No Bears This Time

Elbow Falls

Out again this morning first driving through Bragg Creek and turning toward Elbow Falls.  We stopped at the Falls first just to admire the spectacle.  Glancing across at dense forest a soaring Sharp-shinned Hawk caught the eye.  Moving on we stopped and climbed up a hill full of flowers where a Warbling Vireo was singing.  We then stopped for lunch by the Elbow River but only found a Spotted Sandpiper and a few Pine Siskins.  We then drove through lots of wonderful habitat without finding really anything until we emerged across a grassy plain with a stream passing through the middle.  Here an Orange-crowned Warbler was trilling away and 10 Northern Rough-winged Swallows hunted insects overhead.  An Osprey appeared and was diligently trying to fish the stream but irritated Red-winged Blackbirds constantly harassed it until it gave up.  Before we moved on a Common Yellowthroat and three American Goldfinches were noted.  Just around the corner 5 Buffleheads occupied a Beaver pond.

Osprey being mobbed by Red-winged Blackbird

We then decided to head for the 40 road up the Kananaskis Valley to try and repeat our experience with Grizzly Bears on Monday.  Despite all our efforts we failed but did see a few Bighorn Sheep.  We decided to drive the Spray Lakes road to Canmore where we would have supper.  On the first lake we located a single Common Loon and moving on not much else for quite a while.  Suddenly we pulled up fast as a Coyote came running up the road straight towards us enabling photos to be taken.

This Coyote ran right up to our car.

We did not have to go far before we found a single Grey Jay sitting on a road side tree and then a little later a young bull Moose making his way down to a stream for a wallow. Finally as we approached Canmore a splendid adult Golden Eagle soared low over the road.

Young bull Moose

Well no Bears today but still some great wildlife.  All this followed by a superb meal in a Japanese restaurant in Canmore before getting home at 11pm.

Lazy Day

After yesterday's excitement I took a rest this morning but did go out after lunch to Sadler's Slough a small wetland to the east of Calgary in the prairie region. The weather was sunny but almost gale force winds made finding birds difficult.

Yellow-headed Blackbird

On arrival a Sora Rail scampered cross the road and Yellow-headed Blackbirds demonstrated their extraordinary dexterity in the cat-tail marshes.  There were plenty of duck about some with ducklings but most are starting their eclipse moult.  We noted Cinnamon Teal, Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall, Redhead, Lesser Scaup and of course Mallard.  There was also a Black-necked Grebe amongst the wildfowl.

Green-winged Teal just starting eclipse moult

On the way home near Delacour I counted 10 American Avocets on a roadside lake.

A Day to Remember

Ptarmigan Cirque in the Highwood Pass, Canadian Rockies

Today my wife Beryl, son Jeremy and grandson Morris all decided to drive through the Kananaskis Valley and up the Highwood Pass to the Ptarmigan Cirque (7300 feet) and on to Highwood House and back.  Our main target was seeing Grizzly Bears never an easy task. We set off early and stopped first at a Visitor Centre for toilets.  Whilst I was absent the rest had good views of a Golden Eagle which miffed a little bit as I had never seen this species in Canada. We moved on up the pass and saw little until we arrived at a massive rock scree right up against the road.  Here we hoped to see a mammal I had never set eyes on before.  Within minutes we were in luck with 2 Pikas ( a tiny rock loving member of the rabbit family) showing them selves really well.

Pika habitat

Pika

We moved on and found finding any wildlife very difficult.  A stop at the Cirque revealed the news that a female Grizzly and 2 cubs were on a meadow which would involve a very steep climb to get anywhere near them.  We passed on that and took a short walk through a snowy landscape but found nothing but hordes of Cambrian Ground Squirrels and some pretty Western Anenomes.

Western Anenomes

We gave up any further walks and drove on going down now towards Highwood House.  We stopped for lunch by a superb fast flowing river.  We had hardly started eating when an American Dipper flew downstream and returned a few moments later with its mate.  Gazing up at enormous peaks we found a juvenile Golden Eagle soaring overhead so now I felt better. Lunch was a splendid picnic and we finished up and carried on to Highwood House.  This sounds very grand but is a petrol station and services centre at a junction between two mountain routes.  It is famous for its hummingbird feeders and we did not have to wait long before 3 Rufous Hummingbirds appeared.  Walking around the site we also located a Red-naped Sapsucker feeding in a tree.

Male Rufous Hummingbird

Red-naped Sapsucker

Birds were proving hard to find although frustratingly many unfamiliar songs were heard.  We did hear a number of Hermit and Swainson's Thrushes though.  It was late afternoon and apart from an Osprey and a pair of Red-tailed Hawks we added nothing else.  We decided to drive back slowly in the hope we might see a bear.

Red-tailed Hawk

Within a hour we came across a group of cars parked by the roadside and there at last a young Grizzly Bear dashing about looking confused.  Suddenly mother appeared and the two set off along the side of the road feeding.  They dug about in the turf and mother suddenly had a mouthful of dandelions.  We had them in view for at least 20 minutes which was a real privilege.

Our first Grizzly Bears of the day

Dandelions are obviously part of the diet of a Grizzly Bear

We moved on leaving hordes of people watching and made for a picturesque picnic spot where we had earlier noticed 4 Mountain Goats way up high.  We took a snack here and whilst sitting at a picnic table noticed another female Grizzly and cub heading down the track beside us.  We packed up quickly and followed them in the car.  Soon we found them after a slightly worrying confrontation with a female Moose.  They were moving quite quickly in a straight line through forest and parts of the track.

Mother and cub Grizzly on the path

We decided to get down onto the main road and try and anticipate their emergence there.  We could not have done better.  Within minutes the cub came bounding out of the forest followed by a much darker female than the animal seen earlier.  Eventually they crossed the road and disappeared again.  It was only after looking at the photographs on a computer that I noticed this female had a tracking device and tabs behind her right ear which you can see on the photo of her crossing the road.

The second female Grizzly Bear crossing the road.

We were by now elated and could not imagine we would be so fortunate.  We set off for home adding another Moose, White-tailed Deer and quite a few Bighorn Sheep to our list.

Male Bighorn Sheep

What a fantastic day - can watching wildlife get any better?

I Got it Wrong!

Bird Brain of Britain in 2000 but can still get it wrong in 2012

However many birds you have seen it is always possible to make a mistake in the identification especially when in unfamiliar territory.  I did just that on June 29th when an orange-coloured sparrow right in front of me attracted my attention at Frank Lake, Alberta.  The bird sang twice with a very peculiar brief buzzing song.  As I had been hoping to find Le Conte's Sparrow I assumed wrongly that this was the bird I was looking at. After research in field guides and sound recordings my doubts were proved correct and what I saw and heard was in fact a Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow.  This species is equally difficult find and still a new species for me.  Back into the field now after Le Conte's Sparrow.

Frank Lake revisited

Frank Lake

On our last visit in 2010 Frank Lake was one of my favourite spots.  A large open body of water in the prairies about an hour south of Calgary.  Reedy fringes and wet grassland make this a must for any birder.  We started at the large hide and were soon watching dozens of Black-necked (Eared) Grebes with their young right underneath our watching position.  Forster's Terns were nesting nearby and White-faced Ibises and Franklin's Gulls were flying back and forth to their nesting areas. Out on the open water 2 pairs of Western Grebes floated lazily with their chicks and large rafts of Redheads were present.

Black-necked (Eared Grebe)

Forster's Tern

  Before leaving we heard a Sora Rail but failed to call it out in the open and also added Willet and Wilson's Phalarope to our list.  A sudden commotion as we headed back to the car saw the Forster's Terns chasing off a young Black-crowned Night Heron.  We moved on around to the east shore of the lake and drove down a quiet track past some farms.  We had great fortune to find a Western Kingbird on overhead wires but could not get any pictures.  Parking up here I walked down a lane to a point where lagoons and reeds spread out on either side of me.  Several Black-necked Stilts, Killdeers and Lesser Yellowlegs were feeding in shallow areas with about 30 Wilson's Phalaropes.  The reversed  activity of the sexes meant that I only noticed one female but the rest were all males presumably looking after eggs or young.  I would guess most had hatched as I did get a glimpse of a couple of chicks.  Willet called overhead and hordes of Gadwall, Blue-winged Teal and Shovelers were everywhere.  I walked back to the car and I noticed a small orange-headed sparrow on a post.  A quick glance with the binoculars revealed a Le Conte's Sparrow a new species for me.  I raised my lens but once again failed to get a shot.

Black-necked Stilt

Male Wilson's Phalarope

We continued our tour around the lake checking prairie fields.  A pair of Marbled Godwits were displaying over one damp field and close scrutiny of small birds revealed quite a few Horned Larks and Vesper Sparrows.

Horned Lark

Vesper Sparrow

We moved on to the western shore but added little else except for a friendly Eastern Kingbird.

Eastern Kingbird

We left the lake and heading back there was one more exciting moment as a Swainson's Hawk perched on a post with its prey.

Swainson's Hawk with prey

We shall certainly come back to Frank Lake before returning to the UK.

Five Days in Waterton Area

Cameron Lake, Waterton Lakes NP

Sorry for the silence this last few days but we have just spent five days in the extreme south of Alberta in the Waterton area.  The Waterton Lakes National Park is perhaps the best known site in this area and we gave it a day and a half.  The weather at first was very wet but we did get some warm sunshine.

American Bison

On the first morning we checked out the Bison enclosure where wild animals are confined to a large but fenced off area.  Checking out this site we encountered lots of Mountain Bluebirds and some more Cedar Waxwings.  We moved on to a lake near the entrance to the Park and were delighted to pick up Sandhill Crane, Common Loon, Bufflehead and Bald Eagle.  Later that first day we encountered an extraordinary performance by about 300 Cliff Swallows.  After a heavy shower they were feverishly collecting fresh mud for their nests.

Cliff Swallow gathering mud

The Park itself was pretty poor for watching birds but the only place where we saw both Grizzly and Black Bears.  Most of the wildlife seemed to be on the outside.  The best wildlife experience of our trip was a couple of visits to the home and garden of Joan & David Glaister.  Joan is a naturalist and great enthusiast living in a remote but beautiful house with a magnificent garden and best of all dozens of bird feeders.  Here were many of the local species including some specialities such as Cassin's Finch, Black-headed Grosbeak and Red-naped Sapsucker.  More of these visits perhaps later.

Joan's garden

Male Cassin's Finch

Male Black-headed Grosbeak

Red-naped Sapsucker

All in all an excellent experience staying at  a cottage at Dungarvan Creek and enjoying the exceptional hospitality of Eileen & Bruce Russell.

Canada Again

After a gruelling days travelling we finally arrived unscathed in Calgary, Alberta and joined my son Jeremy and his family.  It is always great to meet up with Jeremy, his wife Saskia and our grandchildren Morris, Tara and Holly.  My first chance of some birding was earlier this afternoon when with Morris we took a walk around the Weaselhead Trail.  Calgary has some fantastic birding sites and when in them it is hard to believe you are within the limits of Canada's fastest growing city.

Weaselhead

Arriving at the parking lot we moved down through a scrubby hill where White-throated Sparrows sang their dreary songs and approaching the river Yellow Warblers took over the chorus.  At the bridge the large colony of Cliff Swallows was very active and a Spotted Sandpiper called from the river.  Crossing the bridge we came across a superb small group of Cedar Waxwings "flycatching" from riverside trees.

Cedar Waxwings in riverside trees

Watching these beautiful birds was fascinating and there were good opportunities for photographs. Overhead  a Red-tailed Hawk and a Swainson's Hawk sailed by.

Cedar Waxwing

Moving on through scrub and mature forest we heard more Yellow Warblers and found a pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds.  Later on an oxbow of the Elbow River we encountered a female Goldeneye but little else except a calling Northern Flicker.  We were heading for a particular clearing and getting there we waited only a minute or two before a pair of Calliope Hummingbirds showed up.  The male was most obliging and sat around in the open flashing his scarlet throat feathers.  This tiny creature is the smallest hummingbird in North America.

Male Calliope Hummingbird.

We headed back to the car as rain clouds threatened noting American Goldfinches and a Downy Woodpecker flying over.  Two Least Chipmunks also allowed close observation.

Least Chipmunk

As spits of rain fell we had a quick look at Glenmore Reservoir.  In the gathering gloom we could see at least 6 Great Blue Herons, c40 Canada Geese and a superb adult Bald Eagle sitting at the water's edge.  Then it was back home for a welcome supper.