Trip
Information
Date: June
28 to July 8, 2008
June 27 - July 7, 2009
Duration: 11
days
Leaders: Richard
Knapton and Rudolf Koes
Limit: 12
people
Cost: $4850
USD, $4975 CDN, Single supplement $570 USD, $585 CDN, (Prices include
5% GST)
From: Edmonton,
Alberta
Trip Highlights:
• Amazing wildlife, from Muskox to jaegers and Great Gray Owls, amidst
fascinating tundra and taiga habitats
• Great breeding bird and flower photography opportunities
• Inuit cultural experience
Featured
birds & mammals:
• Yellow-billed Loon
• King Eider
• Sabine's Gull
• Red Phalarope
• Long-tailed Jaeger
• Snowy Owl
• Thayer's Gull
• Great Gray Owl
• Muskox
• Arctic Fox
Trip Summary:
• Warm and possibly cold weather
• Wonderful mammals including Muskox right outside of town
• Flights from Edmonton to Yellowknife and to Victoria Island plus return
included
• Easy to moderate walking, short drives, comfortable vehicles
• 4 to 8 participants with one leader; 9 to 12 with two leaders
• A two hour boat trip
in Yellowknife Bay
• Includes breakfasts and lunches
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This
very special tour takes in three different areas; the exquisite high
Arctic tundra
above the Arctic Circle and far north of the treeline, the boreal forest
and lakes around Yellowknife, NWT, and the aspen parkland and potholes
of Central Alberta. We encounter a diverse array of birds, from King
Eiders to Pacific Loons, Snowy to Great Gray Owls, Long-tailed Jaegers
to Sabine's Gulls, Musk Oxen to Arctic Foxes, and much  more. The area
is also steeped in history and culture, from explorers searching for
the Northwest Passage to the Inuit of the western Arctic. The high quality,
cultural experience and exciting wildlife viewing make for a long-remembered
tour!
See detailed itinerary
below
2007
tour bird & mammal list (141 kb pdf)
2006
tour bird & mammal list (129 kb pdf)
2005
tour bird & mammal
list
Click here to download a list of birds from our 2004 High Arctic and
NWT tour.
Click
here to download list of birds from our 2003 Arctic tour.
To download a registration
form click here.
Photos: Great
Gray Owl by Dennis Fast, Long-tailed Jaegar by Richard Knapton
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Itinerary
Day
1 - Arrival and Orientation
The tour begins in the evening in Nisku, just south of Edmonton, Alberta,
and close to the airport. After dinner we will meet for a brief introduction
and orientation. Night in Nisku.
Day 2 - Elk Island National Park
We leave Nisku early and head towards Beaverhill Lake in the aspen parkland.
The small wetlands in this area are very productive, and hold breeding
populations of Red-necked, Eared and Pied-billed Grebes, Black Terns,
Ruddy Ducks and several other species of waterfowl, American Avocet,
Wilson’s Phalarope and Franklin’s Gull. Beaverhill Lake has
been shrinking in size, and the shorelines are now grassy fields, where
Mountain Bluebirds, Vesper Sparrows and sometimes Short-eared Owls breed.
We then head to Elk Island National Park; about 230 species of birds
have been identified in the park and many nest there. Year round residents
include Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers, Ruffed Grouse, and Boreal Chickadees.
Migrant and nesting passerines include Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Gray
Catbird, Red-eyed and Blue-headed Vireos, Le Conte’s, Nelson's
Sharp-tailed and Clay-colored Sparrows, Northern Waterthrush and Mourning
Warbler. The marshes and ponds support a diverse array of waterfowl,
including White Pelican, Trumpeter Swan and Ring-necked Duck. The park
is also home to some 44 different kinds of mammals, including wapiti
(elk), moose, white-tailed deer, coyote, muskrat and porcupine. The most
noticeable of the park’s mammals—and we are likely to see
them—are the two different sub-species of bison.
In the afternoon, we head north of Edmonton, to the edge of the boreal
forest. Our target species are northern owls such as Great Gray, Saw-whet,
and Northern Hawk-owl, and we will look for them if they are known to
be present. We could also add to our tally of mammals with beaver and
red fox. Night in Nisku.
Days
3, 4 and 5 - Yellowknife
We plan for a late start this morning, before we drive to the airport,
looking out for Swainson’s Hawks on the way. We then board our
plane to Yellowknife, North West Territories. Whilst in the Yellowknife
area, we explore the boreal habitats in the Great Slave Lake area, looking
for specialties such as Red-necked Grebe, Mew and Bonaparte’s Gulls,
Rusty Blackbird and Sandhill Crane, and possibly White-winged Crossbill,
Northern Shrike and Bohemian Waxwing. We should encounter several boreal
forest species such as Tennessee, Blackpoll and Orange-crowned Warblers,
Gray Jay and Lincoln’s Sparrow, and Lesser Yellowlegs perching
on the tops of trees! Northern Goshawk is possible. A special treat will
be a boat ride in Yellowknife Bay, an arm of Great Slave Lake, the second
largest in Canada; weather permitting we take a boat ride among the house
boats and islands of the bay, and have a chance at lake species such
as Surf and Black Scoters, Pacific Loon and Arctic Tern. Yellowknife
has its share of unique restaurants and we'll take in a couple during
our stay.
Nights in Yellowknife.
Day 6 - Flight to Cambridge Bay
We spend the morning birding around the
Yellowknife area before taking an afternoon flight to Cambridge Bay.
We spend the rest of the day getting our bearings about town, and noticing
that the common town birds are Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs -
quite a change from House Sparrows and Starlings! Night in Cambridge
Bay.
Days 7 - 10 - Cambridge Bay
Whilst at Cambridge Bay, we make daily excursions to the various accessible
locations around town. One day we travel by vehicle on one of the
few roads in the area to the base of Mount Pelly. Here we should
get acquainted with common bird species such as American Golden Plover,
Semipalmated, Baird’s and Stilt Sandpipers, Long-tailed Jaeger,
Arctic Tern, Horned Lark, Lapland Longspur and Snow Bunting. American
Pipits breed on the slopes of the mountain. The loon that breeds
in the larger lakes in this area is Yellow-billed Loon, and we will
look for nesting pairs of this impressive bird. We should also find
several groups of Muskox, and see Arctic Foxes and Arctic Hares,
on the way to Mount Pelly.
On another
day, we travel along the West Arm to Dease and Simpson Strait, which
overlook the Northwest Passage. Throughout the trip we periodically
hike out onto the tundra looking for signs of the famous arctic rodents,
lemmings. If their numbers are high, we should see many of the predators
whose numbers depend on the lemming populations, such as all three
species of jaegers, Snowy Owl, and Rough-legged Hawk. As well, we will
enjoy
the abundant waterfowl, loons, and shorebirds with their broods. Greater
White-fronted Geese, King and Common Eiders, and Long-tailed Ducks
should have flotillas of young, Pacific Loons will be on just about every
medium-sized
pond, and lots of shorebirds including Ruddy Turnstone, Pectoral and
White-rumped Sandpipers will be scattered over the tundra. Our eyes
will be constantly searching the chilly waters for Ringed Seals.
We drive
along an inlet of Dease Strait to view the remains of Roald Amundsen's
ship, the Maude. We also visit an ancient traditional Inuit
hunting site, marked by stone tent rings and seal caches on the tundra.
Close by is an area that holds nesting birds such as Red Phalarope,
Sabine’s
Gull, and Tundra Swans. We will have time to carefully study the
beautiful flora and butterflies of the tundra, and revisit areas
for a second try
as well. Some species, such as Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Rock Ptarmigan,
will require persistence, luck and patience. We also visit the town
dump, where Glaucous and Thayer's Gulls gather, and in the past we
have found
Slaty-backed and Glaucous-winged Gulls. Nights in Cambridge Bay.
We
will have the opportunity to get in some souvenir shopping in town.
On Day 10, we board our plane for Yellowknife and on to Edmonton.
Last
night in Nisku.
Day 11 - Departure
The tour concludes after breakfast.
What to Expect
Because Victoria Island has a relatively small road network, meals will
be slotted in around bird activity and weather patterns. We will never
be more than an hour's drive from the Hotel. There will be no need
for early morning risings as we will witness 24 hours of daylight!
Bird activity
often peaks at mid-day! Polar Bears are unlikely to be encountered;
however we should see Musk-Ox, Artic Fox, Ringed Seal, Arctic Hare
and lemmings.
We can expect a high diversity of land and water birds during our visit
to central Alberta and the Yellowknife area.
Our daily itinerary will be responsive to weather conditions. Driving
will be limited to either small or moderate stretches. Lunch will be
variable
in time and location depending on the day and the level of birding. The
weather can vary from a sweltering 25C to around freezing in the day,
with frequent night-time frosts. It may snow, and participants should
layer
their clothing as conditions can change quickly while we are in the field.
Participants should include bug repellent and perhaps a head net in their
luggage, as there will be some mosquitoes, especially in Yellowknife!
Sturdy footwear that will keep your feet dry is recommended, as we
will be doing
some tundra hiking. Each evening a log-call follows the evening meal.
We review the day’s events, birds, mammals and other observations
and look forward to the next day's activity.
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