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THE CANADIAN ROCKIES: ALBERTA Great western birding and spectacular landscapes.
$3575 (2008 fee). 11 days See our triplist for 2007 or 2005 or 2004.
Our tour begins in Edmonton, from where we will visit nearby Elk Island National Park. The mix of aspen parkland, wetlands, and grasslands here will reveal wonderful sights such as Red-necked Grebe, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Nelson’s Sharp-tailed and LeConte’s sparrows, and warblers such as Mourning, Tennessee, and Ovenbird. Bison and Moose are common here. Leaving Edmonton we’ll drive west to the mountains of Jasper National Park. Here the mountain streams may have Harlequin Ducks and American Dippers while the forests hold a diversity of flycatchers, warblers, and more typical Boreal species such as Gray Jay, White-winged Crossbill, and Boreal Chickadee. A visit to the alpine tundra, via a motorized tram, will allow us to search for White-tailed Ptarmigan, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, and a spectacle of alpine flowers. Driving south towards Banff and on to Kananaskis Country we’ll visit the Columbia Icefields. Here we will see the amusing Clark’s Nutcrackers and nearby we may find the “Timberline” Brewer’s Sparrow (a potential split). Kananaskis and Waterton Lakes National Park offer a broad cross-section of western birds including gems such as Black Swift, Calliope Hummingbird, Three-toed Woodpecker, Dusky Flycatcher, Townsend’s Solitaire, Varied Thrush, Townsend’s and MacGillivray’s warblers, “Slate-colored” Fox Sparrow, Western Tanager, Lazuli Bunting, and Cassin’s Finch—all in some of the most majestic scenery on the continent. Mammals we may see in the mountains include Hoary Marmot (aka “whistlers”), Pika, Mountain Goat, Bighorn Sheep, Elk, Moose, Beaver, and Black Bear (cinnamon and black forms). Grizzly Bear and Wolf are also possible, though we’ll need some luck to see these magnificent animals. To conclude the tour, we’ll detour through the Prairies on our way back to Calgary. Ferruginous Hawk, Prairie Falcon, Cinnamon Teal, Long-billed Curlew, American Avocet, Chestnut-collared and McCown’s longspurs, and Baird’s, Brewer’s, and Grasshopper sparrows will be among the many prairie birds we could encounter on the way. Join us on this trip through some of Canada’s most magnificent landscapes, and don’t forget to bring your camera!
Contact our office by e-mail in Austin, Texas at fieldguides@fieldguides.com.
Field Guides Incorporated, 9433 Bee Cave Road, Building 1, Suite 150, Austin, TX 78733 Copyright © 2007 Field Guides Incorporated Field Guides is a registered trademark of Field Guides Incorporated. cat08 |
