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.

June 28 - Dinosaur Provincial Park

In the morning we left Medicine Hat and headed towards Calgary. About halfway in between, and a bit to the north is Dinosaur Provincial Park, set on the Red Deer River. There is a campground in the valley that we stayed at back in the 90's.



The first view of the park from the west entrance is spectacular.



Edith wanted to spend some time in the museum and I set out on the Cottonwood trail along the river. Although I put mosquito repellant on, I was surrounded by the little buggers for the last half of my walk.

The first bird seen was the familiar Eastern Kingbird.

Eastern Kingbird - Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta

I heard Brown Cowbird calling and when I found them they were in the middle of some dirty business.

Brown Cowbirds - Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta

After the interlude, they pretended nothing had happened, but it was time to find a host (or hosts) to brood the eggs and raise the chicks.

Brown Cowbirds - Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta

I heard a Flicker in the area and got this shot of it.

Northern Flicker - Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta

My most exciting sighting of the day was not a bird. I had not seen a Monarch Butterfly since I was a kid in Alberta (one possible sighting in Ryder Lake near Chilliwack a couple of years ago).

This one was unmistakeable.

Monarch Butterfly - Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta

I walked back near the campground and found some interesting birds there. It reminded me that there had been many birds when we camped there years ago. 

First up was a Cedar Waxwing.

Cedar Waxwing - Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta

I heard a bird high up in a nearby tree squawking and whistling like there was no tomorrow. At first I though it was a Northern Mockingbird, but it did not match the photo on my bird app. I finally realized it was a Brown Thrasher, another noted noisemaker. I'd seen one the previous day, this one was more in the open.

Brown Thrasher - Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta

There were many swallows flying around and I remembered that there were Cliff Swallows nesting here in the past. All the nests were under a bridge over a small stream. It was impossible to get a decent photo as they came and went too fast. This was my best effort.

Cliff Swallows - Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta - 2017 Bird #177

Finally, one of my favourite birds to see is the Common Nighthawk. Like yesterday, they were flying around in the daylight, making their Bzzzt sound. It was hard to catch up with them with the camera, but I had a few successes.

Common Nighthawk - Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta

It was time to leave the park and make our way to Calgary to visit family.  I'd squeeze in some birding there as well.

June 29 - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary - Calgary

What can I say about Inglewood Bird Sanctuary? It is a jewel in the middle of the city, only a couple of kilometers from the heart of downtown Calgary.

This day was quiet as there was a threat of rain. This photo shows the character of the sanctuary, deer crossing a spit of land on an oxbow of the Bow River.



This was taken a later in my visit,  I'll return to the beginning. After entering the sanctuary, the first bird I observed was a House Wren, a common bird here.


House Wren - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB

Here's another photo of this raucous Wren.


House Wren - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB

I usually see the Clay-colored Sparrow at the Glenmore Weaselhead Reserve in southwest Calgary. But due to construction, this location was not available to me this year. I believe this is a Clay-colored, the next photo definitely is.

Clay-colored Sparrow - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB - 2017 Bird # 178

Note the overall light colours and the strong brown markings on the crest.

Clay-colored Sparrow - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB 

There's usually a good collection of ducks at Inglewood. Here's a female Common Merganser.

Common Merganser (F) - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB 

At this time the heavens opened up and I retreated to the shelter of the veranda of the Colonel Walker house. The rain lasted about 10 minutes, on the coast it would have been hours.

Colonel Walker House, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB 

After the rain let up, I crossed the bridge onto the east side of the oxbow. This is a prime territory to see Mule Deer and I was not disappointed.

Mule Deer - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB 

Another common sight here is the Wood Duck, here's a couple of males posing in the oxbow pond.

Wood Duck - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB

 I thought my last photo of Deer would be it, but along came a Doe and Bambi.

Mule Deer - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB 

Here's a close up of the fawn.

Mule Deer (Imm) - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB 

The next area I visited was along the Bow River. There were a good number of Franklin's gulls gathered on a gravel spit in the river.

Franklin's Gull - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB 

Here's a single gull coming in to join its companions.

Franklin's Gull - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB 

I returned to the center of the Sanctuary where I saw a few more songbird species. There were many Tree Swallows buzzing around, it was still early in the breeding season.

Tree Swallow - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB 

I believe this same bird made its way into this tree cavity. This must be why they are called Tree Swallows.

Tree Swallow - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB 

The last bird I saw at Inglewood was a Savannah Sparrow.

Savannah Sparrow - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB 

My birding day was not quite over. Edith and I drove out to Cochrane to visit my Aunt Bobbie and have dinner with my cousin Cathy and family.  We always return to Calgary along Springbank Road and look for Swainson's Hawk. This night we were successful again, as is usually the case along this road.

Swainson's Hawk - Springbank Road, Calgary AB

In this shot you can see the hawk making its distinctive piercing call as it takes off.

Swainson's Hawk - Springbank Road, Calgary AB

This ended the day of Calgary birding. Tomorrow I'd take Edith to the Spruce Meadows Equestrian Centre and continue on to Frank Lake near High River for my last Alberta bird outing.

June 30 - Frank Lake

An Alberta vacation would not be complete without a visit to Frank Lake, just east of High River. There are certain species that I can count on to be there, and there's usually some surprises as well.

I dropped Edith off at Spruce Meadows for her annual Equestrian experience and continued on to Frank Lake. My first stop was by a sewage outfall on the way in. 

Savannah Sparrows are very common in the grasslands around the lake.

Savannah Sparrow - Frank Lake, High River AB

On my walk in to the sewage outfall, I was greeted by a Black-necked Stilt trying to scare me off. This bird is very aggressive when its nesting area is threatened.

Black-necked Stilt - Frank Lake, High River AB - 2017 Bird # 179

I took a brief movie of it after it had calmed down a bit.

This shot shows how this shorebird gets its name.

Black-necked Stilt - Frank Lake, High River AB

Also seen in the area was a Forster's Tern. I usually see this bird up close on the main lake, but this was the only appearance this year. The Orange bill with the black tip is the best diagnostic mark for this species.

Forster's Tern - Frank Lake, High River AB - 2017 Bird #180.

Off in this arm of the lake I could see the distinctive long neck of a western grebe. This shot was taken at a long distance with the Canon, but cropping reveals two passengers on board the parent.

Western Grebe - Frank Lake, High River AB - 2017 Bird # 181

I took a movie with my IPhone through the spotting scope, not sure if it turns out here.

I took a couple of more photos of the parent and the chicks. The latter is an IPhone shot through my spotting scope.

Western Grebe - Frank Lake, High River AB

Western Grebes (Imm) - Frank Lake, High River AB

I was inside the main blind now, where Ruddy Ducks and Eared Grebes are normally very close. The ducks were there, but the Grebes were far out on the lake.

Here's a female Ruddy Duck first, followed by a male.

Ruddy Duck (F) - Frank Lake, High River AB

Ruddy Duck (F) - Frank Lake, High River AB

As usual, there were some American Coot parents and babies around the blind.

American Coot - Frank Lake, High River AB

Frank Lake is one of the most reliable places in Canada to see White-faced Ibis. Some years there are good numbers of them, on this day there were only a couple visible as they flew over. The photos were not too good at this distance.

White-faced Ibis  - Frank Lake, High River AB - 2017 Bird #182

This shot shows a little more detail.

White-faced Ibis  - Frank Lake, High River AB

I only saw one, but it was the first Franklin's Gull I'd seen at Frank Lake in a few years. As noted in previous posts, I'd seen quite a few in Alberta on this trip.

Franklin's Gull - Frank Lake, High River AB

Yet another expected bird here is the Wilson's Phalarope. I was walking a trail that takes you to the lake's edge when this one started flying over my head. There must have been a nest nearby as it kept harassing me as I went. I tired had to be inconspicuous and watched carefully for any ground based nest.

Wilson's Phalarope - Frank Lake, High River AB - 2017 Bird #183

When I reached the lakeshore I was in for a surprise. There was a Heron skulking in the reeds ahead of me. At first I thought it was a Great Blue, but soon realized it was a Black-crowned Night Heron.  

This is not a new species, I see them every winter at Reifel Bird Sanctuary, but they are always hidden in the trees and sleeping (they are nocturnal). But this one was wide awake and looking for prey.

Black-crowned Night Heron - Frank Lake, High River AB

It took off, this was the first time I'd ever seen one in flight. I landed just out of sight and caused a big fuss with the Ducks and Grebes in the water, no doubt looking for a quick meal.

Black-crowned Night Heron - Frank Lake, High River AB

I did spot an Eared Grebe, quite far out on the lake.

Eared Grebe - Frank Lake, High River AB

Finally, there were a number of Pelicans out in the lake. These birds look so massive compared to the others around them.

American White Pelican - Frank Lake, High River AB

American White Pelican - Frank Lake, High River AB

This was my last sighting for this visit, it was time to head back north and pick up Edith at Spruce Meadows.