Birding Hong Kong
  • HOME & DEPARTURE
  • CONTACT
  • Birding in Hong Kong
  • Birding Sites
    • Mai Po
    • Tai Po Kau
    • Long Valley
    • Po Toi Island
    • Kowloon Park, Hong Kong Park and other urban oases
    • The Peak
  • The Birding Year
  • Hong Kong Birding Literature
  • Guided Birding Tours*Coronavirus Update*
  • Accipiter Press Publications
    • Mai Po: The Seasons
    • Hong Kong Nature Walks
  • Links
  • GALLERIES
    • Ducks to Cormorants
    • Raptors to Jacanas
    • Snipes to Terns
    • Doves to White-eyes
  • *UPDATE - AN ANNOTATED CHECKLIST OF HONG KONG BIRDS 2022*
  • LATEST SIGHTINGS 2022
    • January 2022
    • February 2022
    • March 2022
    • April 2022
    • May 2022
    • June 2022
    • July 2022
  • BIRD SIGHTINGS - 2021 ARCHIVE
    • January 2021
    • February 2021
    • March 2021
    • April 2021
    • May 2021
    • June 2021
    • July 2021
    • August 2021
    • September 2021
    • October 2021
    • November 2021
    • December 2021
  • BIRD SIGHTINGS - 2020 Archive
    • January 2020
    • February 2020
    • March 2020
    • April 2020
    • May 2020
    • June 2020
    • July 2020
    • August 2020
    • September 2020
    • October 2020
    • November 2020
    • December 2020
  • BIRD SIGHTINGS - 2019 ARCHIVE
    • January 2019
    • February 2019
    • March 2019
    • April 2019
    • May 2019
    • June 2019
    • July 2019
    • August 2019
    • September 2019
    • October 2019
    • November 2019
    • December 2019
  • Bird Sightings - 2018 Archive
    • January 2018
    • February 2018
    • March 2018
    • April 2018
    • May 2018
    • June 2018
    • July 2018
    • August 2018
    • September 2018
    • October 2018
    • November 2018
    • December 2018
  • Bird Sightings - 2017 Archive
    • January 2017
    • February 2017
    • March 2017
    • April 2017
    • May 2017
    • June 2017
    • July 2017
    • August 2017
    • September 2017
    • October 2017
    • November 2017
    • December 2017
  • Blog - A BIG YEAR 2020
  • IN THE NEWS - CONSERVATION ISSUES AT HOME & ABROAD
  • HOME & DEPARTURE
  • CONTACT
  • Birding in Hong Kong
  • Birding Sites
    • Mai Po
    • Tai Po Kau
    • Long Valley
    • Po Toi Island
    • Kowloon Park, Hong Kong Park and other urban oases
    • The Peak
  • The Birding Year
  • Hong Kong Birding Literature
  • Guided Birding Tours*Coronavirus Update*
  • Accipiter Press Publications
    • Mai Po: The Seasons
    • Hong Kong Nature Walks
  • Links
  • GALLERIES
    • Ducks to Cormorants
    • Raptors to Jacanas
    • Snipes to Terns
    • Doves to White-eyes
  • *UPDATE - AN ANNOTATED CHECKLIST OF HONG KONG BIRDS 2022*
  • LATEST SIGHTINGS 2022
    • January 2022
    • February 2022
    • March 2022
    • April 2022
    • May 2022
    • June 2022
    • July 2022
  • BIRD SIGHTINGS - 2021 ARCHIVE
    • January 2021
    • February 2021
    • March 2021
    • April 2021
    • May 2021
    • June 2021
    • July 2021
    • August 2021
    • September 2021
    • October 2021
    • November 2021
    • December 2021
  • BIRD SIGHTINGS - 2020 Archive
    • January 2020
    • February 2020
    • March 2020
    • April 2020
    • May 2020
    • June 2020
    • July 2020
    • August 2020
    • September 2020
    • October 2020
    • November 2020
    • December 2020
  • BIRD SIGHTINGS - 2019 ARCHIVE
    • January 2019
    • February 2019
    • March 2019
    • April 2019
    • May 2019
    • June 2019
    • July 2019
    • August 2019
    • September 2019
    • October 2019
    • November 2019
    • December 2019
  • Bird Sightings - 2018 Archive
    • January 2018
    • February 2018
    • March 2018
    • April 2018
    • May 2018
    • June 2018
    • July 2018
    • August 2018
    • September 2018
    • October 2018
    • November 2018
    • December 2018
  • Bird Sightings - 2017 Archive
    • January 2017
    • February 2017
    • March 2017
    • April 2017
    • May 2017
    • June 2017
    • July 2017
    • August 2017
    • September 2017
    • October 2017
    • November 2017
    • December 2017
  • Blog - A BIG YEAR 2020
  • IN THE NEWS - CONSERVATION ISSUES AT HOME & ABROAD
   Birding Hong Kong
A BIRDING BLOG -
hong kong AND 
FURTHER AFIELD

ALBERTA, CANADA - 18-31 JULY, 2019 (4)

25/8/2019

2 Comments

 
Picture
Rock Isle Lake, Sunshine Meadows, 29 July 2019
On 29th July, we visited Sunshine Meadows, an alpine area 2159 metres asl a few miles west of Banff. The meadows are  accessed by cable-car  and at the top there are a number of possible hikes. We walked a seven km circular trail, taking in Rock Isle Lake and Monarch Viewpoint. As in all of the places we’d visited since leaving Red Deer, bird density was relatively low but we did encounter a number of interesting species including Mountain  Bluebird, White-crowned Sparrow, Gray-crowned Rosy-finch, Clark’s Nutcracker, American Pipit, Hermit Thrush, Mountain Chickadee and Boreal Chickadee. From a rise, I also picked out two Greater Yellowlegs feeding on a distant, inaccessible muddy pool.
Picture
Mountain Bluebird, Sunshine Meadows, 29 July 2019
Picture
Gray-crowned Rosy-finch, Sunshine Meadows, 29 July 2019
Picture
White-crowned Sparrow, Sunshine Meadows, 29 July 2019
Picture
Clark's Nutcracker, Sunshine Meadows, 29 July 2019
Picture
Scene from Monarch Viewpoint, Sunshine Meadows, 29 July 2019
The next day, we checked out of our hotel and drove back to Calgary, stopping at the small town of Canmore, 25 km from Banff, en route. This is another town where there are streams, small woods and attractive gardens within a stone’s throw of the centre. Birds I added to the trip list were d Fox Sparrow and Western Tanager.
 
Back in Calgary later that afternoon, I walked out from our hotel in the environs of the airport to check out a couple of nearby roadside ponds. One pool held a pair of Horned Grebes with a tiny chick,  and a  juvenile  American Coot. Another pond had several Lesser Scaups and a Redhead.
 
Our onward flight to the UK on 31st July was not until the early evening, so we spent a couple of hours at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary in the morning. Situated besides the Bow River near the centre of the city, this reserve boasts 270 species of birds, 21 species of mammals and 347 species of plants. It was a very pleasant place to wonder around. Small pools held Mallards, Wood Ducks and Common Goldeneyes. The river itself produced 40+ Ring-billed Gulls, several Californian Gulls and five Franklin’s Gulls along with a few Double-crested Cormorants and a Common Merganser. Overhead, we saw a Red-tailed Hawk, two Swainson’s Hawks and three Ospreys. Smaller birds included a family party of Eastern Kingbirds and several Northern Rough-winged Swallows perching in dead trees. A female  Mule Deer fed in the area along with two fawns.
Picture
Wood Duck, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary, 31 July 2019
Picture
Juvenile Common Goldeneye, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, 31 July 2019
Picture
Double-crested Cormorant, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, 31 July 2019
Picture
Eastern Kingbird, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, 31 July 2019
Picture
Mule Deer fawn, Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, 31 July 2019
2 Comments

alberta, canada - 18-31 july, 2019 (3)

23/8/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Black Bear, Bow Valley Parkway, 28 July 2019
On 26 July, we drove west into  the Rocky Mountains. Before we reached Banff National Park, we spotted a Black Bear walking on the flower-covered verge beside the road. We quickly pulled up but I was unprepared and managed only a few inadequate shots with my camera before the bear walked up an incline into the forest and disappeared from view.
 
Our base for the next four nights was Banff town, a busy and expensive tourist centre that caters for skiing enthusiasts in winter and for sightseers from all over the world in summer. In spite of the number of visitors, the town makes a great base for exploring the nearby mountains, and there are woods, marshes and lakes of interest to the naturalist a short walk from the bustling town centre.
 
On 27 July, from our hotel we walked along the Bow River and explored the forested Fenland Trail and the Vermilion Lakes area to the west of the town. The lakes held two Common Loons, a few Canada Geese and Mallards, and a number of  Ring-billed Gulls and a juvenile Franklin’s Gull. A pair of  Bald Eagles were perched in a distant tree. The best bird along the Fenland Trail was probably an American Three-toed Woodpecker. Red Squirrels and Colombian Ground Squirrels were also present alongside the lake.  Back in town along the railway track we came across a couple of Mule Deer. 
Picture
American Three-toed Woodpecker, Fenland Trail, Banff, 27 July 2019
Picture
Red Squirrel, Fenland Trail, Banff, 27 July 2019
Picture
Vermilion Lakes, Banff, 27 July 2019
Picture
Columbian Ground Squirrel, Vermilion Lakes, Banff, 27 July 2019
Picture
Juvenile Ring-billed Gull moulting into 1st-winter plumage, Vermilion Lakes, Banff, 27 July 2019
Picture
Mountain Chickadee, Banff, 27 July 2019
Picture
Yellow-rumped Warbler, Banff, 27 July 2019
Picture
Mule Deer, Banff, 27 July 2019
The following day we drove to Lake Louise a major scenic attraction 55 kilometres north of Banff. The quickest way is along the Trans-Canada Highway which lies just north of the town, but we chose the slower Bow Valley Parkway route. This rural road runs parallel to the highway; the speed limit is restricted to 60km/h (sometimes less)  and it is known as a possible area for bears. We were fortunate. We came across a Black Bear feeding on berries at the side of the road. The bear was oblivious to us and the couple of other parked cars and we were able to observe it for about twenty minutes.
 
Lake Louise itself was very busy. We walked along the lakeside where the crowds were thinner than around the over-grandiose hotel known as Chateau Lake Louise. There were a few birds, including Violet Green Swallows and Cliff Swallows flying over the water; some of the latter were breeding high on the walls of the hotel and several of them kept coming down to an oily puddle in the hotel grounds to collect mud for their nests. Golden-mantled Squirrels were also present at one section of the lakeside trail.
 
Back at Banff in the afternoon, I walked out to another nature reserve known as the Cave & Basin Marsh Loop. It was difficult to find an adequate viewpoint over the wet pools, but I did manage to see a couple of Hooded Mergansers and an American Coot. In the vegetation around the lake, birds I saw included three Gray Jays, a couple of singing  Common Yellowthroats, a Warbling Vireo and an unidentified Empidonax flycatcher. I also saw a Whitetail Deer here.

Picture
Black Bear, Bow Valley Parkway, 28 July 2019
Picture
Lake Louise, 28 July 2019
Picture
Golden-mantled Squirrel, Lake Louise, 28 July 2019
Picture
Cliff Swallow, Lake Louise, 28 July 2019
Picture
Chipping Sparrow, Cave & Basin Marsh, Banff, 28 July 2019
Picture
Juvenile Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cave & Basin Marsh, Banff, 28 July 2019
Picture
Whitetail Deer, Cave & Basin Marsh, Banff, 28 July 2019
0 Comments

ALBERTA, CANADA - 18-31 JULY, 2019 (2)

23/8/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
Along Siffleur Falls trail, 22 July 2019
On 21st July, we drove to Nordegg, 173 kilometres west of Red Deer. En route, we stopped at Rocky Mountain House to pick up a few supplies, including a canister of bear spray –we were entering bear country - which you wear in a holster on your belt.
 
Nordegg itself is a hamlet with a motel, a golf course, a couple of general stores, a small  museum and a small cemetery. About 90 people reside here, but back in the mid-1990s it was home to a population of 3,000. They were there because of the local coal mine which flourished from 1911 onwards, providing coal for the steam trains  on the national railway system. However, the mine closed in 1955 as steam trains were replaced by trains powered by diesel and the mine was  no longer financially viable.  Most people left and Nordegg became something of a ghost town.
 
We were visiting the area because our youngest son was working at a summer camp a few kilometres out of Nordegg on the shore of Goldeye Lake. We stayed in a cabin there for five nights, hiking to a waterfall, walking around the lake, visiting the old mine.
 
The small lake itself held a pair of Common Loons that had a single recently-hatched chick, along with Belted Kingfisher and Osprey. Bird density in the surrounding pine plantations seemed low, but around the camp, apart from the ubiquitous American Crows, I did see a pair of Northern Flickers, and a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Dark-eyed Juncos and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
 
On 22nd we hiked out into a wilderness area to Siffleur Falls. Again, there were few birds but I did see my first Clark’s Nutcracker and the only Spruce Grouse of the trip.
Picture
Sign, Siffleur Falls trail, 22 July 2019
Picture
Spruce Grouse, Siffleur Falls trail, 22 July 2019
On 25th July the golf course at Nordegg and the adjacent lake turned up families of Ring-necked Ducks and Buffelheads, two Wilson’s Snipes, a Long-billed Dowitcher, an immature Bald Eagle and a family of Californian Gulls (one adult, three juveniles).
 
There were bears in the area. A sign at the start of the Siffleur Falls trail indicated such, and we were told a Black Bear had been seen near the golf course on the evening of 24th. However, we didn’t come across any during our stay at Goldeye Lake.
Picture
Least Chipmunk, Goldeye Lake, Nordegg, 24 July 2019
Picture
California Gull, Nordegg, 25 July 2019
Picture
Old mine workings, Nordegg, 25 July 2019
Picture
Old graves, Nordegg cemetery, 25 July 2019
1 Comment

ALBERTA, CANADA - 18-31 JULY, 2019 (1)

14/8/2019

0 Comments

 
 Think I'll go out to Alberta...      Ian Tyson
Picture
Glacier at Lake Louise, 28 July
​My wife and I went to Alberta. We flew from Hong Kong to Calgary via Vancouver on 18th July. On the 19th, we picked up a hire car and drove through flat pasture land to the town of Red Deer, 137 kilometres to the north.
 
Although it was mid-July, the temperature was around 9 degrees Celsius and there was driving rain. Just outside of Red Deer we stopped in a small muddy car park beside Slack Slough – a well-known wetland area. Unfortunately, because of  the awful weather we did not get out of the car. There were no views over the water and what birds there were were difficult to get to grips with. However, three Wilson’s Snipes flew overhead and a Wilson’s Phalarope landed briefly next to the pool of water in the muddy parking area.
 
The following day dawned more brightly and we spent most of the day around Gaetz Lakes, a bird sanctuary close to the centre of town, and the adjacent McKenzie Park. I also went back to the lakes on the early morning of the 21st before we continued our journey. The bird sanctuary is based around two lakes; there are trails through pine forest and grassland,  and  bird feeders outside  the Kerry Wood Nature Centre allow for good views of a variety of species. The area provided a good introduction to a number of North American birds, although I struggled with some of the sparrows!
 
There were not too many waterfowl on the lakes, although there were more ducks  than at first appeared and I saw Common Goldeneye, Mallard, Common Merganser, Lesser Scaup, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal and Ruddy Duck, a number of these with chicks. They were not always easy to identify, however, as drakes at this time of the year are in eclipse plumage. Canada Geese and Red-necked Grebes were also present on the lake, and flyovers included three Great Blue Herons, 24 American White Pelicans and 46 Franklin’s Gulls. A pair of Common Loons was on the small lake at McKenzie Park.
Picture
Red Deer, 20 July
Picture
Gaetz Lakes Bird Sanctuary, 20 July
Picture
Blue-winged Teal at Gaetz Lakes, Red Deer, 20 July
Picture
American White Pelican at Gaetz Lakes, Red Deer, 20 July
Picture
Common Loon at McKenzie Park, Red Deer, 20 July
Other birds in the surrounding area included Eastern Phoebe, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Yellow Warbler, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, and Brown-headed Cowbird. As for the sparrows, which are closely related to Old World buntings, with the aid of the photographs I took and with reference to recent editions of two field guides – The Sibley Guide to Birds and The New Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Western Region – I worked out I saw Chipping, Clay-colored, Savannah, Lincoln’s and White-throated Sparrows in the area, although I have the suspicion that I also saw one or two other species that passed under my radar.
Picture
Cedar Waxwing at Gaetz Lakes, Red Deer, 20 July
Picture
White-breasted Nuthatch at Gaetz Lakes, Red Deer, 20 July
Picture
American Goldfinch at Gaetz Lakes, Red Deer, 21 July
Picture
Yellow Warbler at McKenzie Park, Red Deer, 20 July
Picture
American Robin at McKenzie Park, Red Deer, 20 July
Picture
House Finch at Gaetz Lakes, Red Deer, 21 July
Picture
Lincoln's Sparrow, McKenzie Park, Red Deer, 20 July
Picture
Red-winged Blackbird at Gaetz Lakes, Red Deer, 20 July
0 Comments

    Archives

    January 2021
    August 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed