Birds of Alberta 10

Six days ago, on 6 June 2015, my place was beginning to get uncomfortably warm inside. That meant I needed air-conditioning and the only place to find it was in my car. So, off I went along the backroads SW of the city. I wasn't expecting to see anything different, but there were certain birds that I was certain I would see - birds that I really enjoy photographing. I really do need to drive somewhere different, but this drive is just a fairly short drive and fits nicely into an afternoon or early evening. The "usual" included Mountain Bluebirds, and this male (head feathers ruffled a little by the slight breeze) obliged, bringing a fat, hairy caterpillar for his babies. Dad seems to bring the larger, heavier insects, especially Grasshoppers, while Mom tends to choose lighter, more delicate ones. Funny how the nearby Tree Swallows will sometimes "tease" their Bluebird neighbours by flying and landing very near the Bluebird nesting box. Out of nowhere, the brilliant flash of blue of the male flies at top speed to chase the Tree Swallows away. Yesterday, I noticed the female Bluebird landed just a couple of feet from the Tree Swallow nesting box and just sat there with a Swallow on either side of her. No idea why she did this, as it annoyed the Swallows, and of course she was chased away. In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i... Other sightings on my drive included the usual Tree Swallows, Red-winged Blackbirds, Black Terns, a pair of Cinnamon Teal glowing in the bright sunlight, a distant Coot feeding her little ones, a Pied-billed Grebe who was annoying an adult Coot who kept racing across the top of the water to chase the Grebe further away. My final sighting was a Coyote in a field of Dandelions. By the time I had pulled over and raised my camera, it was already heading off in the opposite direction, stopping once to look back as Coyotes tend to do. I almost forgot to mention the highlight of my drive! Not far from home, I noticed a Canada Goose in the distance, standing in the grasses right at the edge of the road. I thought it might just step out in front of me, so I stopped in my lane on this fairly busy road and turned on my hazard flashers. Sure enough, it did exactly what I was suspecting - and it was followed by its family of half a dozen or so goslings walking in a very disciplined single file, with Mom/Dad bringing up the rear. Fortunately, the cars coming behind me in the other lane also slowed down and stopped till everyone was safely to the other side. May sound silly, but I find it such an amazing, humbling experience when this happens : )

A couple of mornings ago, on 11 June 2015, I joined a group of friends for a walk in Weaselhead, hoping to see three species of Hummingbird - Calliope, Rufous and Ruby-throated. The Calliope (5 of them) gave us the closest (but still distant) views, while the other two were very distant. It never fails to amaze me that these three species are all found in Weaselhead. This tiny bird (seemingly not much bigger than a large Bumblebee, lol!) would occasionally flash the gorgeous feathers on its neck - the colour in the sunlight was amazing. Very poor photo, but wanted to add it to my Weaselhead album. It is the smallest long-distance avian migrant in the world, spending its winters in Mexico. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Calliope_Hummingbird/id "This is the smallest breeding bird found in Canada and the United States. An adult calliope hummingbird can measure 7–10 cm (2.8–3.9 in) in length, span 11 cm (4.3 in) across the wings and weigh 2 to 3 g (0.071 to 0.106 oz)." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calliope_hummingbird As usual at this time of year, it was good to see the huge number of Cliff Swallows, swarming like a cloud of large insects around the metal bridge over the river. In flight, they catch insects and fly back to their mud nests, that are built under the bridge, to feed their babies. It amazes me how each bird knows which is its own nest - they all look alike. Another bird (a pair) that was good to see was the little Eastern Phoebe, back at the same location where it has been at least the last few years. So difficult to get a decent photo because of the distance - the photo I posted yesterday was the closest shot I had ever been able to get. It was taken when the bird flew to a piece of driftwood in the water. The group divided into two for this walk and the following is the combined list of species seen. As usual, I didn't see all the listed birds, but was happy especially to see the three Hummingbird species. Mallard-2 Great Blue Heron-1 Swainson’s Hawk-2, 1 captured juv. BBMagpie. Merlin-1, captured a Cliff Swallow. Spotted Sandpiper-1 Franklin’s Gull-50 Ruby-throated Hummingbird-2 Rufous Hummingbird-1 Calliope Hummingbird-5 Northern Flicker-4 Olive-sided Flycatcher-1. Eastern Phoebe-2 Black-billed Magpie-6 American Crow-4 Common Raven-1+ Tree Swallow-12 Cliff Swallow-249 Black-capped Chickadee-3 White-breasted Nuthatch-2 House Wren-6 American Robin-5 Gray Catbird-6 Cedar Waxwing-12 Yellow Warbler-10 Spotted Towhee-1 heard. Clay-colored Sparrow-12 White-throated Sparrow-6 Common Grackle-1 Brown-headed Cowbird-6 House Finch-2 American Goldfinch-2 Red Squirrel-3 Muskrat-1

Add to Album and Add to Groups has vanished on today's three photos! Flickr just amazes me how things are fine one day and then don't work or disappear the next! Ha, 20 minutes later, it seems to be working OK for two of the three images. Strange. And now all three are working. A few weeks ago, on 4 May 2015, we finally had a day without strong winds. I decided that it might be a good day to drive SE of the city again to see what I could find. The last few times I had been there recently, the wind had been so strong, making it almost impossible to stand, let alone take photos. The very first thing I saw when I reached the gravel road off 23 at Frank Lake, was a beautiful Western Meadowlark. I only see one very occasionally, though on this day I did see a second one later in the afternoon. At, or near, the bird blind/hide, there were a few Eared Grebes, Coots, Canada Geese, numerous and noisy Franklin's Gulls, a Ruddy Duck, a few Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds, several Western Grebes (further away and not really within camera range) and American Avocets. White-faced Ibis were either down on the ground in the distance or flying around, mixed in with the Franklin's Gulls. After visiting the blind, I drove around the lake, seeing the second Meadowlark and, to my delight, a pair of Long-billed Curlews that were extremely well-camouflaged against the stubble and dried grasses in a field. The Curlew is North America's largest shorebird. I'm sure I have seen one before, probably through someone's scope, but never really "seen" one properly. Managed to get a few shots, though the birds don't show up very clearly. Along one of the roads, friend Greg passed me, going in the same direction. He stopped briefly and said he was on his way to help mutual friend, George. A few hours later, I saw a photo on Facebook of the predicament that George had found himself in. When I say his vehicle was stuck in deep mud, I really mean STUCK, lol! Not sure how he managed to find such wet, muddy ground, as everywhere else is bone dry. Well done, George! The things we birders/photographers sometimes go through to get photos! At the end of the lake drive, I decided to drive north on the Blackie road, stopping at one of the sloughs there, where I was able to get photos of the American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts. So, all in all, an enjoyable, quite rewarding afternoon, spent in one of my favourite areas. A contrast to yesterday and today, 13 and 14 June 2015. Overcast, dreary and rainy, which means that I am at least getting a few things done, including backing up most of my photos (till my external hard drive ran out of space!).

This is the first time I have ever been able to take a close shot of an Eastern Kingbird. After the usual flying from fence post to fence post, searching for food, this bird eventually flew across the road and stayed on this post long enough for me to take a few shots. From a distance, it could almost have been mistaken for a Tree Swallow, at a quick glance. "With dark gray upperparts and a neat white tip to the tail, the Eastern Kingbird looks like it’s wearing a business suit. And this big-headed, broad-shouldered bird does mean business—just watch one harassing crows, Red-tailed Hawks, Great Blue Herons, and other birds that pass over its territory. Eastern Kingbirds often perch on wires in open areas and either sally out for flying insects or flutter slowly over the tops of grasses. They spend winters in South American forests, where they eat mainly fruit." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/eastern_kingbird/id After two dreary days of rain, the sun finally broke through the clouds yesterday afternoon, so I decided to take a short drive SW of the city and see if I could see Mountain Bluebirds and Wilson's Snipe. These are two of my favourite birds to photograph and I was lucky to see both. However, one of my usual pair of Bluebirds was nowhere to be seen and instead, a Tree Swallow was looking out of the Bluebirds' nesting box. I did get a distant glimpse of a Bluebird and managed one quick shot, but when I looked at the photo when I got home, I saw that this male had a metal band on its leg. So, unless it had just been banded in the last couple of days, it was a different bird from the one in many of my photos. I didn't see much else during this drive, and just the usual. Felt so good to be out in sunshine, though. Pam, nice to bump into you, too!

Wednesday, 10 June 2015, was only what I would call a "magical" evening! Normally, I never go out in the evening - usually just too tired and there are all sorts of things needing to be done on my computer. However, having driven SW of the city the previous day and noticing a baby Mountain Bluebird poking its head out of its nesting box, I knew that any time now that it and its siblings would be suddenly gone. Since then, I have been back one time and a Tree Swallow poked its head out of the Bluebird nesting box, letting me know that this Bluebird family had fledged and moved away. The male Bluebird seen in this photo was taken at a different location the same evening. In Bluebirds, the blue colour is produced by the structure of the feather - there is no blue pigment. "Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of Bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay's and Steller's Jays." www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id www.jstor.org/discover/pgs/index?id=10.2307/4077277&i... It was early evening when I left home on 10 June, after a volunteer shift and a haircut. Really, I was just going to check on the Bluebirds and was not expecting to see all that much else.That's how the evening started, but as the evening progressed, the world seemed to come alive with bird song and activity. It has been a long, long time since I've experienced that, if ever. Though my trip was mainly just to check on the Bluebirds, I was also lucky to see an American Robin sitting on a barbed-wire fence just a couple of feet away from a brilliant blue male Bluebird (not this one). Talk about colour! They were way down the road, so I was only able to get a very distant shot. Also saw a number of Snipe that I love photographing. When I reached the point where I was going to turn around and head for home, I saw yet another Snipe perched on a fence. Just a few feet from it, on the same fence, was a beautiful Swainson's Hawk! After posing for a while, both birds took off, with the Hawk in hot pursuit of the Snipe. I couldn't see how the chase ended, but hopefully the world is not missing a Snipe. Closer to home, I suddenly spotted a beautiful female Moose at a small wetland, right before I turned on to the main highway. Not sure if it's because I took my first photos (including this one) of her from inside the car, across the passenger seat, but most were blurry. Eventually, she left and started walking along the road away from the highway. I crawled along, watching her way in the distance. She kept walking from side to side of the road and then stopped to lick some salt off the road, bending her front legs to kneel in what looked a very awkward move : ) At this point, I stopped my car and turned on the hazard flashing lights, as she wasn't too obvious in the shadows from the trees at the edge of the road. I can see how easily a collision can happen! Fortunately, only one car came along, from behind my car, and the guy slowed down and was smiling. Took a while, but eventually the huge, majestic animal leapt over a barbed-wire fence and sauntered off into the trees. Driving back to the highway, I stopped to watch three or four young White-tailed Deer having fun at the same wetland. One of them was standing in the water and would occasionally stamp one of its front legs to make a splash and then bound away a few feet. Funny to watch and so good to see it playing so happily. So, it was quite the evening, to say the least! I drove all the way home with a big smile on my face.

A month ago, on 17 May 2015, I finally got out with my camera for a few hours. The previous few days had been dreary and overcast, with rain the last couple of the days. The sense of freedom felt so good, as I stopped in at a wetland in SW Calgary and then drove my usual loop along the backroads SW of the city. At this first pond, I saw the usual Mallards, Lesser Scaup, Redheads, Common Grackle, Red-headed Blackbirds, and a quick glimpse of a distant pair of Cinnamon Teal glowing in the sunshine. I had intended walking around to where I had seen the Canada Geese nest in other years, but before I did so, I suddenly noticed a distant pair of Geese swimming in my direction. I didn't really think much about it, but as they got closer, I realized that they were escorting 10 little goslings. They swam right up to where I was standing, as if to show off their new little family. And then they were gone, swimming off in the direction from where I had seen them come. After taking a few more photos of the nearby ducks, I carefully looked at each pair of Geese on the pond and none of them had any goslings swimming with them. Maybe they had returned them to the edge of the wetland and hidden them well. These were my very first goslings this spring, so I was happy as can be to see them. A week earlier, on 10 May, my daughter and I had great views of the pair of Red-necked Grebes, who seemed to be building a nest closer to shore than in previous years. It was disappointing to see that the tiny "island" that they seemed to have chosen was now very low in the water, after all the rain we had had. Hopefully, they won't move to a higher mound that is further away, but that is what I am expecting. (A more recent trip showed that they were now nesting further away.) Makes me thankful to have seen the pair earlier, fairly close. From this pond, I continued on my drive, greatly appreciating the sunshine and fairly empty roads, despite this being the Victoria long weekend here. The Brewer's Blackbirds were perched on fence posts, and I always love to see these birds with their white eyes. In one large pond, I watched two pairs of Blue-winged Teal, a Muskrat, a Pied-bill Grebe, and a pair of Red-necked Grebes. Most of these birds were very far away, but I just managed to get a few shots of the Teal. At the next slough that I stopped at, I saw one solitary Swan, too far away to tell if it was a Trumpeter or Tundra. I also spotted a funny little Pied-billed Grebe swimming fairly close to the road, but by the time I had driven a bit further in order to turn my car around, the Grebe was already closer to the far shore. Further on, I stopped to see a pair of Mountain Bluebirds that came to their nesting box just once while I was there. Tree Swallows made a quick appearance at the nest box that was nearby. Continuing my drive, I passed a pair of Wigeon preening themselves at a tiny slough, along with a Green-winged Teal. Further yet, I stopped to take a few photos of Red-winged Blackbirds and - to my great delight - a Wilson's Snipe, one of my favourite birds to photograph. Last year seemed to be such a great year for Snipe, so I was hoping this spring might be the same. When I drove this road in one direction, I was happy to spot a Snipe down in the grasses, but still wished that it had been standing on a fence post. After turning my car around, I slowly drove along the edge of the wetland again and, this time, there it was! Absolutely made my day - anyone would think it was my very first sighting ever of a Snipe! It didn't stay for long, but gave me time to get three or four shots. From here, it was time to return home along some of the backroads before eventually having to get back on to the highway. A dark phase Swainson's Hawk was where I had seen it (same one?) on a couple of other occasions. Took a photo or two through the windscreen, so not the best photos, but I thought it might fly if I got out of the car. It was so good to get out and, though I saw no new or rare birds, I was as always happy to see the more usual ones, especially when they are close enough to photograph.

I tried making this image a bit brighter, but then the glow from the colour of the neck feathers lessened. The flash of brilliant, iridescent colour is simply amazing. Not a close photo, but I don't think this photo could have coped with any further cropping. Usually, when I do see a Hummingbird on the rare occasion, it is a Calliope, so this sighting was a real treat. "Approximately 9–10 cm long. Adult males are metallic green on the upperparts, iridescent ruby red on the throat, white on the underparts and green along the sides. Adult females look similar to males but with a white throat, greyish belly and buff along the sides of the belly, sometimes with a little red on the throat. Immature males look similar to females but with red streaks down the throat." From Canadian Wildlife Federation. cwf-fcf.org/en/discover-wildlife/flora-fauna/fauna/birds/... "These brilliant, tiny, precision-flying creatures glitter like jewels in the full sun, then vanish with a zip toward the next nectar source. Feeders and flower gardens are great ways to attract these birds, and some people turn their yards into buzzing clouds of hummingbirds each summer. Enjoy them while they’re around; by early fall they’re bound for Central America, with many crossing the Gulf of Mexico in a single flight." From AllABoutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruby-throated_Hummingbird/id This photo was taken on 31 May 2015, during the annual May Species Count. Eight of us covered a large area SW of Calgary, checking out the backroads, ponds, wetlands, sloughs. The highlight each May is calling in at a wonderful property where we are able to see some great species, including Evening Grosbeaks, Baltimore Orioles, and this year, this tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird male. We had a great day, stopping en route at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park to eat our lunch. This year, we didn't go into the park to look for Calypso Orchids, partly because a week ago, we did call in and found several of the small, pink Orchids. The temperature was 12C - 23C, with blue sky. Total distance travelled was 93 km and our total number of bird species was 63. After the Count, we called in at a little tea place and enjoyed relaxing with welcome cups of coffee. Thanks so much, Monica, for treating us all to this and for driving your daughter and myself around all day - greatly appreciated! The list, compiled by our leader, Gus Yaki, is long, but I will add it here, for my own memory. I'll add that, as usual, there were a lot of the birds that I didn't see - I don't use binoculars and also so many of the birds seemed to be the seen from the opposite side of the car, lol. 1. Canada Goose-19 + 20 juv. 2. Gadwall-2 3. American Wigeon-3 4. Mallard-27 +11 juv. 5. Blue-winged Teal-7 6. Cinnamon Teal-2 7. Northern Shoveler-1 f. 8. Green-winged Teal-5 9. Lesser Scaup-15 10. Ring-necked Duck-9 11. Bufflehead-3 12. Ruddy Duck-6 13. Pied-billed Grebe-1 14. Accipiter sp. Sharp-shinned Hawk?-1 15. Red-tailed Hawk-13 16. American Coot-7 17. Sora-5 18. Killdeer-1 19. SPOTTED SANDPIPER-9 20. WILSON’S SNIPE-6 21. Wilson’s Phalarope-4 22. Mourning Dove-2 23. Black Tern-16 24. Ruby-throated Hummingbird-1 25. Red-naped Sapsucker-2 26. Hairy Woodpecker-1 27. Northern Flicker-3 28. WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE-9 29. Alder Flycatcher-2 30. LEAST FLYCATCHER-10 31. Eastern Kingbird-6 32. Warbling Vireo-1 33. Black-billed Magpie-9 34. American Crow-12 35. Common Raven-6 36. Tree Swallow-55 37. Northern Rough-winged Swallow-2 38. Barn Swallow-3 39. Black-capped Chickadee-4 40. White-breasted Nuthatch-1 41. House Wren-10 42. Marsh Wren-1 43. Ruby-crowned Kinglet-2 44. Mountain Bluebird-20 45. Swainson’s Thrush-1 46. American Robin-14 47. European Starling-5 48. Tennessee Warbler-5 49. YELLOW WARBLER-8 50. Cape May Warbler-1 51. Chipping Sparrow-7 52. CLAY-COLORED SPARROW-13 53. Savannah Sparrow-6 54. Lincoln’s Sparrow-2 55. Rose-breasted Grosbeak-5 56. Red-winged Blackbird-178 57. Brewer’s Blackbird-25 58. Brown-headed Cowbird-17 59. BALTIMORE ORIOLE-3 60. Pine Siskin-49 61. AMERICAN GOLDFINCH-4 62. Evening Grosbeak-2 63. House Sparrow-4 Boreal Chorus Frogs, singing-at 5 locations. Red Squirrel-2 Least Chipmunk-1 Richardson’s Ground Squirrel-6 Muskrat-2 White-tailed Deer-5

When I was editing this image late last night, I didn't notice that the background, especially the top half, was so unpleasant on ones eyes! I wonder if it was because I was having to shoot through the window across the front passenger seat. Actually, I think it looks worse posted on Flickr than when not posted here. Wednesday, 10 June 2015, was only what I would call a "magical" evening! Normally, I never go out in the evening - usually just too tired and there are all sorts of things needing to be done on my computer. However, having driven SW of the city the previous day and noticing a baby Mountain Bluebird poking its head out of its nesting box, I knew that any time now it and its siblings would be suddenly gone. Since then, I have been back one time and a Tree Swallow poked its head out of the Bluebird nesting box, letting me know that this Bluebird family had fledged and moved away. It was early evening when I left home on 10 June, after a volunteer shift and a haircut. Really, I was just going to check on the Bluebirds and was not expecting to see all that much else.That's how the evening started, but as the evening progressed, the world seemed to come alive with bird song and activity. It has been a long, long time since I've experienced that, if ever. Though my trip was mainly just to check on the Bluebirds, I was also lucky to see an American Robin sitting on a barbed-wire fence just a couple of feet away from a brilliant blue male Bluebird. They were way down the road, so I was only able to get a very distant shot, but talk about colour! Also saw a number of Snipe that I love photographing. When I reached the point where I was going to turn around and head for home, I saw yet another Snipe perched on a fence. Just a few feet from it, on the same fence, was this beautiful Swainson's Hawk! After posing for a while, both birds took off, with the Hawk in hot pursuit of the Snipe. I couldn't see how the chase ended, as I was just getting out of my car to watch, but hopefully the world is not missing a Snipe. Closer to home, I suddenly spotted a beautiful female Moose at a small wetland, right before I turned on to the main highway. Not sure if it's because I took my first photos of her from inside the car, across the passenger seat, but most were blurry as so often happens. Eventually, she left and started walking along the road away from the highway. I crawled along, watching her way in the distance. She kept walking from side to side of the road and then stopped to lick some salt off the road, bending her front legs to kneel in what looked a very awkward move : ) When she had walked further down the road, I stopped my car and turned on the hazard flashing lights, as she wasn't too obvious in the shade from the trees at the edges of the road. I can see how easily a collision can happen! Fortunately, only one car came along, from behind my car, and the guy slowed down and was smiling. Took a while, but eventually the huge, majestic animal leapt over a barbed-wire fence and sauntered off into the trees. Driving back to the highway, I stopped to watch three or four young White-tailed Deer having fun at the same wetland. One of them was standing in the water and would occasionally stamp one of its front legs to make a splash and then bound away a few feet. Funny to watch and so good to see it playing so happily. So, it was quite the evening, to say the least! I drove all the way home with a big smile on my face. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lol! 41 reasons why you shouldn’t date a photographer: www.photographytalk.com/photography-articles/3280-41-reas...

On 4 May 2015, we finally had a day without strong winds. I decided that it might be a good day to drive SE of the city again to see what I could find. The last few times I had been there, the wind had been so strong, making it almost impossible to take photos. The very first thing I saw when I reached the gravel road off 23 at Frank Lake, was a beautiful Western Meadowlark. I only see one very occasionally, though I did see a second one later in the afternoon. At, or near, the bird blind/hide, there were a few Eared Grebes, Coots, Canada Geese, numerous and noisy Franklin's Gulls, a Ruddy Duck, a few Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds, several Western Grebes (further away and barely within camera range) and American Avocets. White-faced Ibis were either down on the ground in the distance or flying around, mixed in with the Franklin's Gulls. After visiting the blind, I drove around the lake, seeing the second Meadowlark and, to my delight, a pair of Long-billed Curlews that were extremely well-camouflaged against the stubble and dried grasses in a field. I' think I may have seen one before, probably through someone's scope, but never really "seen" one properly. Managed to get a few shots, though the birds don't show up very clearly. Along one of the roads, friend Greg passed me, going in the same direction. He stopped briefly and said he was on his way to help mutual friend, George. A few hours later, I saw a photo on Facebook of the predicament that George had found himself in. When I say his vehicle was stuck in mud, I really mean STUCK, lol! Not sure how he managed to find such wet, muddy ground, as everywhere else is bone dry. Well done, George! The things we birders/photographers sometimes go through to get photos! After driving all the way round the lake, I decided to drive north of 23, stopping at one of the sloughs there, where I was able to get photos of American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts and this female Yellow-headed Blackbird (grainy image). So, all in all, an enjoyable, quite rewarding afternoon, spent in one of my favourite areas.