CALGARY COMPETITION:

WINTER BIRDING TARGETS

Brian Elder

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

Winter birding strategy

Winter birding targets

Winter birding locations

Resources

WINTER BIRDING STRATEGY

Get out birding

Go after rare birds

(but don’t worry about seasonal

rarities)

Target winter visitors and birds most

easily seen in winter

Don’t worry about taking a winter

vacation … you’ll get a 2nd chance

next November and December!

TARGET

CATEGORIES

Winter visitors

Resident birds more easily

seen in winter

Scarce birds – usually occur

annually

Rare birds – do not occur

annually

Country birds - not easily

found within city limits

WINTER VISITORS

There are lots of reasons to come to

Calgary in winter!

WINTER VISITORSFOOD IS THE REAL

ATTRACTION

Gyrfalcon

Snowy Owl

Northern Shrike

Bohemian Waxwing

Common Redpoll

Hoary Redpoll

Pine Grosbeak

Snow Bunting

GYRFALCON

ID: a large, bulky falcon.

Can be confused with

Prairie Falcon but is not

brown, does not have dark

“armpits” and is bulkier.

PLUMAGES: Adult (left, top

right), immature (bottom

right). Gray morph is the

most common variety in

our area

WHERE TO LOOK: Usually

one or two around

Calgary – SE of the city is

the best location. Perches

on utility poles

SNOWY OWL ID: As easy as it gets!

PLUMAGES: Varies from nearly pure white (adult male) to white with dark

bars (female and immature birds)

WHERE TO LOOK: Most easily found in the Lyalta area but can be anywhere

east of Highway 2

BOHEMIAN WAXWING

ID: Compared to Cedar Waxwing, darker, grayer

with rufous undertail coverts and white on wings

WHERE TO LOOK: a berry eater – look for them in

suburbs with lots of Mountain Ash. Common, often

in large flocks

NORTHERN SHRIKE

ID: Similar to Loggerhead Shrike

(which is not here in winter) but

larger with narrower mask

PLUMAGES: Adult (right),

immature (left)

WHERE TO LOOK: Usually perch

on top of small bushes

COMMON

REDPOLL

Plumages: Male

(leftmost),

female/immature

(top right)

WHERE TO LOOK:

small bushes with

seeds; feeders

HOARY REDPOLL

ID: Tricky! Compare with Common Redpoll

(with which it usually associates) – paler,

fluffier, small billed; less streaking on flanks,

undertail coverts

WHERE TO LOOK: Usually found within a flock

of Common Redpolls

PINE GROSBEAK PLUMAGES: Male (left), female (above)

WHERE TO LOOK: Glenmore – listen for its

call

SNOW BUNTING

ID: No other songbird is so

extensively white (but can look quite

dark from above)

WHERE TO LOOK: Usually occurs in

large flocks in open areas; Listen for

the “tew” call

BIRDS MOST EASILY SEEN IN WINTER

Northern Goshawk

Spruce Grouse

Sharp-tailed Grouse

Wild Turkey

Great Gray Owl

Northern Pygmy-Owl

Northern Hawk Owl

Boreal Owl

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Barred Owl

American Three-toed

Woodpecker

Black-backed Woodpecker

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch

Red Crossbill

White-winged Crossbill

NORTHERN GOSHAWK

ID: A large, bulky accipiter – adult (right) is distinctive; immature (left,

centre) note white supercilium, speckled back, uneven tail bands

PLUMAGES: adult, immature

WHERE TO LOOK: Glenmore, Fish Creek PP, Bow River

SPRUCE GROUSE

ID, PLUMAGES: Male (left) has black

chest, white-spotted underparts;

female has short, dark tail and barred

underparts

WHERE TO LOOK: North/south section

of Grand Valley Road; hiking trails in

mountains

SHARP-TAILED GROUSE

ID: Smaller than pheasant; pointed

tail unlike all other grouse

WHERE TO LOOK: West of Nanton;

Hwy 22 south of Longview. Large

flocks in winter

WILD TURKEY

ID: Large size, dark body, tiny head

PLUMAGES: Male (both photos);

beard and dewlap smaller or absent

in female

WHERE TO LOOK: Open woodlands

west of Turner Valley

GREAT GRAY OWL

ID: Large owl with no ear tufts, yellow

eyes, white “bow tie”

WHERE TO LOOK: Water Valley area,

west of Turner Valley. Perches close

to ground (usually no higher than 5m)

NORTHERN HAWK OWL

ID: Mid-sized owl with no ear tufts,

yellow eyes, barred underparts, long

tail

WHERE TO LOOK: Water Valley area,

west of Turner Valley. Often perches

on top of trees

NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL

ID: Small owl with no ear tufts, yellow

eyes, boldly streaked underparts, fairly

long tail

WHERE TO LOOK: Water Valley area,

west of Turner Valley. Often perches

on top of trees; listen for its call during

the day

BARRED OWL

ID: Large owl with no ear tufts, dark

eyes, boldly streaked underparts

WHERE TO LOOK: Fish Creek PP,

Water Valley area, Sibbald Trail.

Generally nocturnal

BOREAL OWL

Illustration from: http://www.paulnoll.com/

Oregon/Birds/Likely/likely-Owl-Boreal.html

ID: Small owl with no ear tufts, yellow

eyes, more or less spotted pattern

above and below; dark V through the

eyes creates an “angry” expression

WHERE TO LOOK: West of Calgary.

Nocturnal

NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL

ID: Small owl with no ear tufts,

yellow eyes, broad brown streaks

on underparts

WHERE TO LOOK: Glenmore, Fish

Creek PP, west of Calgary.

Nocturnal

AMERICAN THREE-TOED

WOODPECKER

ID: Mid-sized woodpecker with white

barring on back, dense black barring on

flanks

PLUMAGES: Male has yellow on crown;

female lacks yellow (left)

WHERE TO LOOK: Fish Creek PP, Brown

Lowery PP, Griffith Woods. Watch for

dead spruce with bark peeled off

BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER

ID: Mid-sized woodpecker with black

back, dense black barring on flanks

PLUMAGES: Male has yellow on crown;

female lacks yellow (left)

WHERE TO LOOK: Fish Creek PP, Brown

Lowery PP. Watch for dead spruce with

bark peeled off

GRAY-CROWNED

ROSY-FINCH

ID: Dark brownish overall with gray hind-

crown and pink on wings and belly

PLUMAGES: Interior form (left), Hepburn’s –

much more extensive gray on face

WHERE TO LOOK: Exshaw, particularly

after a snowfall; any foothills location near

mountains

RED CROSSBILL

ID and PLUMAGES: Male (above, right)

dull reddish-orange, usually lacks

wingbars; female yellow-green with dark

wings

WHERE TO LOOK: An irruptive species –

not always here. Wherever there is a

good cone crop (particularly pines) –

Queens Park cemetery, Willow Park,

west of Turner Valley

WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL

ID and PLUMAGES: Male (left) pinkish-red, with

bold white wingbars; female (below) yellow-

green with white wing bars and indistinct

streaks on underparts. Compared to Red

Crossbill, smaller bill and longer tail

WHERE TO LOOK: An irruptive species – not

always here. Wherever there is a good cone

crop – Queens Park cemetery, Willow Park

SCARCE WINTERING BIRDS

Scarce – usually occur each winter; can also be seen in

migration

Harlequin Duck

Long-tailed Duck

Long-eared Owl

Rusty Blackbird

Harris’s Sparrow

HARLEQUIN DUCK ID and PLUMAGES: Male unmistakable; female

(below left) dark gray-brown, told from scoters

by smaller size, short bill, small white spots on

face

WHERE TO LOOK: fast flowing sections of Bow

River, gravel bars

LONG-TAILED DUCK

ID and PLUMAGES: Winter plumage

male (top), spring plumage male

(bottom) - not likely to be seen in

winter; female winter dark breast and

back, white belly and head with dark

cheek patch and crown

WHERE TO LOOK: Bow River

LONG-EARED OWL

ID: Slim, mid-sized owl with long ears

and orange face. Coloration is similar

to Great Horned Owl but is much

smaller and more strongly streaked

WHERE TO LOOK: Farms near Frank

Lake

RUSTY BLACKBIRD

PLUMAGES: Non-breeding plumage (below),

breeding plumage male (left) – not likely to be

seen in winter, female breeding similar to

Brewer’s Blackbird female but with pale eye

WHERE TO LOOK: along banks of river or creek

with flowing water

HARRIS’S SPARROW

ID: A large sparrow with a pinky-orange

bill

PLUMAGES: Adult (below) complete

black face and throat, immature (right)

lacks extensive black of the adult

WHERE TO LOOK: bushy areas with

redpoll flocks, feeders

RARE BIRDS – DO NOT OCCUR

ANNUALLY

American Black Duck

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Steller’s Jay

Northern Mockingbird

Northern Cardinal

AMERICAN BLACK DUCK

ID: Similar to female Mallard but darker

with dark olive bill and no white in

speculum

WHERE TO LOOK: Amongst the large

flocks of Mallards on the Bow River …

have fun!

RED-BELLIED

WOODPECKER

ID: Conspicuous bright red nape,

uniformly barred back, faint wash of red

on belly

WHERE TO LOOK: Only record for the

Calgary area was in High River

STELLER’S JAY

ID: Shape (and habits) of a

Blue Jay but mostly dark and

no white in wings, tail

WHERE TO LOOK: West of

Calgary

NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD

ID: Pale gray, more slender

and longer tailed than

American Robin

WHERE TO LOOK: Could be

anywhere! Most recent

records close to Calgary area

have been in Vulcan and

Nanton

NORTHERN CARDINAL

ID: Large, triangular red-

orange bill

PLUMAGES: male (below),

female (right)

WHERE TO LOOK: Suburbs,

small towns

COUNTRY BIRDS(BUT SOMETIMES SEEN AT EDGE OF CITY)

Ruffed Grouse

Short-eared Owl

Mountain Chickadee

American Dipper

Gray Jay

Clark’s Nutcracker X

RUFFED GROUSE

ID: Slender grouse with dark

tail band and dark bars on

flanks

PLUMAGES: rufous and gray

morphs and intermediates

(left?)

WHERE TO LOOK:

Weaselhead, Fish Creek PP,

Griffith Woods, west of

Calgary

SHORT-EARED OWL ID: Mid-sized owl with short

ear tufts (often not visible);

distinctive butterfly like flight

(photo below is of a darker

morph on Haida Gwaii)

WHERE TO LOOK: Frank Lake;

easiest to find at dusk or dawn

AMERICAN DIPPER

ID: Dark gray with long legs

and short tail

WHERE TO LOOK: Griffith

Woods, Bow Valley PP,

Kananaskis River

MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE

ID: Chickadee with white

eyebrow

WHERE TO LOOK: West of

Calgary

GRAY JAY

WHERE TO LOOK: West of

Calgary

CLARK’S NUTCRACKER

WHERE TO LOOK: Exshaw

WINTER BIRDING

LOCATIONS -

CALGARY

Along the Bow and Elbow

Rivers

Fish Creek Provincial Park

Weaselhead

Griffiths Woods

Queens Park Cemetery

Feeders

WINTER BIRDING

LOCATIONS -

COUNTRY

NW – Water Valley area

West – Exshaw, Sibbald

Trail

SW – Millarville, Turner

Valley, south on 22

South – High River, Frank

Lake, northwest of Nanton

SE – Sheperd to Carseland

NE – Lyalta area

RESOURCES

ebird

Christmas Bird Counts

Nature Calgary outings

Albertabird:

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Albertabird/info

Birdfinding Guide to the Calgary Region:

http://www.naturecalgary.com/birding/birding-locations/

GOOD BIRDING AND

GOOD LUCK!

• Photos by Brian Elder

• ID information adapted from The Sibley Guide to Birds, 2nd edition

• Clip art from internet• Maps from Google Maps