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

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.