Bird Nerds' Bird Search
We're closing in on 1000 photos on this website so we made this handy tool to help us easily find a particular bird or photograph.
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On a couple occasions we've seen waxwings doing a ritual where they pass a berry to one another, Brooks AB
Usually gray-crowned rosy finch hang out in the mountains so we were surprised when one showed up in our yard, Calgary AB
At one point there were less than 20 whooping cranes in the wild and it was amazing to see one even if it was far away, southen AB
We have seen way more Steller's jay than normal including one in our Calgary yard, Beauvais Lake AB
Blackburnian warblers are maybe the most stunning bird in Alberta, Sir Winston Churchill PP AB
Even a more mundane bird like an eastern phoebe can look great in the right light, Cold Lake PP AB
Purple martins are hard to see in the wild but we often see them in specific birdhouses, Cold Lake AB
When you see a bird in your periphery then realize it's a Stellar's Jay it's pretty cool, Pincher Creek AB
We came by an Onsprey that was doing such weird vocalizations it made us laugh, Pincher Creek AB
A special moment was when we saw wild turkeys since they were high on our most-wanted list, Pincher Creek AB
Even though it was a million miles away we already knew we were looking at a lifer -- pacific loon, Comox BC
In one day we scored an Alberta hat-chick (seeing three species of chickadee) -- boreal chickadee, Canmore AB
Most golden eagles people see are actually juvenile bald eagles but golden eagles are massive, Elkwater AB
Black-bellied plover have been uncommon for us during migration but we've never had great photos, High River AB
We love ducks but don't pay as much attention to them as we used to but this wigeon really caught our eye
We had a very cool and close encounter with a pair of sandhill cranes in Elk Island. They were super chill and we left without scaring them
We had only seen one Barrow's Goldeneye before and this one showed up in the exact same spot a year later near MD Willow Creek, Alberta
Had to look this one up but it's a greylag goose and it was hanging out with a group of Canadian geese in Denver Colorado
Not sure if kestrels are rare on the island but we saw one which had attracted a group of birders
We love kingfishers but we've had trouble getting close for photos in Alberta; no problem on Vancouver Island
They used to be a fairly common sighting but American Dippers have been much rarer since the 2013 flood
On a camping trip we had a flock of pileated woodpeckers fly through in the early morning hours
Rattlesnakes like to hang out in trees -- who knew? Correction: based on the eye we were told this is a bull snake
Red-naped sapsuckers have a larger red spot on the back of their necks and hang out more in Southern Alberta
Lewis's woodpecker will often act like a fly-catcher hunting insects on the wing. This was a lifer sighting for us
Dunlins are another rare sighting in Alberta because of their tendency to migrate almost non-stop through the province #lifer
During breeding season willet populations moves inland to nest in grasslands and prairies near freshwater
Semipalmated sandpipers are so small that we naturally assume they're least sandpipers at first glance
Hudsonian godwits migrate through North America (often non-stop) and are a rare sighting in Alberta #lifer
Every winter we anxiously await the return of the world's largest falcon but this season was the first time we've managed to see a gyr falcon (from very far away)
Juvenile bald eagles seem less cautious than matures but they still don't like people much (which is a good thing)
Pointing out bald eagles to budding birders and naturalists is a good way to raise appreciation
It's easy to mistake a caspian tern for a gull because they are similar size and fly like gulls
Flycatchers are a species we've been paying more attention to and the least flycatcher is the most common
California gulls are amazingly adaptable -- webbed feet but finding food in an A&W parking lot? Impressive!
In a couple fields we spotted long-billed curlews which stand out with their impossibly long bill
We have been checking every goldeneye to see if they are a Barrow's goldeneye and we finally saw one that was
We saw a saw-whet owl in a popular park and played it cool so that a crowd wouldn't gather and disturb it
Black-necked stilts were the first shorebird migrant we saw this year and they have been abundant
Robins are comfortable in the wilderness even though most people think of them as city dwellers
Red-tailed hawks are mostly pale below with dark bits around the tips and edges. They also have a dark belly band
Tufted ducks wander to the Pacific Coast from Asia but have only been sighted in Alberta once before (in 1992)
Our book says black-backed woodpeckers 'are rarely seen even by the most committed naturalist' so we felt lucky spotting one
Although our guides showed belted kingfishers in the area we are pretty sure we saw ringed kingfishers instead
Painted buntings' Spanish name is colorín sietecolores which roughly means brightly coloured 7 colours
A lifer sighting on this trip was the reddish egret which was hanging out close to a crocodile
Orange-breasted buntings are one of the coolest birds anywhere -- they also match our brand colours
We were able to identify all the shorebirds we saw (including whimbrels) which was pretty cool
One of the oldest domesticated fowl species in the world, the muscovy duck was already being kept by native people in Peru and Paraguay when the early Spanish explorers arrived
We thought we were watching a black and white warbler but the photos later showed a black-throated gray warbler -- another lifer!
The male painted bunting can make the cover of birding magazines but the female is interesting as well
One of the many flycatchers we saw in Mexico was the social flycatcher -- at least it is easy to identify
The trail-head where we'd venture into the mountains was always full of birds including stripe-headed sparrows
The slender snowy egret sets off immaculate white plumage with black legs and brilliant yellow feet
The last few seasons all the snowy owls we have seen have been perched on telephone posts, Lyalta AB.
We are still figuring out a way to get closer to snow geese but we saw a flock of hundreds near Langdon AB.
Squirrels -- they're sometimes annoying but when you look at them up close they're pretty cute too.
Immature chestnut-sided warblers look like a completely different species when compared to adults, Kinbook Island PP
Yellow warblers have yellow edging on their wings which is a way to tell them apart from Wilson's warblers, Kinbook Island PP.
Blackpoll warblers look different in the fall but the eye markings and double wing bars are distinctive, Medicine Hat.
The grey catbird is true to its name because it's grey and it makes cat noises, Kinbrook Island PP.
Even we have noticed that the eurasian collared dove is getting more common, Writing on Stone PP.
Sometimes orange-crowed warblers will have a grey head which can make for a tricky ID, Writing on Stone PP.
Even with lots of time and patience it can be tricky to photograph a Wilson's warbler, Writing on Stone PP.
Sprague's pipit is becoming less common but can still be found in large areas of healthy prairie, Kinbrook Island PP.
Black-throated green warblers, blackburnian warblers, and Towsend's warbler required us to do research so we can differentiate them, Beaverhill Lake.
The dark legs, long wings, and slightly thinner more pointed bill helps us ID Baird's sandpiper.
We were birding a quiet part of Elk Island National Park when a wood bison came over to see what we were doing
The yellow-rumped warblers have been looking great this year! Seen in Confederation Park in Calgary.
Although we've seen boreal chickadees many times this is our first posted photo (seen in Kananaskis Country).
Unlike other ducks, wood ducks are comfortable flying through woods (taken in Inglewood Bird Sanctuary).
Meadowlarks have the scientific name 'Sturnella Neglecta' because they were originally overlooked.
There is a rest area on our way to Brooks that has been the first place we see red-winged blackbirds of the season.
A bird dashed by quick and we caught photos of it in flight -- turns out it was a pileated woodpecker in Weaslehead.
Orioles are just fantastic! The Bullock's oriole has been spotted in Waterton NP but we saw them everywhere in Playa Grande.
The turqouise-browed motmot is the national bird of El Salvador and Nicaragua. We were very happy to spot them in CR.
The first toucan we spotted was a black-mindibled toucan. It was eating oranges in an orchard. It is the largest toucan in CR.
The female red-legged honeycreeper might not be as stunning as the male but it's still pretty cool.
Toucans make a low croaking noise similar to a frog. Did you spot the 2nd keel-billed toucan in the picture?
Collared aracari are a type of toucan that look like something out of a Tim Burton movie -- amazing!
The black-crested coquette was our 2nd favourite hummingbird lifer sighting (snowcap were our favourite).
The southern lapwing was first recorded in Costa Rica in 1997 and has been expanding from South America.
Short straight bill and rufous ear patch makes us think this is a semipalmated sandpiper, Frank Lake AB
Semipalmated plover's black patches turn brown when they're in non-breeding mode, Frank Lake AB
Black bill, black legs, wings that extend beyond the body, and light speckling makes us think this is a Baird's sandpiper, Frank Lake AB
The dark eye, the red dot on the bill, and the lack of black wing tips tell us this is a glaucous-winged gull.
Originally we looked at this and thought it might be a mew gull but now we think it's a young ring-billed gull.
We didn't see the massive flocks of sandpipers like we thought we might but were happy to spot a least sandpiper.
We thought we had sighted something amazing but we talked to our 'gull guy' and learned this is a first-year Franklin's gull.
Ovenbirds have neat markings on top of their heads but they look plain if you see them in a tree, Cold Lake Provincial Park.
Philadelphia vieros sounds like red-eyed vireos but look totally different, Sheep River Provincial Park.
It makes sense that we see mountain chickadees closer to the mountains, Sheep River Provincial Park.
It was a proud moment when we identified a female rose-breasted grosbeak off the top of our heads, Sheep River Provincial Park.
Meadowlarks can disguise themselves as borrowing owls when you're searching for borrowing owls.
This gull looked a little strange so we photographed it and believe it's a glaucous-winged gull first sighting.
Mountain bluebirds are slightly larger than a Cassin’s Finch and considerably smaller than an American robin.
Our sparrow ID skills are a bit rusty after a long winter. It took a second for us to recall what a savannah sparrow looked like.
On a trip to Carburn Park in Calgary a handful of Franklin's Gulls were acting like ducks near shore.
The dark legs, dark short straight bill, and blunt ending on the bill are signs this is likely a semipalmated sandpiper.
White-crowned sparrows will share territories with fox sparrows but not chipping sparrows or juncos.
The eastern phoebe's head shape and earthy colours make them look like miniature flying bison.
Sandra spotted a night heron from the truck so we pulled over and walked back -- luckily it was still there.
Even though we were hoping to get a good shot of the male, female rose-breasted grosbeak are cool too
We were on a path around Beaverhill Lake when this bittern jumped out and told us off. We quickly left but it scared us pretty good.
In winter, yellow warblers mainly hang out in the mangrove forests of Central and South America.
Short-billed dowitcher, lesser yellowlegs, pectoral sandpiper, least sandpiper, Wilson's phalarope.
One of our favorite sightings on the trip was the lark sparrow -- they fit the area perfectly.
Yellow birds can be tricky because the female yellow warbler, Wilson's warbler and orange-crowned warbler all look similar.
We drove around for hours looking at gopher mounds searching (unsuccessfully) for burrowing owls.
At the end of summer nearly the whole Swainson's hawk population will fly as far South as Argentina.
Sprague's pipits may look like a meadowlark at a glance but they're more uncommon (actually, I think this is a meadowlark).
Even though we have northern flickers in our backyard they're always great to see on the road.
As we left Cypress Hills we saw this turkey vulture in a heavy fog. We spotted 4 on our trip which was super cool.
Only flamingos have longer legs than the black-necked stilt (relative to their body size). Seen at Frank Lake.
The American avocet's bill is shaped for skimming the surface of shallow waters. Seen near Nanton.
We couldn't miss these sandhill cranes, near Police Outpost, because they're the size of deer.
We've been looking for Baltimore orioles but they usually stick to the very tops of very tall trees.
This house wren was in Carburn Park but we've been seeing (and hearing) them everywhere lately.
We were driving near Bragg Creek and went down a few back roads searching for great grey owls.
This female harlequin floated by moments/minutes/seconds after we mentioned we hadn't seen one yet.
White-faced ibis look like they're from the tropics but can be spotted in Alberta on rare occasions.
After researching sandpipers more we realize that most of what we see is semiplamated sandpipers.
Willets find prey using the sensitive tips of their bills and can feed both during the day and night.
Bewick's wrens are master vocalists belting out a string of short whistles, warbles, burrs, and trills.
Young chickadees sometimes move large distances, but these movements are irregular and are called 'irruptions'.
On a roughly 2-year cycle, redpolls come far south in winter and occasionally reach the central or southern United States.
A large, unwary finch, pine grosbeak make periodic winter irruptions into southern Canada and northern United States.
The tameness and slow moving behavior of the pine grosbeak gave rise to local name in Newfoundland of 'mope'.
Winter flocks of pine grosbeak may stay near a tree with abundant fruit until all of it is consumed.
The downy woodpecker eats foods that larger woodpeckers cannot reach such as insects living on or in the stems of weeds.
