Post by Chris on Jul 20, 2010 17:50:54 GMT -8
I forgot to finish the second hald of the report so here it is.
Day 4 Mount Robson to Banff
The original plan was to leave Jasper then head to Banff. However, due to snow we had to leave from Mount Robson and head directly towards Banff. We would cross through the icefields. I was hoping to see some wildlife through the icefields highway as there is lots of potential to see animals. We woke up early which increased our chances of seeing animals but we saw two elk in Jasper and that was it. There were signs along the highway warning of Mountain Goats, Bighorn Sheep, Moose, Elk, Bear, Deer and even Caribou but except for two elk nothing was seen!
Mount Robson with some fresh snow!
From here on out the weather was great. No rain or snow and sun all the time. Driving through the icefields is an incredible experience. It’s hard to put into words. On both sides there are large mountains that have been carved for by the ice ages. Furthermore, the various shapes of the mountains is amazing! I regret not taking many pictures. However, it was hard to stop in some areas because we were pulling the trailer. Additionally, the pictures I did take aren’t very good. I need to switch lenses when I am taking pictures of landscapes. So if I do this in the future, I need to switch lenses and would take a vehicle so it’s easy to pullover.
A picture taken of the beginning of the icefields highway.
Concerning birds there weren’t many seen except for a few Common Loons and three sandpipers which were flying along a lake. No clue what species though.
The only stop that we did that lasted more than five minutes was the Columbia Icefield where the Athabasca glacier is. My parents were here in 1973 and they noticed how far it has receded. As you walk up to the glacier they have small signs tell people where it was on certain dates.
Where I stood and took this picture was where the glacier was in 1844. It has receded 1.5 kilometres in 125 years and recedes about 20 to 30 metres a year (65ft 98ft). In some spots the ice is 300m (1000ft) thick.
Not to turn this into a climate change debate .but what I found interesting is that the glacier was melting at a considerable rate in the 1800’s. There is considerable evidence that the Earth is warming, but how much of an impact humans are having, I believe is still in question.
If there wasn’t as many people around I could see this place being excellent for Ptarmigan. None were seen but a few Hermit Thrushes were calling, a Killdeer, a Gray-crowned Rosy Finch flew over and there were four Barn Swallows! We were at 2000m elevation. I was surprised to see them.
Here’s a surrounding mountain nearby.
We continued onto Banff where we camped at Tunnel Mountain Campground. We rested up and went for a walk around some marsh on the south side of the town. The birds were really quiet here. There was a Mallard, a few Common Yellowthroats, Chipping Sparrows and a Killdeer calling. As we were walking I heard a different call. I looked up and saw a small bird in a tree. It turned out to be a Tennessee Warbler! A new bird for me but unfortunately I did not get any pictures of it.
Day 5 Banff
We drove up to Lake Louise where we took a Gondola ride through Grizzly Bear habitat. No bears were seen. This area is supposed to be the best chance to see a Grizzly Bear in Banff and Jasper. Not many birds were seen. I heard a few Mountain Chickadees and Hermit Thrushes. The views from up top are spectacular. Again I should have brought my other lens. Here is the Lake Louise Hotel from here and the lake.
We took the Bow Valley Parkway home. It’s nice drive which offers better chances of seeing wildlife. The speed limit is 50km/h here to reduce the chance of animals getting hit by vehicles. We stopped in a few places to check for a few birds but not many were seen. It was in the afternoon and it was very warm so that probably has something to do with the limited bird activity. We were approaching the end and I was surprised that we didn’t see any mammals. All of a sudden vehicle stopped ahead of us. It turned out to be a small herd of Bighorn Sheep off to the side of the road. These animals were obviously used to the presence of humans because I could have reached outside my window and touched a few of them. Their horns are awesome!
After we got back to the campsite we walked around Johnson Lake which is about five minutes away from the ton of Banff. It was a nice hike but quiet regarding birds. No waterfowl on the lake and very few warblers around. I did see a Peregrine Falcon and an Osprey.
Day 6 Banff to Chilliwack
We left Banff around 8 Alberta time. The next stop would be Herald Provincial Park which is on Shuswap Lake. On the drive out of Banff a Sharp-shinned Hawk was seen along with a Black-billed Magpie. The drive also produced two deer. We arrived at Herald around two B.C. time. It was very warm. I saw a few birds Spotted Sandpiper, Western Tanager and a few robins. I swam in the lake instead of going birding due to the warm weather. We were supposed to stay there for the night, but my dad and mom wanted to get home, so we left there around 7 and got home around 11 at night.
It was definitely worth the trip, but if I were to do it again, I would want to go for at least ten days. There are so many things to do in both places. When my parents were here years ago they told me about how much wildlife they saw. I have read that the wildlife in both parks have gone away from the highways and also popular places for people.
Deer, Elk and Bighorn Sheep were the only mammals seen. I was hoping for bear or Moose.
Day 4 Mount Robson to Banff
The original plan was to leave Jasper then head to Banff. However, due to snow we had to leave from Mount Robson and head directly towards Banff. We would cross through the icefields. I was hoping to see some wildlife through the icefields highway as there is lots of potential to see animals. We woke up early which increased our chances of seeing animals but we saw two elk in Jasper and that was it. There were signs along the highway warning of Mountain Goats, Bighorn Sheep, Moose, Elk, Bear, Deer and even Caribou but except for two elk nothing was seen!
Mount Robson with some fresh snow!
From here on out the weather was great. No rain or snow and sun all the time. Driving through the icefields is an incredible experience. It’s hard to put into words. On both sides there are large mountains that have been carved for by the ice ages. Furthermore, the various shapes of the mountains is amazing! I regret not taking many pictures. However, it was hard to stop in some areas because we were pulling the trailer. Additionally, the pictures I did take aren’t very good. I need to switch lenses when I am taking pictures of landscapes. So if I do this in the future, I need to switch lenses and would take a vehicle so it’s easy to pullover.
A picture taken of the beginning of the icefields highway.
Concerning birds there weren’t many seen except for a few Common Loons and three sandpipers which were flying along a lake. No clue what species though.
The only stop that we did that lasted more than five minutes was the Columbia Icefield where the Athabasca glacier is. My parents were here in 1973 and they noticed how far it has receded. As you walk up to the glacier they have small signs tell people where it was on certain dates.
Where I stood and took this picture was where the glacier was in 1844. It has receded 1.5 kilometres in 125 years and recedes about 20 to 30 metres a year (65ft 98ft). In some spots the ice is 300m (1000ft) thick.
Not to turn this into a climate change debate .but what I found interesting is that the glacier was melting at a considerable rate in the 1800’s. There is considerable evidence that the Earth is warming, but how much of an impact humans are having, I believe is still in question.
If there wasn’t as many people around I could see this place being excellent for Ptarmigan. None were seen but a few Hermit Thrushes were calling, a Killdeer, a Gray-crowned Rosy Finch flew over and there were four Barn Swallows! We were at 2000m elevation. I was surprised to see them.
Here’s a surrounding mountain nearby.
We continued onto Banff where we camped at Tunnel Mountain Campground. We rested up and went for a walk around some marsh on the south side of the town. The birds were really quiet here. There was a Mallard, a few Common Yellowthroats, Chipping Sparrows and a Killdeer calling. As we were walking I heard a different call. I looked up and saw a small bird in a tree. It turned out to be a Tennessee Warbler! A new bird for me but unfortunately I did not get any pictures of it.
Day 5 Banff
We drove up to Lake Louise where we took a Gondola ride through Grizzly Bear habitat. No bears were seen. This area is supposed to be the best chance to see a Grizzly Bear in Banff and Jasper. Not many birds were seen. I heard a few Mountain Chickadees and Hermit Thrushes. The views from up top are spectacular. Again I should have brought my other lens. Here is the Lake Louise Hotel from here and the lake.
We took the Bow Valley Parkway home. It’s nice drive which offers better chances of seeing wildlife. The speed limit is 50km/h here to reduce the chance of animals getting hit by vehicles. We stopped in a few places to check for a few birds but not many were seen. It was in the afternoon and it was very warm so that probably has something to do with the limited bird activity. We were approaching the end and I was surprised that we didn’t see any mammals. All of a sudden vehicle stopped ahead of us. It turned out to be a small herd of Bighorn Sheep off to the side of the road. These animals were obviously used to the presence of humans because I could have reached outside my window and touched a few of them. Their horns are awesome!
After we got back to the campsite we walked around Johnson Lake which is about five minutes away from the ton of Banff. It was a nice hike but quiet regarding birds. No waterfowl on the lake and very few warblers around. I did see a Peregrine Falcon and an Osprey.
Day 6 Banff to Chilliwack
We left Banff around 8 Alberta time. The next stop would be Herald Provincial Park which is on Shuswap Lake. On the drive out of Banff a Sharp-shinned Hawk was seen along with a Black-billed Magpie. The drive also produced two deer. We arrived at Herald around two B.C. time. It was very warm. I saw a few birds Spotted Sandpiper, Western Tanager and a few robins. I swam in the lake instead of going birding due to the warm weather. We were supposed to stay there for the night, but my dad and mom wanted to get home, so we left there around 7 and got home around 11 at night.
It was definitely worth the trip, but if I were to do it again, I would want to go for at least ten days. There are so many things to do in both places. When my parents were here years ago they told me about how much wildlife they saw. I have read that the wildlife in both parks have gone away from the highways and also popular places for people.
Deer, Elk and Bighorn Sheep were the only mammals seen. I was hoping for bear or Moose.
