|
Spruce Grouse
|
A group of 3 were found
by the trail descending from Peyto Lake, within only metres of the car park.
First impression was that of the size of a small Red/Willow Grouse. They were unperturbed by the presence
of passing tourists
|
|
Canada Goose
|
These were particularly
common in Vancouver, with many small groups along the shoreline and within
Stanley Park. There was some distinct size variation within the birds seen,
although all were likely to have been of the B. c. fulva subspecies
which is usually found here
|
|
Mallard
|
Common throughout the
trip in all three major localities. There were many small to medium groups
around Vancouver's shoreline, ~20 on the channel when on the whale watching
trip, and ~70 on the Vermilion Lakes at Banff
|
|
Harlequin Duck
|
The 3 birds seen were a
treat, since I wasn't sure of their status at this time of year. All were
females. The first was swimming alongside the rocky
shore of Stanley Park. The second 2 were together on the Orford River, directly
in front of the 5th platform on the grizzly tour
|
|
Surf Scoter
|
This was the most common
duck seen from the boats on both the grizzly and whale watching trips. Numbers
were in the hundreds, with some in very large flocks both on the water and in
the air
|
|
White-winged Scoter
|
A group of ~30 flew past
the boat on the whale watching tour
|
|
Hooded Merganser
|
At least 13 birds were on one of the Vermilion Lakes at Banff.
The males were in superb breeding plumage
|
|
Goosander
|
2 on the
Orford River in front of the platforms during the grizzly tour; 4 on the sea
during the whale watching trip; a group of 10 near to shore while walking the
Rotary Trail at Campbell River; 1 just below
Bow River Falls, Banff; 2 on Lake Louise; 2
on the Vermilion Lakes, Banff
|
|
Red-throated Diver
|
~30 seen from the boat on
the whale watching trip, usually in small groups flying past
|
|
Great Northern Diver
|
Many of the divers flying
by couldn't be identified from the moving boat, but 2 were seen on the grizzly
tour, and 1 was on the water and seen from the Rotary Walk at Campbell River
|
|
Red-necked
Grebe
|
A single bird was feeding
in the marina between Stanley Park and Vancouver downtown
|
|
Western Grebe
|
~10 amongst
the many wildfowl on the grizzly trip
|
|
Great Blue Heron
|
Only seen on the
shoreline around Vancouver, where 1 was feeding next to the shore on the first
afternoon, with at least 8 on the walk around Stanley Park
|
|
Pelagic Cormorant
|
Quite common around the
shores of Vancouver and Stanley Park. They appeared to be the only cormorant
seen from the boat on the grizzly and whale watching tours
|
|
Double-crested Cormorant
|
Common around the shores
of Vancouver and Stanley Park. There was a large roosting collection of these
and smaller numbers of Pelagic Cormorants under the bridge alongside Granville
Island
|
|
Turkey Vulture
|
Most were seen on
Vancouver Island, with 5 on the journey from Nanaimo to Campbell River and 2 around Campbell River itself. 2 were over the ferry from Nanaimo back to Horseshoe Bay,
and a group of 4 on the journey from Banff to Vancouver were the only ones seen
over the mainland
|
|
Western Osprey
|
1 perched beside one of
the lakes between the sea to sky highway and Whistler
|
|
Bald Eagle
|
At this time of the year,
it's possible that many of these have moved up to the salmon spawning grounds
to feed on dead fish. This could explain why only a handful was seen. 2 were
from the boat near to Campbell River while sailing to the grizzly site on the
Orford River, with a third bird waiting for us on the shore at the river
itself. 2 further birds were seen in Campbell River from the Rotary Walk
|
|
Sharp-shinned Hawk
|
1 within Vancouver
|
|
Cooper's
Hawk
|
1 over the shoreline near
to our hotel in Vancouver
|
|
Red-tailed Hawk
|
1 on the journey from
Whistler to Kamloops. A second bird was the first dark phase I had seen,
hunting over the Saskatchewan River in the Icefields Parkway
|
|
Golden Eagle
|
1 over the car on the
journey from Whistler to Kamloops
|
|
American
Kestrel
|
2 over the trees during the walk along the Rotary Trail at
Campbell River
|
|
Wandering Tattler
|
3 with a group of Black
Turnstones on shingle next to the ferry at Nanaimo, seen from the deck as the
boat departed
|
|
Black Turnstone
|
8 in the group of waders
above
|
|
Sanderling
|
A group of 5 flew past
the boat on the grizzly trip
|
|
Bonaparte's Gull
|
~40 from
the boat during the whale watching trip
|
|
Common Gull
|
Common around Campbell
River and during the boat trips
|
|
Ring-billed Gull
|
The most widespread gull
seen, in reasonable numbers from Vancouver Island to the Rockies
|
|
Glaucous-winged Gull
|
Very common on the shores
of Vancouver and Vancouver Island
|
|
Glaucous Gull
|
Quite common on both boat
trips
|
|
American Herring Gull
|
Very common throughout
Vancouver and Vancouver Island
|
|
Guiillemot
|
2 definite birds
identified on both the grizzly and the whale watching trips
|
|
Marbled Murrelet
|
Auks were seen now and
again from the boat on both trips, but were generally frustratingly distant or
with too much movement to identify. 2 were not far out from shore on the
grizzly trip
|
|
Rhinoceros Auklet
|
4 on the whale watching trip
|
|
Mourning Dove
|
1 only at Bute Inlet
|
|
Barred Owl
|
This bird was an
unexpected treat. After completing the shore walk around Stanley Park, we took
one of the interior trails, where a couple of local birders were photographing
what may have been a regular bird perched just above head height and right next
to the path
|
|
Belted Kingfisher
|
1 flew from the shore to
the interior of Stanley Park; 2 on the grizzly trip (1 perched on a log in the
Orford River); 1 unexpectedly flying around the timbers of the quay from the
ferry at Nanaimo
|
|
Downy Woodpecker
|
1 downtown Banff
|
|
American Three-toed
Woodpecker
|
1 from the trail up to
Lake St Agnes at Lake Louise. It spent some time tree hopping between trees not
far from the path
|
|
Northern Flicker
|
1 from the car on the journey
from Kamloops to Banff
|
|
Western Wood Pewee
|
1 heard only at the Marsh
Loop, Banff
|
|
Grey Jay
|
Not a difficult bird to
see when in The Rockies, and they can be quite confiding. The first was next to
the cabins of Douglas Fir Resort, Banff. Best numbers were ~15 at Lake Louise,
being seen from the lakefront up to the Lake St Agnes. 2 very confiding birds
were seen at a stop off car park during the journey from Banff to Vancouver
|
|
Steller's Jay
|
Only seen on the journey
from Banff to Vancouver, with ~10 birds. They were often on the emergency
shoulder of the main highway, or hopping up for scraps at the stop off (above)
|
|
Black-billed Magpie
|
Not seen until Banff,
where they were a regular feature, either singly or in groups of up to 7. They
were also seen in small numbers on the journey from Banff to Vancouver, and
during trips around the Rockies
|
|
Clark's Nutcracker
|
Best numbers were at Lake
Louise (~20), where they were around tourists' feet from the lakeshore to the
tea house at Lake St Agnes, feeding from both discarded scraps and proffered
titbits. 2 further birds were subsequently seen in Banff, 1 next to the Douglas
Fir Resort, the second at the peak of Tunnel Mountain
|
|
American Crow
|
Very common in the
Rockies
|
|
Northwestern Crow
|
This is a very confusing
species, since it looks almost identical to American Crow, but apparently has a
different call. It is also the crow found on Vancouver Island and Vancouver (as
part of its north-western coastal distribution) where it is very common in both
town and country
|
|
Northern Raven
|
Very common, seen at all
altitudes, from Vancouver Island to The Rockies, and from dense forests to town
centres
|
|
Black-capped Chickadee
|
Common in Vancouver (both
Stanley Park and downtown), and in the Banff area
|
|
Mountain Chickadee
|
At least 3 birds identified in Banff, next to the Bow River /
downtown
|
|
Shorelark
|
~16 on the
summit of the Parker Ridge trail in the Icefields Parkway
|
|
Golden-crowned Kinglet
|
1 was with a small group
of Ruby-crowned Kinglets next to the Bow River/downtown Banff. Many more were
with chickadees (~16) towards the end of the Marsh Loop at Banff
|
|
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
|
Two's and three's seen
occasionally around Banff
|
|
Red-breasted Nuthatch
|
1 on the descent from the
Parker Ridge Trail, Icefields Parkway. A second flew across the car park above
the hoodoos, Banff
|
|
Brown Creeper
|
1 in Stanley Park
|
|
Common Starling
|
Common in or around
habitation near to the coast
|
|
Varied Thrush
|
2 together at the Marsh
Loop, Banff
|
|
Grey-cheeked Thrush
|
1 flew over the boardwalk
within the trees at the Marsh Loop, Banff
|
|
American Robin
|
2 on the Marsh Loop, Banff; 4 at the stop off on the journey
from Banff to Vancouver
|
|
American Dipper
|
2 on the Orford River in front
of the viewing platforms
|
|
House Sparrow
|
Quite common in Vancouver
and at some towns elsewhere during the trip
|
|
Pine Siskin
|
2 in a conifer at Douglas
Fir Resort
|
|
American Yellow Warbler
|
2 together on the Rotary
Trail, Campbell River
|
|
Yellow-rumped Warbler
|
1 Douglas Fir Resort
|
|
MacGillivray's Warbler
|
1
female in a lone bush next to the marina at
Campbell River
|
| Wilson's Warbler |
3 separate birds were
seen in Banff
|
|
Common Grackle
|
Strangely, the only birds
seen were ~30 around the overnight hotel in Kamloops
|
|
Song Sparrow
|
The birds in this area of
North America are generally quite dark red/brown on the back and parts of the
head, contrasting with slate grey head pattern. The ones seen were also near
water in all cases, and very retiring: 2 Stanley
Park; 1 the marina, Campbell River; 3 Rotary Walk, Campbell River; 2 Vermilion Lakes, Banff
|
|
White-crowned Sparrow
|
4 Douglas Fir Resort,
Banff (1 adult, 3 juveniles)
|
|
White-throated Sparrow
|
1 Douglas Fir Resort,
Banff; 1 Marsh Loop, Banff
|
|
Dark-eyed Junco
|
The race in this area is
the smart Oregon type. 2 were at Campbell River, but most other birds were seen
in The Rockies, with up to 10 in any one day
|
|
Savannah Sparrow
|
1 at the marina, Campbell River; another during the Rotary Walk,
Campbell River
|
|
Striped Skunk
|
This fellow was a
surprise, found ambling through a small park in the late evening darkness near
to our hotel in Vancouver
|
|
Raccoon
|
The most likely place to
see these was Stanley Park in Vancouver, and at least 5 different individuals were
very tame in one section next to Lost Lake
|
|
Black Bear
|
The only one seen was in
the distance, crossing the meadows below the cable car at Jasper (looked at
from downtown)
|
|
Grizzly Bear
|
Apparently, there are
higher numbers of these in Banff National Park than Black Bears, but they tend
to stay further away from habitation. So, the best way to see them in action is
to take a trip from Vancouver Island to one of the inlets holding salmon runs
on the mainland. We saw at least 5 different bears at the Orford River, which
flows into Bute Inlet. The first was on the shore as we arrived, with the
second an inquisitive youngster from the bus. The other 3 were seen at the
viewing platforms, with one catching a huge salmon as we gawped
|
|
Humpback Whale
|
One seen on both the
outward and return journey looking for Orca on the whale watching trip
|
|
Pacific White-sided
Dolphin
|
This is a hugely
entertaining dolphin, since it likes to play around in the wake of passing
boats. We saw about 5 different groups during our two boat trips, with one
containing at least 50 individuals
|
|
Killer Whale
|
Despite being a regular
around Vancouver Island, these still have to be found, and it took some time
and a long ride up the Johnson Straight to locate this family of 11. However,
once found, they stayed along the same small stretch of coast while we ate our
lunch
|
|
Dall's Porpoise
|
This porpoise is marked
in similar patterns to killer whales, but is obviously much smaller. A group of
5 were around the boat during the grizzly trip
|
|
Black-tailed Deer
|
The most common deer seen
by far, and usually very confiding. The first 2, and subsequently group of 6,
were wandering amongst the buildings next to the road on the Rotary Walk,
Campbell River. A group of 5 wandered through the Mountain Lodge Resort, Banff,
and a mother with calf after our descent from Tunnel Mountain were totally
unconcerned by us on the other side of the road
|
|
White-tailed Deer
|
2 together Icefields
Parkway
|
|
Bighorn Sheep
|
~9 next to the road on
the journey from Kamloops to Banff
|
|
Eastern Grey Squirrel
|
~10, including a few
melanistic forms, in Stanley Park
|
|
Golden-mantled Ground
Squirrel
|
Three very obliging
individuals seen, both at tourist hotspots - Moraine Lake viewpoint and (2) at
the Peyto Lake lookout
|
|
Least Chipmunk
|
1 along the Lake St Agnes
Trail, Lake Louise; 1 the Marsh Loop, Banff; 1 on the summit of Tunnel
Mountain, Banff
|
|
Douglas's Squirrel
|
One was playing with fire
by collecting nuts and crossing the trail with them near to the Barred Owl in
Stanley Park
|
|
Red Squirrel
|
Seen regularly in the
woods of The Rockies
|
|
North American Porcupine
|
1 beside the road on the
descent from Moraine Lake towards Lake Louise village
|
|
American Pika
|
1 crossed the St Agnes
Trail at Lake Louise
|