LINK TO PDF NEWSLETTER DOWNLOAD
May 2025
Ethical Birding Guidelines:
The main rule of birding is to respect birds and their environment, both during and outside of birding activities. This means keeping a safe distance, avoiding loud noises or sudden movements, and not disturbing nests or feeding sites. It also involves respecting the rights of landowners and the birding community.
· Be aware of sensitive and threatened species that might be vulnerable to disturbance
· Do not share nest locations except with appropriate wildlife officials
· Stay at a distance where you are not agitating birds or modifying behavior, especially near nests
· Leave dogs at home or on a leash if in an area with ground nesting birds. Shorebirds are especially vulnerable to loose dogs
· Refrain from using recorded bird call or pishing (making squeaky noises) and playback—do not use in heavily birded areas or for sensitive species
· Drive slowly and carefully
· Stay on designated trails, do not trample vegetation
· Respect private property rights, only enter with express permission
· Follow all traffic rules, drive the speed limit, don’t park on the road, keep eyes on the road
· Don’t point binoculars or scopes towards other people or directly into yards or windows
· Always be polite and courteous to non-birders you encounter; share your knowledge when appropriate
· If birding with others, be respectful of the ability of all group members, be encouraging and share your knowledge with beginners
In essence, the rules of birding are about enjoying birds in their natural habitat while minimizing any negative impact on them or their environment, and being a responsible and respectful member of the birding community.
HOME DELIVERY SCHEDULE FOR MONTH OF MAY 2025
Thursday May 1, Thursday May 15,
and Thursday May 29
Creating a Mason Bee Habitat Seminars
CREATING A MASON BEE HABITAT
Wednesday May 7, 2025 at 2:00pm
Ticket price: $15.00 (includes GST +fees)
All participants on any bird walk must have purchased a ticket through our website – www.wildbirdstore.ca and present the ticket to Jim prior to the bird walk.
The weather plays a big part in bird walks and Jim reminds participants to dress anticipating weather changes and to carry water to keep hydrated.
MALLARD POINT (Fish Creek Park)
Saturday May 3, 2025
9:00am meet in parking end of Canyon Meadows Drive
Ticket price: $7.00 + GST
FRANK LAKE DAY TRIP
Saturday May 17, 2025
9:00am meet at WBS rear parking lot
Please dress for weather conditions, carry water and bring lunch
Ticket price: $7.00 + GST
NORTH GLENMORE PARK
Saturday May 31, 2025
9:00am 37th Street parking lot (Weaselhead)
Ticket price: $7.00 + GST
PLEASE NOTE:
Jim will be away the first 3 weeks of June 2025
LAFARGE/ROTARY (Fish Creek Park)
Saturday June 28, 2025
9:00am meet at boat launch parking lot at south end of Bow Bottom Trail)
Ticket price: $7.00 + GST
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 hummingbirds detect ultraviolet light?
Response:
I can’t exactly remember where and when it was that I first laid my eyes on a colour TV after spending my childhood in black and white. But I do remember what a shock and delight it was. And if I was suddenly blessed with the eyes of a hummingbird, I would be totally shocked again! According to a 2020 study out of Princeton University done by Mary Caswell Stoddard and her colleagues, hummingbirds can see a very different, and impressive, array of colours that are invisible to our eyes. In a series of experiments involving sugar water and LED tubes, the researchers found that wild Broad-tailed hummingbirds can discern colours created from various combinations of ultraviolet (UV) and visible light. This ability likely helps these wee birds home in on nectar-bearing flowers covered in patterns that are imperceptible to people. I’ll bet that you did not know that the average human eye can distinguish around one million different colours. Our colour vision depends on three types of cones—special cells sensitive to red, blue or green light. However, many birds, reptiles, and fish have an additional kind of cone that can pick up ultraviolet light. And that ability gives them a whole other dimension to perceive colours.
Stoddard’s team put out two feeders for wild hummers in Colorado, one containing sugar water the other a nutritious sugar water. Beside each feeder was an LED tube, each of which emitted a different colour. After 19 experiments designed to eliminate memorization and the sense of smell, the team found that the hummingbirds could readily perceive colours from the visible light spectrum such as red, pure ultraviolet light, and different blends of UV and visible light such as ultraviolet mixed with red. They could even tell apart two hues created from different mixtures of red and ultraviolet light.
Being able to discern UV light is likely not just invaluable for finding food, but also for choosing mates and avoiding predators.
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.
We are hoping to be able to offer Ladybugs once again this year. Unfortunately, we have not been able to confirm the price, so are offering our customers to be put on a “wish list” to be contacted once the price is available.
Kindly contact us by phone (403) 640-2632 (please leave a voicemail and will return your call) or by email at: info@wildbirdstore.ca
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 March, April and May, 2025 your donations will go to:
Ellis Nature Centre
Join us on Monday May 19th for our 2025 opening day!
Thank you for your support
28th Annual Songbird Festival May 24/25, 25
This local birding festival is an annual celebration of Spring Migration in the boreal forest including tours of the LSLBO, nature workshops, birding hikes, children’s activities, and of course, everyone favorite, the early bird Pancake Breakfast0
Saturday, May 24 – Songbird Festival
Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation, Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park.
6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Celebrate Spring Migration with a morning of birding fun at the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation
For further information please visit: https://www.lslbo.org/education/songbird-festival/
HORNED LARK
Larks are known for their beautiful morning songs, symbolizing renewal and dawn of a new day.
Larks (including the melodious Meadowlark) sing early in the day, often before dawn, leading to the expression “up with the lark” for a person who is awake early in the day, and the term lark being applied to someone who habitually rises early in the morning.
The “horns” of a Horned lark are actually small, black, tufts of feathers and are most prominent on males.
Horned larks favour bare, dry ground and areas of short, sparse vegetation; they avoid places where grasses grow more than a couple of inches high. Common habitats include prairies, deserts, tundra and heavily grazed pastures. They also frequent areas cleared by humans, such as plowed fields and mowed expanses around airstrips. In wintertime, flocks of Horned larks, often mixing with other birds of open ground, can be seen along roadsides, in feedlots and on fields spread with waste grain and manure.
Although there are numerous species of larks, most of them, including the Horned lark, have in common what is known as “larkspur,” a long, straight claw on the hind toe. This claw is used for grip and maneuverability while on the ground and during flight displays.
They also have another unique feature. The lower leg bone connecting to the toes, is a key feature in lark’s identification. It has a single set of scales on its rear surface, which are rounded. The Horned lark’s tarsus is also scutellate (covered in small plates) on both the front and rear surfaces, along with the toes on top.
So as we go from winter snow to spring, if you look very carefully in the fields that have waste grain from last summer’s crop which was harvested, you will probably see their little heads with their “horns” (actually tufts of feathers like the Great horned owl) getting ready to breed and raise a new batch of hatchlings.
“’The Wings over the Rockies Nature Festival’ conjures up an image of all that is great about Canada . . . spectacular scenery, abundant nature and a warm, human spirit of getting together in a worthy cause. The world over, when people think of Canada, they think of the glory of the Rockies. When you combine this with the upper reaches of the mighty Columbia, you have an unsurpassed natural setting. The continuous wetlands along the river are perfect as breeding areas and staging places for a significant number of bird species. This and the many other habitats provide a variety of ecosystems which will bring joy to any naturalist. But the idea of this festival goes far beyond a “get-together” of serious naturalists. It is an ideal chance for everyone to learn and share the excitement of nature ‘in the flesh’ so to speak.” —Robert Bateman, patron of the festival, wildlife artist and environmentalist.
Contact
Wings over the Rockies Nature Festival
250-342-2473 or 855-342-2473
wingsovertherockies@gmail.com
Wildwood Community Centre (4411 Spruce Drive SW): Every Tuesday 3:00pm to 5:30pm
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.
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 MAY 2025
Thursday May 1, Thursday May 15,
and Thursday May 29
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?
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.
FOLLOW US ON:
Facebook @thewildbirdstoreyyc
Twitter @wildbirdstoreyyc
Go to YouTube, type in the search bar “The Wild Bird Store” to watch our videos and to help us become more visible . Be sure to click on “Subscribe” before you leave the page.
