Birds of Alberta with Chris Fisher

The Wilson's Snipe has a fun duality in their character that make them interesting. Most times they are shadowy and secretive - but when it comes to courtship they strip away that secrecy and take to the center spotlight of the night sky. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CBC Radio's Alberta@Noon has long been supportive of the Alberta birding community by hosting a province-wide call-in show a couple of times a year. Since the publication of "Birds of Alberta" in 1998, I have been invited to participate in the call-in and answer and expand upon the reports that come in from the audience. Here is the direct link to the episode: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-1-alberta-at-noon/clip/16221582-your-best-bird-encounters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Northern House wren is a tiny and drab bird that looks like it should disappear into the background, but absolutely refuses to. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

White-tailed Jackrabbits are one of the most commonly encountered types of wildlife in the province. This can't help but make them overlooked for their incredible adaptations and abilities that has enabled them to thrive in Alberta no matter the changes in landscape. In this episode we celebrate all there is to celebrate in our familiar prairie hare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Killdeer are birds that are aggressively tolerant with a parenting instinct that is so strong it can override many of the stressors that they inevitably face when nesting in in open and highly disturbed areas. They have, in a strange way –the perfect temperament for success to thrive in modern Alberta. That may be one of the reasons, Killdeer are among the most encountered among all the Birds of Alberta. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Alberta landscape has changed dramatically in the last century. We’ve built croplands, reservoirs, landfills, industrial parks, and sprawling suburbs. And California Gulls have looked at all that and said, “Alright. Yeah I can work with this.” California Gulls are treasures among the common gulls of Alberta. They are showy, social and complex. And the way they live, fits perfectly within our Alberta culture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Merlins are pretty well-known residents of our cities where they thrill us by zooming overhead and preying on swarms of sparrows, finches and waxwings. They are also well-known in rural areas hitting up the swarms of buntings and redpolls that make the southern journey to the prairies. While they occur around the northern areas of the planet, there may be no place better than right here in Alberta to experience the Merlin - our little feathered rockets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The great looks of Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings pair the French dynasty pompadour with the eye make-up of an Egyptian princess - but for Alberta birders, waxwings are so much more than just great looks. Cedar Waxwings are the iconic bird of our summer months while Bohemian Waxwings are the icon of winter. Both are THE calendar birds of of the province that provide a innate connection to our parks, gardens, yards and forested areas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

American White Pelicans are large birds stand apart from all other birds in the province. They are attention-grabbing, in-your-face, conversation starters that get people talking about nature and as such they are a top influencer among all the Birds of Alberta. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Northern and Loggerhead Shrike are some of our most dynamic songbirds. They come dressed as Mexican Wrestlers and bear the brutality of a MMA fighter. Shrike are some of the most rapacious of the Birds of Alberta and we love them for it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

American Robins are the Spark bird that ignites within us an acknowledgement of the natural world around us and provides an intimacy that simmers within us a love of nature. Robins through the course of our seasons, hold up a mirror to our lives and play a transcendent role among all The Birds of Alberta. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Snowy Owl is a bird unlike no other in Alberta. Known for both its unequalled cuteness and rawness in tooth and claw, but there is something else that makes them a singular focus for us birders and non-birders alike during the Alberta winter. Snowy Owls have become a symbol that acts as our antidote to the gravity of winter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alberta’s triumphant Trumpeter Swans have come to represent through the past century a story that blends conservation, admiration and beauty to all of us who find promise and purpose in the Birds of Alberta. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The American Dipper puts on an exhibit of unequal energy - among all our birds. Their robust personality, instagrammable habitat choice and accessibility make the American Dipper the greatest avian champion for the Birds and birders of Alberta. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canada Jays are perfectly Canadian. Low key, soft spoken, resilient and enduring. They are a companion with whom we share a landscape and they serve as a symbol to ourselves. They are a much-talked about survivor that plays by the rules of the bush and they win by always being up to something – even if it means getting the best of us every now and then. All of this makes the Canada Jay one of the most perfect - Birds of Alberta. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Snow Geese are exceptional birds in Alberta and those of us lucky enough to experience their erratic cacophony will long remember their snowy, showy spectacle that is unmatched by any of our other Birds of Alberta. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here in Canada, the Common Loon is a singular bird that has migrated from our distant remote northern areas into the very heart of Canadiana. It magically straddles a line that intersects with the romanticism of solitude and the comforts of companionship. It is both distant and intimate, remote and personal, lonely and reassuring. It has become a symbol for all this is good and pure and those feelings are reinforced whenever it is seen or heard in our province. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Western Painted Turtles are our our ultimate summer souls and wild sun bathers – soaking up the rays only in our sunniest and southernmost areas. But the ways in which our turtles populated the various areas of this northern place, are insightful lessons of modernity and ancient movement corridors. For a species that may only number a couple of hundred individual, their presence and story outstrips their mere numbers and makes Painted Turtles a surprisingly iconic member of our Alberta wildlife community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Calliope Hummingbird is a legendary species our Alberta list - not for the frequency it is seen, but how its story mesmerizes our concept of birdom. No other Alberta bird combines fierce fragility with boldness & a beauty seemingly painted on by a psychedelic artist from the '60s. The Calliope Hummingbird brings a ton to our home identity - even though it weighs only a few ounces. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How lucky are we that that our most common warbler is also one of our most incandescent? Yellow Warblers are special. They are our most visible wood warbler, catching the eye and ear of anyone who hangs out in Alberta's river bottoms, urban parks or upland aspen stands. Yellow warblers offer a song that is the most reliable and reassuring voice of any of the Birds of Alberta. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.