A Wander on the Wildside: January 2025

Day 5 - 6th August:

A short lie-in on our first morning in Calgary preceded a walk around the local area at lunchtime, briefly finding ourselves in a small riverside park called Princes Island. Spotted Sandpiper was a first and easily found on call, other notable/new trip species including Goosanders, Swainson's Hawks, Northern Flicker and Black-billed Magpies. This was after settling down for lunch and beers in the city centre, moving little for some time thereafter, so the park was brief in the warmest part of the day.

The evening was then spent at the house of the family we had come to visit, this being on the city's periphery. Here I saw the only Red-breasted Nuthatch of the trip (not sure how,) which was on the garden feeder. I also managed to get some close views of Northern Flicker. The first day was, on the whole, a relaxed one.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Northern Flicker

Day 6 - 7th August:

Another day spent locally in central Calgary, mostly on the eastern side of town along the river. From late morning onwards until mid afternoon, my dad, uncle and I were moving from pub to riverside cafe, mostly in the shade given it was about 34C. Birding was as a result unsurprisingly quiet, most species were bathing or sheltering.

The first spot had an Osprey nest, with youngsters regularly being tended to by the parents - they looked on the verge of fledgling at this point, I was surprised they were still there a week later. On the river, Spotted Sandpiper, hirundines and a few gulls were seen, whilst in the bushes a few Grey Catbird were the best. Walking further down a fair way yielded some more gull interest, with Franklin's and California Gulls both abundant. A fantastic White-breasted Nuthatch pair was the day's highlight, this one being especially showy. A pretty dream holiday day for me, with an ideal mix of birding, walking, sunshine and warmth, and switching off too.

Swainson's Hawk

Osprey

California, Ring-billed and Franklin's Gulls

White-breasted Nuthatch

Northern Flicker

Franklin's Gull

California Gull

Osprey nest

Day 7 - 8th August:

The first 'day out' since Niagara saw most of our extended family drove into the Rockies for the first time, to Elbow Falls in Kananaskis country. The weather was once again playing ball, making the drive away from the city all the better - I sat in the front passenger seat, giving me the best views and a chance to keep an eye out on the roadside, picking up an American Black Tern at a lake.

A picnic at the falls followed a spot of wandering around and for me a bit more wildlife watching, most of this time being spent with a family of American Dippers. The youngsters were vocal in and around the base of the falls, allowing close views with some patience. At this point I'd only seen Dippers once in the UK, which remained the case until 2024 (now I've seen them in 3 countries). Elbow Falls also yielded a decent number of other birds, including Cooper's Hawk, hirundines like Tree and Cliff Swallows, Pine Siskins, and a number of corvids too. As below, Elbow Falls exemplified some of the natural beauty which makes Canada so special.

Once back we did little, going out for dinner and having an ultimately pleasant time.

Clouded Yellow sp

American Dipper

blue butterfly sp.

American Dipper fledglings

Calls didn't match at all but presumably Brown-headed Cowbird youngster

Carolina Grasshopper (?)

Cliff Swallow

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Day 8 - 9th August:

A quiet day in mostly, before going to the house in South Calgary for a BBQ. Some more beers were tried and tested, and birding was kept to a minimum. The only American Kestrel of the trip (not identified till I got home as I forgot about it) was seen, and time was spent watching the garden Robins thrush'ing away.

American Robin

Day 9 - 10th August:

We got ourselves up at a decent time and rather than get a taxi/bus, decided to walk the 3 or 4 miles to Inglewood Sanctuary ie nature reserve. I'd been recommended the spot by Dan Field back in Cambridge, Calgary being his home city and Inglewood one of his favourite reserves. Inglewood was teeming with mozzies, so drowning ourselves in spray was necessary beforehand.

Birds were wide ranging in species and abundance as we wandered. Sparrows greeted us and were pretty much everywhere thereafter, this including Chipping, Song, Savannah, Lincoln's and Clay-colored. immature Brown-headed Cowbirds, parasitic menaces of North America, were found sporadically being fed by unsuspecting parents. Warblers were few and far between, one Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) was seen, along with 3 Yellow. 2 Warbling Vireo were new too, as were vocal groups of Eastern Kingbirds and Western Wood Peewee. Inglewood's raptors were also surprisingly vocal, particularly Swainson's and Red-tailed Hawks.

On the river, a few gulls were seen and were accompanied by Spotted Sandpiper, an alarming adult. And last but not least, the two small lakes at the sanctuary's centre held Solitary Sandpipers and plenty of ducks, including Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, American Wigeon and Goldeneye. Some of these showed better than others, the Hooded Mergs and Wigeon were a pain to get anywhere near.

Richardson's Ground Squirrel

juv Red-tailed Hawk

Solitary Sandpiper

Wood Duck

Solitary Sandpiper

Gulls

Spotted Sandpiper

Western Wood Peewee

Least Flycatcher

Warbling Vireo

Myrtle Warbler record shot

Chipping Sparrow

Solitary Sandpiper

Wood Duck

f Hooded Merganser

Chipping Sparrow

Eastern Kingbird

Black-capped Chickadee

Savannah Sparrow

Clay-colored(?) Sparrow

Eastern Kingbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Presumed Clay-colored but wasn't actually certain

Day 10 - 11th August:

One of the hottest days of the trip, so we didn't do too much till the afternoon. We got a tram towards Glenmore Reservoirs, walking along the east and south side parklands after ice cream/iced coffees. Birds were wisely in hiding, Yellow Warbler, Boreal Chickadee and a few species of sparrow and hirundine the best in the parks. On the reservoir itself, Goldeneye and Goosander were the most common, but with a bit of looking, Common Loon and Red-necked Grebe were eventually seen distantly. Gulls didn't get much of a look in due to distance. The final new species of the day was Hairy Woodpecker.

Goldeneyes

California Gull

Red-necked Grebe

Day 11 - 12th August:

It took a lot of time and money but my dad tracked down a car to hire for a few days, giving us a chance to have a bit more of a holiday as a family. The first day of car saw us head to Banff and Banff National Park. It was tourist season for one of Canada's most popular areas, so there were plenty of people on the roads. My first Bald Eagle was seen on the drive in, accompanied by more Ospreys.

Banff was our lunch and coffee stop, and was highlighted birdwise by Dark-eyed Junco and Mountain Chickadee in the car park. I wanted to explore the area around town more but vote went to heading further into the national park and being tourists at a cable cart viewpoint overlooking Lake Louise, which was admittedly beautiful.

Cliff Swallows and Two-barred Crossbill were the best whilst waiting to go up the cable cart. One of the scarcer birds of the trip was, funnily enough, found by my sister as usual - whilst on the cable cart, a Dusky Grouse was strutting its stuff barely 10 metres underneath us. Insects limited our time at the top of Mount Whitehorn, biting their way through our skin and patience in the heat. Another of the scarcer birds of the trip was then seen on the drive back to Banff, that being a group of 7 American Black Swift. A shame to only see them from the car, but fantastic birds.

The late afternoon, before driving home to Calgary for dinner, saw us venture deeper into the national park nearer Banff to several lakes - Two Jack Lake, the smaller counterpart to the enormous Lake Minnewanka. I spent a bit of time watching a Common Loon here as we had a peaceful sit down, where we also had a few Elk appear, very impressive animals.

Lake Louise

Banff NP

Pine Siskin and mountain peak

Fritillary sp.

Moth sp?

Lake Louise

Two-barred Crossbills

Bighorn Sheep

Day 12 - 13th August:

The biggest day of the trip, where we drove to Waterton Lakes National Park, situated at the southern end of Alberta and overlapping with the US. I'd always heard how roads in North America can feel straight and endless, which I realised first hand after several hours driving south. Farmland did mean a lot of raptors, which included a number of the common hawk species, and at one point a ringtail Northern Harrier - making a note of the location was wise, and meant I could prepare for the same spot on the way back for a better view. Rare for a plan like this to come together!

Waterton was initially extremely frustrating for me. As ever, I was desperate to make the most of the time away from city and in another truly breathtaking natural landscape, especially after a long drive. My family had other plans, so more time was spent in the town where there was little by way of wildlife apart from deer, with me sulking my way around for a while...

However, even if for the best part of an hour, we drove into the mountains before leaving. And a wildlife dream came true, my dad shouting bears as a cub running across the road behind us caught his eye, me and my sister seeing it by pure luck. As we approached a clearing, eyes were on the roadside and to our amazement, a mother and two cubs were making their way across some open land towards the river. All of us were treated to special views through bins and cameras, keeping our distance from within the car until they disappeared. Despite being brown, they were Black Bears, being far too small to be Grizzly.

A half an hour stop at a car park led to me finding a family of Audubon's Warbler, differing slightly but distinctively from Myrtle. A Red-naped Sapsucker was also seen sucking sap, before being pursued by a Hairy Woodpecker. A few other birds seen included an imm Bald Eagle, several (vocalising, what an incredible sound) divers at a lake, and distant unidentifiable ducks and waders. After thinking we had no chance at seeing bears, we then were stopped by a man shouting bear on the road (exactly what people were advised not to do). There was a male Black plucking berries barely 40 metres off the path, seen eventually from the safety of the car. The trip was missing a star animal, and it had arrived in style.

The drive home was for me relaxed with some light window birding, concluding with a Great Horned Owl leaving roadside roost on the approach to Calgary some hours later, and a Coyote. Time may have been limited, but it was a resounding success for a day out.

Deer

(Brown) Black Bears

Red-naped Sapsucker

Audubon's Warbler

Hairy Woodpecker

Audubon's Warbler

male Black Bear

Waterton Lakes NP entry road

Sunset

Day 13 - 14th August:

The last day of having a car saw us lie in slightly before driving back towards Banff, this time stopping for the day in Canmore. As we didn't rush nor spend too much time in a car, and Canmore itself was lovely and quite busy too, it was a nice change. In between ice cream, coffees, lunch and a dip in the river, a fair few decent birds were seen, such as Swainson's Thrush, Least Flycatcher, Yellow and Myrtle Warblers, Orange-crowned Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, plenty of sparrows, Brewer's Blackbirds etc etc.

And as can be seen from the photos, it really was as scenic as it gets. The water was freezing cold yet crystal clear, the weather was perfect and the landscape was serenely beautiful.

Brewer's Blackbird

Mountain Chickadee

Least Flycatcher

...and a Myrtle

White-crowned Sparrow

the family

Myrtle Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

juvenile Common Yellowthroat

Day 14 - 15th August:

A day birding in and around the Calgary suburbs, near to where my relatives lived. Another recommendation from Dan Field was Weaselhead Flats, the western end of Glenmore Reservoir where I'd been a week prior. It was hot and my dad reluctantly dragged himself round with me, meaning we swatted mozzies away together. Birding was quite quiet, but there were plenty of Cedar Waxwing, hirundines, Goldeneye, Merlin, sparrows and a Blue-winged Teal. The clear highlights were Sharp-shinned Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, heard only Northern Waterthrush (annoying) and far out a single Bufflehead. I spent a little while with my head in Red-eyed Vireo song too, one of the better sounds heard whilst out there.

Briefly afterwards, my aunt wanted to show me another Provincial Parkland/nature reserve nearby called Fish Creek. It was brief but did feature Solitary Sandpiper, Slavonian Grebe and Blue-winged Teal.

Pine Siskin

Clay-colored Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Goldeneye

Merlin

Belted Kingfisher

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Clay-colored Sparrow

Cedar Waxwing

Muskrat

Random chick, with no parents, not even sure what it was!

Clay-colored Sparrow

Red-eyed Vireo

Day 15 - 16th August:

The last full day in Calgary saw me and mum start by heading to Inglewood again for the morning, taking longer than expected given we didn't realise buses only accepted change. Birding was improved from the last visit with migration slowly getting going. Highlights included more Yellow and Myrtle Warblers, a mixed flock also hosting a single Wilson's Warbler, House Wrens, and bags of sparrows. A juvenile Bald Eagle was on the river, juvenile Swainson's Hawks were vocal, Red-eyed and Warbling vireos were also around, etc etc.

A lazy afternoon was then spent along the river with the family, dipping into the water and watching the local Osprey nest fledge live. The water and river there was, even for me, ideal for a paddle.

Bald Eagle

Swainson's Hawk

House Wren

juv Swainson's Hawk

Myrtle Warbler

Yellow Warbler

House Wren

Black-capped Chickadee

Gulls

Osprey

Day 16 - 17th August:

Our flight was in the evening, so a final morning walk - after a garden empidonax Flycatcher sp - was enjoyed on my own at Fish Creek-Bebo Grove again. The trip had seen me spend most time with my/the family, as we didn't have data to use out there so my phone was useless unless on WiFi. I was loaned a phone for the final morning, which meant nobody was dragged around with me for a change.

Highlights were wildfowl focused, a juvenile Bufflehead being the best. Otherwise, the Slavonian Grebe family was still around, as were Blue-winged Teals and Goldeneyes. The walk itself took me through woodland and over gently flowing rivers, something I can't wait to do more of in the future when travelling.

Empid flycatcher sp

Blue-winged Teal

Slavonian Grebe

BWT

Bufflehead

imm Goldeneye vs imm Bufflehead

Slav Grebe chicks

House Finch

All in all, Canada was absolutely stunning, a country full of beautiful scenery, nature-rich landscapes and endless tranquility. In terms of the human world it was interesting, in terms of food and drink, infrastructure and also people. In some ways it was slightly underwhelming, being expensive, somewhat neglected and lacking the bustle I expected the cities still to have. Nonetheless, travelling around the country more would, especially in spring, be dreamy given the natural beauty. So a return one day...