June 27 Part 2 - Oasis in the Prairies

I've split this post off from the Writing-on-Stone post as it got pretty long. We'd inquired at the park about route options as we were a bit worried (unnecessarily) about not being able to find a gas station on our tentatively planned route, which included a stop at Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park.  It was pretty late in the afternoon by now and that seemed to be too far out of the way. We were staying in Medicine Hat overnight.

The park warden gave us some options and mentioned a small lake along one route that sometimes features migrating Whooping Cranes and other birds. That sounded good, so we headed north towards Foremost Alberta.

Shortly after leaving the park, we spotted a raptor on a fencepost. There was little traffic, so I was able to get some clear shots from the car.

I was hoping to see Ferruginous Hawk in this area, but this one turned out to be a juvenile Swainson's Hawk (thanks to Chris Charlesworth of Avocet Tours for ID help).


Swainson's Hawk (Imm) - near Foremost, Alberta - 2017 Bird # 173


Swainson's Hawk (Imm) - near Foremost, Alberta

A couple of kilometers up the road we saw a similar bird, it looks a little larger but Chris thought it was a juvenile Swainson's as well.


Swainson's Hawk (Imm) - near Foremost, Alberta

We kept driving and saw a body of water up ahead. I believe the lady had called it Vernon Lake, but there is no such name on any Google map for the area. There was definitely some bird activity in the water and in the air.

The first birds I captured were a pair of American Avocets, my best shots were of a single bird. Here's one shot from the Canon and then the Nikon.


American Avocet - near Foremost, Alberta - 2017 Bird # 174


American Avocet - near Foremost, Alberta

Another large shorebird was also hunting in the lake. It was a drab, grayish colour with gray legs and had a short tail. These are good identifiers for the Willet.


Willet - near Foremost, Alberta - 2017 Bird # 175

It's not unusual to see the Willet by itself, they do gather in flocks during breeding season, but are solitary otherwise.


Willet - near Foremost, Alberta

There was lots of activity overhead caused by Franklin's Gulls. I might have seen a Forster's Tern as well, but did not get a photo. That would come later on the trip.

Franklin's Gull - near Foremost, Alberta - 2017 Bird # 176

Franklin's Gull - near Foremost, Alberta 

The slim chance to see Whooping Cranes did not happen, but we'd seen them in Texas in 2010.

After leaving this spot, we entered an area where Canola fields were dominant. There were some Red-winged Blackbirds in those fields, but not much else. 

We arrived in Medicine Hat where we were staying for the night. Tomorrow we'd be visiting Dinosaur Provincial Park, a place we were familiar with.