Canada Birding Photography Locations & Reports

Still exploring Alberta, and still can’t believe the vast amount of wildlife in and around Calgary, especially the birds of prey.
Saturday I headed out late in the afternoon, temps around 18c with mixed sun and cloud, I was out for a total of 1.5 hours and in that course of time I counted about 30 - 40 hawks, actually I lost count. Swainson’s hawks , Red-tailed hawks, Harriers (the harriers here are much lighter in colour), one prairie falcon, about 90% sure I also saw the very large Ferruginous hawk, Osprey, 1 hunting coyote, nesting Great Horned owl with babes (this is the second nesting pair I have seen  ), shore birds I have never seen before, sounds I have never heard before……Sheesh, the list goes on!
All these birds of prey are back from their winter migration, this coincides with when the ground squirrels start moving about, and right now they are moving about in a big way, I see them everywhere and they are saying, eat me!!
The Yellow-Headed Blackbirds are also back from there winter migration, and for me it was a  first! You don’t see these guys in southern Ontario so I took full advantage! Like a kid in a candy store Saturday afternoon, well, just about every afternoon I went camera crazy with all the new birds!

Male Yellow-Headed Blackbird

American Avocet

Lesser yellow-leg shorebird, I think?

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