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

Mallard

Mallard - Anas Platyrhynchos 

Mallards are a member of the Anatini family - Dabbling Ducks. Dabblers feed in the water by straining water or mud through specialized lamellae along the bill or by tearing vegetation that grows up from the pond or river bottom. On land they feed on marsh seeds or agricultural grain.

The familiar sight of orange legs sticking straight up is a hallmark of the Mallard, which chooses shallow water locations that allow the bill to reach vegetation on the bottom.

Mallard nests are on the ground and subject to predation. The female incubates 10 to 12 eggs, while the male guards the nest. DNA studies reveal multiple paternity in about half the broods.


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.

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

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

Northern Goshawk

Northern Goshawk - Accipiter gentilis

The Northern Goshawk is the largest of the accipiters, which allows the bird to take larger prey such as Snowshoe Hare and Ruffed Grouse.  

The Goshawk in the photos above and below was posing about half way up an Aspen at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. The white supercilium is a good field marker.

The young are able to tear food up by end of the first month, start hunting at about 50 days, and are independent by 70 days. The talons are for stabbing and killing the prey; the beak is for plucking and feeding. 

The Goshawk in these two photos was hunting in Griffith Wood on March 24, 2013. The feathers at the wing tips separate into "fingers," which allows the birds to fly at slower speeds without stalling. Notice the "fingers" are wider apart in the photo above, while the hawk was slowing. 

Several years ago, while hiking Heart Creek, I came upon a Goshawk feeding on the ground. I startled the bird, which flew off down the trail, leaving these wing prints. 

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.

Tundra Swan

Tundra Swan - Cygnus columbianus

Lewis and Clark reported the bird near the Columbia river, which explains the species name.

Tundra Swans "stacked up" and ready to land on Frank Lake

Tundra swans winter in the United States, and during March and April, while there is often still snow on the ground, these majestic birds migrate through Alberta to the Arctic where they nest. Swans mate for life. 

This Easter long weekend I counted more than a thousand swans on the lakes and sloughs south and east of Calgary. 

Swans flew over Langdon slough but they didn't land.
I heard them approach from the north and tracked them with my Canon.  

They circled around me and flew southeast into the morning sun, which allowed these grey silhouette photos. 

Tundra Swans flying over Frank Lake March 2013

Swans encountered in Alberta during late spring and summer are more likely Trumpeter Swans, which are larger but otherwise almost identical, but which nest throughout Alberta.

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.

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

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

  

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle


By 1963, courtesy of DDT and other organic pesticides, which thin egg shells, there were only 417 known nesting pairs of Bald Eagles in the lower United States!!!! 

Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962, and this book turned the tide and ushered in the modern conservation movement. By 1993 the census was up to 4500 nesting pairs.

The white head and tail in this bird photographed at Frank Lake on March 22, 2013 implies the bird is mature and at least 4 years of age. 

There were at least two Bald Eagles at Frank Lake that day. likely feeding on ducks. Fish are another common prey. Bald Eagles are good foragers and in the early spring before the ice is off the rivers, I commonly see these raptors in fields, where I presume they are on the look out for small mammals. These large opportunistic raptors often take fish from Osprey. 

The five photos above were shot on March 23, 2013 in Griffith Woods behind my home. I saw the eagles from a mile away and managed to get close enough for these photos, which were taken from about a hundred meters away. I was on the northern bank of the Elbow and the birds were at the top of Spruce trees on the southern bank. The trees were about 40 or 50 meters tall. Just before the sequence above, the male tried to mate with the female but his overture was not accepted.

Over this last weekend of March 22, 23 and 24th, I saw Bald Eagles every day, including at least two at Frank Lake, one at Inglewood, and at Griffith Woods, I saw the perched pair above on the Friday, and two more on the Sunday. Clearly the Bald Eagle is thriving where I live!

Bald Eagles have the largest nest of any North American bird. Two eggs are usually laid but only one chick usually survives. These raptors live for over 30 years.                                                               

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.