Prairie Birds & Mountain Plover Quest

Southeast Alberta is a superb area for short-grass prairie and grassland birds, and we visit when breeding is in full swing. We have a chance of seeing one of the rarest breeding birds in Canada, the Mountain Plover, although this “prairie ghost” isn’t always found every year. The community of prairie birds aptly-named “prairie bells’ will be a focus; McCown’s and Chestnut-collared Longspurs in their musical display flights, Sprague’s Pipits singing overhead, Baird’s and Vesper Sparrows in the taller grass, Grasshopper Sparrows trilling from exposed perches, with Western Meadowlarks and Lark Buntings filling the air with their songs. Swainson’s and Ferruginous Hawks soar, Prairie Falcons and Merlins dash by, waterfowl fill the potholes, and shorebirds are numerous – Marbled Godwit, Wilson’s Phalarope, Upland Sandpiper and Long-billed Curlew. Cypress Hills is an impressive island of forest within the prairie, and holds such interesting species as Red-naped Sapsucker, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Dusky Flycatcher and the pink-sided race of Dark-eyed Junco.

Highlights

• Fine selection of Prairie birds and mammals
• Variety of habitat from riparian woodlands to unbroken mixed-grass prairie
• Cypress Hills, an island of boreal forest in a prairie sea

 

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival in Calgary
Participants will be arriving in Calgary throughout the day. For those arriving early, there are opportunities for birding in and around Calgary. The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary along the Bow River is an excellent area for foothills and riverine species and is easily accessible within the city of Calgary itself. In 2007 we located several Harlequin Ducks and Wood Ducks, a local rarity. Alternatively, there are some great museums worth visiting in the city. Contact the tour leader for helpful suggestions.
We meet in the evening at our hotel for a get-together and a discussion of the next day’s activities. Night in Calgary.

Day 2 - Dinosaur Provincial Park and Suffield Prairie
After breakfast we head east along the TransCanada Highway and onto the open short-grass plains characteristic of southeastern Alberta. We pass several roadside ponds and sloughs which should have many waterfowl and grebes, both Horned and Eared, and Black Terns foraging in and over the water, and shorebirds including American Avocet and Black-necked Stilt foraging along the shoreline. We stop along the way should we spot one of our targets, such as a Ferruginous or Swainson’s Hawk. Our intended location is Dinosaur Provincial Park, a fine example of eroded badlands along the Red Deer River. Grasslands around the park support Sprague’s Pipits and Upland Sandpipers, the badlands are home to Say’s Phoebes, Rock Wrens, Lark and Clay-colored Sparrows, Prairie Falcons and Mountain Bluebirds, and the cottonwood riparian habitats support Spotted Towhees, Lazuli Buntings, Yellow-breasted Chats and other interesting woodland and scrub species. We have a picnic lunch here, in the shades of the cottonwoods.

Next we head further southeast, and drive along the western border of Suffield, a huge 2700 square kilometer military range noted for some of the finest remaining tracts of native prairie left in Canada. Virtually all of the prairie specialties can be located at Suffield - McCown’s and Chestnut-collared Longspurs, Sprague’s Pipit, Grasshopper and Baird's Sparrows and Lark Bunting. We may be lucky enough to find Sharp-tailed Grouse or Gray Partridge en route, and there should be groups of Pronghorns on the open plains.

We arrive at dinnertime at our lodge in the Cypress Hills Provincial Park at the charming little town of Elkwater, where we spend the next two nights.

Day 3 – Cypress Hills and Wild Horse
The Cypress Hills are an island of boreal forest in a sea of prairie, and have a unique and isolated avifauna. Here we could find Red Crossbill, Audubon's Warbler, the pink-sided race of the Dark-eyed Junco, Wild Turkey, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Dusky Flycatcher and Red-naped Sapsucker, and............ there are moose in these hills.

We head down to the diverse prairie region around Wild Horse along the Montana and Saskatchewan border. Our main target is the Mountain Plover; this is the only known breeding location in Canada for this endangered species, and we take every precaution not to disturb the birds. They have nested recently on a private ranch, on flat open barren prairie, and, if they have returned, we should be able to scope them from the road and tracks that pass through the ranch. The dry prairies here also support longspurs and pipits, Lark Bunting, Brewer's Sparrow, and several pairs of Ferruginous and Swainson's Hawks. More lush areas have Upland Sandpipers. Prairie sloughs have Yellow-headed Blackbirds and Black Terns, and several fields support pairs of Burrowing Owls. This area is particularly good for catching a glimpse of Swift Fox. Night in Elkwater.

Day 4 - Cypress Hills and Pakowki Lake
Should we not have found Mountain Plovers yesterday, we return to Wild Horse for a second attempt. We then head west, taking in prairie sloughs and eroded badlands for waterbirds and Prairie Falcons, maybe to Pakowki Lake where Clark’s Grebes breed and Crow Indian Lake where there is a nesting colony of White-faced Ibis, and where we look for Yellow-breasted Chat, Bullock’s Oriole, Spotted Towhee, Brown Thrasher and other riparian inhabitants.
We make our way back to Calgary, stopping at locations in search of species that we may have missed up to this point. Night in Calgary.

Day 5 - Departure
Our tour ends after breakfast.

Featured Birds: 

• Mountain Plover
• McCown’s Longspur
• Sprague’s Pipit
• Ferruginous Hawk
• Brewer's Sparrow
• Lark Bunting
• Long-billed Curlew
• Burrowing Owl
• Pronghorn
 

Date: May 23 - 27, 2012

Duration: 5 days

Limit: 12 people

Price: $1,295 USD + 2.5% GST, $1,250 CAD + 5% GST; single supplement $285 USD + GST, $275 CAD + GST

Tour Starts & Ends: Calgary, Alberta

What to Expect

• Easy to moderate walking
• Warm to hot but potentially changeable summer weather, cool at night
• Good quality accommodation
• Lots of photographic opportunities
• Several long drives
• 4-8 participants with one leader, 9-12 with two
• 15 passenger van(s)
• Evening meals not included

We start our day with an early breakfast and then head off for most of the day, having a picnic lunch around noon. Days are long at this time of the year, and we make the best use of our time accordingly. Driving will be in moderate to long stretches, but we have frequent stops and breaks.
Southeastern Alberta is likely to be warm or even hot during the day, with a possibility of rain. It can be quite windy at times. However, being the northern prairies, a cold front could move through, so it is best to be prepared for changeable weather. Evenings are likely to be cool, nights can be quite chilly, and early mornings can likewise be cool before it warms up.
It is unlikely to snow. Nevertheless, participants should layer their clothing as conditions can change quickly while we are in the field. Mosquitos are equally unpredictable in late May. We may encounter just a few, or rather a lot. Participants should include bug repellent and perhaps a head net in their luggage, just in case! An umbrella would be useful.
Each evening we compile the day's checklist, review the day's activities, birds, mammals and other observations and plan the next day's activities.
 

Previous checklists from our Canadian Prairies tours: 

2010 Mountain Plover & Prairie birds tour (pdf)
2008 Mountain Plover & Prairie birds tour (pdf)
2007 Mountain Plover & Prairie birds tour (pdf)