Birds of Alberta 10

Might just crop the bottom bit of reflection later on, as the composition really bugs me each time I look at this photo : ) In the afternoon of 1 May 2015, I left home to drive SE of the city, with Frank Lake as my main destination. I was there on 26 April with quite a large group of birding friends and the lake was so beautifully calm - made for some nice reflections. Yesterday was the opposite, with very strong winds, making it really difficult to stand and especially hold a camera. The wind started a short while after I left home and I did wonder what it was going to be like at Frank Lake. The highway south is through pretty flat, prairie land and so there is little to break the force of the wind. As a result, I had to grip the steering wheel the whole drive, trying to keep my car within the lines of my lane. A few hours of gripping my camera and bracing myself against a wooden corner at the bird blind (hide) didn't help. The next day, my shoulders and arms were so painful, having triggered the inflammation in both shoulder rotator cuffs again. Fortunately, this didn't last many days. I didn't see many species of bird that afternoon, as my main focus was on the Eared Grebes, that I love seeing and photographing. Far more of them near the blind than a few days earlier, probably because they were trying to find a slightly more sheltered bit of water instead of the huge expanse of open lake. Saw a Coot or two, a few Canada Geese, maybe 15 or so White-faced Ibis in flight. Saw a couple of Yellow-headed Blackbirds, one Red-winged Blackbird, this Ruddy Duck, and endless noisy Gulls. Drove past the Great Horned Owl family and all looked well. I went all the way round the lake, but didn't see any birds at all along these gravel roads. I always love the prairie landscape. The trip was worth it, though (apart from my painful arms!). I did have to go through my photos to find the few that were in focus. Hardly unexpected, though, given the very windy day.

This photo was taken at the Reader Rock Garden nine days ago, on 13 May 2015, when I called in after a volunteer shift. Quite a few flower species are in bloom now, which is such a joy after so many months without colour. As well as photographing flowers - tends to be a challenge whenever I go there, as it almost always seems to be windy! - I was happy to see this beautiful Cooper's Hawk perched for a short while, high up in one of the trees. Perhaps someone would let me know if my ID is incorrect - thanks. "Among the bird world’s most skillful fliers, Cooper’s Hawks are common woodland hawks that tear through cluttered tree canopies in high speed pursuit of other birds. You’re most likely to see one prowling above a forest edge or field using just a few stiff wingbeats followed by a glide. With their smaller lookalike, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawks make for famously tricky identifications. Both species are sometimes unwanted guests at bird feeders, looking for an easy meal (but not one of sunflower seeds)." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coopers_Hawk/id en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper%27s_hawk

All three photos posted today were taken yesterday morning, 23 May 2015. The main focus of the trip was someone's property SW of Calgary, a place that we always call in at when we take part in the May Species Count. This isn't held till next weekend, so this visit was an extra one - and extra long, too, which was pure delight! I think we spent something like two hours, watching especially Barb's feeder area for some of the birds that have been showing up. We are always thrilled to bits to see the Evening Grosbeaks and the Baltimore Orioles - the first male Oriole to arrive at Barb's was on 15 May, and one showed up for us yesterday. Though I'm not keen on feeder photos, I still take them, as well as when the birds are in the nearby trees, giving me the chance to at least get closer shots. All the birds were very fast-moving, so gave us a challenge for two hours. The Goldfinch and the Pine Siskins also were quick, but not totally impossible to photograph. After our time at Barb's, we went to Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, mainly to look for Calypso Orchids, which we did find. A few people continued walking the trails, others returned home. I did part of the walk, but then went back to where the cars were parked and wandered through the forest around the parking lot. Tennessee Warblers sang continuously but were almost impossible to see. I was happy to find one single Coltsfoot plant - love the tight cluster of white flowers at the top of a tall stem. From Brown-Lowery, we started our journey home, stopping at a couple of wetlands on the way. This Tree Swallow was seen on the way home at one of the ponds/wetlands we stopped at. Not the greatest photo of a Tree Swallow, but a different thing to be perched on. Even though this was mainly a morning trip, it had started at the meeting place at 7:00 am. Can't remember if it has been three or four nights this week that I have ended up getting only a couple of hours sleep, which really doesn't help! I will add the list compiled by Andrew Hart, who kindly drove three of us around for the morning and early afternoon and then sent us his list that he submitted to ebird. Many thanks for both the ride and the final list, Andrew! "Here is the elist of Birds seen at B. Castell's S of Priddis; Plummers & Priddis Valley Rd.; and Brown-Lowery PP, 23May2015. 24 participants Number of Checklists: 3 Number of Species: 46 Checklists included in this summary: (1): CA-AB-Priddis. Barb Castell Date: May 23, 2015, 7:34 AM (2): CA-Priddis Valley road Date: May 23, 2015, 9:53 AM (3): Brown-Lowery Provincial Park Date: May 23, 2015, 10:28 AM 2 Canada Goose -- (1) 2 American Wigeon -- (1) 1 Mallard -- (1) 3 Blue-winged Teal -- (1) 3 Northern Shoveler -- (1),(2) 3 Green-winged Teal -- (1) 4 Lesser Scaup -- (1) 2 Common Goldeneye -- (1) 1 Swainson's Hawk -- (1) 1 Red-tailed Hawk -- (2) 4 Sora -- (2) 1 Spotted Sandpiper -- (1) 2 Wilson's Snipe -- (1) 7 Wilson's Phalarope -- (2) 1 Mourning Dove -- (1) 1 Rufous Hummingbird -- (1) 1 Red-naped Sapsucker -- (1) 2 Downy Woodpecker -- (1) 1 Hairy Woodpecker -- (1) 2 Least Flycatcher -- (2) 1 Eastern Kingbird -- (2) 1 Blue Jay -- (1) 3 Black-billed Magpie -- (1) 2 American Crow -- (1) 2 Common Raven -- (2) 11 Tree Swallow -- (1),(2) 1 Barn Swallow -- (2) 6 Black-capped Chickadee -- (1),(3) 3 House Wren -- (1),(2) 2 Golden-crowned Kinglet -- (3) 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet -- (2),(3) 9 Mountain Bluebird -- (1),(2) 6 American Robin -- (1),(2),(3) 4 Tennessee Warbler -- (3) 2 Yellow Warbler -- (1),(2) 8 Clay-colored Sparrow -- (1),(2) 6 Savannah Sparrow -- (1),(2) 1 Lincoln's Sparrow -- (1) 1 White-throated Sparrow -- (1) 1 Dark-eyed Junco -- (3) 23 Red-winged Blackbird -- (1),(2) 3 Brown-headed Cowbird -- (1) 1 Baltimore Oriole -- (1) 17 Pine Siskin -- (1),(3) 5 American Goldfinch -- (1) 5 Evening Grosbeak -- (1),(3) Andrew Hart"

This is the Memorial Day long weekend in the US and for Americans living elsewhere. All three photos posted today were taken yesterday morning, 23 May 2015. The main focus of the trip was someone's property SW of Calgary, a place that we always call in at when we take part in the May Species Count. This isn't held till next weekend, so this visit was an extra one - and extra long, too, which was pure delight! I think we spent something like two hours, watching especially Barb's feeder area for some of the birds that have been showing up. We are always thrilled to bits to see the Evening Grosbeaks and the Baltimore Orioles - the first male Oriole to arrive at Barb's was on 15 May, and one showed up for us yesterday. Though I'm not keen on feeder photos, I still take them, as well as when the birds are in the nearby trees. These Evening Grosbeaks (female in foreground and blurry male in background) gave me the chance to at least get closer shots. All the birds were very fast-moving, so gave us a challenge for two hours. The Goldfinch and the Pine Siskins also were quick, but not totally impossible to photograph. "A heavyset finch of northern coniferous forests, the Evening Grosbeak adds a splash of color to winter bird feeders every few years, when large flocks depart their northern breeding grounds en masse to seek food to the south. The yellow-bodied, dusky-headed male has an imposing air thanks to his massive bill and fierce eyebrow stripe. The female is more subtly marked, with golden highlights on her soft gray plumage. This declining species is becoming uncommon, particularly in the eastern United States." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Evening_Grosbeak/id After our time at Barb's, we went to Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, mainly to look for Calypso Orchids, which we did find. Some people continued walking the trails, others returned home. I did part of the walk, but then went back to where the cars were parked and wandered through the forest around the parking lot. Tennessee Warblers sang continuously but were almost impossible to see. I was happy to find one single Coltsfoot plant - love the tight cluster of white flowers at the top of a tall stem. From Brown-Lowery, we started our journey home, stopping at a couple of wetlands on the way. Even though this was mainly a morning trip, it had started at the meeting place at 7:00 am. Can't remember if it has been three or four nights this week that I have ended up getting only a couple of hours sleep, which really doesn't help! I will add the list compiled by Andrew Hart, who kindly drove three of us around for the morning and early afternoon and then sent us his list that he submitted to ebird. Many thanks for both the ride and the final list, Andrew! "Here is the elist of Birds seen at B. Castell's S of Priddis; Plummers & Priddis Valley Rd.; and Brown-Lowery PP, 23May2015. 24 participants Number of Checklists: 3 Number of Species: 46 Checklists included in this summary: (1): CA-AB-Priddis. Barb Castell Date: May 23, 2015, 7:34 AM (2): CA-Priddis Valley road Date: May 23, 2015, 9:53 AM (3): Brown-Lowery Provincial Park Date: May 23, 2015, 10:28 AM 2 Canada Goose -- (1) 2 American Wigeon -- (1) 1 Mallard -- (1) 3 Blue-winged Teal -- (1) 3 Northern Shoveler -- (1),(2) 3 Green-winged Teal -- (1) 4 Lesser Scaup -- (1) 2 Common Goldeneye -- (1) 1 Swainson's Hawk -- (1) 1 Red-tailed Hawk -- (2) 4 Sora -- (2) 1 Spotted Sandpiper -- (1) 2 Wilson's Snipe -- (1) 7 Wilson's Phalarope -- (2) 1 Mourning Dove -- (1) 1 Rufous Hummingbird -- (1) 1 Red-naped Sapsucker -- (1) 2 Downy Woodpecker -- (1) 1 Hairy Woodpecker -- (1) 2 Least Flycatcher -- (2) 1 Eastern Kingbird -- (2) 1 Blue Jay -- (1) 3 Black-billed Magpie -- (1) 2 American Crow -- (1) 2 Common Raven -- (2) 11 Tree Swallow -- (1),(2) 1 Barn Swallow -- (2) 6 Black-capped Chickadee -- (1),(3) 3 House Wren -- (1),(2) 2 Golden-crowned Kinglet -- (3) 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet -- (2),(3) 9 Mountain Bluebird -- (1),(2) 6 American Robin -- (1),(2),(3) 4 Tennessee Warbler -- (3) 2 Yellow Warbler -- (1),(2) 8 Clay-colored Sparrow -- (1),(2) 6 Savannah Sparrow -- (1),(2) 1 Lincoln's Sparrow -- (1) 1 White-throated Sparrow -- (1) 1 Dark-eyed Junco -- (3) 23 Red-winged Blackbird -- (1),(2) 3 Brown-headed Cowbird -- (1) 1 Baltimore Oriole -- (1) 17 Pine Siskin -- (1),(3) 5 American Goldfinch -- (1) 5 Evening Grosbeak -- (1),(3)"

In Canada, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. This happened to be on 10 May 2015, and my daughter had asked if I wanted to spend the day out with our cameras, looking for birds and old barns and anything else that was interesting and/or beautiful. I couldn't imagine a nicer way to spend this special day : ) We started off locally, visiting a wetland in the SW of the city, where we had good or reasonable views of several different bird species, including Lesser Scaup, Redheads, a pair of Red-necked Grebe, a Killdeer, Savannah Sparrow, Wigeon, Common Grackle (which I love to see) and, of course, a few Mallards. From that location, we drove some of my familiar backroads SW of the city, where we saw a Snipe walking across a gravel road (it had such a cute way of walking), another pair of Red-necked Grebe, a quick glimpse of a Mountain Bluebird, and a pair of juvenile Swans (very distant, but I think they were Trumpeters). Our drive then took us further south than I had ever driven before. We knew we wanted to see an old grain elevator at Azure (near Cayley) and we were able to find it. Drove a few of the country backroads in that whole area, eventually ending up at Silver Lake, where we watched some American Avocets and Black-necked Stilts. I'd never even heard of this lake before. From there, we drove the backroads east of Highway 2, all the way north to Frank Lake, where we saw Eared Grebes, a Western Meadowlark, Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds (female Red-winged seen in this photo), Coots, Canada Geese (of course!), and RAIN! A lot of the day, apart from when we first started the drive, was overcast and we did have a bit of rain on and off. There were some rather black clouds seen from Frank Lake. Managed to get a few photos of a couple of different Swainson's Hawks during the day. Twice, when we had a great opportunity to get photos, they were disturbed by a vehicle driving by. The driver of one car thought it would be fun to drive past as noisily as he could, of course making the hawks fly. We called in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home, hoping to have a delicious meal there, or at least we drove as far as the entrance. The parking lots were full and overflowing and there was a constant stream of new arrivals. No idea if it was because it was because it was Mother's Day, or perhaps there was a wedding being held there. Whatever the reason, we knew that there was no chance of ever getting a table in the restaurant. Thanks for the treat at Tim Horton's, Rachel : ) And thank you for spending the whole day with me - it made a lovely Mother's Day!

In Canada, Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. This happened to be on 10 May 2015 this year, and my daughter had asked if I wanted to spend the day out with our cameras, looking for birds and old barns and anything else that was interesting and/or beautiful. I couldn't imagine a nicer way to spend this special day : ) We started off locally, visiting a wetland in the SW of the city, where we had good or reasonable views of several different bird species, including Lesser Scaup, Redheads, a pair of Red-necked Grebe, a Killdeer, Savannah Sparrow, Wigeon, Common Grackle (which I love to see) and, of course, a few Mallards. From that location, we drove some of my familiar backroads SW of the city, where we saw a Snipe walking across a gravel road (it had such a cute way of walking), another pair of Red-necked Grebe, a quick glimpse of a Mountain Bluebird, and a pair of juvenile Swans (very distant, but I think they were Trumpeters). Our drive then took us further south than I had ever driven before. We knew we wanted to see an old grain elevator at Azure (near Cayley) and we were able to find it. Drove a few of the country backroads in that whole area, eventually ending up at Silver Lake, where we watched some American Avocets (including the one in this photo) and Black-necked Stilts. I'd never even heard of this lake before. From there, we drove the backroads east of Highway 2, all the way north to Frank Lake, where we saw Eared Grebes, a Western Meadowlark, Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds, Coots, Canada Geese (of course!), and RAIN! A lot of the day, apart from when we first started the drive, was overcast and we did have a bit of rain on and off. There were some rather black clouds seen from Frank Lake. Managed to get a few photos of a couple of different Swainson's Hawks during the day. Twice, when we had a great opportunity to get photos, they were disturbed by a vehicle driving by. The driver of one car thought it would be fun to drive past as noisily as he could to make the hawks fly. We called in at the Saskatoon Farm on the way home, hoping to have a delicious meal there, or at least we drove as far as the entrance. The parking lots were full and overflowing and there was a constant stream of new arrivals. No idea if it was because it was Mother's Day, or perhaps there was a wedding being held there. Whatever the reason, we knew that there was no chance of ever getting a table in the restaurant. Thanks for the treat at Tim Horton's, Rachel : ) And thank you for spending the whole day with me - it made a lovely Mother's Day!

This vibrantly coloured American Goldfinch was seen four mornings ago, on 23 May 2015. The main focus of the trip we went on was someone's property SW of Calgary, a place that we always call in at when we take part in the May Species Count. The Count isn't held till next weekend, so this visit was an extra one - and extra long, too, which was pure delight! I think we spent something like two hours, watching especially Barb's feeder area for some of the birds that have been showing up. We are always thrilled to bits to see the Evening Grosbeaks and the Baltimore Orioles that visit. Though I'm not keen on feeder photos, I still take them, as well as when the birds are in the nearby trees. The Evening Grosbeaks came often to the feeders, giving us the chance to at least get closer shots. All the bird species were very fast-moving, which gave us a challenge for two hours. The Goldfinch and the Pine Siskins also were quick, but not totally impossible to photograph. After our time at Barb's, we went to Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, mainly to look for Calypso Orchids, which we did find. Some people continued walking the trails, others returned home. I did part of the walk, but then went back to where the cars were parked and wandered through the forest around the parking lot. Tennessee Warblers sang continuously but were almost impossible to see. I was happy to find one single Coltsfoot plant - love the tight cluster of white flowers at the top of a tall stem. From Brown-Lowery, we started our journey home, stopping at a couple of wetlands on the way. Even though this was mainly a morning trip, it had started at the meeting place at 7:00 am. Can't remember if it had been three or four nights that week that I had ended up getting only a couple of hours sleep, which really doesn't help! I will add the list compiled by Andrew Hart, who kindly drove three of us around for the morning and early afternoon and then sent us his list that he submitted to ebird. Many thanks for both the ride and the final list, Andrew! "Here is the elist of Birds seen at B. Castell's S of Priddis; Plummers & Priddis Valley Rd.; and Brown-Lowery PP, 23May2015. 24 participants Number of Checklists: 3 Number of Species: 46 Checklists included in this summary: (1): CA-AB-Priddis. Barb Castell Date: May 23, 2015, 7:34 AM (2): CA-Priddis Valley road Date: May 23, 2015, 9:53 AM (3): Brown-Lowery Provincial Park Date: May 23, 2015, 10:28 AM 2 Canada Goose -- (1) 2 American Wigeon -- (1) 1 Mallard -- (1) 3 Blue-winged Teal -- (1) 3 Northern Shoveler -- (1),(2) 3 Green-winged Teal -- (1) 4 Lesser Scaup -- (1) 2 Common Goldeneye -- (1) 1 Swainson's Hawk -- (1) 1 Red-tailed Hawk -- (2) 4 Sora -- (2) 1 Spotted Sandpiper -- (1) 2 Wilson's Snipe -- (1) 7 Wilson's Phalarope -- (2) 1 Mourning Dove -- (1) 1 Rufous Hummingbird -- (1) 1 Red-naped Sapsucker -- (1) 2 Downy Woodpecker -- (1) 1 Hairy Woodpecker -- (1) 2 Least Flycatcher -- (2) 1 Eastern Kingbird -- (2) 1 Blue Jay -- (1) 3 Black-billed Magpie -- (1) 2 American Crow -- (1) 2 Common Raven -- (2) 11 Tree Swallow -- (1),(2) 1 Barn Swallow -- (2) 6 Black-capped Chickadee -- (1),(3) 3 House Wren -- (1),(2) 2 Golden-crowned Kinglet -- (3) 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet -- (2),(3) 9 Mountain Bluebird -- (1),(2) 6 American Robin -- (1),(2),(3) 4 Tennessee Warbler -- (3) 2 Yellow Warbler -- (1),(2) 8 Clay-colored Sparrow -- (1),(2) 6 Savannah Sparrow -- (1),(2) 1 Lincoln's Sparrow -- (1) 1 White-throated Sparrow -- (1) 1 Dark-eyed Junco -- (3) 23 Red-winged Blackbird -- (1),(2) 3 Brown-headed Cowbird -- (1) 1 Baltimore Oriole -- (1) 17 Pine Siskin -- (1),(3) 5 American Goldfinch -- (1) 5 Evening Grosbeak -- (1),(3)"

Yesterday, 27 May 2015, I had a volunteer shift and afterwards, as the sun was shining, I called in at the Reader Rock Garden. There is rain in the forecast for most of the next 12 days, which will drive me crazy, so I thought I'd better make the most of the blue sky while I could. Alberta is bone dry everywhere, with wildfires especially further north. Actually, one was burning near Water Valley the day after my daughter and I were there three days ago. So, much as I really dislike the rain, we desperately need it. Right next to Reader Rock Garden is the Union Cemetery, where I photographed this American Robin. The Jack Rabbits and birds spend time in both places, needless to say. From the Union Cemetery, I also called in at another nearby cemetery, hoping to find a Wild European Rabbit (none to be seen). There are several bird feeders there, especially by one of the gravestones. I always wonder if the person who was buried there had been a birder. Seemed such a beautiful idea. My last stop was at a wetland in SW Calgary, where I found a Common Grackle. Normally, I just don't see Grackles, but I had seen one there recently, and I'm always happy when I do see one.

Anyone else feeling totally worn out from trying to make everything work on the new Flickr set-up??? There are still many things that just will not work and I am spending so much more time here than I should be (words no doubt echoed by many people)! If you only post a photo with no description, tags, groups, albums, etc., it probably works OK, but nearly everything I try to do finds a problem. Yesterday, I learned that only a few photos can be seen in any album, instead of the full number - not good! Not sure, but I think this has now been fixed. You might want to just check your albums. I wish this photo of a Common Grackle had been much sharper, but the light wasn't good where it was. Decided to post it anyway, as the colours of the iridescent feathers are so beautiful. Yesterday, 27 May 2015, I had a volunteer shift and afterwards, as the sun was shining, I called in at the Reader Rock Garden. There is rain in the forecast for most of the next 12 days, which will drive me crazy, so I thought I'd better make the most of the blue sky while I could. Alberta is bone dry everywhere, with wildfires especially further north. Actually, one was burning near Water Valley the day after my daughter and I were there. So, much as I really dislike the rain, we desperately need it. From the Garden, I drove through the adjoining Union Cemetery and then another nearby cemetery, and then called in at a wetland in SW Calgary, where I found this Grackle. Normally, I just don't see Grackles, so I'm always happy when I do see one. "Common Grackles are blackbirds that look like they've been slightly stretched. They're taller and longer tailed than a typical blackbird, with a longer, more tapered bill and glossy-iridescent bodies. Grackles walk around lawns and fields on their long legs or gather in noisy groups high in trees, typically evergreens. They eat many crops (notably corn) and nearly anything else as well, including garbage. In flight their long tails trail behind them, sometimes folded down the middle into a shallow V shape." From AllABoutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Grackle/id animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birding/common-gra...