MacGillivray's and Mourning Warblers Blog: July 2013

Monday, July 15, 2013

13-14 July 2013, Alberta: Calgary – Cypress Hills Provincial Park

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13-14 July 2013, Alberta: Calgary – Cypress Hills Provincial Park

This stop was the last attempt to collect songs from MacGillivray’s Warblers. I spent the morning of 14 July 2013 trying to find singing males in the provincial park. I found one male on the way. Even though there was plenty of good breeding habitat, it appeared that the territorial and courtship phase of the breeding season is over. The birding in the park was outstanding and lead to the diverse list of birds below. I also was able to capture some video of an American White Pelican and while driving through Saskatchewan, the Lark Bunting (see below).

Cypress Hills

Breeding habitat in the Cypress Hills

Breeding Habitat (territory of CH1)

American White Pelican

Lark Bunting Female

Lark Bunting Male

Bird List

1. American White Pelican

2. Canada Goose

3. Mallard

4. Turkey Vulture

5. Northern Harrier

6. Cooper’s Hawk

7. Swainson’s Hawk

8. Red-tailed Hawk

9. American Kesrrel

10. Killdeer

11. Wilson’s Snipe

12. Franklin’s Gull

13. Ring-billed Gull

14. Caspian Tern

15. Mourning Dove

16. Common Nighthawk

17. Belted Kingfisher

18. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

19. Downy Woodpecker

20. Northern Flicker

21. Least Flycatcher

22. Tree Swallow

23. Cliff Swallow

24. Barn Swallow

25. Black-billed Magpie

26. American Crow

27. Black-capped Chickadee

28. Red-breasted Nuthatch

29. House Wren

30. Marsh Wren

31. Veery

32. Swainson’s Thrush

33. American Robin

34. Gray Catbird

35. Cedar Waxwing

36. Warbling Vireo

37. Tennessee Warbler

38. Yellow Warbler

39. Yellow-rumped Warbler

40. American Redstart

41. Ovenbird

42. MacGillivray’s Warbler

43. Common Yellowthroat

44. Rose-breasted Grosbeak

45. Chipping Sparrow

46. Clay-colored Sparrow

47. Vesper Sparrow

48. Savannah Sparrow

49. Song Sparrow

50. White-crowned Sparrow

51. Red-winged Blackbird

52. Western Meadowlark

53. Brown-headed Cowbird

54. Pine Siskin

55. American Goldfinch

56. House Sparrow

Friday, July 12, 2013

30 June - 11 July 2013, Bird List for Jasper and Banff National Parks

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30 June - 11 July 2013, Bird List: Jasper and Banff National Parks

1. Osprey

2. Spotted Sandpiper

3. Rock Pigeon

4. Northern Flicker

5. Violet-green Swallow

6. Cliff Swallow

7. Barn Swallow

8. Gray Jay

9. Clark’s Nutcracker

10. Black-billed Magpie

11. American Crow

12. Northern Raven

13. Mountain Chickadee

14. Brown Creeper

15. Winter Wren

16. American Dipper

17. Townsend’s Solitaire

18. Swainson’s Thrush

19. Hermit Thrush

20. American Robin

21. Varied Thrush

22. Orange-crowned Warbler

23. Yellow-rumped Warbler

24. Townsend’s Warbler

25. Wilson’s Warbler

26. Brewer’s Sparrow

27. Fox Sparrow

28. White-crowned Sparrow

29. Dark-eyed Junco

30. Pine Siskin

11 July 2013, Alberta: Banff – Bow Valley and the Hoodoos

Our final hike was into town from our hotel and along the Bow River to the Hoodoos.

Bow River Valley

Hoodoos

Mt. Rundle

Hiking Update

Jasper National Park
Trail	Date	km	Running Total
Maligne Canyon	6/30/13	4	4
Bald Hills	6/30/13	11.4	15.4
Path of Glacier - Edith Cavell	7/1/13	4	19.4
Tramway	7/1/13	2	21.4
Old Fort Point	7/2/13	4	25.4
Sunwapta Falls	7/3/13	2.6	28
Peyto Lake	7/3/13	2.8	30.8

Banff National Park
Trail	Date
Plain of the 6 Glaciers	7/4/13	10.6	10.6
Consolation Lake	7/5/13	5.8	16.4
Moraine Lake Lakeshore	7/5/13	3	19.4
Johnston Canyon	7/6/13	5.4	24.8
Lake Agnes + Beehive	7/7/13	10.2	35
Lake Louise Shoreline	7/8/13	4	39
Eiffel Lake	7/9/13	11.2	50.2
Lake Louise - Kicking Horse	7/10/13	1.7	51.9
Banff - Fairmont	7/10/13	2	53.9
Fairmont - Bow Falls - Hoodos	7/11/13	12.5	66.4

Grand Total			97.2

10 July 2013, Alberta: Lake Louise Ski Area

We took the quad chair up the Lake Louise ski area and then hiked out to the Kicking Horse Pass overlook. We saw one radio-collared Grizzly Bear feeding on one of the ski slopes below our chair ride.

Kicking Horse Pass

View of the Bow Valley

Mt. Victoria and Lake Louise

Hiking Update

Jasper National Park
Trail	Date	km	Running Total
Maligne Canyon	6/30/13	4	4
Bald Hills	6/30/13	11.4	15.4
Path of Glacier - Edith Cavell	7/1/13	4	19.4
Tramway	7/1/13	2	21.4
Old Fort Point	7/2/13	4	25.4
Sunwapta Falls	7/3/13	2.6	28
Peyto Lake	7/3/13	2.8	30.8

Banff National Park
Trail	Date
Plain of the 6 Glaciers	7/4/13	10.6	10.6
Consolation Lake	7/5/13	5.8	16.4
Moraine Lake Lakeshore	7/5/13	3	19.4
Johnston Canyon	7/6/13	5.4	24.8
Lake Agnes + Beehive	7/7/13	10.2	35
Lake Louise Shoreline	7/8/13	4	39
Eiffel Lake	7/9/13	11.2	50.2
Lake Louise - Kicking Horse	7/10/13	1.7	51.9

Thursday, July 11, 2013

9 July 2013, Alberta: Eiffel Lake

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9 July 2013, Alberta: Eiffel Lake

It was the most spectacular hike of the trip thus far. This trails takes you up into the one of the farthest places along the Valley of the 10 peaks and it is well worth it.

Valley of the 10 Peaks

Wenkchemma Pass

Hiking Update

Jasper National Park
Trail	Date	km	Running Total
Maligne Canyon	6/30/13	4	4
Bald Hills	6/30/13	11.4	15.4
Path of Glacier - Edith Cavell	7/1/13	4	19.4
Tramway	7/1/13	2	21.4
Old Fort Point	7/2/13	4	25.4
Sunwapta Falls	7/3/13	2.6	28
Peyto Lake	7/3/13	2.8	30.8

Banff National Park
Trail	Date
Plain of the 6 Glaciers	7/4/13	10.6	10.6
Consolation Lake	7/5/13	5.8	16.4
Moraine Lake Lakeshore	7/5/13	3	19.4
Johnston Canyon	7/6/13	5.4	24.8
Lake Agnes + Beehive	7/7/13	10.2	35
Lake Louise Shoreline	7/8/13	4	39
Eiffel Lake	7/9/13	11.2	50.2

8 July 2013, Alberta: Lake Louise

We were rained out yesterday but we managed to stretch out legs along the Lake Louise shoreline trail. We rewarded ourselves with the Rocky Mountain antipasto at the Chateau Lake Louise.

Chateau Lake Louise

Rocky Mountain antipasto

Hiking Update

Jasper National Park
Trail	Date	km	Running Total
Maligne Canyon	6/30/13	4	4
Bald Hills	6/30/13	11.4	15.4
Path of Glacier - Edith Cavell	7/1/13	4	19.4
Tramway	7/1/13	2	21.4
Old Fort Point	7/2/13	4	25.4
Sunwapta Falls	7/3/13	2.6	28
Peyto Lake	7/3/13	2.8	30.8

Banff National Park
Trail	Date
Plain of the 6 Glaciers	7/4/13	10.6	10.6
Consolation Lake	7/5/13	5.8	16.4
Moraine Lake Lakeshore	7/5/13	3	19.4
Johnston Canyon	7/6/13	5.4	24.8
Lake Agnes + Beehive	7/7/13	10.2	35