Live Bird Cams from the Alberta Foothills

Barb Castell is a birder who lives on an acreage SW of Calgary, Alberta, near the community of Priddis. The location is in the foothills, a transition zone between the prairies to the east and the mountains to the west. It is a great place to see birds, including some …

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What To Do With An Old Lawn Chair

Yes, I had every intention of throwing out this old weather beaten, shredding lawn chair cushion. Early May wasn’t exactly warm enough to sit on the deck, so the chair was waiting for the spring yard work urge to strike. Apparently procrastination can pay off, as these American Robins now have …

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Backyard Bird Count Goes Global

For the first time, anyone anywhere in the world with Internet access can participate in the 16th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) February 15-18, 2013. Participants simply watch birds at any location for at least 15 minutes, tally the numbers of each species they see, and report their tallies …

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Backyard Birdwatchers Wanted

If you feed birds in your yard each winter, why not turn your hobby into research that supports bird conservation? By joining Project FeederWatch and sharing information about which birds visit your feeders between November and April, you can help scientists at Bird Studies Canada and the Cornell Lab of …

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House Sparrow Explosions

Throughout most of the year, I have a good variety of birds passing through my yard, including the occasional rarity like a boreal owl or pileated woodpecker. During most of August however, I’m generally stuck with the good old house sparrow. Many, many house sparrows as the young of the …

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