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When Europeans first arrived in the Americas, there were Native American cities, but none of the species Europeans had come to expect in cities: no pigeons, no sparrows, not even any Norway rats.  Even once European-style cities began to emerge, they seemed empty to birds and other large animals.  In the late 1800s, a variety of young visionaries, chief among them Nicholas Pike, imagined that what was missing were the birds that live with humans and, he thought, eat our pests.  Pike, about whom little is known, introduced about 16 birds into Brooklyn.  They rose from his hands and took off and prospered.  Every single House sparrow in North America may be descended from those birds.  The House sparrows were looked upon favorably for a while until they became abundant and began to spread from California to the New York Islands, or vice versa anyway. 

In 1889, just 49 years after the introduction of the birds, a survey was sent to roughly 5,000 Americans to ask them what they thought of the House sparrows.  Three thousand people responded and the sentiment was nearly universal: the birds were pests.  This land became their land too, and that is when we began to hate them.

As for what might happen if House sparrows became more rare, one scenario has emerged in Europe.  House sparrows have become more rare there for the first time in thousands of years.  In the United Kingdom, for example, numbers of House sparrows have declined by 60 percent in cities.  As the birds became rare, people began to miss them again.  In some countries the House sparrow is now considered a species of conservation concern.  Newspapers ran a series on the birds’ benefits.  Another newspaper offered a reward for anyone who could find out “what was killing our sparrows.”  Was it pesticides, some asked?  Global warming?  Cell phones? Then just this year a plausible (though probably incomplete) answer seems to have emerged.  The Eurasian sparrow hawk, a hawk that feeds almost exclusively on sparrows, has become common in cities across Europe and is eating the sparrows.  Some people have begun to hate the hawk.

Birders tend to dislike House sparrows because they often kill native birds in order to take over their nesting sites (i.e. Bluebird boxes or Purple martin houses)

House sparrows adaptability can be gauged by the fact that they have been found living and breeding 2000ft. underground in a coalmine; others have been recorded living their whole lives inside warehouses.

When House sparrows were at their most numerous a century ago, there were many sparrow clubs whose members competed to kill the most birds in a year.

Though a long-established resident of Britain, it’s not thought to be native, but spread naturally north from North Africa.

On the ground, the House sparrow typically hops rather than walks.

Effective Monday, October 3, 2022, until further notice,  The Wild Bird Store will be CLOSED on Mondays due to staff shortages.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

Services offered will include:

Bird feeder(s) recommendations for species focus and seed types

· Type(s) of seed and for which species it will be best suited

· Preferred location for maximum results

· Bird feeder accessories

· Hummingbird feeders and accessories

Nesting

· Nest box selection for native species—including all cavity nesting and platform species for Alberta

· Preferred location for nest boxes

· Maintenance tips

· Advice on how to deter invasive species (House sparrows and European starlings)

Watering needs

· Bird baths

· Heaters and heated baths

· Accessories including drippers and bubblers

· Location dos and donts

· Maintenance tips

Bat Houses/Chambers

· Location requirements

· Housing styles—including single vs multiple chambers

After each visit all discussion points and recommendations will be provided along with a 10% OFF coupon to be used at the Wild Bird Store on your next purchase.

PLEASE NOTE:  10% coupon is only valid for a one-time purchase and must be presented at time of purchase.  In-store ONLY (excludes online)

For further information, pricing and scheduling, please contact

Andrew Barnes cell # (403) 923-8121 (call or text)

Email:  andrewbarnes403@gmail.com

American kestrels, Red-tailed hawks, Deer enjoying the last green grasses of summer, Grey partrides and Ring-necked pheasants, a Northern shrike, 5 Northern harriers and 2 immature Golden eagles.

All summer long we had only seen one Northern harrier north of the city near Irricana, but to see 5 in one day—we just couldn’t believe our luck.  And has I have said many times before—birding has a lot to do with luck.  Just think of all the birds you don’t see as you travel from place to place in search of birds which may be here one minute and gone the next.  But we wondered why we hadn’t seen a few others in our travels during the summer.  Afterall, if they are here now they probably were here all summer either raising their young or they are the young from this past summer. 

But the real shocker had to be the two immature Golden eagles.  So very identifiable first of all because they are HUGE, have those very recognizable “finger” feathers at the ends of their wings and the immatures have a very distinct white pattern when you see their undersides (see photo below).

There are always going to be those sightings you remember and talk about again and again.  Like our sighting of 38, yes you read that right, of immature Great blue herons all together.  All birds are special to us, that is why we had Chinese food for Thanksgiving instead of Turkey.  HAPPY BIRDING all year long.  Alberta is a great place to bird.

Like the majority of birds, these North American birds also depict courtships or mating rituals.  The male species of these birds fly at a very high altitude and then they dive down to lower altitudes at a very high speed.  These special dives are often accompanied by spinning patterns and twirling in the air.  Polygynous nature is often seen among the male species of these birds and thus, as a result, a male Northern harrier is often known to have more than a couple of mating partners.  However, females are known to be monogamous.  The nest of these birds is made by the females on the ground or in raised places.  The male species showcase interesting characteristics.  These birds are extremely territorial and are known to attack others that approach the nests.  When the eggs are incubated by the female species, the male brings food and calls the female, but doesn’t approach the nest. 

· Unusual among hawks, Northern harriers use their sense of hearing to help locate prey.  They have an owl-like facial disk to help with directional hearing and soft feathers for a quieter flight

· A group of harriers has many collective nouns, including a “swarm” and a “harassment” of harriers

· The common name, harrier, is from the Old English work “herigan” and means to harass or plunder

· Their species name, Circus syanus, comes from the Greek word “kirkos”, meaning circle and the word “cyan” which is a shade of blue.  These refer to the Northern harrier’s flight pattern while hunting and the colour of the male bird

Options for shopping at the Wild Bird Store

To ensure you get what you want, please have your order in by 5:00pm on Tuesday and we will set it aside for you

Text us @ (403) 701-4571 OR email us at orders@wildbirdstore.ca so we can put your order aside.

Earn and redeem customer loyalty points on

The Bird Seed Truck

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.                 

As of Monday October 3, 2022 we will be closed on Mondays until further notice.

We still offer curbside pickup every day we are open and delivery service on Thursdays.

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