Day 1 - Arrival Calgary where we gather for dinner together and discuss plans for the upcoming morning. Night Calgary.
Day 2 - Birding the foothills today. We will look for birds of an 'eastern' flavor today, such as Blue Jay, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Baltimore Oriole, Alder Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Cape May and Tennessee warblers, Le Conte's and Nelson's sparrows, Eastern Phoebe and more. With any luck we'll find a Great Gray Owl! Mammals are possible, such as Coyote, Elk and Moose. Night Canmore.
Day 3 - We will explore some areas around Banff today, taking in the gorgeous scenery, the mammals and the birds. At Vermillion Lakes, we'll look for birds like Common Loons, Red-necked Grebes, Fox Sparrow, Townsend's Warbler and Blackpoll warblers, Common Yellowthroats, Bald Eagle and Osprey. We'll then take a walk up through Johnston Canyon, searching for American Dippers, Western Flycatcher, Pacific Wren and possible American Three-toed Woodpecker. Mammals to watch for here include Least Chipmunk and Golden-mantled Ground-Squirrel. At Lake Louise, we'll take in the spectacular scenery and hope to see a bird or two, which may include Harlequin Duck, Barrow's Goldeneye, Canada Jay, Clark's Nutcracker and more. During our explorations we may get lucky and spot a Black Bear or if we're even luckier, a Grizzly. Night in Canmore.
Day 4 - Today we'll make our way to Frank Lake, a large wetland area home to many enticing birds. As we approach the lake, we'll watch for grassland species like Northern Harrier, Swainson's Hawk, Clay-colored Sparrow, Western Meadowlark, Upland Sandpiper, Gray Partridge and more. Once at the lake, we should see may species such as Eared Grebe, Western Grebe, American White Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, California Gull, White-faced Ibis, Black-crowned Night-Heron and many species of ducks, such as Ruddy Duck, Redhead, Canvasback, Blue-winged and Cinnamon teal, and more. Shorebirds to look for include Marbled Godwit, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Wilson's Phalarope and Willet, to name a few. In the late afternoon, we'll make our way to Lethbridge for the night.
Day 5 - Near Alberta's border with Montana, we will find Writing on Stone Provincial Park. Here, we will explore the 'badlands' for birds like Rock Wren, Lark Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Ferruginous Hawk, American Kestrel and more. In the riparian areas of the park, we'll look for Brown Thrasher, Yellow-breasted Chat, Spotted Towhee, Eastern Warbling Vireo, Common Nighthawk, 'Prairie' Merlin, and more. Mammals to be on the lookout for include Pronghorn, Yellow-bellied Marmot, and if we're super lucky, an American Badger. In the later afternoon, we'll make our way to Cypress Hills Provincial Park, where we will spend the night at Elkwater.
Day 6 - We'll depart early, making our way to the southeast corner of Alberta near the Wildhorse border crossing. In the grasslands here, we can find sought-after species such as Chestnut-collared and Thick-billed longspurs, Grasshopper Sparrow, Horned Lark, Bobolink, Ferruginous Hawk, Burrowing Owl, Lark Bunting, Upland Sandpiper and much more. If we have some time in the afternoon to explore Cypress Hills, we will look for birds like Dusky Flycatcher, MacGillivray's Warbler, Townsend's Solitaire, and Ovenbird, to name a few species. Night Elkwater.
Day 7 - Morning birding at Cypress Hills and then afternoon begin traveling to Brooks. If we have time in the late afternoon, we may poke around Lake Newell, home to Franklin's Gulls, American White Pelicans, waterfowl and more. Grasslands in the area are home to Ferruginous Hawk, Loggerhead Shrike, Sprague's Pipit and Baird's Sparrow to name a few species. Night Brooks.
Day 8 - This morning we'll explore Dinosaur Provincial Park, home to a nice selection of birds, as well as spectacular 'badland' scenery. The park is good for birds like Brown Thrasher, Baltimore Oriole, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Warbling Vireo, Eastern Kingbird, 'Yellow-shafted' Northern Flicker, Northern House Wren and more. Prairie Falcons are occasionally seen here as well. In the afternoon, we'll begin making our way back to Calgary, where the tour will conclude.
