Birdwatching
Catching up on some August notes...
I went birdwatching with one of my fellow bird mamas and it was a blast. I legit have not been birdwatching in forever, not even to the local storm ponds.
My friend and I met downtown, then took the train, and then a bus to Carburn Park. If you saw my previous post about rafting on the Bow River, you'll know it can be difficult to access the river if you don't live near it or drive. Living near the river is expensive, so, oh well.
Carburn Park is one of the crown jewel Calgary parks. You'll find all sorts of walkers, wheelers, fishers, and birders using it!
My friend and I walked 3.7km around the park, including a muddy trail down by the river. It was super buggy that day and intriguingly enough, we took amazing close-ups of insects sitting on tansy. Tansy is an invasive species and unfortunately, it grows all too well along the river with the tell-tale yellow clumps dotting the banks. We were able to get close-ups of bees and grasshoppers and we have no idea why they weren't flitting away. Maybe it was the coming rain or the effects of the tansy? Rather strange!
I look my camera but left the binoculars at home. I really wanted to focus on having fun with my friend who I hadn't seen in a year!
We saw:
Canada geese
American wigeon
Mallards
Common merganser
Spotted sandpiper (a lifer for me)
Ring-billed gull
Double-crested cormorants
Osprey
Bald eagle
Downy woodpecker
Northern flickers
American kestral
Merlin
Eastern kingbirds
Black-capped chickadees (so many of these cuties!)
White-breasted nuthatch
Cedar waxwings
Yellow warblers
It was really cool because the chickadee, nuthatch and yellow warbler were all in the same tree, so you could really see the size difference!
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Christine 🦄 🐦🌈🍁 (@calzephyr77)
I went birdwatching with one of my fellow bird mamas and it was a blast. I legit have not been birdwatching in forever, not even to the local storm ponds.
My friend and I met downtown, then took the train, and then a bus to Carburn Park. If you saw my previous post about rafting on the Bow River, you'll know it can be difficult to access the river if you don't live near it or drive. Living near the river is expensive, so, oh well.
Carburn Park is one of the crown jewel Calgary parks. You'll find all sorts of walkers, wheelers, fishers, and birders using it!
My friend and I walked 3.7km around the park, including a muddy trail down by the river. It was super buggy that day and intriguingly enough, we took amazing close-ups of insects sitting on tansy. Tansy is an invasive species and unfortunately, it grows all too well along the river with the tell-tale yellow clumps dotting the banks. We were able to get close-ups of bees and grasshoppers and we have no idea why they weren't flitting away. Maybe it was the coming rain or the effects of the tansy? Rather strange!
I look my camera but left the binoculars at home. I really wanted to focus on having fun with my friend who I hadn't seen in a year!
We saw:
Canada geese
American wigeon
Mallards
Common merganser
Spotted sandpiper (a lifer for me)
Ring-billed gull
Double-crested cormorants
Osprey
Bald eagle
Downy woodpecker
Northern flickers
American kestral
Merlin
Eastern kingbirds
Black-capped chickadees (so many of these cuties!)
White-breasted nuthatch
Cedar waxwings
Yellow warblers
It was really cool because the chickadee, nuthatch and yellow warbler were all in the same tree, so you could really see the size difference!
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Christine 🦄 🐦🌈🍁 (@calzephyr77)