Alberta Birds

Here I go again with photos of birds – this time all photographs were taken in Alberta, Canada. Some breeds are very common, others were a complete surprise and a lovely treat. Taken over a couple of years in various places in the province, and in all seasons. I love birds!!!!

The magpie is a common sight to see and can be mischievous. I’ve heard tales too of it’s thievery. One person told me of a magpie stealing burgers off the grill…this one was visiting the back deck last winter.

I do not know what breed this is. While I thoroughly enjoy watching and photographing birds, I am far from being an expert. This little guys was eating the berries from the tree in the yard. Thankfully there were some to keep our feathered friends alive through the cold winter months.

March brought quite a few different birds to the yard. this Cedar Waxwing pair were a delight to see – they provided many hours of entertainment.

This woodland Grouse spent more than a week in the yard – perhaps it was hiding from predators?

The little juncos were so fund to watch – there was a flock of them taking advantage of the birdseed that others had dropped on the ground….

I think this one is called an Ovenbird – please correct me if I’m wrong. At any rate it sure brought smiles of delight to my face….

I never knew how pretty the song was of the Red-winged Blackbird. I spent many joyous hours listening to their songs….

The Redpoll is a common sight in these parts of Alberta – such pretty little birds and a blessing to have them visit the yard and grace the branches of the tree in the front yard…

A Fox Sparrow? Not sure if I am correct or not, but these common, but very cheerful little birds are a joy to observe….

This woodpecker carved quite a decent-sized hole in the tree and made sure we knew who the carpenter was

this guy made a stopover in the yard…he didn’t stay long but his plumage was beautiful…I’d hoped to see him again and capture better images….sadly it was not to be

The purple sheen and shiny black of this common Grackle is so pretty – but their cry is not!

I was so excited to see the Gray Jays…my first sight of them….notoriously difficult to capture a decent image though…they are so swift of wing!!!

In the spring there were quite a few water fowl visiting a nearby green space…the plumage was so vibrant and the eyes really are red – quite a sight to see

It’s always sheer delight to me to watch hawks soaring overhead, but, again, very difficult to photograph – most of the time they are so far above me and my zoom lens is not strong enough to catch them….still, pure pleasure to watch and to listen to their cries…

If you enjoy nature and are a bird watcher, I’ve learned that Lac La Biche, Alberta, is one of the best spots in the country for bird watching. I am hoping to take a trip there this summer to see what I can see – and hopefully capture new (to me) breeds with my camera…. hope you have enjoyed these. Cheers!