced surface of the pond is white with the dusting of snow received this morning. We hike straight along the west bank, me pushing Piipiiaakii in her chair, making our way toward the river. As we pass by the bulberry thickets and high coulee slopes of the south end, we stop at the twittering sound of a small bird. If we knew all our songs, we might be able to identify it. But as things stand, we scan the environment around us, hoping the bird will emerge. A magpie seems to laugh at us from the forest across the pond. For a few minutes, we think maybe the bird has gone. But then I hear it again and start moving toward the sound. Eventually I trace it to a patch of buckbrush, and as I close in it begins to sound like two birds. They're close, and I scan the brush intensely in search of them. Just then, a large flock of geese erupt from the river, probably three hundred of them, and a plane passes overhead. With all the noise, I start losing track of the smaller bird. I begin to think maybe it's gone again, that it’s used the sound interference as cover to flee. But then there's a hint of movement in my peripheral. I look over just in time to see two birds, one after the other, emerge from the buckbrush. I only get a few glimpses as they move from branch to branch away up the side of the coulee. They're small, warbler size at best, and bluish-grey in color, with flashes of white and yellow. One has a distinct yellow stripe on its head, reminding me of a yellow-rumped warbler. But I can't be sure. They move too fast and too concealed in the brush. Before I know it, they are up the side of the coulee and away 1548 I return to Piipiiaakii, who's been slowly making her way up the gradual hill to the high levee that runs between the pond and the river. She's upset that I disappeared in search of the little bird, leaving her to find her own means up the slope in her chair, although I thought she'd known what I was up to. In any case, by the time we reach the river, a cold wind picks up, and Piipiiaakii's feeling sore and tired. Temperature shifts really affect her condition, so after a quick peek at the half dozen mallards sitting on a block of ice beside the still largely unfrozen river, we turn to head back 1546 We are almost to the truck again when Piipiiaakii catches a flash of wing movement from a bird who's just flown below the cutbank on the north end of the pond. I walk to the edge of the bank to check it out, and though I don't see anything at first, a red-shafted northern flicker soon darts out from below and comes to land in a nearby poplar tree. We watch the flicker, hoping it will come back down to continue whatever it was doing. I want to know if these birds are the destroyers of ant hives, and I know there are some nearby. The flicker, for its part, watches us for a bit, and then gives up and dives out to another area in the absinthe field. We slowly pursue. But again, when we get near, and before actually relocating the bird ourselves, it notes our approach and flies to land in a neighboring tree. This time, the flicker begins making a repetitive, one-chirp call that I take to be alarm or agitation. And after a few minutes of this, it flies away 1603 We are very close to the truck now, and Piipiiaakii is ready to retreat to its promise of warmth. But we spot an exposed nest in a bit of chokecherry brush, and I'm sent in to confirm our suspicion that it had belonged to a robin. Indeed, this must have been the case. The nest was a classic symmetrical, grass-woven, mud-lined bowl. Inside, there were a few dry chokecherry leaves, and beneath these two cherry pits that had been gnawed into from one side, likely the work of a deer mouse 1609 That might have been the end of our visit, had another nest not appeared to us from within a low clump of young bulberry on the outskirts of the parking lot. This one was different. It was a loose, shallow bowl, woven with grasses and other plants, as well as fluff from cottonwood seeds, and who knows what else. This nest would require a closer inspection, so I lifted it out of the branches and brought it to the truck with us. We intend to look at it at home and try to identify some of the other plants used in its construction, along with who might have made it. But we probably won't take it apart to do a count of how many stems were collected. I don't know what would be gained by doing so. Rather, we'll return the nest to its place when we've looked it over, and put a little food offering in there for any mice or others who might be using it 1621 As we drive away, Piipiiaakii and I start discussing something that's on both of our minds - the need for an alternate site conducive to her phenological study no matter the weather condition. In other words, someplace we could park the vehicle, where she could remain inside as need be and yet still be able to conduct some interesting observations. The most obvious place we can think of to do this is also the closest to our home 1639 Popson Park - we've driven down to test this place as a winter alternative site for Piipiiaakii. Here we can pull up to the end of one of the roads, situating her in a grove of poplar and willow, close to and within sight of the river. There are also paths that start from this point that she can wander, when able, while still being near shelter 1646 While Piipiiaakii sits in the truck, I get out and walk a path downriver. There's much to explore here, and if I were to walk in the opposite direction, I would eventually follow a bend in the river and come to my regular winter study site, Akaiinissko 1650 With daylight quickly receding, I want to hustle downstream to where this path meets the coulee cliffs, and work my way back from there. I'm not looking around too carefully. This is just a cursory survey, to find out if there's enough here to keep me occupied and learning. The path I'm taking is on a high shelf of the flood plain that runs just above a single line of poplars. About halfway to my destination, two flickers fly along this tree-line, heading back toward Piipiiaakii. The one in the rear is making a raccoon-like warbling sound 1701 I've come almost to the cliffs and, though there's not much for forest here, there's still plenty to see. I can't wait to come back in fuller daylight. I've noticed lots of old nests in the brush as I've come along and, cutting down below the tree line, into the willow growth closer to the river, I'm seeing signs of beaver activity 1705 Pushing my way quickly along trails through the willows, I've located the ksisskstakioyis of this stretch of the river. It's a shore lodge, without much obvious construction, but there's a massive winter food cache laid atop and beside it. All of this wood - mostly diamond willow - has been laid on shore, with very few stems hanging into the water. Now this is curious. But the river flows pretty fast and shallow here, maybe this beaver family has a lodge entrance that opens above the waterline. I won't know until we visit again, as it's too dark to really see at present 1715 Back at the truck, Piipiiaakii doesn't have much to report. Still, the site is promising. We may come back tomorrow with a food offering that can be left within view of the truck IIII ) llllllllllllllllllllllllll Shore Cache (15Nov09) 0630 Dottie wakes me before dawn, just as I'd requested. Outside, heavy wind gusts are battering the synthetic siding of the houses of Riverstone. Should I get dressed and go to the coulee anyway? Yeah, I'd better. I'll regret it if I don't [Note: Next Few Hours Censored In Respect For Albertabird Rules, please see akayokaki.blogspot.com for an unabridged version] 1352 Popson Park - Piipiiaakii and I returned to her new alternate site. When we first pulled in and parked, we waited while a woman walked her dog nearby. Below us, in the river, we could see groups of aapsspini and chunks of ice drifting by. We wanted the woman with the dog to leave so that we could put a food offering out by the river, within view of the truck, that Piipiiaakii could watch while I went out to explore. No doubt the magpies would feast, and it might even draw an eagle. But as we waited, who should pull up and park beside us but Pat Twigg, off to do a couple hours of coulee visit for the research methods course Ki'naksaapo'p, Cynthia and I are teaching in the MEd program I rolled down my window to acknowledge Pat and offer a few pointers on the assignment. After we got to talking, it seemed the best thing to do was just take a walk through the area together. So after setting the offering out by the river for Piipiiaakii, and despite the lingering presence of the dog woman, that's what we did Pat and I moved downriver along pretty much the same route I'd followed last night. As we went along, I pointed out different plants and features, gave their Blackfoot and Western common names, and talked a bit about their qualities, traditional applications, or natural histories. We covered all three species of a'siitsiksimm, as well as aaatsistaotsipiis, clematis, broomweed, asparagus, sweetclover, buckbrush, hairy golden aster, aahsowa, awnless brome, absinthe, moss phlox, ninnaika'ksimo, aakiika'ksimi, and akspii. I pointed out robin, northern flicker, and bald-faced hornet nests, talked a bit about the aapsspini on the river, and led us over to the ksisskstakioyis. There, I shared what I'd recently learned about beaver winter food caches, and why this particular beaver family's habit of storing their food on shore was odd. My suspicion was that they had a lodge entrance located somewhere on shore that would allow them access to their resources once the river froze We didn't have to look far to confirm my suspicion. There was a well-used slide coming up from the river's edge beside their shore-lodge and continuing to the top of the bank above it. No doubt this slide is used to drag willows down to the water, but it's still wider and more defined than other such slides, enough so to make me suspicious that it's used for other purposes as well. Following the slide up the cutbank, we came upon a large sinkhole, on the side of which was an entrance leading down into the lodge. My thinking now is that this sinkhole must be the collapse of a previous lodge chamber, and the family just adapted by repositioning their main dorm further down the bank (an area now covered with chewed wood, mud, and rocks, ending in shallow water). Yet they kept their old tunnel open above. Have they gone around normal beaver protocol to so so because of how this tunnel allows them access to land even during the thickest ice-overs? Or is it because the water is so shallow in front of their lodge that they fear getting trapped completely inside? Is it a combination of these factors? Aren't they concerned about the coyotes who, no doubt, will find this secondary access route and enter their lodge? Right now the beavers don't appear to be coming and going from their shore entrance. The area around it is far too littered with leaves and other debris, and the slick trail from the river's edge up this slope tells me they're currently using an underwater access. Still, I'm going to hypothesize that they begin coming and going from the shore entrance on top of the cutbank once the river freezes. Even if they do though, it may not resolve too much in terms of my understanding. Like any good mystery, locating the shore-entrance I'd expected to find brought only more questions. Do other beaver families with similar cave-ins or shallow waters near their entrances do the same? If they are able to access land even when the river's frozen, then why cache food at all? Or why not cache it by the shore entrance? Obviously they're aware that they needn't store their food in the river. Do they place the cache by the river because, when at all possible, they intend on accessing it only by the underwater lodge entrance, so that they can stay near their aquatic safety zone? Lots to learn here, and I'm glad Pat was on hand, both to give me practice articulating these thoughts, and because what we did in just the simple matter of checking the area for this second entrance and asking questions is precisely the kind of inquiry-based engagement with these places that we're trying to teach his cohort to do After visiting the beaver lodge, Pat was wondering if there were any sinopaa (fox) dens around. I told him that I'd never seen any sinopaa on this stretch of the river, which didn't mean there were none, but what I had encountered many, many times were aapi'si (coyote). We then went up the coulee slope a ways further downriver in search of possible coyote dens As we climbed, our conversation turned toward my slithering friends and their habits. Pat had been reading my blog, and was wondering what kind of micro-habitat was best for their hibernacula. I told him that the ones I knew of were on south facing slopes, about half-way down from the coulee rim, within sheltered dips or shelves of land. I pointed to some possible hibernaculum locations on the slopes a little further above us, not mentioning that I actually suspected there to be a den somewhere in this area. But my precautionary withholding didn't make a difference. That there were possible areas conducive to hosting hibernacula above us was enough to convince Pat we shouldn't walk up that way. He felt he'd had enough of a cram-course in Old Man River coulee ecology for one day. We walked back to our vehicles, had a smoke, and Pat went off to the university to write-up his experience. It was an important lesson for me. Several students in Pat's cohort had been struggling with how to conduct their required, weekly inquiries outdoors. Perhaps, as Pat pointed out, and as Cynthia had originally planned, we should have taken the whole group on a walk to start-off the semester, and give them a little guided experience in what it was we expected them to do After Pat left, I jumped back in the truck with Piipiiaakii. The food offering we'd brought was still laying out by the river, untouched, though almost three hours had passed. Piipiiaakii explained that right after we'd walked away, two women had come in separate vehicles to take their dogs for walks. Both had gone to stand beside the offering and let their dogs run on the riverbank, while keeping an eye on their vehicles. The dogs had immediately chased away all the geese and, at one point, Piipiiaakii dozed off for forty-five minutes, only to look up and see the women still there. She was frustrated, and I don't blame her __________________________________________________________________ Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr! http://www.flickr.com/gift/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RBA: Calgary AB, November 16, 2009 From: "lenora & dick flynn" <lendic AT shaw.ca> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:47:12 -0700 -RBA * Alberta (Canada) * Calgary, AB * Nov 16, 2009 * ABCA0911.16 -Birds mentioned Snow Goose Ross's Goose White-tailed Ptarmigan Sharp-shinned Hawk Northern Goshawk Red-tailed Hawk Thayer's Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Glaucous Gull Orange-crowned Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Red-winged Blackbird Transcript Hotline: City of Calgary and Nature Calgary's (CFNS) Bird Alert Number: 403 221-4519 To Report: 403 221-4519 Coverage: Southern Alberta Compiler: Terry Korolyk (Nature Calgary & IBS) Transcriber: Lenora Flynn (lendic AT shaw.ca) Welcome to the City of Calgary and Nature Calgary's (CFNS) Bird Alert. This Bird Alert was recorded on Monday, Nov 16 at 9:50a.m. To report a bird sighting, leave a message after the beep at the end of the recording. To bypass the recorded message press the pound key on your touch tone phone. To speak to a naturalist during office hours dial 0 after reaching the Bird Alert. For inquiries after office hours please call 311 to speak with a Customer Service Agent. To report injured wildlife please call Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society at 403 239-2488, or the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation at 403 946-2361 SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 15 --WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN (1) - at Highwood Pass on Hwy 40, about 0.5 km past the summit parking lot entrance by Joan & Malcolm McDonald. --SNOW GOOSE (14) - at Clear Lake,15 km E of Stavely on Twp Rd 140, near the campground area reported by Terry Korolyk. --ROSS'S GOOSE (1) - as above by TK. SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 14 --ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (1) - in shrubs on the N bank of the Bow River between the 10th & 14th St Bridges in NW Calgary seen by Dan Guinan. --YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (2) - at Carburn Park in SE Calgary seen by Gus Yaki and group on FFCPP field trip. --RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (1) - as above by GY and group. --GLAUCOUS GULL (1 first year) - east of the Cement Plant on 194 Ave SE in Calgary reported by Terry Korolyk. --THAYERS GULL (1 first year) - as above by TK. --RED-TAILED HAWK (1 Calurus light morph) - just north of the Hwy 552 Bridge over the Highwood River, S of Calgary by TK. SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 12 --SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (1) - at Carburn Park in SE Calgary seen by Gus Yaki and group on FFCPP field trip. --NORTHERN GOSHAWK (1) - as above by GY and group. --LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (1) - on the large pond east of the Inland Cement Plant at the E end of 194 Ave SE by TK. --THAYERS GULL (2 first year) - one Gull seen at above location by TK and a second Gull was on the pond just W of the Browning Ferris Landfill also on 194 Ave SE by TK. The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is Thursday, November 19. BIRD STUDY GROUP - Meet September - May, 7:30 PM on the 1st Wednesday of the month, Room 211, BioSciences Bldg, University of Calgary. The next meeting is Wednesday, December 2, with a talk by Sandy Ayer on Birding Adventures in the Congo. Doors open at 7:00 PM. ***2010 CALGARY BIG-YEAR BIRDING COMPETITION*** Join us in 2010 in our Calgary wide birding competition! It's free and open to all. There will be prizes, fun events, field trips and get-togethers throughout the year. Sign up now to be kept up-to-date with news about the competition and to be informed of events in which you can participate. For more information and to register see http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/2010/ and watch the web and Nature News for updates. NATURE CALGARY (CFNS) BIRDING FIELD TRIPS Sun Nov 22, 9am: Bird Votier's Flats, FCPP, S end of Elbow Dr SW. Leader, Grant Brydle, 403-720-4957. Sun Nov 29, 8:30am; Bird Sibbald/Exshaw/Harvie Heights. Meet Assumption School, 34th Av NW (NW corner of Sarcee Tr at Hwy #1). Bring lunch. Leader, Andrew Hart, 403-279-5209. Tues Dec 1, 8:30am: Monthly Elbow River Birding Survey. Meet Stanley Park, 42 Av SW, just W of Macleod Tr. Walk to Glenmore Reservoir, ride back (3.5 hours). Call leaders Aileen Pelzer/Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248 to ensure vechicle space for return. Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is a City of Calgary natural area. Staff offer information, courses and field trips relating to natural history. Nature Calgary (Calgary Field Naturalists' Society) promotes the observation, study, and conservation of the native habitat through lectures, field trips and collection of scientific data. Nature Calgary publishes a monthly newsletter. For membership or event information email naturecalgary AT cfns.fanweb.ca or visit the website at www.naturecalgary.com. The Birding section of the website http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/index.html includes descriptions of Birding Locales in the Calgary area. -End transcript [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Prairie Falcon - Ponoka From: "Jim H Davis" <davismpe AT telusplanet.net> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:41:21 -0000 Toured some art galleries in Edmonton on Saturday, and on the way through Ponoka mid-morning, saw both a Rough-legged Hawk, and a Prairie Falcon (6km north). Good birding, Jim Davis, Calgary. Subject: still more Eurasian Collared Doves From: "dlhuget" <hawkathome AT shaw.ca> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:41:42 -0000 This morning I made a stop at a residence on 23rd. Avenue in Coaldale where we had seen Eurasian Collared Doves last fall and winter usually about 15 birds. Today there was an amazing 58 counted at one time and there may have been more in the numerous trees in the immediate area. There are a few feeders nearby however the doves were feeding on the ground and taking gravel from the back lane. Del Huget Lethbridge Subject: Cold Lake Area birding From: "tedh AT albertacom.com" <tedh@albertacom.com> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:19:52 -0700 Richard Klauke and Bill Bretsch both got photographs of a "Nelson's Gull" (GlaucousXHerring Gull hybrid) at Kinasoo Beach Cold Lake 6, 7 Nov. The bird appears to be a second winter plumaged bird and is a hybrid Richard advises he has observed only on very few occasions. Other highlights reported by Richard the 7,8 Nov week end were: 1 late Pied Billed Grebe at Vazeu Beach (Moose Lake), and 3 Sharp-tailed Grouse and a black morph RLHA along Hw 55 w of Cold Lake. There were still a few loons seen but most were too far away to determine species. A single fem Long-tailed Duck (e of marina) An adult Mew Gull at Kinasoo on 6th. A late Horned Lark at English Bay. There were also a few Cedar Waxwings mixed in with a flock of Bohemian Waxwings in Cold Lake Along with "Charlie" the tame Crow at Kinasoo Beach . Forwarded by Ted Hindmarch Hillsborough Estates [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: White-tailed Ptarmigan From: "Malcolm McDonald" <luscinia AT telus.net> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:56:44 -0700 This afternoon after about a half hour's searching we found a single WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN at the Highwood Pass (south of Hwy 1 on Hwy 40). It was seen from the highway about 0.5 km past (south of) the summit parking lot entrance. At that point, the road is going mostly north - south. We saw the bird on the west side of the road, about 50 - 100 m above the stream bed in open willow/spruce trees. We looked for tracks and, finding them, followed them with the bins and found a white "blob" which, when scoped, blinked an eye. There are likely more around judging from the amount of tracks but as we were looking from the road at some distance we were unable to find any more. As it was late afternoon (around 3:30 pm) they were likely bedding down for the day. Because of the high wind from the Chinook, other birding at Barrier, Minnewanka and Ghost Lakes was not very successful due to the white caps reminiscent of the Bay of Biscay. Ice is beginning to form at the west end of Ghost, and along the river to Morley where only a few open patches of water could be found. Seebe dam forebay was half frozen as was the river upstream of the bridge. About 150 Swans were hanging around a couple of open patches of water. With the Chinook forecast for the next few days it may stay open at least until next weekend. As we headed up the valley to Minnewanka we saw one Loon fly west, rising in the strong wind. We could not definately ID it but it seemed large. Malcolm & Joan McDonald Calgary [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Birds, Bebo Grove-Shannon Terrace, 9am-12:30pm. 15 Nov 2009. Cloudy, mostly calm, 2-7C. From: "Gus Yaki" <gyaki AT calcna.ab.ca> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:51:09 -0700 Birds, Bebo Grove-Shannon Terrace, 9am-12:30pm. 15 Nov 2009. Our major objective was to find a Northern Pygmy-Owl (or two?) which had been seen within the previous week. However, in spite of 22 pairs of eyes, it eluded us. However, we did encounter: 1.. Canada Goose-400+ 2.. Downy Woodpecker-1 3.. Blue Jay-2 4.. Black-billed Magpie-1 5.. Common Raven-1+ 6.. Black-capped Chickadee-20 7.. Boreal Chickadee-4+ 8.. Red-breasted Nuthatch-1 9.. White-breasted Nuthatch-1 10.. Golden-crowned Kinglet-3 11.. Bohemian Waxwing-50+ 12.. White-winged Crossbill-4 Red Squirrel-3 Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Grassland Naturalists Bird Walk at Police Point Park From: Milton Spitzer <milton.spitzer AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:57:27 -0700 On Saturday, November 14 eight people participated in a bird walk around the trails and pathways of Police Point Park in Medicine Hat. The weather was great with bright blue skies, temperatures slightly above freezing and completely calm conditions. In all 21 species were tallied with highlight species including: two Bald Eagles, a Dark-phased Red-tail Hawk, a female Northern Goshawk, Tundra Swans, a late Great Blue Heron, a Great Horned Owl, a half dozen American Goldfinch and a lone Red-winged Blackbird. A large contingent (many 1,000s) of Snow Geese are still present on Sauder's and Murray Reservoir along with a variety of Duck species as well as Tundra Swans. Of course there are also many thousands of Canada Geese in the area. Earlier this week Ben Velner reported a Eurasian Wigeon on a small slough on the way to Sauder's Reservoir. On his way home from work this week, Bob Frew, reported a Snowy Owl hunting alongside highway 1 between Suffield and Redcliff. Milt [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Orange-crowned Warbler From: "Daniel G" <gebrelu AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:34:34 -0000 There was an Orange-crowned Warbler in shrubs on the north bank of the Bow River between the 10th and 14th Street bridges in Calgary this morning. This must be a very late record. Dan Guinan Subject: FFCPPSoc Birding, Carburn Pk, FCPP, 9-12am, Sat 14Nov09. From: "Gus Yaki" <gyaki AT calcna.ab.ca> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:22:21 -0700 FFCPPSoc Birding, Carburn Pk, FCPP, 9-12am, Sat 14Nov09. Sunny, calm, -3 to 1C. 1.. Canada Goose-2000+ 2.. Gadwall-1, found by Tony T 3.. American Wigeon-7 4.. Mallard-300 5.. Bufflehead-30 6.. Common Goldeneye-50 7.. Barrow's Goldeneye-1 m. 8.. Hooded Merganser-1 f. 9.. Common Merganser-2 m/5 f. 10.. Bald Eagle- 1 ad. 11.. Ring-billed Gull-20 12.. Herring Gull-1 13.. Rock Pigeon-10 14.. Downy Woodpecker-4 15.. Hairy Woodpecker-1 16.. Northern Flicker-3 17.. Black-billed Magpie-10 18.. American Crow-1 19.. Common Raven-1 20.. Black-capped Chickadee-15 21.. Red-breasted Nuthatch-2 22.. White-breasted Nuthatch-2 23.. Bohemian Waxwing-20 24.. YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER-2 25.. RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD-1 f. Found by Tony Timmons. 26.. House Sparrow-20. Eastern Gray Squirrel-8 White-tailed Deer-2 I forgot the Coyote seen on Thu. 12 Nov. Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: sightings this week From: Lloyd Bennett <lloydaben AT hotmail.com> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:53:39 -0700 Some new winter birds have arrived in the Taber area in the last few days. Last Sunday I found a bunch of about 10 Bohemian Waxwings in Taber, and when I went to try to see them closer I could hear a Pine Grosbeak calling nearby, and eventually found it in a treetop. These are my first sightings for this fall. Another first fall sighting was last Wednesday, when 3 Common Redpolls flew across the road in front of me. Last Tuesday was a great day for Prairie Falcons. First I saw one near Taber Lake, then another about 6 km. N. of Taber, and another over my farm later in the day. The number of Canada Geese in the area has mushroomed this week, and now there are several thousands in every lake, and large flocks in the fields. Also last Wednesday I saw a Sharp-shinned Hawk east of Taber. Lloyd Bennett Taber _________________________________________________________________ Eligible CDN College & University students can upgrade to Windows 7 before Jan 3 for only $39.99. Upgrade now! http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691819 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Snowy in St Albert From: "Gerald" <geraldjr AT telusplanet.net> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:43:04 -0000 Got a message yesterday that Alan Hingston & Bob Lane had found a Snowy Owl on the outskirts of St Albert.When I got out to McKenney & Hogan Rd, the bird was still there up on a light post. Also saw a juvie Golden Eagle on Whitemud Dr near the Fulton Wetland. Gerald Romanchuk, Edmonton Subject: Birds seen on last Saturday's Snow Goose field trip From: Lloyd Bennett <lloydaben AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:30:34 -0700 Here finally is the list of birds seen during last Saturday's field trip to Stirling and Tyrrell Lakes. There were a few birds I saw on the way to Stirling that were not seen by the group, and I will indicate where they were. Also, on the way home I went to Horsefly Lake, SE. of Taber, and added a few more waterbirds. If anyone has any additions, you may contact me. Thanks again to everyone who came out. Black-billed Magpie Canada Goose Mallard House Sparrow Tundra Swan Ring-billed Gull Rock Pigeon Common Loon (Chin Lake) Redhead (Chin Lake) Gray Partridge American Wigeon Common Goldeneye Horned Lark Bufflehead N. Pintail Green-winged Teal (Rush Lake) Great Horned Owl Rough-legged Hawk Bald Eagle (Rush Lake) Prairie Falcon (Rush Lake) Snow Goose White-winged Scoter Gadwall N. Harrier Common Raven Common Merganser Lesser Scaup Great Blue Heron European Starling Western Meadowlark Surf Scoter These other birds were added at Horsefly Lake: American Coot Ruddy Duck N. Shoveller Ross's Goose Cackling Goose Mammals: Richardson's Ground Squirrel- 2 Coyote- 3 Pronghorn- 10, S. of Taber Road-killed mammals: Striped Skunk Raccoon White-tailed Jackrabbit _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live: Keep your friends up to date with what you do online. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691815 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RBA: Calgary AB, November 12, 2009 From: "lenora & dick flynn" <lendic AT shaw.ca> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:59:26 -0700 -RBA * Alberta (Canada) * Calgary, AB * Nov 12, 2009 * ABCA0911.12 -Birds mentioned Snow Goose Ring-necked Duck Greater Scaup Mew Gull Thayer's Gull Glaucous Gull Northern Pygmy-Owl Townsend's Solitaire Pine Grosbeak Transcript Hotline: City of Calgary and Nature Calgary's (CFNS) Bird Alert Number: 403 221-4519 To Report: 403 221-4519 Coverage: Southern Alberta Compiler: Terry Korolyk (Nature Calgary & IBS) Transcriber: Lenora Flynn (lendic AT shaw.ca) Welcome to the City of Calgary and Nature Calgary's (CFNS) Bird Alert. This Bird Alert was recorded on Thursday, Nov 12 at 10:00 a.m. To report a bird sighting, leave a message after the beep at the end of the recording. To bypass the recorded message press the pound key on your touch tone phone. To speak to a naturalist during office hours dial 0 after reaching the Bird Alert. For inquiries after office hours please call 311 to speak with a Customer Service Agent. To report injured wildlife please call Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society at 403 239-2488, or the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation at 403 946-2361 SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 11 --NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL (2) - 1 reported by Dwight Knapik near Bridge 2 in the west end of Fish Creek PP in SW Calgary and Mark Collard photographed a Northern Pygmy-Owl at Shannon Terrace also in west Fish Creek PP the same day. --PINE GROSBEAK (2) - near Bridge 2 in Fish Creek PP by DK. --GLAUCOUS GULL (1 first year) - on the large pond east of the Inland Cement Plant at the east end of 194 Ave SE in Calgary seen by Terry Korolyk. --THAYER'S GULL (3+ first year) - seen amongst approximately 2000 Ring-billed Gull at the above location by TK and a dark phase 1st year Thayer's Gull at the pond just west of the Browning Ferris Landfill along 194 Ave SE by TK. --MEW GULL (1 winter plumaged) - at the pond just west of the Browning Ferris Landfill by TK. SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 10 --GREATER SCAUP (15) - at Carburn Park in SE Calgary reported by Gus Yaki and FFCPP field trip group. --RING-NECKED DUCK (15) - as above by GY and group. SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 9 --TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE (1) - in SW Calgary neighborhood of Christie Park adjacent to the soccer field (400m NE of 17 Ave & 69 St SW) reported by Sandy Ayer. --PINE GROSBEAK (1) - as above by SA. SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 8 --SNOW GOOSE (1) - at Lac des Arcs Lake on Hwy 1 east of Canmore by Thomas Glen. The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is Monday, November 16. BIRD STUDY GROUP - Meet September - May, 7:30 PM on the 1st Wednesday of the month, Room 211, BioSciences Bldg, University of Calgary. The next meeting is Wednesday, December 2, with a talk by Sandy Ayer on Birding Adventures in the Congo. Doors open at 7:00 PM. ***2010 CALGARY BIG-YEAR BIRDING COMPETITION*** Join us in 2010 in our Calgary wide birding competition! It's free and open to all. There will be prizes, fun events, field trips and get-togethers throughout the year. Sign up now to be kept up-to-date with news about the competition and to be informed of events in which you can participate. For more information and to register see http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/2010/ and watch the web and Nature News for updates. NATURE CALGARY (CFNS) BIRDING FIELD TRIPS Sun Nov 15, 9am: Bird Bebo Grove-Shannon Terrace, FCPP. Meet parking lot S end of 24 St SW. Leader, Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248. Sun Nov 22, 9am: Bird Votier's Flats, FCPP, S end of Elbow Dr SW. Leader, Grant Brydle, 403-720-4957. Sun Nov 29, 8:30am; Bird Sibbald/Exshaw/Harvie Heights. Meet Assumption School, 34th Av NW (NW corner of Sarcee Tr at Hwy #1). Bring lunch. Leader, Andrew Hart, 403-279-5209. Tues Dec 1, 8:30am: Monthly Elbow River Birding Survey. Meet Stanley Park, 42 Av SW, just W of Macleod Tr. Walk to Glenmore Reservoir, ride back (3.5 hours). Call leaders Aileen Pelzer/Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248 to ensure vechicle space for return. Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is a City of Calgary natural area. Staff offer information, courses and field trips relating to natural history. Nature Calgary (Calgary Field Naturalists' Society) promotes the observation, study, and conservation of the native habitat through lectures, field trips and collection of scientific data. Nature Calgary publishes a monthly newsletter. For membership or event information email naturecalgary AT cfns.fanweb.ca or visit the website at www.naturecalgary.com. The Birding section of the website http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/index.html includes descriptions of Birding Locales in the Calgary area. -End transcript [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: FFCPPSoc Birding, Carburn Pk, FCPP, 9:15-11:45am, Thu 12Nov09. From: "Gus Yaki" <gyaki AT calcna.ab.ca> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:49:19 -0700 FFCPPSoc Birding, Carburn Pk, FCPP, 9:15-11:45am, Thu 12Nov09. Sunny, Lt. wind, -9 to 3C. 1.. Canada Goose-1000+ 2.. American Wigeon-10 3.. Mallard-200 4.. Bufflehead-40 5.. Common Goldeneye-40 6.. BARROW'S GOLDENEYE-3m 7.. Common Merganser-1f 8.. Sharp-shinned Hawk-1 9.. Northern Goshawk-1f 10.. Ring-billed Gull-40 11.. Rock Pigeon-5 12.. Downy Woodpecker-7 13.. Hairy Woodpecker-1 14.. Northern Flicker-6 15.. Blue Jay-1 16.. Black-billed Magpie-15 17.. American Crow-12 18.. Common Raven-7 19.. Black-capped Chickadee-20 20.. Red-breasted Nuthatch-2 21.. White-breasted Nuthatch-2 22.. House Sparrow-10 Eastern Gray Squirrel-8 Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: RE: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - ID'd as ANNA's From: "Dick Cannings" <cannings AT zoology.ubc.ca> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:49:48 -0800 Hi Wayne et al.: Anna's have made it through winters in the Okanagan--at least one I remember made it into mid-March at least before disappearing. That one survived weeks of subzero temperatures, necessitating the feeder owners to microwave the feeder every half hour or so. Since that one disappeared just as the weather warmed up, I guessed at the time it was making a dash back to the coast! We also have quite a few spring records here--I'm not sure where those birds are coming from. cheers Dick Cannings Penticton, BC ----- Original Message ----- From: Wayne Weber To: ALBERTA BIRDS Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 9:13 AM Subject: RE: [Albertabird] RE: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - ID'd as ANNA's Ted, Thanks for passing along the true identity of the Casa Vista Estates hummingbird! This helps to explain why the hummer had still not left as of October 31st. Anna's Hummingbirds are non-migratory throughout their range, although they wander widely during post-breeding dispersal (which explains why so many of them turn up outside their normal range). Anna's Hummers are established as a resident species on the south coast of BC, and probably 90% of them survive the winters, although they are definitely stressed during cold spells. Numerous Anna's turn up in the BC interior every fall, some of them as far north as Edmonton, but I have never heard of one overwintering successfully east of the Cascades in BC. Does anyone know how many records of Anna's there are now for Alberta? The wanderings of this species never cease to amaze me. Wayne C. Weber Delta, BC contopus AT telus.net From: Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of tedh AT albertacom.com Sent: November-09-09 8:48 PM To: Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com Cc: alholthe AT hotmail.com; bbretsch AT sasktel.net; bbretsch AT telus.net; cfhummer AT telus.net; cetue AT sasktel.net; hawkathome AT shaw.ca; bjsimp AT telusplanet.net; leona8 AT telus.net; pansy01 AT telus.net; brimo_4 AT hotmail.com; nanron AT mcsnet.ca; rklauke AT mcsnet.ca; pjshore AT worldpost.ca; ienglish AT telusplanet.net; pe.paulhus AT hotmail.com; norm.parrish07 AT hotmail.com Subject: [Albertabird] RE: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - ID'd as ANNA's With an examination of the down-loaded photo's, The sub-adult male hummingbird reported below is now identified as a sub-adult male ANNA's hummingbird fall migration vagrant and not a late Ruby-Throated. The bird was at the Casa Vista Estates location 26 Sep - 31 Oct. Ted Hindmarch Hillsborough Estates N of Gibbons AB ----- Original Message ----- From: tedh AT albertacom.com [mailto:tedh AT albertacom.com ] To: Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 16:20:02 -0700 Subject: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird 31 Oct: I was able to verify a report recieved this date of a late hummingbird near Gibbons. A sub-adult male Ruby Throated Hummingbird that was still coming to feed at sugar-water hummingbird feeders in Casa Vista Estates, approx 8km by road SE of Gibbons, Alberta and 40km NE of downtown Edmonton. Avid birdlovers, the residents report the bird first showed up 26 Sep, almost 5 weeks after their resident RTHUs had left for the season. It has been a regular visitor since. The hummingbird has been observed feeding on small insects in the trees around the deck to augment the sugar-water in the feeders. On 31 Oct, it only came to the feeder once while I was there and I missed getting a photo. The residents however have many excellent photo's on their digital camera and will be providing me a copy on disk to further validate this late record. After my departure, it made another long visit to the feeder at about 3:15PM on 31 Oct, with some great photo's obtained by residents. Will post some once I get copies. Red feathers have started to develop on the the lower portion of the birds gorget. Earlier indications by residents that it might be a Rufous, were examined through photo evidence and the short visit on 31 Oct, and expected field marks for a Rufous were not supported. I visited again around noon today 1 Nov for 1.5 hours, but the bird had not been seen yet and did not make an appearance while I was there. The residents are actively watching for it. So it is not known at this time if its stay and survival will extend into the month of November. It had often perched in a 9Bark or a Dogwood near the front of the house, but was not using these locations on 31 Oct or today. It appeared to fly down to grove of trees on the north side of the yard, but attempt to locate it in this location were unsuccessful. Perhaps with the consistent food source over the last few weeks, the bird may have built up sufficient energy reserves to still head south to warmer climates, but the colder nights must by depleting those reserves each day. Surprisingly it has already survived lows down to -8C in earlier October, and temps have not dipped much below -2C most nights the last two weeks. Forcaste show a dip in the mercury starting again tonight though. We can only hope it has a chance, and may already have started its journey further south. Posted by Ted Hindmarch Hillsborough Estates NE of Gibbons Alberta [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.425 / Virus Database: 270.14.62/2499 - Release Date: 11/12/09 14:33:00 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RE: RE: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - ID'd as ANNA's From: Jason Rogers <hawkowl AT hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:19:09 +0000 There are approximately 12 records for Alberta. Jason Rogers hawkowl AT hotmail.com ________________________________ > To: albertabird AT yahoogroups.com > From: contopus AT telus.net > Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:13:56 -0800 > Subject: RE: [Albertabird] RE: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - ID'd as ANNA's > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Ted, > > > > Thanks for passing along the true identity of the Casa Vista Estates > > hummingbird! > > > > This helps to explain why the hummer had still not left as of October 31st. > > Anna's Hummingbirds are non-migratory throughout their range, although they > > wander widely during post-breeding dispersal (which explains why so many of > > them turn up outside their normal range). > > > > Anna's Hummers are established as a resident species on the south coast of > > BC, and probably 90% of them survive the winters, although they are > > definitely stressed during cold spells. > > > > Numerous Anna's turn up in the BC interior every fall, some of them as far > > north as Edmonton, but I have never heard of one overwintering successfully > > east of the Cascades in BC. > > > > Does anyone know how many records of Anna's there are now for Alberta? The > > wanderings of this species never cease to amaze me. > > > > Wayne C. Weber > > > > Delta, BC > > > > contopus AT telus.net > > > > From: Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com] On > > Behalf Of tedh AT albertacom.com > > Sent: November-09-09 8:48 PM > > To: Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com > > Cc: alholthe AT hotmail.com; bbretsch AT sasktel.net; bbretsch AT telus.net; > > cfhummer AT telus.net; cetue AT sasktel.net; hawkathome AT shaw.ca; > > bjsimp AT telusplanet.net; leona8 AT telus.net; pansy01 AT telus.net; > > brimo_4 AT hotmail.com; nanron AT mcsnet.ca; rklauke AT mcsnet.ca; > > pjshore AT worldpost.ca; ienglish AT telusplanet.net; pe.paulhus AT hotmail.com; > > norm.parrish07 AT hotmail.com > > Subject: [Albertabird] RE: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - ID'd as ANNA's > > > > With an examination of the down-loaded photo's, The sub-adult male > > hummingbird reported below is now identified as a sub-adult male ANNA's > > hummingbird fall migration vagrant and not a late Ruby-Throated. The bird > > was at the Casa Vista Estates location 26 Sep - 31 Oct. > > > > Ted Hindmarch > > Hillsborough Estates > > N of Gibbons AB > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: tedh AT albertacom.com > > [mailto:tedh AT albertacom.com ] > > To: Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com > > Sent: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 16:20:02 -0700 > > Subject: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird > > > > 31 Oct: I was able to verify a report recieved this date of a late > > hummingbird near Gibbons. A sub-adult male Ruby Throated Hummingbird that > > was still coming to feed at sugar-water hummingbird feeders in Casa Vista > > Estates, approx 8km by road SE of Gibbons, Alberta and 40km NE of downtown > > Edmonton. Avid birdlovers, the residents report the bird first showed up 26 > > Sep, almost 5 weeks after their resident RTHUs had left for the season. It > > has been a regular visitor since. The hummingbird has been observed feeding > > on small insects in the trees around the deck to augment the sugar-water in > > the feeders. > > > > On 31 Oct, it only came to the feeder once while I was there and I missed > > getting a photo. The residents however have many excellent photo's on their > > digital camera and will be providing me a copy on disk to further validate > > this late record. After my departure, it made another long visit to the > > feeder at about 3:15PM on 31 Oct, with some great photo's obtained by > > residents. Will post some once I get copies. Red feathers have started to > > develop on the the lower portion of the birds gorget. Earlier indications by > > residents that it might be a Rufous, were examined through photo evidence > > and the short visit on 31 Oct, and expected field marks for a Rufous were > > not supported. > > > > I visited again around noon today 1 Nov for 1.5 hours, but the bird had not > > been seen yet and did not make an appearance while I was there. The > > residents are actively watching for it. So it is not known at this time if > > its stay and survival will extend into the month of November. It had often > > perched in a 9Bark or a Dogwood near the front of the house, but was not > > using these locations on 31 Oct or today. It appeared to fly down to grove > > of trees on the north side of the yard, but attempt to locate it in this > > location were unsuccessful. > > > > Perhaps with the consistent food source over the last few weeks, the bird > > may have built up sufficient energy reserves to still head south to warmer > > climates, but the colder nights must by depleting those reserves each day. > > Surprisingly it has already survived lows down to -8C in earlier October, > > and temps have not dipped much below -2C most nights the last two weeks. > > Forcaste show a dip in the mercury starting again tonight though. We can > > only hope it has a chance, and may already have started its journey further > > south. > > > > Posted by > > Ted Hindmarch > > Hillsborough Estates > > NE of Gibbons Alberta > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ Eligible CDN College & University students can upgrade to Windows 7 before Jan 3 for only $39.99. Upgrade now! http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691819 ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txtYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: Albertabird-digest AT yahoogroups.com Albertabird-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Albertabird-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: RE: RE: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - ID'd as ANNA's From: "Wayne Weber" <contopus AT telus.net> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:13:56 -0800 Ted, Thanks for passing along the true identity of the Casa Vista Estates hummingbird! This helps to explain why the hummer had still not left as of October 31st. Anna's Hummingbirds are non-migratory throughout their range, although they wander widely during post-breeding dispersal (which explains why so many of them turn up outside their normal range). Anna's Hummers are established as a resident species on the south coast of BC, and probably 90% of them survive the winters, although they are definitely stressed during cold spells. Numerous Anna's turn up in the BC interior every fall, some of them as far north as Edmonton, but I have never heard of one overwintering successfully east of the Cascades in BC. Does anyone know how many records of Anna's there are now for Alberta? The wanderings of this species never cease to amaze me. Wayne C. Weber Delta, BC contopus AT telus.net From: Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of tedh AT albertacom.com Sent: November-09-09 8:48 PM To: Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com Cc: alholthe AT hotmail.com; bbretsch AT sasktel.net; bbretsch AT telus.net; cfhummer AT telus.net; cetue AT sasktel.net; hawkathome AT shaw.ca; bjsimp AT telusplanet.net; leona8 AT telus.net; pansy01 AT telus.net; brimo_4 AT hotmail.com; nanron AT mcsnet.ca; rklauke AT mcsnet.ca; pjshore AT worldpost.ca; ienglish AT telusplanet.net; pe.paulhus AT hotmail.com; norm.parrish07 AT hotmail.com Subject: [Albertabird] RE: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - ID'd as ANNA's With an examination of the down-loaded photo's, The sub-adult male hummingbird reported below is now identified as a sub-adult male ANNA's hummingbird fall migration vagrant and not a late Ruby-Throated. The bird was at the Casa Vista Estates location 26 Sep - 31 Oct. Ted Hindmarch Hillsborough Estates N of Gibbons AB ----- Original Message ----- From: tedh AT albertacom.com [mailto:tedh AT albertacom.com ] To: Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 16:20:02 -0700 Subject: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird 31 Oct: I was able to verify a report recieved this date of a late hummingbird near Gibbons. A sub-adult male Ruby Throated Hummingbird that was still coming to feed at sugar-water hummingbird feeders in Casa Vista Estates, approx 8km by road SE of Gibbons, Alberta and 40km NE of downtown Edmonton. Avid birdlovers, the residents report the bird first showed up 26 Sep, almost 5 weeks after their resident RTHUs had left for the season. It has been a regular visitor since. The hummingbird has been observed feeding on small insects in the trees around the deck to augment the sugar-water in the feeders. On 31 Oct, it only came to the feeder once while I was there and I missed getting a photo. The residents however have many excellent photo's on their digital camera and will be providing me a copy on disk to further validate this late record. After my departure, it made another long visit to the feeder at about 3:15PM on 31 Oct, with some great photo's obtained by residents. Will post some once I get copies. Red feathers have started to develop on the the lower portion of the birds gorget. Earlier indications by residents that it might be a Rufous, were examined through photo evidence and the short visit on 31 Oct, and expected field marks for a Rufous were not supported. I visited again around noon today 1 Nov for 1.5 hours, but the bird had not been seen yet and did not make an appearance while I was there. The residents are actively watching for it. So it is not known at this time if its stay and survival will extend into the month of November. It had often perched in a 9Bark or a Dogwood near the front of the house, but was not using these locations on 31 Oct or today. It appeared to fly down to grove of trees on the north side of the yard, but attempt to locate it in this location were unsuccessful. Perhaps with the consistent food source over the last few weeks, the bird may have built up sufficient energy reserves to still head south to warmer climates, but the colder nights must by depleting those reserves each day. Surprisingly it has already survived lows down to -8C in earlier October, and temps have not dipped much below -2C most nights the last two weeks. Forcaste show a dip in the mercury starting again tonight though. We can only hope it has a chance, and may already have started its journey further south. Posted by Ted Hindmarch Hillsborough Estates NE of Gibbons Alberta [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: (unknown) From: Johan Van Onna <j.vanonna AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:14:33 -0800 (PST) Hi there, Yesterday on our acreage in rural Rollyview finally a new species for me again. Two female Pine cross beaks where present for a short time. Beside those a group of bohemian waxwings, a downy woodpecker, black capped chickadees, and two blue Jays. An Adult bald eagle flew over. Johan van Onna [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Northern Pygmy-Owl. From: "Gus Yaki" <gyaki AT calcna.ab.ca> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:33:26 -0700 After we found a N. Pygmy-Owl, just west of Bebo Grove on Sat. 7 Nov., Mark Collard photo'd one at Shannon Terrace, FCPP, Calgary, today. Gus Yaki [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Whitemud Creek today From: Martin Sharp <martin.sharp AT ualberta.ca> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:06:00 -0700 Very quiet this afternoon in Whitemud. Highlight was a cruise past by a Rough-Legged Hawk. One Pileated Woodpecker was calling a fair bit. Otherwise just B-C chickadees, a Blue Jay, and 9 Canada Geese. The creek is now frozen over. Martin Sharp Edmonton [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Wednesday Birding in Fish Creek Provincial Park From: Dwight Knapik <dwightthebirdaholic AT shaw.ca> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:54:29 -0800 Hello: On the morning of Wednesday, November 11, 2009, I took a walk in the west end of Fish Creek Provincial Park, in the Shannon Terrace-Bebo Grove area. The weather was relatively cool, clear, and calm. Highlights included a Northern Pygmy-Owl at Bridge #2 around 9:30 AM, as well as 2 singing Pine Grosbeaks in the same general area. Bald Eagle H Northern Pygmy-Owl Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Blue Jay Black-billed Magpie Common Raven Black-capped Chickadee Boreal Chickadee Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Golden-crowned Kinglet Bohemian Waxwing Pine Grosbeak White-winged Crossbill Red Squirrel Good Birding Everyone! Dwight P. Knapik Calgary, Alberta [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Brown Pelican removed from U.S. Endangered Species list From: "Wayne Weber" <contopus AT telus.net> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:37:34 -0800 Birders, The following item from Yahoo News is a welcome one indeed: the Brown Pelican has recovered to the extent that it has now been officially removed from the U.S. Endangered Species list. Anyone who has visited the coasts of Oregon or Washington in recent years knows that pelicans are now abundant there during the summer and fall. During a recent trip (late August) to Grays Harbor in Washington, I saw at least 400 Brown Pelicans at Westport and 120 at Hoquiam-- places where I would have been unable to find a single pelican in the 1970s. Pelicans are being seen more and more often and in larger numbers on the west coast of Vancouver Island and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca as well. This is all a result of vastly improved breeding success off western Mexico, and ultimately of the elimination of DDT residues from the environment. Amid all the messages of doom and gloom affecting many other bird species, this is a hopeful sign. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091111/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_brown_pelicans_back Wayne C. Weber Delta, BC contopus AT telus.net Subject: Gull Lake birding From: John Acorn <janature AT compusmart.ab.ca> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:39:24 -0700 Hi Birders, Lots of Canada Geese and Tundra Swans on Gull Lake today, at the Summer Village of Gull Lake, along with three Killdeers and a small flock of Common Redpolls. John Acorn Edmonton Subject: Lunch Hour Birding From: "Phil Cram" <crampj AT telusplanet.net> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:29:05 -0700 While eating lunch at home today in the Mount Royal district of Calgary, I was treated to a good variety and number of birds. Seen were: Downy Woodpecker, 2 (1m, 1f); Northern Flicker, 2; Black-billed Magpie, 5; Black-capped Chickadee, 4; MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, 1; Red-breasted Nuthatch, 2; White-breasted Nuthatch, 2; BOHEMIAN WAXWING, 5; Dark-eyed Junco, 1; House Finch, 12; WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL, 1 (juv); Pine Siskin, 1; House Sparrow, 16. The Mountain Chickadee re-appeared after a 6-day gap; I first saw it here 13 days ago. One of the House Finches was leucistic. Cheers, Phil -- Phil Cram crampj AT telusplanet.net (403) 228-4142 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Whitemud - Sunday From: Martin Sharp <martin.sharp AT ualberta.ca> Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:15:26 -0700 Andy DuFrane had a Black-Backed Woodpecker in the section of Whitemud Ravine (Edmonton) between Fox Drive and Snow Valley on Sunday afternoon (8 November) Martin Sharp [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Cold Lake Updates From: "tedh AT albertacom.com" <tedh@albertacom.com> Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:11:45 -0700 A Northern Hawk Owl was observed by the Paulus' on 5 Nov on Hwy 81 just south of Hwy 55, 72km west of Cold Lake. After the initial Harlequin duck report 1 Nov, there were no further observations until today 10 Nov when two female (juv?) harlequins were observed. The English's reported their first Pine Grosbeaks of the season showed up 4 Nov at their rural acerage west of Cold Lake. Just a few males so far... They report the Evening Grosbeaks are back on a daily basis. A pair of WB Nuthatches is still there, and they now have a pair of RB Nuthatches, too. The Bohemian Waxwings are making short work of the mountain ash berries. The usual Chickadees, Downy, Hairy, and Pileated Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Ravens, and Magpies (which are coming back to the feeder now) make up their winter numbers. No Redpolls as yet... forwarded by Ted Hindmarch Hillsborough Estates N of Gibbons [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: FFCPPSoc Birding, Carburn Pk, FCPP, 9:15-11:45am, Tue 10Nov09. From: "Gus Yaki" <gyaki AT calcna.ab.ca> Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:45:18 -0700 FFCPPSoc Birding, Carburn Pk, FCPP, 9:15-11:45am, Tue 10Nov09. Sunny, Lt. wind, -4 t0 7C. 1.. Canada Goose-1000+ 2.. American Wigeon-15 3.. Mallard-40 4.. GREATER SCAUP-15 5.. RING-NECKED DUCK-15 6.. Bufflehead-25 7.. Common Goldeneye-30 8.. Common Merganser-8 9.. American Coot-5 10.. Ring-billed Gull-70 11.. Herring Gull-1 12.. Rock Pigeon-3 13.. Downy Woodpecker-7 14.. Northern Flicker-1 15.. Black-billed Magpie-12 16.. American Crow-1 17.. Common Raven-3 18.. Black-capped Chickadee-20 19.. Red-breasted Nuthatch-2 20.. White-breasted Nuthatch-2 heard 21.. House Sparrow-10 Eastern Gray Squirrel-5 Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Hillsborough Happenings Pine Grosbeaks From: "tedh AT albertacom.com" <tedh@albertacom.com> Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:07:41 -0700 Observed my first fall Pine Grosbeaks (2) of the season as I walked around the Estates on 9 Nov. Other highlights were a Merlin steaking low across the acerages, and an immature Bald Eagle transitting overhead under the watchfull escort of a Raven. Ted Hindmarch Hillsborough Estates N of Gibbons AB [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: House Finches NE of Edmonton From: "tedh AT albertacom.com" <tedh@albertacom.com> Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:02:02 -0700 Richard Klauke reported house finches in Smokey Lake on 4 Nov. John Farquhar observed and photographed 6 (2m, 4f) at his Casa VistaEstates home SE of Gibbons on 8 Nov. There appears to be some fall movement of this species occuring. The European Collared Doves were not seen on this last Smokey Lake visit, and residents reported one was found dead in latter part of Oct. forwarded by Ted Hindmarch Hillsborough Estates N of Gibbons [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RBA: Calgary AB, November 9, 2009 From: "lenora & dick flynn" <lendic AT shaw.ca> Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 22:44:09 -0700 -RBA * Alberta (Canada) * Calgary, AB * Nov 9, 2009 * ABCA0911.09 -Birds mentioned Pacific Loon Bonaparte's Gull Mew Gull Thayer's Gull Iceland Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Northern Pygmy-Owl Northern Shrike Bohemian Waxwing Transcript Hotline: City of Calgary and Nature Calgary's (CFNS) Bird Alert Number: 403 221-4519 To Report: 403 221-4519 Coverage: Southern Alberta Compiler: Terry Korolyk (Nature Calgary & IBS) Transcriber: Lenora Flynn (lendic AT shaw.ca) Welcome to the City of Calgary and Nature Calgary's (CFNS) Bird Alert. This Bird Alert was recorded on Thursday, Nov 9 at 10:05 a.m. To report a bird sighting, leave a message after the beep at the end of the recording. To bypass the recorded message press the pound key on your touch tone phone. To speak to a naturalist during office hours dial 0 after reaching the Bird Alert. For inquiries after office hours please call 311 to speak with a Customer Service Agent. To report injured wildlife please call Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society at 403 239-2488, or the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation at 403 946-2361 SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 8 --LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (1 adult) - sitting on a frozen pond on the south side of Lafarge Meadows located south of the Hwy 22X bridge in SE Fish Creek PP in Calgary seen by Tony Timmons and Nature Calgary field trip group. --BONAPARTE'S GULL (1) - in the NW corner of Frank Lake located 6 km E of High River on Hwy 23 reported by Wilf Sheurig (?). --NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL (1) - reported by Pat Diehl on her property in Priddis Green Estates, 10 km west of Priddis located south of Calgary on both Nov 7 and 8. --BOHEMIAN WAXWING - reported by several observers in the Fish Creek area over the weekend and previous few days. SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 7 --ICELAND GULL (1 adult winter plumaged Kumlien's) - at the Browning Ferris Landfill on 194 Ave SE in Calgary seen by Terry Korolyk. The Gull swam and rested on the pond just west of the BFI gate and had dark eyes, very small dark grey tips to the outer 3 primaries and a small amount of dark grey on some of the primary spines. --THAYER'S GULL (1 adult & 2 first year) - at the above location by TK. --PACIFIC LOON (2) - 1 reported by Bill Wilson in the bay west of Heritage Park on the Glenmore Reservoir in SW Calgary and 1 breeding plumage bird reported by Ron Hoetmer on the Bow River at Exshaw west of Calgary late last week. --NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL (1) - at Bebo Grove in SW Fish Creek PP in Calgary by Gus Yaki and FFCPP field trip. --NORTHERN GOSHAWK (1) - as above by GY. SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 6 --MEW GULL (1 adult) - on the Bow River at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in SE Calgary reported by Bob Storms. --NORTHERN SHRIKE (1) - on 146 Ave SW between 53 & 37 St SW Calgary by Shonna McLeod. The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is Thursday, November 12. BIRD STUDY GROUP - Meet September - May, 7:30 PM on the 1st Wednesday of the month, Room 211, BioSciences Bldg, University of Calgary. The next meeting is Wednesday, December 2, with a talk by Sandy Ayer on Birding Adventures in the Congo. Doors open at 7:00 PM. ***2010 CALGARY BIG-YEAR BIRDING COMPETITION*** Join us in 2010 in our Calgary wide birding competition! It's free and open to all. There will be prizes, fun events, field trips and get-togethers throughout the year. Sign up now to be kept up-to-date with news about the competition and to be informed of events in which you can participate. For more information and to register see http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/2010/ and watch the web and Nature News for updates. NATURE CALGARY (CFNS) BIRDING FIELD TRIPS Sun Nov 15, 9am: Bird Bebo Grove-Shannon Terrace, FCPP. Meet parking lot S end of 24 St SW. Leader, Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248. Sun Nov 22, 9am: Bird Votier's Flats, FCPP, S end of Elbow Dr SW. Leader, Grant Brydle, 403-720-4957. Sun Nov 29, 8:30am; Bird Sibbald/Exshaw/Harvie Heights. Meet Assumption School, 34th Av NW (NW corner of Sarcee Tr at Hwy #1). Bring lunch. Leader, Andrew Hart, 403-279-5209. December Tues Dec 1, 8:30am: Monthly Elbow River Birding Survey. Meet Stanley Park, 42 Av SW, just W of Macleod Tr. Walk to Glenmore Reservoir, ride back (3.5 hours). Call leaders Aileen Pelzer/Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248 to ensure vechicle space for return. Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is a City of Calgary natural area. Staff offer information, courses and field trips relating to natural history. Nature Calgary (Calgary Field Naturalists' Society) promotes the observation, study, and conservation of the native habitat through lectures, field trips and collection of scientific data. Nature Calgary publishes a monthly newsletter. For membership or event information email naturecalgary AT cfns.fanweb.ca or visit the website at www.naturecalgary.com. The Birding section of the website http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/index.html includes descriptions of Birding Locales in the Calgary area. -End transcript [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RE: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird - ID'd as ANNA's From: "tedh AT albertacom.com" <tedh@albertacom.com> Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 21:47:57 -0700 With an examination of the down-loaded photo's, The sub-adult male hummingbird reported below is now identified as a sub-adult male ANNA's hummingbird fall migration vagrant and not a late Ruby-Throated. The bird was at the Casa Vista Estates location 26 Sep - 31 Oct. Ted Hindmarch Hillsborough Estates N of Gibbons AB ----- Original Message ----- From: tedh AT albertacom.com [mailto:tedh AT albertacom.com] To: Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 16:20:02 -0700 Subject: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird 31 Oct: I was able to verify a report recieved this date of a late hummingbird near Gibbons. A sub-adult male Ruby Throated Hummingbird that was still coming to feed at sugar-water hummingbird feeders in Casa Vista Estates, approx 8km by road SE of Gibbons, Alberta and 40km NE of downtown Edmonton. Avid birdlovers, the residents report the bird first showed up 26 Sep, almost 5 weeks after their resident RTHUs had left for the season. It has been a regular visitor since. The hummingbird has been observed feeding on small insects in the trees around the deck to augment the sugar-water in the feeders. On 31 Oct, it only came to the feeder once while I was there and I missed getting a photo. The residents however have many excellent photo's on their digital camera and will be providing me a copy on disk to further validate this late record. After my departure, it made another long visit to the feeder at about 3:15PM on 31 Oct, with some great photo's obtained by residents. Will post some once I get copies. Red feathers have started to develop on the the lower portion of the birds gorget. Earlier indications by residents that it might be a Rufous, were examined through photo evidence and the short visit on 31 Oct, and expected field marks for a Rufous were not supported. I visited again around noon today 1 Nov for 1.5 hours, but the bird had not been seen yet and did not make an appearance while I was there. The residents are actively watching for it. So it is not known at this time if its stay and survival will extend into the month of November. It had often perched in a 9Bark or a Dogwood near the front of the house, but was not using these locations on 31 Oct or today. It appeared to fly down to grove of trees on the north side of the yard, but attempt to locate it in this location were unsuccessful. Perhaps with the consistent food source over the last few weeks, the bird may have built up sufficient energy reserves to still head south to warmer climates, but the colder nights must by depleting those reserves each day. Surprisingly it has already survived lows down to -8C in earlier October, and temps have not dipped much below -2C most nights the last two weeks. Forcaste show a dip in the mercury starting again tonight though. We can only hope it has a chance, and may already have started its journey further south. Posted by Ted Hindmarch Hillsborough Estates NE of Gibbons Alberta [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Niistsimii From: Ryan Heavy Head <akayokaki AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 13:15:59 -0800 (PST) IIII ) llllllllllllllll Flocks (4Nov09) 1001 Driving the BTAP canal, expecting to encounter some large mallard or goose congregations. The nights have become cold enough to freeze-over the relatively still bodies of water, the duck numbers at Sspopiikimi have recently dropped... I think it's time 1008 Arriving at the hidden part of Innokimi, my suspicion is confirmed. The waters here are black with massive flocks of aapsspini and mi'ksikatsi 1029 We pull off the canal at the next spillway and drive the field to get closer to the lake. Along the way, we prompt a huge flock of aapsspini, who had been eating in the stubble, to take flight. They split into two separate subflocks moving toward the water and we follow, arriving at a high bank just in time to watch them land amidst the thousands of birds already on the water. From this vantage point, we see that there are far more geese than mallards. After we linger a few minutes, the former take wing loudly, defining a cloud of sorts, stretching out across the horizon. Likely they're on their way to Mookoan Reservoir, which is our destination as well 1044 Driving away from Innokimi, we pass a group of five awatoyi, standing beside the willows that line the canal. They are all does and yearlings. Then, back on the canal, we find a great horned owl hunting the muddy, exposed drainage. The owl's not comfortable, and keeps moving further down the canal in front of us. After about a kilometer, it finally decides to circle back and move in the direction opposite our trajectory 1058 At Mookoan Reservoir, there's one massive mallard congregation, with individuals numbering in the thousands, a fair-sized goose congregation (all aapsspini, no snow geese), and about half a dozen western grebes. All these birds make haste to move toward the center of the lake as we drive up. And in the few moments we stop to survey, three more flocks of geese arrive to join those already on the water here IIII ) lllllllllllllllll Chewed Wood (5Nov09) 1149 Sspopiikimi - the temperature is comfortable today, no wind, but evidence of the cold we've had the last few sleeps abounds. There are large but thin ice patches throughout the north and midpond. A dozen m'ksikatsi are feeding in the unfrozen strips, but there's no sign of the wigeons or coots 1201 Nearer the ksisskstakioyis, we find five more mallards (four males with one female). Also present here are three aiksikksksisiiksi and three wigeons. Each of the latter has attached itself to a coot, and is stealing some of the milfoil the coots surface with after each of their dives 1209 Mi'sohpsski swims along the length of the pond, heading north and passing right between the coots and wigeons. The muskrat surfaces and dives, surfaces and dives as it moves along, eventually disappearing near the mouth of the midpond canal 1217 In contrast to the north end, the wide southern pool appears to have no ice on its surface (I'm guessing because it is far more open and exposed to the Sun). Here I count fifty-seven sa'aiksi - mostly mi'ksikatsi from the looks of it, but I just heard the three-tone call of a wigeon in their midst. Across the pond, somewhere in the poplar forest or by the river, I also catch the trill of a kingfisher 1229 Sitting on the high bank above the south pool, its warm enough that I've stripped off my light jacket and am now very comfortable with just a t-shirt. I'm surprised, given this warmth, that the sspopiiksi are not out, though I wouldn't bet on them remaining that way the whole afternoon 1247 I leave Piipiiaakii at the cutbank and head down toward the peninsula. I've decided this would be a good day for a preliminary exploration of the critter tunnels that wind through and beneath the dense bulberry patch. I have to get down on my hands and knees to do this, and it's a very stickery ordeal. I'm much larger than the animals who normally move through here, and when I'm not carefully avoiding bulberry thorns, I'm being poked by the prickly roses that seem to be the second-most prolific plant in this patch 1304 Winding and weaving my way from one end of this brush to the other, what I see from scat sign is that the principal resident of this maze is a rabbit, probably a western cottontail. I also notice that there are lots of new plant starts hidden under here, what look to me to be burdock and a type of mint, possibly hempnettle. The ground is covered in a soft blanket of fallen grass and bulberry leaves, but this blanket can also hide fallen rose stems. Toward the end of the patch, I find a huge steel drum next to a magpie nest set low to the ground and deep in the thicket, but no other signs of nests or dens along the way (I must not be looking close enough). This was just an initial foray, I'm sure I'll see more in the future 1312 Returning to Piipiiaakii, she has been joined by a middle-school group led by Lloyd Price. There are just six or seven students, and they are handling a yearling wandering garter when I arrive. Each of the students has a plastic bag, and they are on assignment to find and collect "six signs of fall." As they set the reptile back in the grass, I chat briefly with Lloyd, then sit again with Piipiiaakii as the group continues on their way. Just as predicted, there are now painted turtles rising to the surface in the deep pool below the southern cutbank. A number of mallards are taking splash-baths and grooming 1334 We decide to walk around the south end of the pond to the duck blind at the edge of the poplars. Piipiiaakii remains there, at the blind, overlooking the pool from the opposite vantage of where she'd been sitting earlier. I move out to explore the forest and subpond 1339 Entering the forest, I catch a glimpse of movement and find its source to be a small yellow grasshopper. I then come to a place where the ksisskstaki family have been working to knock down a large western cottonwood. They chewed through the trunk far enough that the tree has listed to one side, but remains braced by a smaller cottonwood adjacent to it. Two different species of fly and a seven spot ladybug have been attracted to the fresh cut base. They are scouring the wood right below the cut-line of the bark, I would presume out of some interest in the sap? There is stump evidence around that this particular little cottonwood grove in the woods has been used in previous years by the beavers. In fact, one of the trees that appears (by aging of the wood at the stump) to have been knocked down last year by the beavers is only now having its branches harvested 1405 I follow the drag-trail from this harvest area, and it leads me directly to the subpond. I decide to walk along the edge of the subpond looking for other trails into the forest that might lead me to more harvest sites. Along the way, I turn over a log in the wet meadows and find, beneath it, a rodent trail and quarters, complete with the skeletal remains of a prior occupant, and several small brown slugs. I might consider collecting small rodent bones in the future, if I can find a decent guide that will help me learn to identify species by these samples 1418 I find no other evidence of recent tree-harvesting. But I do see that a dome-shaped muskrat lodge of bulrush stems has been constructed in the middle of the subpond. That's two such lodges in the pond this year (the other having been built toward the north end), compared to only bank lodges in previous years 1433 Not wanting to leave Piipiiaakii waiting too long, I hike back through the forest to the duck blind, and by the time I arrive she's ready to go, her electric note-taker is running out of juice. So we make our way round the rest of the pond and back to the truck in haste and with little event IIII ) llllllllllllllllll The Twin (6Nov09) 0759 Woke up to vicious winds, dark clouds, and a rainbow arching under the moon 1416 Akaiinissko - I'm on my way down the side of this steep coulee, yearning to explore the forest in the flood-basin below. It's an incredibly windy day, and so I'm hoping to learn something from this weather, though what exactly I haven't a clue 1419 I decide to take a different route down this afternoon, descending a relatively steep crevasse where a large section of coulee-side is slowly breaking away, exposing a variety of sediments going back, I'm sure, many millions of years. The plants that seem to grow best on the yellow-clay slopes of this relatively recent exposure include ninnaika'ksimo, sunflowers, sagebrush, and evening star. I notice that some of the sagebrush have spherical balls of fluff at their branch-tips, about the size of large marbles. I don't know if these are seed heads of some sort or the work of a parasite. I suspect the latter as these pom-poms only seem to occur on the odd plant, and the obvious seed structure on most of the sagebrush stems is an elongated panicle 1446 There are also dark mudstone exposures that, when examined up close, are infused with a criss-cross of orange crystal layers that divide the hardened grey soil up like puzzle pieces. Within this sediment, which does not slope, but rather falls horizontal like a cliff, there are embedded pieces of petrified wood and small fissures that are home to various spiders and others. I find the split-open remains of a red-colored moth cocoon, for instance. No plants grow in this sediment. The roots from plants in the yellow clay above turn as soon as they encounter the yellow crystal 1500 Eventually, I make it down through the crevasse, cross the grass and sagebrush flat below, and arrive at the bank beneath which the forest begins. My sudden presence startles two whitetail doe who were bedded down, out of the wind, on the edge of this bank. They run and leap off into the forest, blowing sneezes as they move 1508 Near to where the deer were bedded, I see a small tree amidst a circle of giants. I've been meaning to get closer to some of the trees here, and there's something about this one that attracts me. It appears, from where I stand on the bank, to have a trunk that's forked very low. So I climb down amidst the buckbrush at its base for a closer look. Parting the ground-cover, the two trunks both go into the soil, so I can't be certain if it's one tree or two, but they are close enough and angled toward one another in such a way that I'm figuring it as an individual. All the same, in recognition of this dilemma, I think I'll name it "Niistsimii" (The Twin). Looking up from its furrowed grey bark to the skeleton stems of its perhaps twelve-foot high canopy, I can see by the few remnant leaves that Niistsimii is a narrow-leaf cottonwood. This surprises me, because I assumed the giants surrounding it were its elders. But though Niistsimii has one nearby sibling close to its same age, as I walk around I confirm that all of the other nearby trees are western cottonwoods and balsam poplar. Looking closely at Niistsimii one last time before moving on for the afternoon, I see it already has its buds prepared for next-year's leaf growth. They are thin and closely hugging the stems, but buds none-the-less. This, I can see, is the way it is with all the local poplars 1537 Now I am checking other woody plants as I move through the forest. The bulberries, even the buckbrush, also have small leaf-buds awaiting winter's end 1549 Soon I come to the outskirts of a long meadow, surrounded on all sides by trees, and defining the middle echelon of the flood-plane. Here there's a large balsam poplar that cracked about eight feet up its trunk and fell over, creating the perfect framework for a lean-to that I've envisioned building as a winter base camp of sorts for my forays into this coulee. I don't know what caused the tree to fall, but it appears that at one time the bark must have been stripped off one side of the trunk. The bark flanking this trauma site healed over and rounded, but left the inner wood of the tree exposed. This inner wood has areas of rot and obvious insect infestation. Had it not cracked and fallen, it may have eventually become hollowed. In any case, the lowermost lateral limbs are still very much alive, and three of them have redirected themselves upward, vying for position as the new trunk. Today I examine this tree closely to try and sleuth its story, then clear out branches under the lean-to framework and start placing logs against the fallen trunk to create what I hope will eventually be a nice little survival nook for overnight visits 1636 Moving on, I walk to the line of trees marking the boundary of the next echelon down on the flood plain, and begin following this line toward the downriver side of the coulee, where there’s a gradual slope to lead me back up. Bedded below the bank atop which this line of trees grows were a mule buck and four does. All stand and begin hopping away for safety. They move about a hundred meters out from me, then one of the does turns to stare me down while the others continue on to seek their shelter. Eventually, when I come close enough, this doe too turns to hop away. They are headed toward the side of the coulee, but I will not follow. The Sun has dropped out of view, and I've got another destination in mind before turning to climb out 1654 Where I go is to find the old hollow stump where, last year, through the wound from one of its fallen lateral branches, Piipiiaakii and I found a rodent nest (possibly deer mouse), absolutely stuffed to the hilt with all manner of soft fibrous plant material. I'm wondering whether the resident will use this same nesting spot again and, if so, how it will look this early in the season. Arriving at the stump, it appears I'm in luck. The cavity has not been completely stuffed with nesting material yet, but construction has begun. A very nice layer of leafy grass stems has been brought in and twisted around to form a base, and this grass has been interwoven with deer hair. Using a little flashlight to peer inside, the resident does not seem to be home, but I intend to check back before things get too cold, and to learn finally the identification of who lives here 1730 The ascent from rodent nest to coulee top was fairly uneventful, the light growing more dim and the wind stronger as I climbed. Most of this hike, I was just thinking to myself. I did see three more of the fuzzy, dark-rust colored caterpillars we've been noticing the last couple weeks. They were each crossing my path at different elevations - one at the coulee bottom, another about a third of the way up, and the last about two-thirds of the way. Somewhat different micro-environments in these zones, so I do wonder what kind of larva this is. Other than the caterpillars, my mind was mostly on birds. I'd neither seen nor heard a one in these few hours, and I assume this is a response to the wind. Certainly there are owls, flickers, downy woodpeckers, black-capped chickadees, magpies, and grey partridge still down here, and probably a half-dozen other species as well. But none were hazarding the gusts today IIII ) lllllllllllllllllll Minii (8Nov09) 1602 Minii (The Island) - Back out at my stalking grounds along the Old Man River. Rather than hiking across the mudflats of the oxbow to the island today, because Piipiiaakii’s with me I drive along a set of ruts that leads through the forest downriver, to a point where the waters of the Old Man come right up against the coulee cliffs. Here, at about the same season last year, the bulberry brush was still brilliant-red with an unharvested bounty. We thought Piipiiaakii could rattle some off the branches this evening, while I stalked through the forest. Unfortunately though, it seems we're much too late. This year the berry bushes are almost completely bare already, save for the odd branch of shriveled fruit here and there. Instead of picking, Piipiiaakii will have to explore near the truck, while I make a careful circuit of the forest 1616 I make my way into the trees and along trails that wind between the massive bulberry patch. High up in one of the poplars above, I spot one of this year’s hornet nests, a layer or two of its outer paper flapping in the wind. Eventually I come to a stretch where the undergrowth is more saskatoon, silverberry, and red osier. Here there is kind of a clearing through the woods that could only have once been a meandering of the river, one that still probably retains some water after any floods. Off to the side of this open strip, near my path, is a large fallen poplar log. I sit beside this log, to watch and write some notes. When I finished my notes, I stood up, and only then did I notice that there was a whitetail buck standing in the clearing. It had apparently just come out from another trail on the opposite side of this opening. When I stood and noticed it, the buck obviously noticed me, and trotted back off the way it had come 1640 When the buck left, it was not in a sprint, and would not likely scare other animals. My thinking is, if I sit back down, perhaps either the buck will return or some other nearby deer will wander down the same trail. So again I sit by the log and watch the clearing. About fifteen minutes pass, and I start taking my notes on the buck. I’m only distracted in this manner a couple minutes, but when I again glance toward the clearing, there are two whitetail does staring back at me. This forest is so much theirs, they look like they've just sprung up from the fallen leaves. And they are so keenly aware of their surroundings. As still as I sit, obscured by the huge log, they sense my presence, craning their necks to discern who it is hiding over here. I need only make the slightest movement, which I do, and they go bounding back into the forest, tails wagging. This time, they are in a sprint, so I don’t expect others will hazard down here 1702 About ten minutes after the deer depart, I begin walking again, following established animal trails and tracing a wide arch around the middle of the forest. Along the route I find all kinds of deer sign in the form of fresh dung and scrapings on saskatoon. As soon as I again reach the edge of the bulberry, I come face-to-face in one of the bushes with a good-sized porcupine. Quickly it turns to face the other way, raising the hair on its back and flicking its tail. I quietly tell the porcupine to calm down, and then I back off about twenty feet. Still, it's nervous, and it begins making its way down to the ground. Through the dimming twilight, I watch this animal climb backward out of the bush, and then proceed into a den it has in a nearby stump 1720 With the porcupine in hiding, I make my way back to the truck. Just as I come within sight of Piipiiaakii, a bald eagle flies past low over her head, moving from there downriver. I relate to her my “funny” encounters with the deer, and she is none too impressed. Likely I will not be allowed to bring my Blackberry for note-taking anymore when visiting this particular coulee __________________________________________________________________ Ask a question on any topic and get answers from real people. Go to Yahoo! Answers and share what you know at http://ca.answers.yahoo.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Snow Goose field trip From: Lloyd Bennett <lloydaben AT hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 13:28:03 -0700 The annual Snow Goose field trip was held Saturday, November 7, starting at Stirling Lake. It was hard to tell how many people attended, because there always seemed to be someone coming or going, but we counted at least 40 people. Over a dozen people came from Calgary, 5 from the Crowsnest Pass, and the rest from Lethbridge and surrounding areas. Unfortunately, the west wind was howling, and it was very difficult to see anything clearly with binoculars or spotting scopes. All we could see here were a few hundred Mallards, a few Canada Geese, about 150 Snow Geese, a harrier, and a small number of Tundra Swans. Next we headed about 15 minutes east to Tyrrell Lake, and stopped at the fishing spot on the west side, but couldn't find any birds here except a bunch of partridges, and someone saw a group of meadowlarks. So then we went to the south shore to find the Snow Geese. We could see a lot of them far away, in the shelter of the hills on the west side. So we had to be content with distant views, since the geese stayed put there. Very few ducks were visible on the lake, but we found a few Buffleheads, Common Goldeneyes, some distant Lesser Scaups, and 2 scoters. One of these was a White-winged, and the other might have been a Surf, without the white wing patch. The east end of Tyrrell Lake had a Great Blue Heron and a few Common Mergansers. Rush Lake, just east of Tyrrell, had a flock of about 10,000 Snow Geese, which made quite a sight when they took flight all at once. I estimated that there was about 40,000 Snow Geese in all. When I came past here before the trip started, I saw a few different birds, such as a Bald Eagle, Prairie Falcon, a Rough-legged Hawk, and a Great Horned Owl. As well, I found a Common Loon in Chin Lake. The group disbanded at this time, but in spite of the conditions, it was a very enjoyable day for everyone. On my way home, I went to Horsefly Lake, SE. of Taber, which had another 10,000 Snow Geese. Here I added a few more birds that had not been seen earlier, such as coots, Ruddy Ducks, shovellers, Ross's Geese, and a couple of Cackling Geese, which were even smaller than the Snow Geese. I also found a group of 10 Pronghorns south of Taber, which is always a good sight. I will send the complete list of birds at a later time. Lloyd Bennett Taber _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live: Keep your friends up to date with what you do online. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691815 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Calgary Pine Grosbeak and Townsend's Solitaire From: "Sandy Ayer" <SAyer AT ambrose.edu> Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 09:28:03 -0700 Hi everyone, at about 8:30 a.m. today I saw a Townsend's Solitaire and a Pine Grosbeak in the tall spruces adjoining the soccer field in SW Calgary's Christie Park neighborhood (ca. 400 m. NE of 17th Ave. and 69th St.) Sandy Ayer H. D. (Sandy) Ayer (Mr.) Director of Library Services/Archivist phone: (403) 410-2947 web: www.ambrose.edu fax: (403) 571-2556 email: sayer AT ambrose.edu Ambrose University College 150 Ambrose Circle SW Calgary, AB T3H 0L5 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Grosbeaks in Edmonton From: "braun.willi" <Willi.Braun AT ualberta.ca> Date: Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:59:37 -0000 A pair of Evening Grosbeaks appeared in my backyard on the weekend. First time I have seen them at my feeders. Also a single female Pine Grosbeak (heard long before she came down for a look at the feeder), a female pileated woodpecker, a flock of 8 red-breasted nuthatches, and the usual (blue jays, chickadees). Made yardwork pleasant! Willi Braun Edmonton Subject: Elk Island today From: "Gerald" <geraldjr AT telusplanet.net> Date: Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:45:22 -0000 Things were pretty slow at the park today, lower bird numbers & diversity are sure making things look like winter is on the way. Did see one wierd/late bird while sitting out on the point on Astotin Lk. A small brown swallow flew past, didn't get a great look but I think it was probably a Bank. Also saw a juvie Snow Goose in with a flock of Canadas. Stayed out for sunset & just missed a Ruffed Grouse on the parkway on the way home & saw a Horned Owl near Moss Lake. Gerald Romanchuk, Edmonton Subject: Re: ID : loon please From: "Gerald" <geraldjr AT telusplanet.net> Date: Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:37:46 -0000 Hi Ron, Your loon looks like a breeding plumaged Pacific - nice bird! Gerald Romanchuk, Edmonton --- In Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com, "Ron" wrote: > > I spotted this bird at exshaw alberta and was wondering if anyone can ID it for me. I am guessing it to be a pacific loon but that seems way outside its normal range. > > Sorry for the clarity of the shot as it was aross the river. > Subject: Whitemud Fox Farm - Snow Valley trail - Edmonton From: "avi8fauna" <data9boy AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:56:20 -0000 Greetings I encounterd a flock of about 20 White-winged Crossbills feeding high in the Spruce trees near the second bridge. I also saw one Pine Grosbeak. I forgot to mention in my post yesterday that I observed one male Pine Grosbeak at Devil's Lake. Don Delaney - Edmonton Subject: Nature Calgary Field Trip-Bird the Bow River From: "tonytimmons99" <tonytimmons99 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:54:01 -0000 Sixteen participants joined the Nature Calgary Field Trip along the Bow River in Fish Creek P.P.on Sunday.We birded the area from Hull's Woods to Lafarge Meadows,recording 26 species. The highlight of the trip was an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull sitting on a frozen slough on the south side of Lafarge Meadows. Canada Goose 25 Gadwall 2 American Wigeon 5 Mallard 35 Green-winged Teal 2 Bufflehead 15 Common Goldeneye 12 Hooded Merganser 1 Common Merganser 6 Bald Eagle 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 Ring-billed Gull 500+ Herring Gull 10+ Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 Rock Pigeon 3 Great Horned Owl 2 Downy Woodpecker 2 Hairy Woodpecker 2 Northern Flicker 1 Black-billed Magpie 10 Common Raven 5 Black-capped Chickadee 25 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 White-breasted Nuthatch 2 Bohemian Waxwing 35 American Tree Sparrow 6 Tony Timmons Calgary Subject: Re: ENC trip to the Wabamun area From: "Curtis" <whitelinereaper AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:54:19 -0000 A Sunday morning drive out to Wabamun got a lot of the same stuff as the ENC trip. Picked up a Gyr on Moonlight Bay from the park boat launch. There was an immature Tundra Swan hanging pretty tight to the dock in Wabamun, looks like it might be injured. Curtis Manly Spruce Grove Subject: RE: ID : loon please From: "Phil Cram" <crampj AT telusplanet.net> Date: Sun, 8 Nov 2009 10:46:21 -0700 Ron, could you please identify yourself? Thanks. I haven't looked at your picture, but Pacific Loons are seen in the fall on the Bow River near Exshaw (frequently a few km downstream at Seebe), and in fact three of us saw one at Seebe this past Tuesday, as well as a Common Loon. A Yellow-billed Loon was reported in the same area this October by Joan and Malcolm McDonald, and Red-throated Loons are seen there in some years. Phil Cram Calgary _____ From: Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Ron Sent: November 7, 2009 7:27 PM To: Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com Subject: [Albertabird] ID : loon please I spotted this bird at exshaw alberta and was wondering if anyone can ID it for me. I am guessing it to be a pacific loon but that seems way outside its normal range. Sorry for the clarity of the shot as it was aross the river. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: ID : loon please From: "Ron" <rhoetmer AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:27:03 -0000 I spotted this bird at exshaw alberta and was wondering if anyone can ID it for me. I am guessing it to be a pacific loon but that seems way outside its normal range. Sorry for the clarity of the shot as it was aross the river. Subject: Devil's Lake From: "avi8fauna" <data9boy AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:53:17 -0000 Greetings On the trail to the blind at Devil's Lake near Onaway, Ken Hansen and I encountered a mixed flock of BC Chickadees, Boreal Chickadees (about six) and at least 4 Golden-crowned Kinglets. Near Tomahawk, we observed about 20 Evening Grosbeaks. Don Delaney � Edmonton. Subject: ENC trip to the Wabamun area From: "Gerald" <geraldjr AT telusplanet.net> Date: Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:26:49 -0000 Over 20 of us took adavantage of a beautiful fall day to check out the birds around Wabamun today. Highlights: Rough-legged Hawk at Hwys 16 & 770. Great look at a male Long-tailed Duck at the Genesee cooling pond. Lots of common waterfowl species & 2 loons as well. One of the loons had good potential to be the reported Yellow-billed, but was too far out to be 100% sure. The 2nd loon was noticably smaller & may have been a Pcific, but again, just too darn far away! 10+ bald eagles over the course of the day, I admit that I lost count. 2 other large raptors that were probably goshawks - but both slipped away too quickly. Lots of waterfowl on the shallow bay near the Sundance plant. Some of the group saw a N.Shrike just west of Sundance. Pine Grosbeak & Boreal Chickadee at Seba Beach. The only loon we were sure of was a common seen from Fallis. Western, Red-necked, Horned, Eared, & Pied-billed Grebes were seen through the day at various stops. Another ? loon at Ascot Beach, large numbers of dabbling ducks & a harrier at the Wabamun town dock. I've probably missed a few common-type birds, but I think I got most of the important stuff. Gerald Romanchuk, Edmonton Subject: FFCPPSoc Birding, Bebo Grove, FCPP, 9-11:45am, Sat 07Nov09 From: "Gus Yaki" <gyaki AT calcna.ab.ca> Date: Sat, 7 Nov 2009 14:36:11 -0700 FFCPPSoc Birding, Bebo Grove, FCPP, 9-11:45am, Sat 07Nov09. Sunny, calm, 0 to 8C 1.. Northern Goshawk, seen by Tony 2.. Ring-billed Gull-3 3.. Rock Pigeon-5 4. NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL-1 5.. Downy Woodpecker-2 6.. Northern Flicker?-1 7.. Blue Jay-3 8.. Black-billed Magpie-4 9.. Common Raven-4+ 10.. Black-capped Chickadee-20 11.. BOREAL CHICKADEE-5 12.. White-breasted Nuthatch-2 13.. Bohemian Waxwing-250+ Red Squirrel-2 Mule Deer-5. Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: NMT Birding: Glenmore Reservoir - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary From: "William J. F. Wilson" <wjfwilso AT ucalgary.ca> Date: Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:08:55 -0700 The Pacific Loon was still in the bay west of Heritage Park on Glenmore Reservoir in Calgary this morning. It swam close to a Common Loon, the Common took off, and the Pacific followed it, heading east low over the water. From the reservoir I headed east on roads to pick up the Bow River Pathway through Beaverdam Flats and Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, to see if the Mew Gull reported by Bob Storms was still there. Unfortunately there were four more fishermen on the river than there were gulls (zero), but a pair of Harlequin Ducks, including a nice breeding-plumage male, weren't too bad a consolation prize. Lots of Ring-billed Gulls and a few Herring Gulls at Beaverdam Flats and Pearce Estate, but nothing else evident. Good birding, Bill Wilson Calgary Subject: bird sightings From: "Shonna McLeod" <shonnamc AT telus.net> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 20:42:55 -0700 November 6th sightings of interest on 146th Ave SW between 53th street and 37th Street, a Northern Shrike was hunting along the roadway abutting the Sarcee Reserve. Later in the day, a large number of bohemian Waxwings were also viewed in the same area. Today, November 6, I saw large numbers of Swans on the river at Exshaw. Shonna McLeod Shonna McLeod 615 Brookpark Drive SW Calgary, AB T2W 2P8 Telephone 403-281-0573 Cell - 403-804-2488 Fax 403-251-0024 Amicus verus est rara avis A true friend is a rare bird [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Update From: Dwight Knapik <dwightthebirdaholic AT shaw.ca> Date: Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:52:53 -0800 Hello: The following appeared in the latest Bird Studies Canada news update: November 3, 2009 - Of 47,677 species assessed, 17,291 are threatened with extinction at this time. This includes 12% of all bird species. Of 9998 bird species known, 137 are Extinct or Extinct in the Wild, 192 species are Critically Endangered, 362 species are Endangered, and 669 species are Vulnerable. Three bird species have been down-listed from Critically Endangered to Endangered: Lear's Macaw (Brazil) Chatham Petrel (New Zealand) Mauritius Fody (Mauritius) Visit the BirdLife International website for more information on the 2009 update of the IUCN Red List for birds. Good Birding Everyone! Dwight P. Knapik Calgary, Alberta [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re:Black Scoter, Long-Tailed Duck, Glaucous Gull at Cold Lake From: "Bob Storms" <rkstorms AT telus.net> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 17:47:22 -0700 1 adult mew gull AT IBS Nov. 6 Bob Storms [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RBA: Calgary AB, November 5, 2009 From: "lenora & dick flynn" <lendic AT shaw.ca> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 15:17:13 -0700 -RBA * Alberta (Canada) * Calgary, AB * Nov 5, 2009 * ABCA0911.05 -Birds mentioned Great Blue Heron Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Greater Yellowlegs Thayer's Gull Iceland Gull Transcript Hotline: City of Calgary and Nature Calgary's (CFNS) Bird Alert Number: 403 221-4519 To Report: 403 221-4519 Coverage: Southern Alberta Compiler: Terry Korolyk (Nature Calgary & IBS) Transcriber: Lenora Flynn (lendic AT shaw.ca) Welcome to the City of Calgary and Nature Calgary's (CFNS) Bird Alert. This Bird Alert was recorded on Thursday, Nov 5 at 9:50 a.m. To report a bird sighting, leave a message after the beep at the end of the recording. To bypass the recorded message press the pound key on your touch tone phone. To speak to a naturalist during office hours dial 0 after reaching the Bird Alert. For inquiries after office hours please call 311 to speak with a Customer Service Agent. To report injured wildlife please call Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society at 403 239-2488, or the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation at 403 946-2361 SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 4 --ICELAND GULL (1 first winter) - near the Browning -Ferris Landfill on 194 Ave SE in Calgary. The bird was seen by Terry Korolyk resting amongst other gulls on a large frozen pond east of the Inland Cement Plant which is at the east end of 194 Ave SE, east of the landfill and about 1 km east of Hwy 2. --THAYER'S GULL (1 first year) - at the pond by the gate into the Browning Ferris Landfill by TK. SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 2 --THAYER'S GULL (1 first year) - on the pond east of the Cement Plant at the east end of 194 Ave SE in Calgary by TK. --COOPER'S HAWK (1) - in the Millrise subdivision in SW Calgary by TK. SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 1 --GREATER YELLOWLEGS (1) - at the slough at the junction of Hwy 540 & 22 west of the Bar U Ranch south of Longview by TK. --GREAT BLUE HERON (1) - at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in SE Calgary reported by Marnie Latour. --SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (1) - along the Elbow River reported by GusYaki and Nature Calgary field trip. The next scheduled update of the Bird Alert is Monday, November 9. BIRD STUDY GROUP - Meet September - May, 7:30 PM on the 1st Wednesday of the month, Room 211, BioSciences Bldg, University of Calgary. The next meeting is Wednesday, December 2, with a talk by Sandy Ayer on Birding Adventures in the Congo. Doors open at 7:00 PM. ***2010 CALGARY BIG-YEAR BIRDING COMPETITION*** Join us in 2010 in our Calgary wide birding competition! It's free and open to all. There will be prizes, fun events, field trips and get-togethers throughout the year. Sign up now to be kept up-to-date with news about the competition and to be informed of events in which you can participate. For more information and to register see http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/2010/ and watch the web and Nature News for updates. NATURE CALGARY (CFNS) BIRDING FIELD TRIPS Sat Nov 7, to see tens of thousands of Snow Geese that gather in the area SE of Lethbridge. The trip will be in conjunction with the field trip led by Lethbridge Naturalist's Society and will start at 9:30am at the Fairway Safeway (just south of Hwy 4) in Lethbridge or at 10:00am at the viewing blind on the north side of Stirling Lake. Contact Eric Tull 403-295-0830 re carpooling if interested in going. Sun Nov 8, 9am: Bird the Bow River. Meet FCPP HQ parking lot, off Bow Bottom Trail SE. Leader, Tony Timmons, 403-256-0754. Sun Nov 15, 9am: Bird Bebo Grove-Shannon Terrace, FCPP. Meet parking lot S end of 24 St SW. Leader, Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248. Sun Nov 22, 9am: Bird Votier's Flats, FCPP, S end of Elbow Dr SW. Leader, Grant Brydle, 403-720-4957. Sun Nov 29, 8:30am; Bird Sibbald/Exshaw/Harvie Heights. Meet Assumption School, 34th Av NW (NW corner of Sarcee Tr at Hwy #1). Bring lunch. Leader, Andrew Hart, 403-279-5209. December Tues Dec 1, 8:30am: Monthly Elbow River Birding Survey. Meet Stanley Park, 42 Av SW, just W of Macleod Tr. Walk to Glenmore Reservoir, ride back (3.5 hours). Call leaders Aileen Pelzer/Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248 to ensure vechicle space for return. Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is a City of Calgary natural area. Staff offer information, courses and field trips relating to natural history. Nature Calgary (Calgary Field Naturalists' Society) promotes the observation, study, and conservation of the native habitat through lectures, field trips and collection of scientific data. Nature Calgary publishes a monthly newsletter. For membership or event information email naturecalgary AT cfns.fanweb.ca or visit the website at www.naturecalgary.com. The Birding section of the website http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/index.html includes descriptions of Birding Locales in the Calgary area. -End transcript [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Reports of Short-eared Owl sightings Needed From: Barb Beck <barb AT birdnut.obtuse.com> Date: Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:54:04 -0700 **This in the latest BSC bulletin: Bird Studies Canada is entering its seventh season of Short-eared Owl monitoring in Ontario. North American and European researchers are working together to learn more about this poorly-understood species, which appears to be declining across its global range and is classified as a species of Special Concern in Canada. Bird Studies Canada has been using satellite and radio telemetry to track large- and small-scale movements of Short-eared Owls in Canada for two seasons. With funding from TD Friends of the Environment and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources -- Species at Risk Stewardship Program, BSC will continue the program this winter. Birders are asked to report any sightings of Short-eared Owls this winter; please include the date, location, time, number of owls seen, and the type of habitat in which they were observed. If you would like to report a sighting, or if you're interested in volunteering to monitor known roost sites across southern Ontario (or know of a site that hosts wintering Short-eared Owls), please contact Hazel Wheeler, 1-888-448-2473 ext.165, hwheeler AT birdscanada.org . Data from this study will allow the determination of seasonal habitats occupied by the owl, and identify important breeding and wintering sites. Updates on our satellite-tracked owls are available through our *Owl Tracker *. Barb Beck Edmonton [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Black Scoter, Long-Tailed Duck, Glaucous Gull at Cold Lake From: "tedh AT albertacom.com" <tedh@albertacom.com> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 19:53:31 -0700 Some of Richard Klauke's highlights from a Cold Lake Trip 30 Oct - 1 Nov: A Glaucous Gull adult: an early record for adults. Most years they do not show up until late November or early December. This bird was at Kinasoo beach most of afternoon friday amd briefly on 1 Nov in morning. A female Black Scoter was at French Bay. Other highlights included 1 Thayer's Gull (first one a week ago). Long-tailed Duck -1 w adult male (Most birds at Cold Lake are usually females and immarures). He also reported his first Pine Grosbeaks for the fall. Forwarded by Ted Hindmarch Hillsborough Estates, N of Gibbons [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Grosbeaks - Cold Lake From: "tedh AT albertacom.com" <tedh@albertacom.com> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 18:26:32 -0700 Carol Hummerstone reports from her rural location west of Cold Lake that she has had two dozen or so Evening Grosbeaks, a few Pines, lots of Blue Jays, chickadees and Waxwings. She also still has 6 Starlings that hang around as they nested there in the spring and don't seem to want to leave there nesting area! A Goshawk also went thru after the pigeons, but she could not tell whether there was a take-down or not as they are good flyers. Forwarded by Ted Hindmarch Cold Lake [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Yellow-billed Loon at Genesee From: "Gerald" <geraldjr AT telusplanet.net> Date: Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:53:16 -0000 Funny how things work... Got a 3rd or 4th hand report of a local YB Loon from a friend in Nfld! The bird was seen on the cooling pond at Genesee. I was reminded that there isn't much public access, especially on the east side (patrolled by security). RR33 on the west side is probably the best place to scope from. Not sure exactly when the bird was seen, it was photographed & does look good for YB. Gerald Romanchuk, Edmonton Subject: Re: Diary members - Albertabird Guidelines From: "Ted" <tedh AT albertacom.com> Date: Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:49:53 -0000 Probably a good time to remind subscribers to re-read the guidelines which are in the files section at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txt It also covers the request that users "snip" their reply's to avoid long strings. Ted Hindmarch Albertabird Co-Listowner/Moderator --- In Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com, "Larry" wrote: > > Just a thought. It would be appreciated that when a subject gets commented on time and time again without stripping off other than the preceding post the current post makes for a mighty long scroll down the page. > > Thanks > > Larry Cowan > Pitt meadows > Subject: RBA: Calgary, AB, Nov. 2, 2009 From: Arina/Hank <rhvander AT shaw.ca> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 07:59:26 -0700 -RBA * Alberta (Canada) * Calgary, AB * November 2, 2009 * ABCA0211.29 - Birds mentioned: Tundra Swan Greater White-fronted Goose Snow Goose Wood Duck Harlequin Duck Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Thayer's Gull Mew Gull Snowy Owl Mountain Chickadee Common Redpoll - Transcript Hotline: City of Calgary and Nature Calgary's Bird Alert Number: 403-221-4519 To Report: 403-221-4519 Coverage: Southern Alberta Compiler: Terry Korolyk Transcriber: Hank Vanderpol (rhvander AT shaw.ca) Welcome to the City of Calgary and Nature Calgary's Bird Alert. This Bird Albert was recorded on Monday Nov.2. To report a bird sighting, leave a message after the beep at the end of the recording, or to bypass the recorded message, press the pound key on your touch tone phone. To speak to a naturalist during office hours, please dial 0 after reaching the Bird Alert. For inquiries after hours, call 311 to speak with a Customer Service Agent. To report injured wildlife, please call Calgary Wildlife Rehabilittion at 403-239-2488 or the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation at 403-946-2361. SIGHTINGS FOR OCTOBER 29: MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE(1): Mount Royal area, in backyard of Phil Cram. TUNDRA SWAN(5000): Combined lakes of Chestermere,Eagle, Namaka and Stobart, by Ian Halladay and Cedric Hitchon. WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE(40), Namaka and Stobart lakes, by IH and CH. SNOW GOOSE(15,000)including 3 "blue" geese: Stobart Lake, by IH and CH. SIGHTINGS FOR OCTOBER 30: COMMON REDPOLL(8):Valley Ridge area of Calgary,in her backyard, by Pat Mitchell. SIGHTINGS FOR OCTOBER 31: THAYER'S GULL:(4),BFI landfill on 194 Ave.SE, by Terry Korolyk MEW GULL(1), same as above, by TK. SIGHTINGS FOR NOVEMBER 1: WOOD DUCK:(5) Elbow River, by Gus Yaki. SNOWY OWL:(1)Irricana sloughs area,1km.S.of Twp.Rd.273 on Rge.Rd.260, by Ray Wood. COMMON REDPOLL(1): 16km. NW of Cochrane, by Brian Lewis at his feeder. PINE GROSSBEAK(1): Mt.Royal area,in backyard of PC. COMMON LOON(1):Elbow River, by GY. WOOD DUCK(5): Elbow River, by GY. PIED-BILLED GREBE:(1) Elliston Park by GY. HARLEQUIN DUCK (2): Bow River, at IBS, by Marnie Latour The next scheduled update of the bird alert is on Monday, Nov.2. BIRD STUDY GROUP: Bird Study Group meets 1st Wednesday of the month, Room 211, BioSciences Building, U of C except June through August when field trips replace the meetings. Contact Eric Tull 403-295-0830,tull AT ucalgary.ca Wed Nov 4 - Birds of Ethiopia - Brian Elder and Phil Cram ***2010 CALGARY BIG-YEAR BIRDING COMPETITION. Join us in 2010 in our Calgary-wide birding competition! It's free and open to all. There will be prizes, fun events, field trips and get-togethers throughout the year. Sign up now to be kept up-to-date with news about the competition and to be informed of events in which you can participate. For more information and to register see http://birdcomp.fanweb.ca/2010/ and watch the web and Nature News for updates. NATURE CALGARY (CFNS) FIELD TRIPS: Field trips are free and open to all. Lead a field trip! To share your knowledge of a favourite location call Gus at 403-243-2248 CFNS & Inglewood 24hr Rare Bird Alert 403-221-4519 Updated Mon & Thu Field trip leaders please turn in signed waiver forms. Mail to Nature Calgary, Box 981 Stn. M, Calgary, AB, T2P 2K4, Sat.Nov 7, 9:30 am:Snow Geese trip to southern Alberta. Meet at Fairway Safeway(just south of hwy.4) in Lethbridge, or at 10:00 am at the viewing blind on the north side of Stirling Lake. Phone Eric Tull for further details at 403-295-0830. Sun Nov 8, 9am: Bird the Bow River. Meet FCPP HQ parking lot, off Bow Bottom Trail SE. Leader, Tony Timmons, 403-256-0754. Sun Nov 15, 9am: Bird Bebo Grove-Shannon Terrace, FCPP. Meet parking lot S end of 24 St SW. Leader, Gus Yaki, 403-243-2248. Sun Nov 22, 9am: Bird Votier's Flats, FCPP, S end of Elbow Dr SW. Leader, Grant Brydle, 403-720-4957. December Calgary Area Christmas Bird Counts 2009-2010 City of Calgary, Sun Dec 20. Compilers are Phil Cram, 403-228-4142 crampj AT telusplanet.net and Donna and Arthur Wieckowski, 403-276-7799 astolat AT shaw.ca. 1. Following the count (5pm on) all participants, including feeder watchers, are warmly invited by Lenora and Dick Flynn to 71 Mapleburn Dr SE, 403-271-1269, to compile results � and supper $4. 2. Please count mammals in addition to birds. 3. New participants wanting to join the feeder watch, contact Jean Moore 403-282-4162 jmmoore AT ucalgary.ca Please register early! New Year�s Day Bird Count (half day) Fish Creek Provincial Park, contact Jim Washbrook 403-282-8849 or 403-613-9216. Surrounding Areas Christmas Bird Count Schedule Banff /Canmore Sat Dec 19 Mike McIvor 1-403-762-4160 mdmcivor AT shaw.ca BowKan/ Exshaw Sat Jan 2, 2010 Cliff Hansen 1-403-673-2422 cm_hansen AT shaw.ca Bow Summit /Banff Park TBA Mike McIvor 1-403-762-4160 mdmcivor AT shaw.ca Cochrane Sun Dec 27 Frank Hennessey 1-403-932-4986 frankhennessey AT gmail.com Cochrane Reserve Tue Dec 29 Jamey Podlubny 403-288-0658 svisser AT ucalgary.ca High River Tue Dec 15 Greg Wagner 1-403-601-3893 elkman AT telusplanet.net Horseshoe Canyon Sat Dec 19 Michael Harrison 403-236-4700 tringa AT telus.net Nanton Sun Dec 27 Laurie Messner 1-403-646-2345 laurie AT winningstrides.com or Gus Yaki 403-243-2248 gyaki AT calcna.ab.ca Pincher Creek TBA Sam Miller 1-403-627-3275 sammiller AT telus.net (Sam will arrange free overnight accommodation for Calgary participants.) Sheep River /Turner Valley Sat Jan 2, 2010 Doug Collister 403-240-1635 collistr AT telus.net Snake�s Head /Sundre Mon Jan 4 Doug Collister 403-240-1635 collistr AT telus.net **Please assist the compilers by registering well in advance** Except for Fish Creek Count (half-day), counts are all day but you may leave early. Everyone, from beginner to seasoned pro, is invited to participate. Compilers request that participants register as soon as possible to facilitate planning and to avoid anyone going out if a count is postponed due to inclement weather, etc. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ _____________________________________________________________ * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.txtYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Albertabird-digest AT yahoogroups.com mailto:Albertabird-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Albertabird-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Diary members From: "Larry" <lawrencecowan AT shaw.ca> Date: Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:41:57 -0000 Just a thought. It would be appreciated that when a subject gets commented on time and time again without stripping off other than the preceding post the current post makes for a mighty long scroll down the page. Thanks Larry Cowan Pitt meadows Subject: Re: SWANALERT2009.doc From: "Curtis" <whitelinereaper AT yahoo.ca> Date: Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:34:53 -0000 I uploaded the pertinent file-got to Swan Alert under files as requested by Bob Parsons. Curtis Manly spruce Grove --- In Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com, "Gus Yaki" wrote: > > TUNDRA SWANS WITH BLUE > NECK BANDS FROM ALASKA > > TUNDRA SWANS WERE MARKED IN WESTERN AND NORTHERN ALASKA IN THE SUMMERS OF 2006-2009 WITH CODED NECK BANDS AS PART OF AN EFFORT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TIMING OF MIGRATION AND MOVEMENTS OF SWANS RELATIVE TO BREEDING AREA. > NECK BANDS HAVE A FOUR-DIGIT CODE THAT BEGINS WITH A LETTER. CODES ARE READ FROM BOTTOM TO TOP. BANDS ARE BLUE WITH WHITE DIGITS, EXCEPT CODES T3##, WHICH ARE WHITE WITH BLACK DIGITS. > ______________________________________________________ > No. Collared . Marking Location Codes 2006 - 2008 2009 Total > Yukon Delta K### 227 100 327 > Alaska Peninsula (North) P### 148 105 253 > Alaska Peninsula (South) T4## 155 --- 155 > Koyukuk Drainage T213-228, U075-U120, U390-U399 66 --- 66 > North Slope T201-212,T3## 58 --- 58 > Kotzebue Sound U### 390 197 587 > Totals 1045 402 1446 > ______________________________________________________ > In 2008, 50 swans were implanted with satellite transmitters, many of which are still functioning. Birds with transmitters were not collared, but have a black antenna exiting near the base of the tail. The movements of these swans can be followed at our web site: http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/avian_influenza/TUSW/index.html > > PLEASE REPORT ANY OBSERVATIONS TO YOUR LOCAL CONSERVATION OFFICER, OR TO: > > Craig Ely > Alaska Science Center > 4210 University Drive > Anchorage, AK 99508 > Phone: (907) 786-7182 > > EM: cely AT ... > > WE WILL PROVIDE ALL OBSERVERS WITH A BRIEF > HISTORY OF THE BANDED SWAN THEY OBSERVED. > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > Subject: SWANALERT2009.doc From: "Gus Yaki" <gyaki AT calcna.ab.ca> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 19:34:40 -0700 TUNDRA SWANS WITH BLUE NECK BANDS FROM ALASKA TUNDRA SWANS WERE MARKED IN WESTERN AND NORTHERN ALASKA IN THE SUMMERS OF 2006-2009 WITH CODED NECK BANDS AS PART OF AN EFFORT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TIMING OF MIGRATION AND MOVEMENTS OF SWANS RELATIVE TO BREEDING AREA. NECK BANDS HAVE A FOUR-DIGIT CODE THAT BEGINS WITH A LETTER. CODES ARE READ FROM BOTTOM TO TOP. BANDS ARE BLUE WITH WHITE DIGITS, EXCEPT CODES T3##, WHICH ARE WHITE WITH BLACK DIGITS. ______________________________________________________ No. Collared . Marking Location Codes 2006 - 2008 2009 Total Yukon Delta K### 227 100 327 Alaska Peninsula (North) P### 148 105 253 Alaska Peninsula (South) T4## 155 --- 155 Koyukuk Drainage T213-228, U075-U120, U390-U399 66 --- 66 North Slope T201-212,T3## 58 --- 58 Kotzebue Sound U### 390 197 587 Totals 1045 402 1446 ______________________________________________________ In 2008, 50 swans were implanted with satellite transmitters, many of which are still functioning. Birds with transmitters were not collared, but have a black antenna exiting near the base of the tail. The movements of these swans can be followed at our web site: http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/avian_influenza/TUSW/index.html PLEASE REPORT ANY OBSERVATIONS TO YOUR LOCAL CONSERVATION OFFICER, OR TO: Craig Ely Alaska Science Center 4210 University Drive Anchorage, AK 99508 Phone: (907) 786-7182 EM: cely AT usgs.gov WE WILL PROVIDE ALL OBSERVERS WITH A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BANDED SWAN THEY OBSERVED. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Five Gulls From: "Curtis" <whitelinereaper AT yahoo.ca> Date: Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:56:00 -0000 Mich and I stopped by 170th st today. Ring-billed and Herring all over the place, Californias intersperced, a single Glaucous subadult, and one probable Thayers still present. Also a brief vist by a Rough-legged Hawk. --- In Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com, "westkmav" wrote: > > Hi All! > Sunday there were 5 gull species at the Inland Cement pit on 170 St. in Edmonton. Ring-billed, California, Herring, Thayers and Glaucous. > > Fred Whiley > Edmonton > Subject: Re: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird From: "Ted" <tedh AT albertacom.com> Date: Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:47:49 -0000 Albertabird Subscribers; I thank Curtis for re-emphasing the guidelines. I had not checked into Albertabird yesterday so missed this developing debate. I would thank those weighing in the issue to continue their debates outside of the Albertabird forum. There are always conflicting views and studies on this subject, therefore the forum steers away from supporting these debates. Ted Hindmarch Albertabird Co-Listowner/Moderator --- In Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com, "Curtis" wrote: > > These discussions have arisen in this forum before. From the posting guidelines for Albertabird: > > Inappropriate postings include discussions about conservation- > related matters, the ethics and morality of hunting, falconry > or bird-feeding, caged birds, copyrighted material, irrelevant > material such as poems or jokes, or virus alerts. The List- > owner will terminate any thread that is off-topic or has > become too heated. > > Curtis Manly > Spruce Grove > Subject: Re: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird From: "Ted" <tedh AT albertacom.com> Date: Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:39:24 -0000 The possibility that this hummingbird may be an Anna's fall vagrant cannot be dismissed. Photo's were only viewed on the camera, and once I get the CD and can distribute photos for other input, confirmation can be made. Ted Hindmarch --- In Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com, "tedh AT ..." wrote: > > 31 Oct: I was able to verify a report recieved this date of a late hummingbird near Gibbons. A sub-adult male Ruby Throated Hummingbird that was still coming to feed at sugar-water hummingbird feeders in Casa Vista Estates, approx 8km by road SE of Gibbons, Alberta and 40km NE of downtown Edmonton. Avid birdlovers, the residents report the bird first showed up 16 Sep, almost 3 weeks after their resident RTHUs had left for the season. It has been a regular visitor since. The hummingbird has been observed feeding on small insects in the trees around the deck to augment the sugar-water in the feeders. > > On 31 Oct, it only came to the feeder once while I was there and I missed getting a photo. The residents however have many excellent photo's on their digital camera and will be providing me a copy on disk to further validate this late record. After my departure, it made another long visit to the feeder at about 3:15PM on 31 Oct, with some great photo's obtained by residents. Will post some once I get copies. Red feathers have started to develop on the the lower portion of the birds gorget. Earlier indications by residents that it might be a Rufous, were examined through photo evidence and the short visit on 31 Oct, and expected field marks for a Rufous were not supported. > > I visited again around noon today 1 Nov for 1.5 hours, but the bird had not been seen yet and did not make an appearance while I was there. The residents are actively watching for it. So it is not known at this time if its stay and survival will extend into the month of November. It had often perched in a 9Bark or a Dogwood near the front of the house, but was not using these locations on 31 Oct or today. It appeared to fly down to grove of trees on the north side of the yard, but attempt to locate it in this location were unsuccessful. > > Perhaps with the consistent food source over the last few weeks, the bird may have built up sufficient energy reserves to still head south to warmer climates, but the colder nights must by depleting those reserves each day. Surprisingly it has already survived lows down to -8C in earlier October, and temps have not dipped much below -2C most nights the last two weeks. Forcaste show a dip in the mercury starting again tonight though. We can only hope it has a chance, and may already have started its journey further south. > > > Posted by > Ted Hindmarch > Hillsborough Estates > NE of Gibbons Alberta > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > Subject: Re: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird From: "Curtis" <whitelinereaper AT yahoo.ca> Date: Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:26:59 -0000 These discussions have arisen in this forum before. From the posting guidelines for Albertabird: Inappropriate postings include discussions about conservation- related matters, the ethics and morality of hunting, falconry or bird-feeding, caged birds, copyrighted material, irrelevant material such as poems or jokes, or virus alerts. The List- owner will terminate any thread that is off-topic or has become too heated. Curtis Manly Spruce Grove Subject: Re: Re: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird From: "Kirk Huffstater" <kirkh_cg AT msn.com> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 07:07:44 -0700 In cold, northern climates, such as all of Canada and half the U.S., the establishment of feeder-dependent hummingbird populations caused by leaving feeders out during fall/winter is simply not a possibility or concern. Whereas this has happened in warm/tropical climates, it is not a concern in cold climates. Kirk Huffstater Central Colorado ----- Original Message ----- From: Jason Rogers To: Albertabird Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2009 12:23 AM Subject: RE: [Albertabird] Re: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable MIME-Version: 1.0 Kirk=2C =20 I don't think it is fine at all to keep hummingbird feeders up all winter. = There are always individual hummingbirds that lack the genetic programming = to guide them to their normal wintering grounds. These individuals either d= o not migrate or migrate in the wrong direction. If these individuals end u= p in areas where natural foods are inadequate to allow them to survive the = winter=2C they come to rely on artificial food sources such as feeders to g= et them through the winter. Essentially these are feeder-dependent birds. T= hese birds go on to breed and produce offspring that exhibit the same behav= ior=2C and over time=2C we see the development of feeder-dependent populati= ons of hummingbirds that can not sustain themselves and serve no ecological= purpose. This=2C to me=2C is something to be ashamed of. Jason Rogers hawkowl AT hotmail.com ________________________________ > To: Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com > From: kirkh_cg AT msn.com > Date: Mon=2C 2 Nov 2009 22:01:02 -0700 > Subject: Re: [Albertabird] Re: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > FYI......... > > > > Everyone should know that literally all the research studies support the = comments from Wayne C. Weber of Delta=2C BC=2C regarding the feeding of hum= mingbirds into the fall & winter months=3B in other words=2C it's fine to k= eep your feeders up as long as you want to=2C although they might freeze an= d break. There are dozens of information sources relative to this on the 'n= et=2C and the following couple links provide some perspective=3B many more = research-based studies are available as well in various journals=2C althoug= h not readily accessible on the internet. BNA online also has additional in= formation=2C but you need to be a member to gain access. > > > > http://www.hummingbirds.net/about.html#when > > > > http://www.hummingbirds.net/migration.html > > > > See "Fall & Winter Hummingbird Feeding" section. > > http://www.rubythroat.org/FeedersMain.html > > > > Good Birding=2C > > > > Kirk H. > > Colorado=2C USA > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Jim H Davis > > To: Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com > > Sent: Monday=2C November 02=2C 2009 9:04 PM > > Subject: [Albertabird] Re: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird > > > > TYVM: > > > > You may want review the rules of logic as they pertain fallacious argumen= ts=2C you've paid them little heed. I will respond privately with additiona= l comments. > > > > Best regards. > > > > Jim. > > > > --- In Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com=2C "Wayne Weber" wrote: > >> > >> Jim=2C > >> > >> > >> > >> There is little if any evidence for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds-- or for = any > >> other bird species -- that providing sugar water or food at a feeder wil= l > >> cause it to not migrate=2C or to delay its departure date. On the other = hand=2C > >> there is a very good chance that the hummer would already be long dead i= f > >> sugar water had not been provided. Therefore=2C the accusatory tone of y= our > >> message is completely unwarranted. > >> > >> > >> > >> Wayne C. Weber > >> > >> Delta=2C BC > >> > >> contopus AT ... > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> From: Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com] O= n > >> Behalf Of Jim H Davis > >> Sent: November-02-09 2:21 PM > >> To: Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com > >> Subject: [Albertabird] Re: Late Ruby-Throated Hummingbird > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> Sounds like someone should have taken down the feeder weeks ago=2C and n= ot > >> doom the bird=2C pretty hard to rationalize the word birdlover with this > >> short-sightedness. > >> > >> Jim Davis. > >> > >> --- In Albertabird AT yahoogroups.com =2C > >> "tedh AT " wrote: > >>> > >>> 31 Oct: I was able to verify a report received this date of a late > >> hummingbird near Gibbons. A sub-adult male Ruby Throated Hummingbird tha= t > >> was still coming to feed at sugar-water hummingbird feeders in Casa Vist= a > >> Estates=2C approx 8km by road SE of Gibbons=2C Alberta and 40km NE of do= wntown > >> Edmonton. Avid birdlovers=2C the residents report the bird first showed = up 16 > >> Sep=2C almost 3 weeks after their resident RTHUs had left for the season= . It > >> has been a regular visitor since. The hummingbird has been observed feed= ing > >> on small insects in the trees around the deck to augment the sugar-water= in > >> the feeders. > >>> > >>> On 31 Oct=2C it only came to the feeder once while I was there and I mi= ssed > >> getting a photo. The residents however have many excellent photo's on th= eir > >> digital camera and will be providing me a copy on disk to further valida= te > >> this late record. After my departure=2C it made another long visit to th= e > >> feeder at about 3:15PM on 31 Oct=2C with some great photo's obtained by > >> residents. Will post some once I get copies. Red feathers have started t= o > >> develop on the the lower portion of the birds gorget. Earlier indication= s by > >> residents that it might be a Rufous=2C were examined through photo evide= nce > >> and the short visit on 31 Oct=2C and expected field marks for a Rufous w= ere > >> not supported. > >>> > >>> I visited again around noon today 1 Nov for 1.5 hours=2C but the bird h= ad > >> not been seen yet and did not make an appearance while I was there. The > >> residents are actively watching for it. So it is not known at this time = if > >> its stay and survival will extend into the month of November. It had oft= en > >> perched in a 9Bark or a Dogwood near the front of the house=2C but was n= ot > >> using these locations on 31 Oct or today. It appeared to fly down to gro= ve > >> of trees on the north side of the yard=2C but attempt to locate it in th= is > >> location were unsuccessful. > >>> > >>> Perhaps with the consistent food source over the last few weeks=2C the = bird > >> may have built up sufficient energy reserves to still head south to warm= er > >> climates=2C but the colder nights must by depleting those reserves each = day. > >> Surprisingly it has already survived lows down to -8C in earlier October= =2C > >> and temps have not dipped much below -2C most nights the last two weeks. > >> Forecast show a dip in the mercury starting again tonight though. We can > >> only hope it has a chance=2C and may already have started its journey fu= rther > >> south. > >>> > >>> > >>> Posted by > >>> Ted Hindmarch > >>> Hillsborough Estates > >>> NE of Gibbons Alberta > >>> > >>> > >>> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > >> > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > > > __._=2C_.___ > > > > > > > > > > Messages in this topic (6) > > > > Reply (via web post) > | > > Start a new topic > > > > > Messages > | Files > | Photos > | Links > | Database > | Polls > | Members > | Calendar > > > > > > > > __________________________________________________________ > > > > * List owner: Albertabird-owner AT yahoogroups.com > > * Guidelines: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Albertabird/files/Guidelines.= txt > > > > > > MARKETPLACE > > > > Mom Power: Discover the community of moms doing more for their families= =2C for the world and for each other > > > > > > > > > [Yahoo! Groups] > > Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) > > Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch forma= t to Traditional > > > > Visit Your Group > | > > Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | > > Unsubscribe > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Recent Activity > > > > * > 9 > > New Photos > > > > > > > > > > Visit Your Group > > > > > > Yahoo! Finance > > > It's Now Personal > > > Guides=2C news=2C > > > advice & more. > > > Y! Groups blog > > > The place to go > > > to stay informed > > > on Groups news! > > > Yahoo! Groups > > > Weight Management Challenge > > Join others who > > are losing pounds. > > > > > > . > > > > > __=2C_._=2C___ > > > > > > > > > > > =20 __________________________________________________________ Ready for a deal-of-a-lifetime? See fantastic offers on Windows 7=2C in one= convenient place. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=3D9691634= [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Wabamun Lake Sunday From: "Curtis" <whitelinereaper AT yahoo.ca> Date: Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:02:39 -0000 Michelle and I spent a very nice morning and early afternoon out at Wabamun Lake on Sunday. The threatened flurries never materialized, and we ended up with a fairly warm (-2 to 6 Celcius) day with light wind. There wasn't an abundance of species, and with the return of warmer weather, much of the watefowl seems to have dispersed to other areas that have become ice free again. Despite looking at the lake from a number of locations, we managed to find only three loons, all Common. Ascot Beach had no waterbirds visible at all. There are still quite a few grebes, Western and Red-necked dominating, with a few Eared and a single Horned making appearances. One Double-crested Cormorant at Sundance seemed to be getting late. Fifteen species of swans, ducks and geese seemed low, although there were hundreds of many of those species. Highlights here were Tundra Swans,a Greater White-fronted Goose at the post office storm pond in Spruce Grove, six Cackling Geese in a large flock of Canadas at Longhurst Lake (south of Spruce Grove on Highway 627), and 26 Hoooded Mergansers (provincial park boat launch and Sundance). A single Greater Yellowlegs at Sundance in the small ponds below the cooling pond was probably the biggest surprise of the day. Our poorest raptor day today in ages, with a likely total of only four Bald Eagles to report. Gulls were thin, Bonaparte's being the most numerous, a few Ring-billed and a single Herring Gull off Rich's Point. A flock of about 230 Bonaparte's Gulls at Longhurst Lake provided some outstanding views of winter plumage birds. Our first (and only so far) Bohemian Waxwings of the year consisted of a flock of 29 at Wabamun Lake Provincial Park boat launch area. The final interesting sighting was a pair of male Evening Grosbeaks munching Red Osier Dogwood berries at Ascot Beach. We've been missing these guys lately, but it sounds like there are getting to be a few more sightings in the Tomohawk / Wabamun area. Cheers everybody Curtis and Michelle Manly Spruce Grove