Alberta Specialities
(Pause
your cursor on the photo to see the species name. Click on the birds for
more info... )
Photo
by Marshall Iliff
Photo copyright James
Ownby
Photo
by Marcus Martin
Photo
by Jim Stasz
Photo copyright Don
DesJardin
Photo copyright Bob
Lane
Photo copyright William
J. Stone
Photo copyright Eric
Kleyheeg
Photo copyright Harold
Stiver
Photo copyright Robert
McDonald
Photo copyright Erik
Kleyheeg
Photo copyright Don
DesJardin
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...Banff
National Park - Birding - also see this alternate
site.
...Birds
of Beaverhill Lake (near Tofield, Alberta). See also RAMSAR
information
sheet. Beaverhill Lake, located 70km east of Edmonton, Alberta, is
an exceptional site of critical habitat for a wide variety of species.
...Maps
and Site Guide for Beaverhill Lake - courtesy of the.Edmonton
...Clifford
E. Lee Nature Sanctuary - Southwest of Edmonton, this
sanctuary
has been designated as one of Alberta's "Special Places". Trails wind their
way through marshes, sand hills, meadows and aspen and pine woods. May
through August are the best times to visit. ..
...Drumheller/Newell
Lake - See Prairie Potholes
and Parks - or...
How to Drive From Edmonton
to Lethbridge in 2 1/2 Days: a trip report/site guide by Tina MacDonald.
April 24 - 26, 1999. This includes a special section on birding in the
Drumheller Valley as well as information on Newell Lake.
....Potential
Alberta IBAs - This is a working list and map of potential
Important Bird Areas in
Alberta. The process of identifying IBAs in this region is by no means
complete. Additional sites that qualify as IBAs will likely be identified
and likewise, some of the sites mapped may not qualify as IBAs once a thorough
evaluation is completed. Once a site has been formally identified as an
IBA the site name is linked to a one-page site summary. Includes details
about:
....Alberta
Wildlife Viewing Guide. This is the Internet version of the
book published in 1990 by
Lone Pine Publishing (Edmonton) and the Alberta Government. Come visit
just some of the many viewing sites (most of which feature the birdlife
to be found there) that can be found in Alberta. Click on one of the regions
to be taken to a list (with maps) of easily found sites. Regions include:
-
Edmonton (Parkland)
-
Red Deer (Parkland/Prairie)
-
Calgary (Grassland/River)
-
Lethbridge (Mountain/Prairie)
-
Medicine Hat (Grassland/Water)
-
Northeast (Lakeland/Boreal)
-
Northwest (Parkland/Boreal)
-
Jasper/Banff (Mountain/Foothills)
....Birding
Sites around Edmonton - provided by the.Edmonton
Bird Club -
The
E.B.C. can trace its origins back to 1949. Affiliated with the University
of Alberta, since the club’s founding fifty years ago, the E.B.C. provides
a number of opportunities to watch and study birds in the company of fellow
birders.
....Bonnyville
- a Birdwatcher's Paradise - includes a species listing with
some seasonal abundance
information.
....Birdwatching
in Cold Lake - One of the richest birding areas in
Alberta
is located in the Cold Lake area. Over 200 species of bird habitats are
supported with clear water lakes, marshy wetlands or mixed wood boreal
forest.
....Birdwatching
in the Lac La Biche Region - The magnificent
landscapes
of the region are prime habitat for a spectacular variety of birds, and
thus offer the best of bird watching opportunities. Here, you can observe
many sought-after resident species, neo-tropical migrants, as well as other
species stopping over on their seasonal migrations. Although renown for
the American White Pelican there are over 230 other species of birds that
inhabit these shorelines.
....Birding
in Jasper - a report of a great weekend's birding. By Ted
....Birding
at Whitney Lakes Provincial Park - Of the 375 species of birds
seen or recorded in Alberta,
Whitney Lakes Provincial Park boasts over 206 of these. Park checklist
is included on the site.
....Birding
the Lake Louise/Banff/Canmore Strip (with Extentions to
British
Columbia) - by Grant Gussie. From the AlbertaBird E-mail Discussion
Group - there are many good places in the area, but a lot depends on how
hard you want to work to get to them..
..
.Peregrine Falcons
at the University of Calgary
....Birds
of the Mt. Robson Area - Jasper and Mt. Robson - Wildlife
....Waterton
Lakes National Park - Waterton Wildlife Viewing
....Inglewood
Bird Sancturary - a federally designated sanctuary with a
surprising location in the
industrial sector of Calgary.
....Weaselhead
Glenmore Park Preservation Society - Calgary.
Information
about these parks in Calgary, including a bird
checklist with information about each bird seen.
....Cross
Conservation Area - The Ann and Sandy Cross Conservation
Area
is a 4800 acre day use natural area located just south west of the city
of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. The conservation area is dedicated to protecting
habitat and providing space for native species of wildlife; offering conservation
education programs (particularily to young people) without jeopardizing
wildlife and habitat; and managing human use of the Area through 'entry
by appointment only.'
....Rocky
Mountain Eagle Foundation - watch eagle and raptor
....Alberta
Birds of Prey Centre - in Coaldale, near Lethbridge. The
Alberta Birds of Prey Centre
is Canada’s largest birds of prey facility. Situated on a 70-acre wetland
area site our centre is a celebration of nature featuring the hawks, falcons,
eagles and owls of Alberta. See also Tina MacDonald's report on A
Visit to the Birds of Prey Centre.
....Gaetz
Lakes Sanctuary - Red Deer. Since 1924, the Gaetz Lakes
have
been protected as a federal migratory bird sanctuary. Now part of Waskasoo
Park, the Sanctuary's 118 hectares (almost 300 acres) are set aside as
a home for plants, mammals and birds. Five kilometers of trails, a bird
blind and viewing decks introduce you to a variety of habitats.
....Ellis
Bird Farm - The Ellis Bird Farm is located in Central Alberta,
Canada,
just to the northeast of Red Deer. Visitors are welcome during summer months.
In the early 1950's, Charlie Ellis began a project that was to dominate
the rest of his life ... he set out his first nesting box for the Mountain
Bluebirds. In the years that followed, Charlie and Winnie rimmed the fields
with some 300 nestboxes for Mountain Bluebirds and tree swallows, built
and erected houses for Black-capped Chickadees, Purple Martins and Flickers,
and established a huge program for feeding winter birds. The Ellis farm
quickly gained recognition as a sanctuary for all wildlife and Charlie
became widely known as Mr. Bluebird, a title bestowed by the well known
Red Deer naturalist, Kerry Wood.
....Birding
at the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory - Migrants funnel
along
the eastern shoreline of the lake right by the front door of the Observatory.
Mass migrations of songbirds have been clearly documented at the site.
Observers have recorded up to 5,000 migrants in a day. Some birders go
so far as to call the LSLBO, "The Point Pelee of the North".
....Peace-Athabaska
Delta - Summer is brief in this RAMSAR designated
delta, with the surface
becoming frost-free only between June and September; much of the area is
underlain by permafrost. The site is one of the most important nesting,
resting and feeding areas for water birds in North America; up to 400,000
may occur during spring migration, with more than one million birds in
fall.
....Hay-Zama
Lakes - This RAMSAR designated lowland wetland complex
to the north and west of
the Peace River, including a series of eutrophic freshwater lakes, floodplains
and river deltas. The site holds large numbers of ducks and geese during
spring and fall migrations. See also this mention on the Zama
City website, as well as a lot of information about the area.
....Wood
Buffalo National Park - The park includes all except 230,000ha
of the Whooping Crane Summer
Range, and the Peace-Athabasca Delta (Wood Buffalo National Park section),
both of which were designated as Wetlands of International Importance under
the Ramsar Convention. More
information.
....A
June Trip to Montana and Alberta, Canada - June 16 – 19, 1999 -
by
Doug and Arlene Ripley. This richly illustrated trip report covers the
area from Great Falls, through Banff, Lake Louise and up to Jasper.
....Alberta
& the Canadian Rockies - Trip Report by Alvaro Jaramillo.
The participants arrived
in Edmonton from all corners of the continent to take part in this exciting
trip.
....Northern
Alberta Owl Prowl - a photographic essay by Tina MacDonald.
....Two
Dutch Birders in Canada - by Ruud and Kitty Kampf. During
our summer holidays in 1988,
we used a Canadian Airlines air-pass to visit a variety of sites in western
and northern Canada. It was an interesting trip, in a spectacular country,
with wonderful weather, and plenty of mosquitos.Ruud and Kitty Kampf are
Dutch birders, with a strong interest in the birds of Canada, particularly
in out-of-the-way places.
....Birding
Canada - by Martin Tribe. This trip report contains information
on:
-
Princes Island and Inglewood
Bird Sanctuary, Calgary
-
Driving from Calgary to Banff
-
Banff
-
Lake Louise
-
Icefields Parkway
-
Jasper
-
Yoho National Park
....Alberta
Trip Reports - a number of Alberta trip reports are available
from
Blake Maybank's "Birding the Americas - Trip Report and Trip Planning Repository".
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