Category Archives: Bird Identification

Wordless Wednesday Waxwings

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Pat
Posted in Bird Behaviour, Bird Identification, Songbirds | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

A Golden Guest

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Pat

Local nature photographer Duane Starr has taken a series of outstanding pictures of a magnificent Golden Eagle. He says he came across a bird sitting on a rock on a small hill next to the road. Just as he stopped, … Continue reading →

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Wednesday Owlings

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Pat

When you look up the word ‘disdain’ in the dictionary, there should be an owl picture beside it. It means “the feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one’s consideration or respect; contempt,” which is exactly the feeling I … Continue reading →

Posted in Bird Behaviour, Bird Identification, Owls | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Advanced Birding Techniques – Finding the Northern Pygmy-Owl

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Pat

Guest post by Bob Lefebvre The Northern Pygmy-Owl is an elusive creature that can be very difficult for a birder to find.  For starters, it is very small, about the size of a pop can.  But there is no deposit … Continue reading →

Posted in Bird Identification, Boreal forest birds | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Here A Redpoll, There a Redpoll…

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Pat

Everywhere a common redpoll. My yard has been full of these appealing little finches for the past couple of months. These small seed eaters aren’t choosy – they like niger seed, black oil sunflowers and sunflower chips. They eat at … Continue reading →

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Wednesday Wings: Boreal Chickadees

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Pat

Guest Photos by Daniel Arndt, Calgary birder and nature photographer Dan has also written a terrific post for the Birds Calgary blog on these sweethearts of the boreal forest and many other birds that share their habitat. You can check … Continue reading →

Posted in Bird Identification, Boreal forest birds, Songbirds | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlas

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Pat

As significant results emerge from the analysis of five years of Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlas (MBBA) data, efforts have now shifted to communicating Atlas results to support conservation action. With funding from Environment Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program (HSP) for Species … Continue reading →

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Snowy Owl Invasion

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Pat

Spectacular Snowy Owls are on the move! The owls are irrupting well south of their usual winter range in Canada, with reports as far south as Kansas. To read more about the phenomenon in eBird, select this link. If you don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Bird Identification, Migration, Owls | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Snow Bath, Anyone?

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Pat

Posted by Janet Plante Living in the Boreal Forest is great, but it is even better when we get Chinooks. A Chinook is a warm wind that brings warmer temperatures, often above freezing. We have experienced going from -40 degrees Celsius … Continue reading →

Posted in Bird Behaviour, Bird Identification, Boreal forest birds | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Well, I Know It’s A Hawk

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Pat

Juvenile raptor identification is a wonderful challenge, isn’t it? What do you think – did I have a Cooper’s Hawk or a Sharp-shinned Hawk in my backyard? Peruse the photos, make your decision and leave a comment below. It will … Continue reading →

Posted in Bird Identification, Raptors | Tagged , , | 7 Comments