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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Western Canada with a family August 2017 (1 Viewer)

cafe birder

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My daughter suggested a family holiday to the Rockies this year and despite suspecting that babysitting duties could be involved I heroically volunteered to join them (along with my my wife and other daughter) on the understanding that "a little extra driving" might be involved to let me see mammals and seabirds on vancouver island. Hence we set off at the very end of July to fit with the school holidays as two are teachers. This report is chiefly to show what can be seen without any special effort in case others are looking to visit this popular area. I will add a few snaps of the local wildlife where my pics are recognisable.

Day 1 and arrived late, as per Air Transat's reputation, in Vancouver and straight off to a nearby airport hotel. The plan to visit Stanley Park seemed overly ambitious after our grandson decided to become a two year old just ahead of the flight; and some way ahead of his second birthday.Instead a visit to the "International house of pancakes" and a walk around the local business park sufficed. As always the first visit to a new area was thrilling and local street trees held North Western crow, white-crowned sparrows, cedar waxwings, bushtits and american robins. In addition the hotel was festooned with hanging baskets which attracted anna's hummingbird.
 

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Day 2 travel to Ucluelet on vancouver Island.
What little info I had gleaned suggested the ferry journey to the island could be dull and it certainly was! A few glaucous winged gulls and common seals plus a family of canada geese was the only wildlife on show. In the background was a chap explaining the ways to stay safe in encounters with large carnivores which at no point suggested using a toddler as bait...... so I tuned out.
We stopped at sproat lake picnic area which was packed and almost birdless except for a junco (oregon form) which I was shown a picture of after we left and a bald eagle. We still called in on the way back though, a few days later where it produced McGillivrays warbler so I have forgiven it. I also saw a mid sized black looking woodpecker with a white thin wing bar that was probably Williamsons sapsucker but too briefly to be sure.

Early evening saw us arrive at our cabin in Ucluelet which was just by the start of the pacific rim loop and I was soon out staring at the sea. The sea stared back, untroubled by birds. I had been particularly looking forward to the wide range of auks and auklets but they saw me coming. For three days I scoped at every oportunity seeing guillemots but the only unusual alcid was cassins auklet each day. The heat wave (temps in the 30s most days, and calm conditions were exactly wrong. One morning I saw a black bird whirr past, at range with an apparently huge bright bill but a later flock of duck suggested that this had actually been black scoter and not the desired tufted puffin. Nevertheless, pacific slope flycatcher and golden-crowned kinglet were at least ticks. The latter especially welcome as I had missed them on my only previous trip to Canada (point pele in the spring 30 years ago)
 

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Days 3 to 5 Ucluelet

This proved a great place to be as it was reasonably quiet and provided plenty for everyone to enjoy. One of my main targets for the whole holiday was to see a bear and so I had prebooked us all on a small boat for an afternoon run by "Subtidal Adventures". The trip did what it said, within 20 minutes of setting off we were watching our first black bear feeding on the waters edge by turning rocks over. Without leaving the sheltered inlet we found two more which is job done in my book. The skipper/guide was no birder sadly and so no effort to track down seabirds or gulls could be induced. I did rather tire of seeing yet another bald eagle but, at the end of the cliche that was what he offered and I certainly have not seen one since returning to England. He also kindly let us know a good site for stellars sea lions chance of inshore gray (when in america use their spelling) whales. We duly went up to Wikaninish beach the next day and sat at the north end (be aware its nearly an hours walk up the beach) opposite the exact rocks and lo there were sealions. I then noticed a flock of 30 to 40 pacific divers and had just put the scope on one for a better look when a whale surfaced under it ! For the next hour a school of about 4 whales fed just beyond the surf which was just brilliant. This is completely opposite to my usual luck/skill when mammal watching and things duly returned to normal the next morning when I was out birding early on and failed to hear the wolf howling from somewhere near our cabin. Other birds seen in the immediate area included breeding wilsons warblers, townsends warbler and best of all rufous hummingbirds at the lighthouse. A group of mule deer were very close one evening and the woods rang to the calls of red squirrels and crossbills. Swainsons thrushes and stellars jays added to the fun.
 

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Days 6 to 8 travelling. Because of our decision to include the island we now had a steady drive to the Rockies which we split into 3 days to make it relaxed. Unfortunately the heatwave had lead to the worst fire season for many years so long range views were decidedly hazy. It was only at Kamloops that this started to clear. I had been given a site near Kamloops by a friend for an early am trip but misread the instructions and lost most of my time retracing my drive. In the end I found the Paul Lake road and the recommended pond and indeed the trees around it had plenty of birds. Here I added western tanager, western meadowlark, and eastern kingbird to the list along with my second fox sparrow of the trip and the ubuquitous cedar waxwings. If I had had more than 30 mins I feel it would have been a real bonus. Further up the road we had stopped briefly for my wife to take photos when I heard a woodpecker. Pileated was my most wanted bird for this trip and I charged across the road into the forest only to see a large black and white shape fly into the distance. Yet again a dip to add to those on both previous visits to the continent. Still a good reason to return one day. Cranberry Marsh could well have held the desired yellow headed blackbirds but our stop was at the wrong time of day with temps still in the 30s. The Best Western Hotel staff were typically generous like most Canadians and provided free coffee and shade for everyone while I searched. Terrific views of northern waterthrush made it memorable for me but as befits a skulker pics were not possible. Finally we made it to Jasper and settled into a log cabin at Pine Bungalows for a day.
 

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With only 1 full day, and that a my daughters birthday I confined myself to the campsite and then suggested dinner at the top of the Jasper sky tram (where by an amazing coincidence I had a chance of another mammal on my wish list , Hoary Marmot.) My less than cunning plan worked and I had a fine mammal day. This started early am with a brief coyote running across a grassy area by the edge of the campsite and a hastily snapped woodpecker proving to be american three toed which I believe has been split from the European one. the sky tram was exceptionally busy due to a local bank holiday but we got up early evening and enjoyed great views of Marmots, golden-mantled ground squirrels and even Pika before dinner.
The following morning, while packing we were delighted to be interrupted by an Elk walking by the cabin and a mixed flock of warblers contained a single black-throated grey, this being the final one of the three warbler ticks I had hoped for.

The campsite was alive with red squirrels whose calls far outweighed the odd squeak from mountain chickadees or the usual juncos.

The drive south was a touristy affair visiting the famous icefields and falls with nothing of real note until below lake louise when I suddenly shouted stop. My wife hit the brakes and we just had time to watch a wolf glance back with disdain from the roadside bank before melting into the trees. A twenty minute wait produced no further sightings but I was more than pleased as I really had no expectation of this species at all.

And so onto Banff for our final few days which I will try and write up soon.
 

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It was in and around Banff that the combination of a mid-summer bank holiday and Canada's 150 year gift of free entry to national parks really showed itself.

The first day we tried to visit lakes Louise and Morraine we simply could not get near the car parks by 10.30 am. So a quick change of plan saw us at the Lake Louise ski lift. This turned out well as from the half empty car park we saw a mother Grizzly with two cubs slowly amble across a wide ski slope. Unfortunately I was inside researching tickets for most of this and only got a brief view as they wandered into the trees.

In hope of getting closer we all took to the open ski lift. No joy but the considerable compensation of a wolf crossing between two blocks of forest below us as we rose.

Returning to Morraine Lake in the evening there were a few spaces and I was able to catch up with gray jays and clarkes nutcrackers around the car park as well as a family of golden crowned kinglets a few hundred meters along the shore.

Drives around suitable roads early and late each day were very disappointing as no birds or mammals showed at all. I did however, manage to find a small group of Elk near the complex we were staying in and these proved fairly tame and placid.

Lake miniwanka at dawn was surprisingly quiet though a tree full of swallows turned out to hold no tree swallows at all and the car park had our only chipping sparrows of the trip.

I had hoped for lots of butterflies and dragonflies but both were thin on the ground all trip. The high meadows we planned to walk were all closed due to the extreme fire risk and elsewhere insects were just scarce. I got photos of a few clouded yellow types and american painted lady's as well as what I believe is great spangled fritillary .

Overall we were very lucky with mammals, I met someone from Liverpool for instance who had looked for a bear for three weeks without joy. New birds came at a rate of about 1 to 2 per day which kept my interest up.

I have written this really for those, like me who are looking for a family friendly destination that will still provide good to very good wildlife at a relaxed pace. I found it quite difficult to pin down good info despite using ebird and local forums so hope that someone somewhere finds this of use.

regards Howard
 

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A great account and some great shots there cafe birder! I have visited the region a number of times over the years (have family there), envy your Three-toed Woodpecker certainly one I'd love to catch up with, if you manage to get out there again...I can strongly recommend Varied Thrush and Mountan Bluebird they are both "spectacles" from the top drawer! :t:
 
thanks for your kind words Ken. I had hoped for both but it did not happen. I was particularly hoping to see one of the presumably, rarer, coloured varied thrushes rather than the black and white version that occurs in Cornwall.
 
Having seen the former extremely well!.....Fruit Orange and Prussian Blue....I'm now ready for the latter with camera at the ready...it would drive me ''Grazy''. :eek!:
 
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