In late June I took a drive northwest of Calgary to see a pair of Sandhill Cranes that were reportedly nesting along the shore of a large pond (or small lake, if you prefer). I’d never really visited this particular area before, despite it being close to Grand Valley Road …
My better half and I were evacuated from our neighborhood in Calgary during what will likely be known as the worst flood in Alberta’s history. While it wasn’t completely unexpected, we had our camping gear packed and ready to go, and a general idea of where we would head to …
When I lived in New Westminster my sister-in-law, Pat, fed peanuts to the Steller’s Jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) in her urban back yard. At that point I had no interest in birds at all, but I was intrigued by the jays that came by for dinner at Pat’s. So when I …
May long weekend camping has, as for so many families, become a tradition for us. Living in a “two season” province, this annual ritual feels in many ways like the start of summer and it’s nicely timed for some spring migrant birding. This year procrastination on the booking shut us …
We have all seen American Robins build their nests very close to houses, or even on them. Usually these nests are in well-protected spots, for example under the eaves of a house. Even if the nest is right by a doorway where people enter and exit, the young robins usually …
Hello everyone and welcome to my inaugural post for the Bird Canada blog! My name is David Pugh and I’m a birder from Calgary, Alberta who writes a blog named, with shocking originality, “A Calgary Birder”. If you would like to know a little more about me there is a …
There seems to be some controversy about Canada’s National bird, in fact we don’t have one. Oddly enough Canada has not named its National bird, at the time of this writing there are several nominations for that distinction including: Canada Goose, Common Loon, Red Tailed Hawk, Grey Jay and …
Everyone loves owls. Their big eyes, large size, and charismatic facial expressions can make even a non-birder sit up and take notice, and many birders have had their start with some incredible experience or other either chasing, discovering, or simply learning about them. Here in Calgary, there has been at …
Posted by Dave Ingram – Vancouver Island, British Columbia. We’ve finally got around to putting our suet feeders up for the winter and are starting to enjoy the regulars once again. We’ve been a bit reluctant because of the cat problem on the street- our next door neighbours have an …
Good day, gentle readers. In my inaugural post for Bird Canada, I thought I’d start with a proper introduction and brief biography of my experiences in my relatively newfound hobby. I’ve given some thought to an introduction in the past, and as my photos have been highlighted on this blog …