Trip
Summary
Date: June
10 - 20, 2010
Duration: 11 days
Leader: Steve Ogle
Limit: 12 people
Cost: $3,395 USD, $3,875 CDN
Single supplement $595 USD, $675 CDN
Departs: Edmonton, Alberta tour ends in Calgary
Highlights:
• Spectacular mountain scenery in the heart of Canada’s mountain
National
Parks
• Excellent bird and mammal watching across a range of elevations and habitats
Featured Birds & Mammals:
• White-tailed Ptarmigan
•
American Dipper
•
Black Swift
•
Lewis’s Woodpecker
•
Black-chinned Hummingbird
•
Ferruginous Hawk
•
Varied Thrush
•
Moose
•
Mountain Goat
•
Bighorn Sheep
•
Pronghorn
Summary:
• Moderate walking, some hiking
• One or two steep (optional) hikes
• Highly variable weather, possible snow at the Whistlers
• Good quality accommodation
• 4 to 8 participants with one leader; 9 to 12 participants with two leaders
• One or two 15-passenger vans |
This
tour combines great bird and mammal watching amidst spectacular mountain
scenery. We visit the famed Mountain National Parks of the Canadian
Rockies – Banff,
Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay as well as Kananaskis Country and a few
lesser known but equally charming areas. We explore both sides of the
continental divide including the headwaters of the Columbia River and
the very productive Columbia River wetlands – the longest wetlands
in North America. We will visit a wide range of habitats from the alpine
tundra to prairie grasslands. We amble through magnificent Rocky Mountain
forests looking for warblers and other passerines, scan clear mountain
streams for American Dippers, and search the prairies and astonishingly
productive potholes for grassland birds, raptors, ducks and shorebirds.
We take the longest tram ride in Canada to the Whistlers and look for
high elevation species such as White-tailed Ptarmigan. And we see lots
of mammals - elk, moose, bear, deer, coyote, beaver, porcupine, mountain
goat, bighorn sheep and more.
See detailed itinerary
below
Past bird and mammal
checklists:
2007 Canadian
Rockies tour (179 KB PDF)
2006 Canadian Rockies tour (pdf)
2002
Canadian Rockies tour (pdf)
To
download a registration form click here.
Photos: Elk
by Renee Franken |
Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrival and Orientation
The tour begins in the evening in Edmonton, Alberta. We will meet over
dinner for a brief introduction and orientation to discuss the upcoming
adventure. Night in Edmonton.
Days 2 and 3 - Jasper National Park
We travel west on Highway 16 from Edmonton to Jasper, stopping along
the way to look for forest and water birds, and for a picnic lunch, perhaps
on a quiet lakeshore alive with warblers and other songbirds. As we enter
Jasper National Park we will scan the mountains and roadsides for big
game animals and birds before checking in to our delightful and comfortable
cottages on the Athabasca River—a setting which is truly awe-inspiring.
After dinner, we will begin our birding explorations in the diverse mountain
habitats.
During our time in the park we visit several birding hotspots: lowland
habitats such as Cottonwood Slough, the Maligne Valley and the higher
elevation alpine regions like The Whistlers. In front of our cottages,
we will gaze upon the beautiful Athabasca River, watching for American
Dipper, Osprey, Spotted Sandpiper, and Common Merganser. At Cottonwood
Slough we look for Calliope Hummingbird, Willow and Alder flycatchers,
Northern Waterthrush, Gray Jay, and Swamp, Song and Lincoln’s sparrows.
Along the Maligne Valley road we search for Harlequin Duck, Townsend’s
Solitaire, Winter Wren and Varied Thrush. A highlight will be a gondola
ride up The Whistlers. The views from the alpine meadows can be spectacular,
and the birds found here are easily approached and are species generally
not found elsewhere. We will be looking for White-tailed Ptarmigan, American
Pipit, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch and Townsend’s Solitaire, as well
as the hoary marmot, or “whistler”. Nights in Jasper.
Day 4 - Columbia Icefields and Lake Louise
Today will be mostly a driving day as we make several stops on our way
to Lake Louise. We travel south along the spectacular Icefields Parkway
through Jasper then Banff National Parks. This is an unforgettable drive
through the mountains. Over the day, we will travel along Continental
Divide and go over two major mountain passes. Our first stop will be
at Athabasca Falls where we hope to see American Dipper. We will also
stop at the Columbia Icefields to soak up the spectacular scenery of
the Athabasca Glacier, learn a bit about glaciation, and bird the open
subalpine forests nearby. The lookout at Bow Summit provides a wonderful
view of Peyto lake and glacier. We arrive in the town of Lake Louise
in the afternoon and visit beautiful Lake Louise - a spectacular setting
- where we should find Clark’s Nutcracker. This is an area with
a fascinating history including the amazing engineering of the railroad,
the colourful mountaineering history, and the connection to Canada’s
group of seven artists.
Day 5 – Lake Louise to Invermere
We depart Lake Louise and head over Kicking Horse Pass into British Columbia
and our next National Park, Yoho. We travel down to the town of Field
and on to the rich forests along the Kicking Horse River. Townsend’s
Warblers and Hammond’s Flycatchers should be singing from these
montane forests. As we descend into the town of Golden, we will get our
first views of the Purcell Mountains on the west side of the Rocky Mountain
Trench and the Columbia River Wetlands. These wetlands are a Ramsar site,
recognized for their tremendous importance to breeding and migrating
birds. At 180 km long, they are one of the longest wetlands in North
America. We begin our journey south along the wetlands. We stop at several
points to sample the amazing diversity this area holds. The wetlands
are home to Bald Eagle, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Wood Duck, Cinnamon
Teal, Hooded Merganser, Sora, and much more. In the forests along the
wetlands we are likely to encounter Least and Willow Flycatcher, Northern
Waterthrush, and we have good chances for Bullock’s Oriole, Black-headed
Grosbeak, and Veery. Night in Invermere.
Day 6 – Invermere
We have time to explore the diverse habitats and birds of this area.
The grasslands and savannas hold Lewis’s Woodpecker, Western Meadowlark,
Mountain and Western Bluebird, Western Tanager, Lazuli Bunting, and Long-billed
Curlew. Cassin’s Vireo as well as Dusky and Pacific-slope Flycatcher
can be found in these forests and with luck we may find Blue Grouse crossing
our path. We make a stop to watch White-throated Swifts while enjoying
an ice cream cone – what fun! Some more time in the wetlands will
also give us chance to look for a few more species we may not have seen
yesterday. Night in Invermere.
Day 7 – Invermere to Canmore
After a final morning in this beautiful valley, we head back into the
Rocky Mountains and Kootenay and Banff National Parks. The drive through
Kootenay Park provides more stunning scenery as we travel up to the Continental
Divide. Kootenay Park recently experienced a very large fire so we will
stop to see if we have any luck finding Black-backed Woodpecker, which
is a post-fire specialist.We enter Banff National Park and bird along
the Bow Valley Parkway, an area occupied by Hammond’s Flycatcher
and Harlequin Duck, and then continue on for a visit to the famous and
picturesque town of Banff, arriving at our lodge in Kananaskis Country
for dinner. We will likely have the pleasure of watching from the deck
of the lodge as moose graze in the meadow below. Night near Canmore.
Day 8 - Kananaskis Valley
The fantastically beautiful Kananaskis Valley, on the eastern slopes
of the Rocky Mountains, consists mainly of Lodgepole pine and spruce
forest, with aspen and willow near water. Several large lakes and extensive
wetlands dot the valley. The diverse habitats at the low elevations along
the highway support a great variety of bird species. During the day we
visit several locations including Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, where
we look for Boreal Chickadee and Spruce Grouse — and we may also
find Varied Thrush, Townsend’s Warbler, Red Crossbill, Belted Kingfisher
and perhaps a Northern Goshawk. Night near Canmore.
Day 9 – Prairie birding near Brooks
For a change of pace today, we head east past Calgary into the short
grass prairie of southern Alberta. As we travel out of the Calgary, we
watch for Swainson’s and Ferruginous Hawks, Chestnut-collared Longspurs
and Prairie Falcon, and perhaps Willet and Upland Sandpiper in the open
prairie. Pronghorns feeding close to the road may present an exciting
photo opportunity. Lakes support colonies of Western Grebe, American
White Pelican and Caspian Tern. Night near Brooks.
Day 10 – Dinosaur Provincial Park and return to Calgary
We drive north to Dinosaur Provincial Park, which could produce such
summer residents as Rock Wren, Say’s Phoebe, Brown Thrasher, Clay-colored
and Lark Sparrows, Western Kingbird and Baltimore Oriole. After lunch
we wind our way west, stopping to search for Sprague’s Pipit and
Baird’s Sparrow, and head back to Calgary where we enjoy a final
dinner together. Night in Calgary.
Day 11 - Departure
Our trip concludes in Calgary, after breakfast.
What
to Expect
You can expect early morning starts each day, with the occasional before-breakfast
trip as we search out breeding and late migrant birds. While we travel
a considerable distance during our tour, most days involve reasonably
short distances. Weather conditions during the trip should include
warm and sunny days, possibly some rain, and the nights will be cool,
and sometimes cold, in the mountains.
We walk easy to moderate lowlands and mountain trails, sometimes for
periods of up to four hours. A reasonable level of fitness will be required
since some mountain hikes involve 200 to 500 meters (600 to 1500 feet)
in elevation change. We also bird along roadways and woodland trails,
occasionally venturing into low brush and swampy and uneven terrain.
During these times, we stop frequently to observe wildlife. We usually
have picnic lunches while we soak up panoramic views. Should we have
two leaders, we may split into “faster” and “slower” groups.
In the evening, we may arrange to go to a local restaurant selected for good
food and comfortable atmosphere. During this time we discuss the day’s
activities, review the list of birds seen and heard, and set out plans for the
next day.
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