LINK TO PDF NEWSLETTER DOWNLOAD
August 2026
BLUE JAY
Some backyards may be lucky enough to have a Blue jay pair nest in their backyard, but
Usually Blue jays prefer to raise their young in the forest; and they are
Very secretive about their nest locations. Another interesting fact about the Blue jay is you will certainly hear him long before you actually see him.
And of course everyone knows the peanut-in-the shell is his favourite food. But not just any peanut will do.
When given a choice, they will pick up each peanut and give it a shake. This helps them to determine by weight which one is the freshest and are there more than a single peanut inside the shell. The shell is important too – as most of his preferences will be “cached” for later consumption, so if the shell is cracked or broken, moisture may seep in and cause mold!
Here are some more interesting facts about the Blue jay:
- Blue jays are not blue! It is just a trick of the light!. A Northern cardinal is red because its feathers are red pigment. Blue jays have no such blue pigment. If you crush the wing of a cardinal into a powder, it will be red. If you do the same with a blue jay feather, the powder will be brown. Blue jays (and all blue birds!) use a little trick called light scattering. In a very basic nutshell, when visible light strikes the feathers, all of the colors pass through the feather EXCEPT blue. The blue color is reflected, so your eyes will see BLUE.
- Blue jays like to party! As we have mentioned, jays are loud, boisterous birds that typically make a big entrance. So we shouldn’t be surprised that a group of Blue jays is often referred to as a “party” or a “band”
- Blue jays have been known to chip off light-colored paint to store and eat later, most likely for the limestone these paints contain—a source of calcium needed to lay eggs. If your house is experiencing Blue jay paint removal, try putting out egg shells for a natural source of calcium.
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.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING CHANGE IN DELIVERY SCHEDULE
Commencing June 1, 2026 deliveries will be EVERY SECOND week
Delivery dates will be as follows for the month of August 2026
Thursday August 13 and 27
Wildwood Community Centre (4411 Spruce Drive SW): We will be on location
Tuesdays 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm through the summer months
We will be there with Broxburn Vegetables mobile truck.
Thank you for your continued support.
Crowfoot Arena (corner of John Laurie & Nosehill Drive NW: Wednesday 2:00pm to 5:30pm
Please place orders by 12:00 noon the day before the truck is on location
The Mobile Seed Truck is a mini version of The Wild Bird Store, and as such, we are limited to what we can carry. It is therefore, highly recommended that you place an order the day before the truck is to be at your desired location. This will ensure that when you come to the Mobile Seed Truck you get the items you need.
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.
Options for shopping at the Wild Bird Store
THE DELIVERY CHARGE WILL BE $10. MINIMUM $25 ORDER FOR DELIVERY.
Commencing June 1, 2026 deliveries will be EVERY SECOND week
For July delivery will be Thursday August 13 and 27
Store hours are:
10:00am to 5:00pm Monday 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.
Question:
I have had no less than three woodpeckers killed by a hawk on my feeders over the period of just one month. Is that an unusually high frequency? It is almost as if the hawk is targeting these birds in particular.
Response:
Three woodpeckers in a month’s period with no similar attacks on your other backyard birds is certainly worth pondering! The only things I can think of are the following. First, perhaps the posture of woodpeckers, i.e. hanging vertically with their eyes looking forward to their food, might make them more vulnerable to an attack from behind. Perhaps even the noise of their pecking might dull their hearing ability? But that begs an important question…why adopt a feeding or resting posture that is fatal in the first place?! Second, the fact that you have had not one but three woodpeckers lost to possibly the same hawk, likely a Sharp-shinned or Cooper’s Hawk, might mean that the raptor has developed a particular search image for these birds and perhaps even a successful foraging strategy. However, the hawk would have to find a way to counteract a woodpecker’s typical response to any predator (aside from flying away) which is a quick movement to the other side of the tree they are clinging to. Perhaps that is not possible or a useful tactic on your feeder? As for why the hawk would select woodpeckers for prey over chickadees, finches, and even doves, a Cooper’s Hawk’s favourite menu item, I doubt that they would taste any different to a hawk! Thankfully, hairy, downy and several other woodpecker species are not showing any signs of declining numbers in North America.
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.
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 the alternative, but might surprise you with the multitude of species you have the opportunity to see, especially when your guide is so proficient at finding wild birds.
PLEASE BE ADVISED:
Jim will be away for a period of time starting in July. Please consult future newsletters or the Wild Bird Store online calendar at www.wildbirdstore.ca for future dates.
Young sunflowers exhibit heliotropism, meaning they move to track the sun across the sky. They face east in the morning and gradually turn west by evening, resetting overnight to repeat the process. That movement helps them grow stronger by capturing as much sunlight as possible.
Researchers have found that east-facing sunflowers warm up faster in the morning. This warmth attracts more pollinators like bees, which are most active earlier in the day. It’s a clever adaptation that improves their chances of being pollinated. The faster they heat up, the sooner they start drawing in visitors. Once mature, though, they stop turning and settle permanently facing east.
Sunflowers are used in a process called phytoremediation, where plants absorb harmful substances from soil. After nuclear disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima, sunflowers were planted to draw out radioactive particles and heavy metals. This makes them more than ornamental. Their ability to clean up the environment highlights how powerful and practical plants can be when harnessed in the right way.
Clean a birdbath and keep the birds safe
Since the water in a birdbath is typically stagnant and not naturally filtered as it is in a stream or pond, it can accumulate potentially harmful bacteria and pathogens. Regular cleaning and water changes help prevent stagnant water that can breed mosquitoes, and reduce the spread of disease among birds. Birdbaths may need more frequent refreshing during hot weather, periods of algae growth, or times of heavy bird activity.
Materials needed: Rubber gloves, scrub brush, hose or bucket, water, distilled white vinegar.
Mix a solution of 9 parts water and 1 part distilled white vinegar. Dip a scrub brush into the cleaning solution and scrub the birdbath, focusing on areas with heavy algae buildup. Rinse birdbath thoroughly after cleaning. Or consider adding a purification disc to your birdbath (also available at The Wild Bird Store).
The Wild Bird Store has birdbaths and accessories and can offer advice on any questions you have. Please ask any member of our staff
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)
It’s hard to miss a five-foot-tall bird with bright white plumage.
July 7, 2026. (Amir Said/CBC)
When Calgary birder Jonah O’Brien heard a Whooping crane had been seen along a rural road about an hour northeast of the city Tuesday morning, he was quick to make his way there.
“It’s really cool,” said O’Brien, who has documented more than 270 bird species in his birding career. It was his first time seeing a Whooping crane, which is among the most coveted Canadian species for birdwatchers to find.
Birdwatchers keen on finding whooping cranes in Canada typically have to go to Saskatchewan to catch the birds during their fall migration, which is why this summertime sighting in Kneehill County was a welcome surprise for Calgary-area birders.
But this Whooping crane being away from home isn’t all that’s got birdwatchers excited about this sighting.
Gavin McKinnon, co-author of A Field Guide to the Birds of Albert, says the bird represents a “conservation” success story thanks to strict legal protections, habitat preservation and intensive captive breeding programs which account for the Whooping crane population rebound.
“The more individuals there are, the more likely it is for one to stray a little bit,” McKinnon said.
While they’ve experienced a well-documented population resurgence, Whooping cranes are still considered endangered by the federal government of Canada and the United States, as well as the Alberta government.
“Definitely respect the bird,” said McKinnon, who was among the first to find the Whooping crane and expects others to go looking for it. “Don’t try and pressure it and get too close…if it appears stressed, back up, give it some space and just encourage others to be respectful as well.”
McKinnon says this particular Whooping crane is likely a young bird that isn’t breeding this year. He pointed to other out-of-the ordinary sightings in recent years, like a bird that spent the summer west of Calgary in 2024 and another that was documented near Lethbridge in 2015.
“It’s just hanging out in southern Alberta for the summer, where it can find some food, and will probably continue on migration maybe next year,” McKinnon said. “Who knows? Maybe it’ll end up at Wood Buffalo breeding.”
Whooping crane populations in the wild plummeted to only about 20 individuals in the 1940s, with hunting and habitat loss bringing the species to the brink of extinction.
“You can’t miss it,” O’Brien said. “It’s a mega rarity.”
Standing at about five feet tall, the Whooping crane is the tallest bird in North America. The bird can be distinguished from the more common Sandhill crane by its size, all-white plumage, facial markings and black wingtips visible in flight.
The only natural migratory Whooping crane flock left in the wild travels 4,000 kms from the birds’ winter home in Texas to their nesting grounds in the isolated wetlands of Wood Buffalo National Park every year.
At this time of year, the flock’s population of about 550 birds are spending their summer nearly 1,000 kms north of Calgary, in the park straddling the border with the Northwest Territories.
That makes this crane a “vagrant,” which in the birdwatching community refers to a bird that appears outside its normal range
Two baffled owlets watch squirrels below, as if asking, ‘We eat those, right?’
Leigh Cook Fri, July 17, 2026 at 6:14 p.m.
In an oddly relatable scene, two young owlets stared down at a pair of squirrels with the kind of uncertainty usually associated with someone trying to make sense of an unfamiliar menu item.
The birds fixate on the squirrels beneath them, leaning over the edge as if they cannot decide whether they are looking at prey, a threat, or neither
A short video posted to a nature appreciation community on Reddit focuses on two owlets watching squirrels below.
COME MEET YOUR RURAL NEIGHBOURS!
OPEN FARM DAYS – August 15 & 16, 2026
Alberta Open Farm Days is your free, behind-the-scenes look at the province’s agriculture and local food system. It is also an incubator for agricultural tourism and rural sustainability, bringing Albertans together through educational and hands-on experiences that show where food comes from and how it is produced.
For one weekend, farms, ranches, breweries, orchards, dairies, and food producers across the province open their gates to the public.
- See it firsthand: Walk a field, meet the animals, or learn about the tools and technology that power modern agriculture.
- Meet the people: Talk directly with the farmers, ranchers, producers, and culinary partners who grow and prepare your food, and get your questions answered.
- Taste local: Many host locations feature farm-to-table meals, onsite specials, samples, food trucks, or Alberta-made products for purchase.
Alberta Open Farm Days is a chance to connect with rural communities, support agricultural tourism, and experience the diversity of food grown and raised right here in Alberta.
For more information, please visit: https://albertaopenfarmdays.ca/
Custom Woolen Mills is a small, family owned and operated, woolen mill!
We are located between the towns of Carstairs and Linden, Alberta. Using industrial revolution era machinery, we transform raw sheep’s wool and the fibre from alpacas, llamas, goats, and bison, into finished products like hand-knitting yarns and woolen socks.
The key is to create a gentle slope into the water. That way, the bees can land, gently approach the water, and put its proboscis down into the water;
Start with a glass or ceramic pie plate—almost everyone has one in their home. Add smooth stones—you will need enough to fill the pie plate three-quarters full. Add water—fill the dish three-quarters of the way full with water so that the tops of the stones are still showing, and what you’ve just done is created a bee watering station. It’s that simple.
Important to remember:
Birds do not like bees, so remember to place your bee watering station as far away as possible from your bird bath. Deep pools of water with no easy off ramp are hazardous for bees.
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 Nature Centre.
We ask for your support quarterly for each of these organizations.
For June, July and August 2026 your donations will go to:
https://www.calgarywildlife.org/
Thank you for your support
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
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?
Monday, August 3, 2026 – The Wild Bird Store will be closed.
WE ARE LOCATED AND CAN BE FOUND AT:
5901 3rd Street S.E.,
Calgary, AB T2H 1K3
email: info@wildbirdstore.ca
(403) 640 2632
The Store is open Monday through Saturday 10:00am to 5:00pm
We are CLOSED Sundays, and ALL Statutory holidays for Faith, Family and Friends.
We still offer curbside pickup every day we are open and delivery service on every Thursday.
FOLLOW US ON:
Facebook @thewildbirdstoreyyc
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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.
How Do Birds Keep Their Balance While Standing on one leg?
The main reason birds are able to keep their balance is down to anatomy. A bird’s pelvis has a pair of lumbosacral canals that contain cerebrospinal fluid and allow them to maintain a sense of equilibrium. It’s not an exact one-to-one, but these canals function in a similar way to the inner ears of humans.
The birds most likely to stand on one leg are bird species that spend a lot of time in and around water. (Think great blue herons, Canada geese, sandpipers, mallards, wood ducks, etc.) This is likely because water causes more and faster heat loss than air.
