Hooded Mergansers at Carburn Park

Hooded Mergansers at Carburn Park

I was out for a walk at Carburn Park and was very surprised to see a pair of Hooded Mergansers. I stopped to watch and found several more amongst the mass of birds swimming in the lake. These birds are very rare for Calgary and they really only stop here during the spring and fall migration, so it was pretty cool to see them today!

Fall Colors in Calgary

Fall Colors

The fall colors in the Calgary area are not typically very colorful, but very beautiful nonetheless! I was taking pictures of birds on the lake at Carburn Park when my camera chose to focus on this nearby leaf instead of the far away birds. I loved the golden hues and the creamy background in the scene, so I immediately made the image.

Red-necked Grebe at Carburn Park

Red-necked Grebe at Carburn Park

I was at Carburn Park for a walk with my family this morning and there were photographers and bird watchers all over the place. Many of the photographers were set up on the small pond watching a Grebe that was hanging out in the middle. Not wanting to disturb the birds (ie. scare them away from the other observers) we continued on our way around the park. When we got back to the pond I noticed that many of the photographers had bunched together to chat, and that the Grebe that they were watching was still way out in the middle of the pond.

But I also saw that a second bird had come to the surface around the corner from them, and that it very close to shore. I started walking towards it and then ran the rest of the way as soon as it dove back under the water. I wanted to be as close as possible to it, without scaring it away when it surfaced again. Fortunately it came back up in almost the same spot and I was able to make some really nice images!

Bohemian Waxwing at Carburn Park

Bohemian Waxwing at Carburn Park

While technically year-round residents of the Calgary area, Bohemian Waxwings aren’t very common in the city and are typically only seen during the spring migration. This is the first one I’ve ever seen here, and it posed nicely for me until a surly Robin landed nearby and flushed it away.