LINK TO PDF NEWSLETTER DOWNLOAD
October 2025
Saturday OCTOBER 4, 2025 10:00AM – 5:00PM
(Excludes Optics, books, cards, puzzles, consignment items and already discounted (SALE) items.)
Door prizes from many of our suppliers:
CHECK OUT OUR UPCOMING SPEAKER SERIES LATER IN THE NEWSLETTER.
HOME DELIVERY SCHEDULE FOR MONTH OF October 2025
Every Thursday.
The Merlin is to an American kestrel what a Harley-Davidson motorcycle is to a bicycle, “wrote bird authorities Pete Dune, David Sibley and Clay Sutton in their seminal book Hawks in Flight In the air” the difference between a Merlin and an American kestrel is not a matter of degrees, it is quantum.
The Merlin is also known as the “pigeon hawk” but is not closely related to hawks. The Merlin is a falcon. The shape-shifting wizard of legend might seem an apt inspiration for the Merlin’s name, but instead, it comes from the French word esmerillon, meaning falcon.
Adult males have slate-blue backs with finely streaked underparts; females and immature birds have brown backs, all have a tail with narrow white bands.
In the wild, Merlins mostly hunt other birds. Unlike the Peregrine falcon, they don’t usually dive or “stoop” on their prey. Instead, they power up in a horizontal flight, plowing into murmurations of starlings, clouds of sandpipers, and strong-flying pigeon flocks at speeds topping 30 miles per hour. They also pick off songbirds as small as the Yellow warbler, be it on breeding grounds, during migration, or where they winter. Merlins also nab bats leaving their roost caves and prey on large insects including dragonflies.
In recent decades, the fortunes of some raptors have greatly improved. One reason is the ban on DDT and other pesticides that worked up the food chain and thinned raptor egg shells to the point of collapse.
Another reason for the recovery of raptor populations is legal protection: it’s illegal to hunt raptors in North America. Some species, including the Cooper’s hawk, have increased substantially and are now familiar in suburbs. The Merlin is a similar case.
Like other raptors, though, Merlins continue to face human caused threats, including toxins that harm their prey and the birds themselves. Reflective glass also takes a toll on these fast-flying birds.
= Merlin’s are quite fearless birds, and will readily attack anything that moves conspicuously. They have even been observed trying to “catch” automobiles and trains
= Sometimes, Merlin’s cache food and eat it later=
= Due to their high intelligence and great speed, Merlin’s were once popular in falconry. The Book of St. Albans listed these birds as “the falcon for a lady,” where they were noted for classic “ringing” (circling rapidly upward) pursuits of the English skylark
OUR UPCOMING SPEAKER SERIES!
LOCATION:
Scenic Wonders of Canada’s Mountain Parks – Exploring Banff, Yoho, and Jasper National Parks
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 8TH 6:00PM
TICKET PRICE: $15.00 +GST
(Tickets can be purchased through the Wild Bird Store website under resources – calendar.)
Tickets are non-refundable
www.wildbirdstore.ca
Did you ever wonder how the spectacular Rocky Mountains came to be? Allow geologist Dale Leckie to guide you through one of Canada’s most amazing UNESCO World Heritage Sites—the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks. Leckie tells the dramatic story of the Rockies, its rivers and valleys, glaciers and hot springs, caves and karst, mountain building, and erosion. This talk describes localities through Banff, Yoho and Jasper National Parks that travelers would be wise to seek. All the geological wonders can be seen from roadside pullouts or after short walks along well-maintained paths. With eye-catching illustrations and photographs, this talk blends storytelling with science, and natural beauty with easy-to-understand explanations. Dale will tell you what you need to know to experience and understand the geologic natural history of Canada’s Rocky Mountain Parks, where more than half a billion years of history waits to be discovered. He answers your questions about features that make the Rockies such a profound destination, including Lake Louise—what geological processes created its turquoise waters? Miette Hot Springs—what makes the water so hot? Emerald Lake—how did glaciation create this body of water? Athabasca Glacier—what does this glacier tell us about ancient climate?
LOCATION:
Calgary’s Best Walks & the Joy of Walking
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 22ND 6:00PM
TICKET PRICE: $10.00 +GST
(Tickets can be purchased through the Wild Bird Store website under resources – calendar.)
Tickets are non-refundable
www.wildbirdstore.ca
LISTEN to Lori’s CBC Homestretch walk series with Jenny Howe (began July 7)
LISTEN to Lori’s 2025 interview on the CBC Eye Opener
READ Lori’s Calgary Herald “Ode to Walking” article
READ Lori’s Calgary Herald Walking Series
WATCH Lori show highlights from Calgary’s Best Walks (2025) on CTV Morning Live
Lori’s biography:
Lori Beattie the author of Calgary’s Best Walks, now in its 3rd edition, and Calgary’s Best Bike Rides, and writes and chats about walking, biking, hiking and connecting cities on foot and by bike in monthly articles in the Calgary Herald, her walk series on CBC Homestretch and many years as segment host on CTV Morning Live. She is also the owner and guide of Fit Frog Adventures where she leads year-round Calgary walks, hikes, and snowshoe days. She presents to groups on the pleasure of self-propelled urban exploration, being a tourist in your own city, building communities through walking, and making Calgary feel like home, one step, or pedal, at a time.
LOCATION:
Costa Rica:
An introduction to a neotropical birding paradise
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH 6:00PM
Ticket price: $10.00 +GST
(Tickets can be purchased through the Wild Bird Store website under resources – calendar.)
Tickets are non-refundable
www.wildbirdstore.ca
Gavin McKinnon’s biography:
Gavin has had a passion for birding from a young age, which stems from a family trip to Point Pelee National Park on the northern shores of Lake Erie. Since then, Gavin has traveled extensively across Canada and the United States. He has also ventured farther afield and led tours in the Neotropics and Africa. After high school, Gavin attended Lethbridge College, where he studied Renewable Resource Management. Gavin enjoys sharing his knowledge and passion for birds, which led him to form his own company, Meadowlark Birding Tours, in 2022. Gavin lives in Calgary, enjoys birding locally, and is currently working on a new field guide to the birds of his home province of Alberta.
Jim’s years of guiding bird walks for the Wild Bird Store has been instrumental in teaching “birders” how to get the most out of their birding excursions.
Unfortunately, Jim has decided he can no longer continue to spend many hours walking while guiding his walks. An option for Jim is to continue his lifelong passion, not only for birding, but for sharing his knowledge and passion in a different way. Birding by car has become an alternative but might surprise you with the multitude of species you have the opportunity, especially when your guide is so proficient at finding wild birds.
As the writer of this newsletter I can attest to the fact that this is a great alternative for those of us who are no longer able to participate in the walking, but do not want to give up the excitement of “birding.”
Please look for information, hopefully in the upcoming November newsletter, on what Jim will be able to offer. The many sites and backroads are sure to excite even those who have loved Jim’s walks over the years.
A NOTE FROM JIM…….
Dear fellow birders,
In 25 years or so of leading Wild Bird Store walks I’ve met a lot of wonderful folks! I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The best part has been seeing the reactions of people experiencing a lifer or an interaction for the first time. Now I am finding increasingly difficult to walk longer distances so I will be discontinuing walks at the end of September. However I can still drive! So in late November I will schedule some car/day trips over the winter months to search for Snowys, buntings, larks, raptors and other cold weather critters.
Thank you all for being with me on the journey.
Jim St. Laurent
Birding from a car offers a unique mobile viewing platform, especially in open habitats, acting as a “blind” to approach birds quietly. To do this safely and effectively, drive slowly on low-traffic roads, using your car as a mobile hide to observe birds without disturbing them. Pull over on the shoulder, not the road, turn off your engine to avoid vibrations, and have your binoculars, camera, and essential accessories like a beanbag ready to capture fleeting moments.
We offer a discount if you return your 20 LB or 40 LB seed bags so that we can re-use them (sorry—not the Mother Nature bags which we cannot re-use), suet ball containers, or if you bring your own container or bag to fill . This discount is in addition to any other discount offered.
Question:
Can birds overdose on peanut butter? We smear peanut butter on a log on our balcony. Lately, woodpeckers have been flocking to it and I think that several individuals come several times a day. I wonder if it’s good for them to eat peanut butter daily. Should I switch to another nut butter? Or take a pause altogether for a few days?
Response:
It’s funny that you should pose this question to me at this point in time if only because lately I have been asking myself the very same thing about my own diet. It seems that every evening before I go to bed, I find it necessary to eat a peanut butter sandwich! However, your question is not about me…..it is about the birds. Just about every bird-feeding expert will tell you that peanut butter is not only a favourite food among backyard birds, but also a healthy treat because it contains a lot of vital nutrients. But many of these same experts will also tell you that it is rich in fat, which may not be good for birds. They will also tell you that offering the usual popular name brand peanut butter is not wise because they contain added oils, sugar, salt and artificial flavours and preservatives. In other words, only offer the natural peanut butter with no additives. Having said all that, I am not aware of any published scientific studies that support any facets of this advice. Nor do I know of any research that concludes that birds can ingest too much peanut butter. That does not mean that it is not true….we just don’t know for sure. But I suppose that it is always better to err on the side of caution for now, and use only natural peanut butter or some other natural nut butter and only offer it in moderation as a treat now and then, say no more than a couple of times weekly. And keep in mind that peanut butter can become moldy if left out too long and I know for sure that that is not good for the birds. And as one final comment on feeding peanut butter to birds, there is no evidence that birds can choke on it.
David M. Bird, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Wildlife Biology, McGill University www.askprofessorbird.com
David M. Bird is Emeritus Professor of Wildlife Biology and the former Director of the Avian Science and Conservation Centre at McGill University. As a past-president of the Society of Canadian Ornithologists, a former board member with Birds Canada, a Fellow of both the American Ornithological Society and the International Ornithological Union, he has received several awards for his conservation and public education efforts. Dr. Bird is a regular columnist on birds for Bird Watcher’s Digest and Canadian Wildlife magazines and is the author of several books and over 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications. He is the consultant editor for multiple editions of DK Canada’s Birds of Canada, Birds of Eastern Canada, Birds of Western Canada, and Pocket Birds of Canada. To know more about him, visit www.askprofessorbird.com or email david.bird@mcgill.ca.
To make a simple peanut butter bird feeder, spread peanut butter on a toilet paper roll, pine cone, or bagel, then roll it in birdseed. Thread a string through the feeder to hang it from a tree branch, providing a high-energy treat for backyard birds.
If you are unable to make it in to the store on Tuesday for Senior’s Day Discount, then you can call the store anytime on Tuesday to place and pay for your order, and then you can pick it up later in the week at your convenience.
PLEASE NOTE: This is for customers who are currently signed up as a senior’s day customer and applies only to in-store purchases.
DONATIONS
Located at The Wild Bird Store (near the seed bins). We collect your cash as well as “wishlist” donations and arrange to deliver them to local wildlife organizations including Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation, Alberta Institute of Conservation and Ellis Bird Farm.
We ask for your support quarterly for each of these organizations.
For September, October, and November 2025 your donations will go to:
Thank you for your support
Wildwood Community Centre (4411 Spruce Drive SW): We will be on location the FIRST Tuesday of the month 3:00pm to 5:30pm through the winter months.
Thank you for your continued support.
Crowfoot Arena (corner of John Laurie & Nosehill Drive NW: Every Wednesday 2:00pm to 5:30pm
Please place orders by 12:00 noon the day before the truck is on location
Text us @ (403)701-4571 OR email us at orders@wildbirdstore.ca
Earn and redeem customer loyalty points on the Mobile Seed Truck
DELIVERY: Deliveries will still be made on Thursdays ONLY. Please phone the store at (403) 640-2632 any day prior to 12:00 noon on the Wednesday before your delivery; place and pay for your delivery. Please phone with your order as early as possible to avoid disappointment. If you have any special instructions please do not forget to inform us when you place your order.
THE DELIVERY CHARGE WILL BE $10
MINIMUM ORDER FOR DELIVERY $25.
What a great year of birding Kris and I (and sometimes Jan) have had. With the wet summer has brought a resurgence of the ponds and sloughs throughout southern Alberta and the birds have returned and nested in huge numbers.
We of course keep records of our sightings from year to year and 2025 has brought the recording of monumental numbers for the Swainson’s hawk even within the city of Calgary limits.
The gophers and insects (especially the grasshoppers) have meant plenty of food for the adults to raise their young. We shall no doubt see more Swainson’s next year.
A rare bird’s mysterious journey seems to have taken it from New Guinea to the taxidermist’s table, then from somebody’s display case to a dumpster in northern Ontario, and finally to the Canadian Museum of Nature.
Despite those distinctive features, the tipster who texted the museum about an old display case found in a dumpster in Elliot Lake, a city of about 11,400 between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, was fixated on a different bird altogether.
The person was wondering if the museum was interested in a shrike, which is a Canadian species that was in the photo, but in the background of the picture was noticed something a little particular. It was the little Red bird of paradise, which is definitely not indigenous to northern Ontario.
Little else is known about how the rare specimen wound up at the museum’s facility in Gatineau, Quebec. The bird appeared washed out on one side, likely from spending years on display in the sunlight.
It is thought to have been taxidermied in the late 1800s or early 1900s.
Trying to guess how it made it to Elliot Lake is a bit of a mystery. It’s possible it would have been bought by someone or inherited—sometimes they end up in attics or basements and when people are emptying a house, they don’t know what to do and it ends up in a dumpster.
Have you checked out the Merlin app? Would you like a demonstration on how they will help you to identify birds? Stop by The Wild Bird Store during regular business hours and staff will be happy to show you how the app will enable you to identify birds in various ways.
Identify Bird Songs and Calls
Identify Birds by your Photos
Save Birds to Your Life List
Explore lists of birds near your location
Options for shopping at the Wild Bird Store
HOME DELIVERY SCHEDULE FOR MONTH OF October 2025
Every Thursday
THE DELIVERY CHARGE WILL BE $10. MINIMUM $25 ORDER FOR DELIVERY.
Store hours are:
10:00am to 5:00pm Tuesday through Saturday
We offer a discount if you return your 20 LB or 40 LB seed bags so that we can re-use them (sorry—not the Mother Nature bags which we cannot re-use), suet ball containers, or if you bring your own container or bag to fill . This discount is in addition to any other discount offered.
Write a Google review on your experience at The Wild Bird Store, and as a thank you, we will give you 100 customer loyalty points ($5.00 value). To get a promo code, kindly email info@wildbirdstore.ca
(one Google review per customer)
Earn 200 customer loyalty points ($10.00 value) by referring a friend, acquaintance or fellow birder.
Please visit the store to get a promo code.
No need for a card, just give your phone number. You earn $1.00 for every $20.00 spent (excludes “sales” items, books & optics) and can be used in-store and on Mobile Seed Truck. As a loyalty member our monthly promotions and in-store “specials” are automatically given at the cash register.
Combining our Seniors 10% discount with the Loyalty Program. (Excludes “sales” items, books & optics).
Discount for membership 10% discount for members of Fish Creek Park, AIWC, Priddis Golf Club, Nature Calgary, Sandy Cross Conservation, Springbank Garden Club and Millarville Horticultural Society. Must present valid membership card at time of purchase.
Discount for Military Members & Veterans 10% discount on
purchases in-store or on Mobile Seed Truck (sorry—excludes “sales”
items, books, optics and consignment items)
Does your Aspects or Squirrel Buster feeder need some replacement parts?
Is the warranty & repair depot for:
Squirrel Buster® Bird Feeders
Aspects® Feeders
Did you know that we can repair/replace parts and make it look like brand new?
CLOSED: Monday,
October 13 2025
5901 3rd Street S.E.,
Calgary, AB T2H 1K3
email: info@wildbirdstore.ca
(403) 640 2632
The Store is open Tuesday through Saturday 10:00am to 5:00pm
We are CLOSED Sundays, Mondays and ALL Statutory holidays for Faith, Family and Friends.
We still offer curbside pickup every day we are open and delivery service on every other Thursday.
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Twitter @wildbirdstoreyyc
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