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Canadian Arctic Adventure (1 Viewer)

Maroon Jay

Maroon Jay

Airborne
Canada
Just over one month to go until I depart for the Arctic coast. Driving west from Edmonton to Prince Rupert British Columbia on the west coast. Three days on board a ferry to Alaska with an overnight stop in Juneau. No idea what I might see on those three days. Then driving from Alaska to Whitehorse in the Yukon. Taking a course in dogsledding and photographing the Northern Lights and waiting for the spring migration to start. Not sure what birds I can find around Whitehorse in March. Owls? At the end of March is the Swan migration where apparently, I can see almost 1,000 swans at a time. Then driving north to the Arctic Coast. Hope to see Grizzly Bear and Caribou along the way. At the coast hope to see Eider, Plovers and other Arctic birds along the coast. Then flying further north to Banks Island to see Muskox. Then back to the coast where I will stay for one month. When It gets warm enough I will do some canoeing along the coast of the Arctic Ocean. Then driving south-east across the Arctic to Wood Buffalo National Park in the North West territory, home of the Whooping Crane. Then south to Alberta. Should get back home about end July or August. I will often be in places without internet access but will make updates when I can. ((going alone if anyone wants to join me)).
 
Good luck MJ. Sounds like a fantastic trip.

Wrong time of the year I guess but we had a Porcupine just outside Prince Rupert.

Rich
 
Looking forward to hearing about your adventures! Sounds great... and a reminder that one of these days I should head north instead of south.
 
That sounds really interesting, MJ. Where are you planning to get to the Arctic ocean? I imagine the ice roads are probably not doable by then (don't know how far they go, in any case.)

Take care that the mozzies don't carry you off!
 
Hi Ovenbird, Yes, I usually go south for the winter. Have not spent a winter in Canada for the past five years and hope to not be here for the next five either but thought I would do something different this year. Have seen all of Canada except the Arctic.
Peter, there are only two roads to the Arctic coast, one in Alaska and one in Canada. The one in Alaska is blocked by the Prudhoe Bay oil refinery and the only way to get past it is on a bus tour. The Canadian road goes right to the coast. It is closed only in the spring and fall when the ice is forming or moving. I wont reach the coast until May or early June. It depend on the weather and how long I stop at places along the way. For the first month I have to keep warm, then yes, lookout for giant mosquitoes and man-eating flies in the summer.
 
Maroon Jay said:
. The one in Alaska is blocked by the Prudhoe Bay oil refinery and the only way to get past it is on a bus tour. The Canadian road goes right to the coast.
Click to expand...

Then what's the big deal about Mr. Harper announcing the construction of an all-weather road to Tuk? I thought this was going to be a brand-new thing. (I expected you have to go in Alaska for the drive ... didn't know about the Prudhoe Bay problem... on the other hand, it's the only reason there's a road in the first place.)
 
yes, If you want to go to the Arctic coast, I would really go the Canadian route. You can drive and camp right at the coast. Not possible in Alaska from what I hear (have not taken that drive). At the moment the road goes as far as Inuvik on the delta. From there to Tuk is an ice road that melts in the summer and turns to bog so you can only go in winter. An all-weather gravel road is currently under construction but wont be finished this year. Both places are on the Arctic coast but Inuvik is on a delta which is probably better for seeing birds anyway. Tuk is directly on the coast but not much further north. (also for Canadian citizens this route has the advantage of not leaving the country which is cheaper as you don't need to buy health insurance and you still get your six months out of the country later).
 
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Maroon Jay said:
yes, If you want to go to the Arctic coast, I would really go the Canadian route. You can drive and camp right at the coast...
Click to expand...

Ah! Yes, agree with you there - lots of advantages to staying in Canada for this, not least of which is, any birds seen would go towards one's Canada list, (if one were keeping such a thing) rather than a sort of generic "AOU area" list.

I've wanted to go to that region ever since getting W. E. Godfrey's Birds of Canada umpteen years ago, and noticing that the range map for Yellow Wagtail just barely creeps into Canada along the coast there. Still think you need to fly into Ivvavik NP or some such place to see them, though - and I can't afford that at the moment. Siberian Tit should be doable, though.
 
Yes, getting into the National Parks up there is difficult and very expensive. You need an aircraft and a guide. There are no roads. For the Arctic birds that I don't get on this trip, I would like to tour the Aleutian archipelago another year
 
Maroon Jay said:
If you want to go to the Arctic coast, I would really go the Canadian route. You can drive and camp right at the coast. Not possible in Alaska from what I hear (have not taken that drive).

...
Both places are on the Arctic coast but Inuvik is on a delta which is probably better for seeing birds anyway.
Click to expand...

I travelled up the Arctic on the Dalton Highway last summer. Not sure that the Canadian route is better for birding, the area around the end of the Alaska road is spectacular for birds too, the highlight being Spectacled Eider (gettable on the Canadian route?). Also saw Musk Ox and Wolf there too.

If interested, report HERE (Alaska bit at the end)
 
No, the Spectacled Eider is not in Canada. There are a few more birds in Alaska than in northern Canada but I want to be able to drive right up to the water with my canoe and apparently cannot do that in Alaska because of the oilfields. I should be able to find Muskox and hopefully wolf and lots of other animals. For the birds that I miss on this trip, I hope to do a fly-in trip to Barrow or Nome one day. Would also like to travel the Aleutian chain. For this trip, my goal is to get my canoe in the Arctic Ocean. Also, as a Canadian, it is better because I can save my health insurance and out-of-country travel for a later trip (Australia is next).
 
I am on my way. Currently in Valemount, British Columbia, having made it over the mountains without incident. I don't expect to see anything exciting until I get closer to the west coast.
 
Driving west through the mountains today. I saw several little birds on the road. One kind was brown and red, with an all red back. A finch of some type I guess. The other was mostly brown with white marks and a wide mark or wing bar on the wing. Unfortunately it was snowing hard and I was not able to stop for a better look or get photos. There was no place to pull over as the roadsides were piled high with snow. It was too dangerous to stop. I also saw a small herd of Mountain Sheep and one Moose.
 
I finally was able to stop and get a photo of the birds I was seeing. Saw many small flocks all along the highway across British Columbia but almost always in a place where I could not pull over and stop or traffic was coming in one direction or the other. Finally a got a chance to pull over and snap a photo of some of them. They turned out to be mostly Pine Siskins with some Red Crossbills and Purple Finches mixed in. They seemed to be eating something on the highway but I could not see anything there. When a vehicle came along, they waited until the very last minute to fly up, often leaving it too late and getting hit, especially when large trucks came along. This did not seem to bother them as they would come right back to the same place and wait for the next vehicle. You can see one dead one in the photo. Also saw my first Bald Eagle of the trip.
 

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Depending where in BC you are, some of the red birds may be Cassin's Finches, rather than Purple Finches - not easily ID'd at the best of times, and I certainly wouldn't try without a really close view! Bill shape is a good indication.

I suspect that the birds are not eating, but trying to pick up grit for their crops ... roads are often attractive to them for this reason.

P.C.
 
Peter C. said:
Depending where in BC you are, some of the red birds may be Cassin's Finches, rather than Purple Finches - not easily ID'd at the best of times, and I certainly wouldn't try without a really close view! Bill shape is a good indication.

I suspect that the birds are not eating, but trying to pick up grit for their crops ... roads are often attractive to them for this reason.

P.C.
Click to expand...

Grit makes good sense, I was thinking salt, but to salt Canada's roads would far too costly I reckon.
 
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