Post by kastern on Jul 3, 2007 14:11:29 GMT -8
Hi All,
Well we have arrived back to the hot, muggy, mosquito infested Fraser Valley. Apart from having to come back, we had a wonderful trip. We never did make it to Cypress Hills, got too hung up on places along the way and even though we would have had time to go there, it would have been a long haul back so we decided, especially after talking to a birder from Squamish who had just come from there and was disappointed at how 'commercial' it was....to leave it for another trip.
Our advice to anyone contemplating birding the southernmost parts of Alberta, and into Saskatchewan grasslands is to go earlier in the year. May would be ideal...I think next trip we'll leave here at Easter....never the less we saw a lot and added a few to the life list.
Breifly....we started out in B.C. at the Kettle River Provincial Park outside of Rock Creek. This is a beautiful park, very 'birdy' with a variety of habitats right within the park...and if you have kids...there is a nice playground as well. Deer, Chipmunk ,Ground Squirrels also abound. Our first lifer was here - a LEAST FLYCATCHER. am also pretty sure we heard a Flamulated Owl but aren't sure enough of my 'birding by ear' to add it to the list yet.
Visited the Creston Wildlife Management area, but again...April is the time to be there. Did see American White Pelican and at Duck Lake one telephone wire held 4 kinds of Swallows (Cliff, Tree, Barn, & Northern Rough Wing) plus Eastern Kingbirds...all leading to an occupied Osprey nest. Its that sort of place although the water levels were high so no shorebirds visible.
Next to Fernie where the American Dipper were dependable as clock work with a nest right where I didn't dare attempt going.
Into Alberta, to Beauvais Lake Provincial Park, just outside of Pincher Creek. An absolutely beautiful park! The sort of place a family could spend the whole vacation with playgrounds, beaches and a lake for swimming. Lots of nice walking trails....wildflowers were spectacular. Didn't add any lifers but there were lots and lots of birds there including a pair of Canada Geese with 24 youngsters - I've got the photos to prove it!
On to Police Outpost Provincial Park....this park is known for it's 'birdyness'....a small park, not as civilized as Beauvais. There is a lake and a number of wetlands. Several walks around the area although the one to the wetlands is closed until the end of July as there were both Trumpeter Swan and Sandhill Crane nesting there. Again a variety of habitats and added a HOUSE WREN to the life list - one was fascinated by the mirrors on our truck for some unknown reason. We never got on the lake, in fact toted our canoe and my kayak for the entire trip and the kayak never got wet and the canoe only once. Would like to return and spend more time at this park - again, earlier in the year. We did a day trip from this park into Waterton where no birds were added but their Wildflower Festival was on and we added a few wildflowers to the 'life list' if there is such a thing. One of my cameras also choose this time to die although it has since come back to life....have no idea what was going on with it.
On to Writing on Stone Provincial Park. This was the highlite of the entire trip. What a fantastic place!!! We traveled a secondary highway to get there and never saw another vehicle so puttered along, stopping constantly and added LONG BILLED CURLEW (they were standing on the road), SPRAQUES PIPIT, CHESTNUT COLLARED LONGSPUR, PRARIE FALCON and SWAINSON'S HAWK to the list...all seen en route. I had no idea there were so many Horned Lark in the world....they are constantly flying off the road and into the grass as you drive anywhere in that area. While watching some Wilson's Phalarope right beside the road, we saw two Badger....addition's to the wild animal life list.
In the park itself we added BROWN THRASHER, ROCK WREN, and LARK SPARROW. I think I have another sparrow as well but will need to study photos with a field guide first. The birds in this park were incredible. I recommend this park to be at the top of anybodies 'place to visit' list. Playground for kids and a river with a beach for swimming......warning though, it gets very hot in summer so again, early in the year. There are deer, lots of rabbits (Nuttal's Cottontails), we found a young Porcupine up in a tree nibbling away and the last evening, while walking up the road to get an overview photo of the campsite and the spectacular sandstone hoodoos....we saw a young rattlesnake....much to my husbands delight. I'm glad I saw it the last day and not the first although there are all kinds of signs warning you to slow down and 'Save our Snakes' and to wear shoes not sandals while walking around.
This was the point we decided to not go to Cypress Hills but headed to Dinosaur Provincial Park which I had remembered from a past trip to be spectacular, birdy, hot and buggy. After Writing on Stone it didn't seem nearly so spectacular, it was birdy and hot and buggy.....so much so that we forfeited our last nights paid fee and headed to the mountains, but were rewarded by a flock of MARBLED GODWIT landing in a grassy field just as we were leaving.
From there we headed to Banff and spent the last week in the Rocky Mountains. Didn't add any birds, in fact birds were in short supply, but enjoyed scenery and wildflowers. Finished up with a couple of days in Yoho National Park and then onto Tunkwa Lake to wind down before heading for home.
I have thousands of pictures and will start posting some as I get organized.
Kathy
Well we have arrived back to the hot, muggy, mosquito infested Fraser Valley. Apart from having to come back, we had a wonderful trip. We never did make it to Cypress Hills, got too hung up on places along the way and even though we would have had time to go there, it would have been a long haul back so we decided, especially after talking to a birder from Squamish who had just come from there and was disappointed at how 'commercial' it was....to leave it for another trip.
Our advice to anyone contemplating birding the southernmost parts of Alberta, and into Saskatchewan grasslands is to go earlier in the year. May would be ideal...I think next trip we'll leave here at Easter....never the less we saw a lot and added a few to the life list.
Breifly....we started out in B.C. at the Kettle River Provincial Park outside of Rock Creek. This is a beautiful park, very 'birdy' with a variety of habitats right within the park...and if you have kids...there is a nice playground as well. Deer, Chipmunk ,Ground Squirrels also abound. Our first lifer was here - a LEAST FLYCATCHER. am also pretty sure we heard a Flamulated Owl but aren't sure enough of my 'birding by ear' to add it to the list yet.
Visited the Creston Wildlife Management area, but again...April is the time to be there. Did see American White Pelican and at Duck Lake one telephone wire held 4 kinds of Swallows (Cliff, Tree, Barn, & Northern Rough Wing) plus Eastern Kingbirds...all leading to an occupied Osprey nest. Its that sort of place although the water levels were high so no shorebirds visible.
Next to Fernie where the American Dipper were dependable as clock work with a nest right where I didn't dare attempt going.
Into Alberta, to Beauvais Lake Provincial Park, just outside of Pincher Creek. An absolutely beautiful park! The sort of place a family could spend the whole vacation with playgrounds, beaches and a lake for swimming. Lots of nice walking trails....wildflowers were spectacular. Didn't add any lifers but there were lots and lots of birds there including a pair of Canada Geese with 24 youngsters - I've got the photos to prove it!
On to Police Outpost Provincial Park....this park is known for it's 'birdyness'....a small park, not as civilized as Beauvais. There is a lake and a number of wetlands. Several walks around the area although the one to the wetlands is closed until the end of July as there were both Trumpeter Swan and Sandhill Crane nesting there. Again a variety of habitats and added a HOUSE WREN to the life list - one was fascinated by the mirrors on our truck for some unknown reason. We never got on the lake, in fact toted our canoe and my kayak for the entire trip and the kayak never got wet and the canoe only once. Would like to return and spend more time at this park - again, earlier in the year. We did a day trip from this park into Waterton where no birds were added but their Wildflower Festival was on and we added a few wildflowers to the 'life list' if there is such a thing. One of my cameras also choose this time to die although it has since come back to life....have no idea what was going on with it.
On to Writing on Stone Provincial Park. This was the highlite of the entire trip. What a fantastic place!!! We traveled a secondary highway to get there and never saw another vehicle so puttered along, stopping constantly and added LONG BILLED CURLEW (they were standing on the road), SPRAQUES PIPIT, CHESTNUT COLLARED LONGSPUR, PRARIE FALCON and SWAINSON'S HAWK to the list...all seen en route. I had no idea there were so many Horned Lark in the world....they are constantly flying off the road and into the grass as you drive anywhere in that area. While watching some Wilson's Phalarope right beside the road, we saw two Badger....addition's to the wild animal life list.
In the park itself we added BROWN THRASHER, ROCK WREN, and LARK SPARROW. I think I have another sparrow as well but will need to study photos with a field guide first. The birds in this park were incredible. I recommend this park to be at the top of anybodies 'place to visit' list. Playground for kids and a river with a beach for swimming......warning though, it gets very hot in summer so again, early in the year. There are deer, lots of rabbits (Nuttal's Cottontails), we found a young Porcupine up in a tree nibbling away and the last evening, while walking up the road to get an overview photo of the campsite and the spectacular sandstone hoodoos....we saw a young rattlesnake....much to my husbands delight. I'm glad I saw it the last day and not the first although there are all kinds of signs warning you to slow down and 'Save our Snakes' and to wear shoes not sandals while walking around.
This was the point we decided to not go to Cypress Hills but headed to Dinosaur Provincial Park which I had remembered from a past trip to be spectacular, birdy, hot and buggy. After Writing on Stone it didn't seem nearly so spectacular, it was birdy and hot and buggy.....so much so that we forfeited our last nights paid fee and headed to the mountains, but were rewarded by a flock of MARBLED GODWIT landing in a grassy field just as we were leaving.
From there we headed to Banff and spent the last week in the Rocky Mountains. Didn't add any birds, in fact birds were in short supply, but enjoyed scenery and wildflowers. Finished up with a couple of days in Yoho National Park and then onto Tunkwa Lake to wind down before heading for home.
I have thousands of pictures and will start posting some as I get organized.
Kathy