Magpies

Well back in Wales again very jetlagged and trying hard to get myself down off the high of being in such a marvellous place as Alberta, Canada.  Gazing out into our rampant garden (the rain has caused considerable growth) this morning my attention was drawn to a Magpie flying past.  This species is so familiar to us that we hardly comment unless they are trying to find the nests of our garden birds.  The reason for mentioning this is because we have also been very familiar with magpies around my son's garden in Calgary.



Magpie Pica pica

The Magpie in my Welsh garden is of course Pica pica and very familiar to us all.  In Canada the Black-billed Magpie Pica hudsonicus was for many year considered the same as Pica pica even though its range is in Western North America which means there is a huge distance between the two populations and they probably have never met.



Black-billed Magpie Pica hudsonicus

Obviously there must be genetic differences detected by scientists perhaps using DNA which prove the two populations are separate species but I can discern little in the field to tell the difference.  Sometimes I think the American bird has a shorter tail but I am sure that may be my eyesight.  What is definite is the call of the American bird is much different to ours.  Their main call is higher pitched and shriller, so different you would think it was from some other species.  




Big Day Out in the Prairies

Black-necked Grebe feeding chick

Our last real chance of a big birding trip before returning home to the UK.  We decided to head for the Prairies and started at the now familiar Frank Lake and started at the hide.  Black-necked Grebes are now feeding quite big young and are the main attraction from the hide.  Moving outside there is a constant movement of American White Pelicans and White-faced Ibises going to feed.

American White Pelican

White-faced Ibis

There seemed to be quite a bit of evidence of wader migration with a flock of 25 Short-billed Dowitchers and a few Lesser Yellowlegs.



Short-billed Dowitchers

 After this stop we decided to drive on east for an hour to Macgregor Lake.  This is an enormous stretch of water in the middle of miles of fairly flat agricultural fields.  You only need to bird one small area where there is a shallow lagoon behind the dam and also the car park/picnic area.  We checked the lagoon first which was full of waders.  The most numerous were 40  Lesser Yellowlegs followed by about 20 Stilt Sandpipers then 7 Marbled Godwits, 5 Willet, Greater Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, 3 Black-necked Stilts and 8 Wilson's Phalaropes.

Lesser Yellowlegs

Also around the lagoon we found a pair of Grey Partridges with young, 2 Western Meadowlarks and hordes of Red-winged and yellow-headed Blackbirds.  From the dam there were a pair of Western Grebes and young.  We then took our lunch to the car park.  There were plenty of birds here too.  A gang of ring-billed Gulls watched us hoping for a snack and a splendid Loggerhead Shrike perched on posts around us.  Flocks of Black Terns flew backward and forwards to their nesting areas and a pair of Western Kingbirds were catching flies from the nearby fence.

Loggerhead Shrike

Western Kingbird

After lunch and a break we began the drive back.  generally the drive is pretty boring being 60 kilometres of dead straight road.  We did have a bit of excitement though and considerable luck.  I spotted a peculiar shaped bird on overhead wires.  It seemed to have long legs so we turned round and went back.  What a  surprise as the bird was an Upland Sandpiper.  I had never seen a wader sitting on wires before but my son tells me he often sees this species doing this near Fort St.John in the north.  As we turned again we found another Upland Sandpiper this time posing more normally on a post.

Upland Sandpiper on overhead wires

Upland Sandpiper

Eventually we returned to another part of Frank Lake.  It was now very hot and we did a quick survey of some pools where we found a Least Sandpiper with the resident Wilson's Phalaropes and Willets.

Willet

After all that it was off to a local farm to buy a Saskatoon Pie for supper and home.

Urban Rabbits

White-tailed Jack Rabbit

My son Jeremy and his family live on Signal Hill in Calgary, Alberta.  This is a very well developed area to the South-west of the city with houses fairly close together.  There is little to no habitat of any sort except well manicured lawns and verges.  Yet at dusk and dawn you might catch a glimpse of what the residents call rabbits.  They are in fact White-tailed Jack Rabbits and to me resemble hares more than rabbits.  They apparently live under sheds, houses etc and come out to feed when the area is quiet.  In winter they turn white.

Great Grey Ghost of the Woods at last!

This morning I got up at 5am and headed back to the owl site.  I was there by 5.55am but nothing at the spot I had been told.  I drove on down Grand Valley road a bit further just as the sun started to appear.  Looking to my left and to me great delight sat a large bundle of feathers on a fence post.  I stared through the binoculars finding it difficult to keep my hands steady in the excitement.  Then its head turned - Wow!.  My quest was over at last a Great Grey Owl.

A distant Great Grey Owl

I took as many photographs as possible whilst being eaten alive by mosquitos.  Another vehicle arrived carrying another photographer.  Not wishing to spoil his fun I drove off.  getting about 5 miles down the road I stopped.  What was I doing?  I had been hoping to see this bird all my life and now I had left having watched it for just under an hour.  I turned round and drove back.  The other photographer was standing just 10 feet from the bird.  He smiled when I got out and indicated I should join him.  The next hour was breathtaking.  This great bird treated us with complete disdain as it hunted the meadow.  I took over 200 photographs before withdrawing.  One of the greatest moments of my life.

Great Grey Owl

Great Grey Owl

Thanks to my pal Bob Abrams in Virginia USA who emailed me last night and suggested I should get up early if I wanted to see this bird.

Swainson's Hawk

To end a good session a great Swainson's Hawk on the way back for breakfast.

Family Day Out

We all set off for Cochrane and visited the Glenbow Ranch Provincal Park.  The day was very hot - over 30 degrees and the walking steep through grassland and small woods.  Birds were surprisingly easy to find with House Wren, Warbling Vireo, Chipping Sparrow and Clay-coloured Sparrow all being found.  Best of all a splendid Vesper Sparrow sang from a fence post.

Vesper Sparrow

After a cool drink we moved on to downtown Cochrane for an ice cream.  There was an amazing long queue but efficient staff soon got us served and we were able to reflect on the historic "wild west" buildings.

Cochrane

Beryl and I pressed on after the rest of the family had returned to have another go in the Great Grey Owl territory.  Passing a lake we noted Canvasback, Red-necked Grebe and 2 Double-crested Cormorants.  Again no sign of owls but we stopped to see an American Badger a new mammal for us but sadly we could not get a photograph.

Barn Swallow

Finally we stopped to look at 2 Barn Swallows and reflect how much more colourful they are than the European race.

Wild Owl Chase

When abroad seeing owls is difficult.  You need some local knowledge to see most of the species.  I have never seen Great Grey Owl anywhere and before I left UK I discovered a pair had been seen hunting just north-west of Calgary.  Today I tried twice with no luck but I did find a large nest in an aspen which could have been used by this species.  I might try again.

Raven

On the way to the owl site a large pond revealed American White Pelican, Double Crested Cormorant and Red-necked Grebe while a small area of water produced 3 Goosanders and a Killdeer.  I also stopped to photograph a Raven on a fence post.

Moose

We also spent some time along the Powderface Trail and found 2 White-crowned Sparrows, Wilson's Snipe, Common Yellowthroat, Lincoln's Sparrow and an Osprey carrying a fish. As we left the area we located another bull Moose by the side of the road.

Beautiful British Columbia

Up early yesterday as we are driving to Banff National Park and then across the border into the Provence of British Columbia.  Entering the Park we take the Bow Valley Parkway a minor road where I photographed Wolf on my last visit.  There are signs up indicating Wolf activity but none this morning.  We did locate a magnificent Elk stag which quickly moved off into the forest. Further on feeding on the roadside we did encounter 2 Black Bears.

Black Bear

We then stopped off at Lake Louise village for a coffee and toilets and were greeted by our only Clark's Nutcracker of the day in the car park.

Clark's Nutcracker

We were now ready to press on to our destination Emerald Lake in BC.  It is only about thirty minutes drive from Lake Louise so we were soon there.  Our first task was to have a picnic lunch then some of my family decided to rent a canoe and discover this beautiful place.  I opted for walking.

Emerald Lake

I set off around the lake first of all noticing a single Common Loon (Great Northern Diver) which was all I could find on the water.  Further on an Osprey flew high over the forest and a pair of Chipping Sparrows were gathering nesting material on the path.  There were lots of swallows in the area and I picked out some Violet-Green Swallows amongst the Barn & Tree.  The forest and open areas were full of American Robins all busily collecting food for their young. I also caught a glimpse of a Golden-crowned Kinglet.

American Robin carrying food.

Returning back along the trail I heard a distant but persistant call reminiscent of a woodpecker.  At first I thought it was coming from the far side of the lake but then I realised it was from a tree between me and the near shore.  Moving about 3 metres off the path I discovered a hole in a tree where the racket was coming from.  Within minutes I was photographing a pair of American Three-toed Woodpeckers feeding young.  What a treat!

Male American Three-toed Woodpecker

After collecting everybody together we set off for the nearby small town of Field where we enjoyed supper at a pub called the Truffle Pig.  It was excellent.  Starting off for Calgary we had not gone far when we noticed at least 3 Mountain Goats on rocky cliffs right down by the road.  This is very unusual as they are usually white dots way up in the mountains.

Mountain Goat

Back now in Alberta we drove a little way up the Ice Parkway but no mammals.  We did see 3 Lesser Scaup and hear the electronic song of Varied Thrush.  We retraced our steps leaving the park but found nothing else and continued the long drive home in the dark watching the Calgary Stampede fireworks as we approached the city.  Another great wildlife day.