American Avocet

American Avocet - Recurvirostra americana 

The genus name means "bent-back-beak." 

Damp dismal day with rain, sleet, and corn snow at Frank Lake on April 21, 2013. 

The Avocet swings the head and upwardly curved bill from side-to-side to feed in shallow muddy waters. A group of birds often advance together and the heads and bills move in unison. The sweeping motion sets up local currents that waft small surface invertebrates between the mandibles.









Avocets use the upturned bill to stir up mud on the bottom. These birds also dabble or dive for food. 

April, 26th, 2013 - Two Avocets on a sunnier day. 

  
References


The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta. Federation of Alberta Naturalists. 2007.

Baicich PJ, Harrison CJO. Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. Princeton UP. 2005.

Fisher C, Acorn J. Birds of Alberta. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton. 1998.

Sibley David A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior. Alfred A Knopf, Inc. New York. 2001.

Tudge Colin. The Bird. Crown Publishers. New York. 2008.

Northern Flicker Nest Hole Excavation

Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus

The camera sequences below show a Northern Flicker excavating a new nest hole. I heard the flicker while I was hiking along the Elbow April 19, 2013.  

Flicker nests are usually about 8 to 25 feet above the ground in a tree. This dead tree was about 20 to 25  feet high and the top was broken off in a jagged fashion. Several years ago a very high velocity storm brought down many of the trees in this forest, and likely the top of this dead Aspen was snapped off. The flicker was excavating a nest hole about two feet down from the top.  

Excavation is by both sexes. In this case, a male is working the hole. The red malar mustache confirms the gender.  

The diameter of the entrance is usually 2 to 4 inches and the depth of the cavity is about 7 to 18 inches. The width is up to 7 or 8 inches and this flicker has chosen an appropriate tree with a diameter of about 10 to 12 inches, which will leave at least 2 to 4 inches of insulation.  

Excavation will take 15 to 25 days, so I will get to know this bird fairly well. 

There will be one brood and 6 to 8 eggs are usual. The eggs are laid daily and incubated by both the male and female. The male has the night shift. Incubation lasts for 11 to 13 days. The young are tended by both parents and fed by regurgitation. Eyes open at 10 days. The young are brooded by the male for the first 3 weeks and by the end of that time they are feeding at the entrance to the nest. They leave the nest a week or two later. 

Based on the data above, which is from Baicich et al, if the birds takes two more weeks to excavate, then one week to lay 7 eggs, and two weeks to incubate, I should see feeding at the nest hole in 8 weeks.  

References

The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta. Federation of Alberta Naturalists. 2007.

Baicich PJ, Harrison CJO. Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. Princeton UP. 2005

Fisher C, Acorn J. Birds of Alberta. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton. 1998

Sibley David A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior. Alfred A Knopf, Inc. New York. 2001.

Tudge Colin. The Bird. Crown Publishers. New York. 2008

Northern Flicker Courtship Display

Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus

The camera sequences below shows a "courtship" display between two flickers. In the larger photos only the bird on the right is shown. In the smaller photos at the end, both birds are shown.

Neither bird has a malar mustache, which implies these are both females, and the display, is therefore curious.

When I arrived home at about 5:45 PM on April 15, 2013, I opened the front curtains and saw one of the flickers at the peanut feeder. In the Black-bud Willow behind the feeder I saw the second flicker. Yesterday I saw two flickers, likely the same two, at another peanut feeder. I hardly ever see two flickers together in my back yard, so this was unusual and I watched. 

Both flickers relocated to opposing horizontal limbs off the trunk of a Japanese Tree Lilac. The trunk shows lots Downy and Hairy Woodpecker excavation.

Tail feathers spread to both sides. 

For about ten minutes I watched the display evolve. The flicker on the right kept the tail feathers spread to the sides while perched, but the bird on the left kept the tail feathers mostly straight back.

Pointing head up to left side. 

At the start of the display the birds both pointed their head up to one side and then the other. Then, the bird on the right fanned the tail feathers as the head bobbed down.

Tail feathers start to fan as head moves down. 

Head down & tail fan increased. 

Head down tail almost fully fanned

Tail in full fan and now head to the left
looking towards other flicker. 

Head looks to right away from other bird.

Head pointing - start of next display sequence.

The bird on the right repeated the pattern of head pointing followed by tail fanning many times. The bird on the left responded with some head pointing but only modestly fanned the tail feathers.

The smaller photos below show both birds but I was not able to enlarge these in the blog. 

  

The bird on the right has a red crescent on the nape of the neck, which implies this is a Yellow-shafted (Eastern) flicker, but the tail feathers are more orange, which to me implies an intermediate species. Bird on the left has an emerging red crescent and is therefore less mature. Neither bird had a malar mustache, which is red in the Red-shafted male, and black in the Yellow-shafted male. This implies that both birds are female.  

I wondered if the bird on the right was teaching the bird on the left? 

After watching for about 10 minutes and taking photos through the window, I decided to risk opening the door for a clearer shot. The bird on the left flew away immediately. A minute later the bird on the right flew across the yard to a peanut feeder.  

American Tree Sparrow

American Tree Sparrow - Spizella arborea

The Tree Swallow is one of the first swallows to arrive in spring as the bird migrated to the Arctic breeding grounds. Some nest at the northern edge of Alberta.  

These sparrows shake weed stems to cause the seeds to fall to the ground to facilitate feeding. The sparrows either jump against the stem or beat the stem with their wings during flight.

This Tree Sparrow managed to find sunflower seeds
below my feeders on a very snowy April 14, 2013.

This Tree Swallow was on the way south on October 12, 2012

References

The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta. Federation of Alberta Naturalists. 2007.

Baicich PJ, Harrison CJO. Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. Princeton UP. 2005

Beadle D, Rising J. Sparrows of the United States and Canada. Princeton UP. 2003. 

Fisher C, Acorn J. Birds of Alberta. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton. 1998

Sibley David A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior. Alfred A Knopf, Inc. New York. 2001.

Tudge Colin. The Bird. Crown Publishers. New York. 2008

Mink

Mink - Mustela vison

Both the genus and species names mean "weasel."  Mustela is the Latin word, and vison is the Swedish word for weasel. 

Mink often use the ice that forms on the edge of a river as a highway to move from one place to another. In late March 2013, I spotted this mink scampering along an Elbow River ice ledge. Mink also like to slide on snow.  

The mink eats anything that comes by including fish, frogs, small rodents, waterfowl, eggs, worms, and insects. Mice are common prey. Mink will follow a muskrat to the den, kill and eat the adult, then the brood, and then live in the den for a few days. Mink change dens regularly. About seven summers ago, there were at least half a dozen muskrat in the Discovery Duck Pond and then suddenly there were none. Perhaps a Mink found them?  

The mink has an anal musk gland that discharges a liquid as stinky as a skunk. The Swedish word Menk means, "the stinking animal from Finland."

References

Gadd, Ben. Handbook of the Canadian Rockies. Corax Press. Jasper, Alberta. 1986.

Rezendes, Paul. Tracking and the Art of Seeing. How to Read Animal Tracks and Signs. Firefly Books. Willowdale, Ontario. 1999.   

Rough-legged Hawk

Rough-legged Hawk - Buteo Lagopus

The species name means "hare's foot," and refers to the feathered "leggings" that reach all the way to the feet of this Buteo. 

The Rough-legged Hawk is a spring migrant that nests in the Arctic or Subarctic. When northern lemming numbers are high, more Rough-legged Hawks are fledged. Eggs are laid a day or two apart and in years with food shortage this insures only the first chicks laid will likely survive, since the older chicks out-complete with the younger siblings. 

All the food is caught on the ground either from a perch or dropping down from a hover. Mice, ground squirrels, and hare are the principle prey. The Rough-legged Hawk favours lower perches than the Red-winged. 

Plumage polymorphism (distinct, non-clinal, light and dark plumages that occur within a brood) occurs in these Buteos, as with Swainson's and Ferruginous hawks. The long white tail with a single or multiple dark bands is a good identification feature.  

References

The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta. Federation of Alberta Naturalists. 2007.

Baicich PJ, Harrison CJO. Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. Princeton UP. 2005.

Dunne P, Sibley D, Sutton C. Hawks in Flight. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston. 1988.

Fisher C, Acorn J. Birds of Alberta. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton. 1998.

Sibley David A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior. Alfred A Knopf, Inc. New York. 2001.

Scotter GW, Ulrich TJ, Jones EJ. Birds in the Canadian Rockies. Prairie Books. Saskatoon. 1990.

Tudge Colin. The Bird. Crown Publishers. New York. 2008.

Merlin

Merlin - Falco columbarius

The species name is derived from the Latin word for pigeon, because the Merlin looks similar to a pigeon in flight. The Prairie Merlin variety is common in the Calgary region. Females are larger than males. 

Merlins take smaller birds on the wing. Waxwings are popular in the winter and house sparrows in summer. These falcons often fly fast in a straight line and hope to surprise flocks of smaller birds and then take the slowest to react. Sometimes they stun the bird first with their feet. They kill with a short strongly hooked bill that has a small "tooth" near the tip, which serves to sever the spinal cord of the prey. The bill has a round peg in the center of the nostril, which is thought to disrupt airflow and to allow breathing at high speed. 

The young fly at 25 to 30 days and are independent by six weeks. 

This adult male Merlin was stunned after flying into the living room window. An hour or so later he flew off, hopefully without sequelae.  

As I opened the living room curtains on March 13, 2013, I saw a small raptor flash across the lawn in pursuit of a Common Redpoll. The Merlin alighted on a branch of the Mayday and was patient enough for me to capture this photo. Another Redpoll happened by and in a flash the hawk was again in hot pursuit. The hawk make numerous sharp deft turns without brushing a branch, and came to rest on the ground behind the Mountain Ash. The Redpoll escaped.

The above photo is the best of a sequence I shot on March 3, 2009. I watched as the Merlin captured a Common Redpoll at one of the feeders and then relocated to the edge of the snow-covered rock garden to patiently pluck and devour the little bird. The Merlin used one foot to hold the redpoll down while plucking upwards with his beak. The feeding lasted about 15 minutes.

The Merlin above was perched in an Aspen beside the Elbow River on April 22, 2013.  

References

The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta. Federation of Alberta Naturalists. 2007.

Baicich PJ, Harrison CJO. Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. Princeton UP. 2005.

Dunne P, Sibley D, Sutton C. Hawks in Flight. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston. 1988.

Fisher C, Acorn J. Birds of Alberta. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton. 1998.

Sibley David A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior. Alfred A Knopf, Inc. New York. 2001.

Scotter GW, Ulrich TJ, Jones EJ. Birds in the Canadian Rockies. Prairie Books. Saskatoon. 1990.

Tudge Colin. The Bird. Crown Publishers. New York. 2008.

Robin

Robin -Turdus migratorius


Turdus, the genus name, means thrush, the family to which the robin belongs.  

The slender pointed bill is adapted to eat soft foods such as insects, worms, and berries, but not seeds. When robins turn their head towards the ground they are looking, not listening for worms. 

The female makes a cup-shaped nest of grass and twigs cemented together with mud, which the bird shapes with her body. There are usually four eggs and two broods a year.  

May 6, 2013 Elbow Valley Constructed Wetland 

References

The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta. Federation of Alberta Naturalists. 2007.

Baicich PJ, Harrison CJO. Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. Princeton UP. 2005

Fisher C, Acorn J. Birds of Alberta. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton. 1998

Sibley David A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior. Alfred A Knopf, Inc. New York. 2001.

Tudge Colin. The Bird. Crown Publishers. New York. 2008

Kildeer

Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus





Nests are a usually a shallow unlined depression in the ground and if you are too close, the bird will feign injury, such as a broken wing.  This "distraction display" is meant to lead a potential predator away from the nest. These birds might have two broods a year. 

Killdeer are often the first shorebirds to arrive in the Calgary region. The Killdeer in the photos above were spotted on November 24, 2011 and January 29, 2012, and might therefore have overwintered in the region. 

References

The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta. Federation of Alberta Naturalists. 2007.

Baicich PJ, Harrison CJO. Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. Princeton UP. 2005.

Fisher C, Acorn J. Birds of Alberta. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton. 1998.

Sibley David A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior. Alfred A Knopf, Inc. New York. 2001.

Tudge Colin. The Bird. Crown Publishers. New York. 2008.

Common Goldeneye

Common Goldeneye - Bucephala clangula

Goldeneyes are one of the few birds who overwinter in the Calgary area, so they are regular sightings on my winter walks in Griffith Woods. 
In the spring, the males compete for females with a neck thrusting and bending courtship display. The male extends the neck and head straight up, often calling at the apex of this stretch, then bends the neck posterior over the back, then rolls forward to put the head into the water as the tail feathers fan out behind and the orange legs stir and spray water up behind the bird. 

Goldeneyes are divers. Their feet are located near the tail and this feature helps them dive and swim underwater. 

Nests are in natural cavities in trees and stumps, often in top snags, or in woodpecker holes. The female incubates and tends the young, who soon after birth are obliged to drop from nests 6 to 60 feet high.





References

The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta. Federation of Alberta Naturalists. 2007.

Baicich PJ, Harrison CJO. Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. Princeton UP. 2005

Fisher C, Acorn J. Birds of Alberta. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton. 1998

Sibley David A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior. Alfred A Knopf, Inc. New York. 2001.

Tudge Colin. The Bird. Crown Publishers. New York. 2008