Alberta 2024 - Day 7 -Banff, First Day

The resort town of Banff is arguably one of the most beautiful places on earth. Its landscapes are the stuff of postcards, and while it’s renowned for encounters with North America’s largest mammals like Grizzly and Black bears, wolves, deer, and moose, its avifauna is often overlooked. I had a fantastic time exploring the stunning locations with friends and family, all while seeking out and recording the bird species we encountered. By the end of our three-day stay, I had spotted twenty-seven species, eight of which were lifers. Here are some of the highlights.

August 21st

Our birding adventure began before dawn. As we stepped out of the house around 5 AM, a chilly breeze greeted us. My son, Jason, excitedly pointed out what he thought was the largest bat he'd ever seen. However, upon closer inspection, we realized it was an owl. Unfortunately, we couldn't definitively identify the species, though local expert Keith Miles suggested it might have been a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), a known species in the environ.
We boarded a FlixBus in downtown Calgary for the hour-and-a-half drive along the Trans-Canada Highway 1 to Banff. I had a window seat, which made for some interesting drive-by birding. One of the highlights was spotting the Whooping famous Whooping Crane standing out prominently in a nearby field. Its white plumage was a stark contrast against the green landscape, as even then was unwittingly entertaining a few birders who were parked and observing for the customarily lookout point in an adjacent road to the highway. I witnessed a fascinating encounter between a Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) and an adult Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) at a small a small pond in one of the fields along the way.  I am still at awe at the size of the Bald Eagle as it was much larger than what is considered to be a medium to large hawk. 

White-crowned Sparrow

Two things surprised me when we eventually arrived in the town of Banff. First, it was incredibly cold, much colder than Calgary. Without a doubt, it was the coldest I have ever been. Thankfully, we took my aunt’s advice and brought heavier coats. These, along with the coats we normally wear in Calgary, offered some protection, but we still hurried to the nearest store to purchase mittens, which helped somewhat. The second surprise was how easy it was to spot my first two lifers: the White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) and the Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis). From my first visit to Calgary, I had searched for these species, which are not considered too rare, without success. Yet here, they were extremely common. However, they were not as common as the invasive House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), whose calls and presence dominated the main street.

We spent our first day exploring the attractions in and near the town. Our visit to the world-famous Fairmont Banff Springs gave me a lifer I was not expecting: a Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus). My final lifer for the day, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula), appeared as I followed the trail along the Bow River. Over the three days, this area proved to be very productive for birding, and I visited it daily, mostly in the early mornings.  There I saw birds such as Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis), Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas), Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata), both Audobon and Myrtle variance, Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) and even a Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius).  

I had a very active and productive first day in the town of Banff which set the tone for the days to come. 

Trip Stats at this Point

New Species for the Day:  7 | Lifers for the Day: 5 | Total Species for this Trip: 101 | Total Lifers for this Trip: 12 | Total Lifers: 27

Bird Seen

Rufous Hummingbird, Common Yellowthroat, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Mountain Chickadee, Warbling Vireo, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco

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Alberta 2024 - Days 1-6 (August 15-20th)

Marble Godwit at Franks Lake on August 17th

August 15th

The flight departed Barbados' Granley Adams International Airport behind schedule. We experienced some turbulence but landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport after a five-hour flight to begin our ten-hour layover. Determined to make the most of our time in Toronto, I set out to spot a few local bird species.

August 16th

My quest for Toronto birds proved more challenging than anticipated. Just minutes before boarding my flight to Calgary at 6:40 AM, I spotted my first Toronto bird: a Rock Pigeon (Columba livia). Eager to start my Canadian birding adventure, I added it to my eBird list. As the plane taxied to the runway, I identified another species, a Merlin (Falco columbarius).

We arrived at Calgary International Airport around 9:30 AM and observed our first Calgary birds as we taxied to the parking area: three Black-billed Magpies (Pica hudsonia).

August 17th

Accompanied by renowned Calgarian birder Keith Miles, I had the opportunity to see my first lifer of the trip. Keith, whom I had met on a previous trip to Calgary in 2019, took me to see Alberta's most famous bird at the time: a Whooping Crane (Grus americana) foraging in a field near Highway 1. Unfortunately, we were unable to spot the Sandhill Cranes (Antigone canadensis) that had been seen in the same field for weeks.

After observing the Whooping Crane, Keith guided me to Franks Lake, a popular birding spot in High River, about 30 miles south of Calgary. This Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) and Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) wetland yielded four lifers: Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa), Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii), Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius), and the rare Nelson's Sparrow (Ammospiza nelsoni). Although I was hoping to see a Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), which is common in the area, we didn't spot any at the lake. However, during our drive around the area, we unexpectedly encountered a Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis) perched on a fence post.

Just when we were about to give up on finding the Meadowlark, I spotted a pair sitting on the power lines near the entrance to Franks Lake. This marked the last lifer I would see on my trip with Keith.  One bird that was quite visible during this birding outing was Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni), it was everywhere but mostly in the fields, on fence post, bales of hay the beautiful raptor was a sight to see.

However, my birding adventure wasn't over yet. In the afternoon, at Fish Creek's Mallard Point, I observed a Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis), my final lifer in the first six day of this 2024 trip to Alberta. The other days produce other species, but none were lifers.  My bird moved to the resort town of Banff, for the next three day. 

You can check the ebird trip report here and the full checklist here

Here are the stats for the first six days of birding.  

Species for the Days of Birding:  94 | Lifers for the Days: 8 | Total Trip Species: 32 | All Time Alberta: 127

Birds Seen

August 15: House Sparrow, Common Raven, Northern Pintail, Yellow Warbler, American Goldfinch, Eastern Kingbird, Broad-winged Hawk; Pine Siskin, Cedar Waxwing, Northern Flicker, Hairy Woodpecker, Osprey, American White Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Ring-billed Gull, Franklin's Gull, Mallard, American Wigeon, Black-billed Magpie, Merlin, Rock Pigeon; August 16: Wilson's Warbler, House Finch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown-headed Cowbird, European Starling, House Wren, Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Great Blue Heron, California Gull, Greater Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Tennessee Warbler, Common Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird, Gray Catbird, American Crow, American Coot, Sora, Red-necked Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe;
 August 17: Canada Warbler, White-breasted Nuthatch, Western Meadowlark, Canada Goose, Savannah Sparrow, Western Kingbird, Mourning Dove, Common Goldeneye, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Nelson's Sparrow, Marsh Wren, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Black-crowned Night Heron, Black Tern, Bonaparte's Gull, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper, Willet, Lesser Yellowlegs, Wilson's Phalarope, Long-billed Dowitcher, Marbled Godwit, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, American Avocet,  Black-necked Stilt, Western Grebe, Eared Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Hooded Merganser,  Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup, Northern Shoveler, Blue-winged Teal, Whooping Crane,  Swainson's Hawk; August 18: Barn Swallow, Redhead;  August 19: Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Common Merganser; August 20: Western Wood-Pewee, Townsend's Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Redstart, Black-and-White Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Song Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Belted Kingfisher.

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Latest Trip Update - Alberta 2024

An American Goldfinch seen at Fish Creek - Ranch 

My Alberta 2024 bird checklist was updated with the bird species I saw during my first two days of vacation. I have also added links to a Mammal seen list

Travel Day - A Grueling 20 Plus Hours of Traveling

"Now my bags are packed, and I am ready to go" 

Today marks the start of a long-awaited return to Calgary, Alberta.  the trip will be grueling, after a five-hour flight from Barbados to Toronto on Air Canada Rouge AC 1841, I'm facing a taxing 10-hour night layover at Pearson International Airport then an early morning flight (AC131) and should be in beautiful Calgary by 9 am tomorrow, Thursday morning, fingers crossed for no unexpected delays!

My hope for the first day is to catch a glimpse of the bird that have been causing wave at this moment, Whooping Crane (Grus Americana). It has recently been joined by a pair of Sandhill Cranes (Antigone canadensis). If everything goes according to plan, these magnificent birds will be my first lifers in Calgary.

Stay tuned for updates as I embark on this exciting birding journey. I'll be sharing photos, stories, and hopefully, some incredible bird sightings here. 

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