This Will Cool You Off

 

These falls are found near Jasper, Canada up the Icefields Parkway.  These are the Athabasca Falls--voluminous and ferocious in the summer owing to glacial melt.  Spray shoots into the air and it's cooling and refreshing.

Mother and Child

 

A recent trip to Canada this summer had us hoping to see a variety of wildlife.  Moose was on the list, of course.  One rainy morning we headed to Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park.  On our way in we spied this cow and calf foraging in the bogy ponds to the side of the entrance road.

 It is astonishing how big these animals are.  You have to be impressed by the power and weight these creatures possess, especially when watching them turn and maneuver in these watery environs.

All About the Birds--Canada Edition

One just shouldn’t travel without their binoculars.  Luckily, I didn’t.  Of course, being a birder, one does travel with purpose.  In Canada, there were birds to be seen at every venue.



 

We noticed that there were several communities where houses were placed to attract and provide shelter for particular species.  In Golden, BC, we found a house near the airstrip housing a Tree Swallow.

 

 

Again, the community of Brule, AB placed a number of houses and nearly every one was occupied by Tree Swallows.  We concluded this must be a specific conservation effort.

Did you know that the Canadian Dollar is known as the Loonie?  Common Loons are found on the lakes and ponds all over Canada.



One of the birds everyone and every piece of literature told us for who to look was Barrow’s Goldeneye.  We found a hen and her brood on a quiet roadside pond.

 

Clark’s Nutcrackers are not shy around people.  This one was found at Lake Louise.

 

Finally, Hinton, AB has developed a system of trails that wander through beaver ponds.  On the main pond sat a Ring Necked Duck and his mate.



Magnificent

 

If you want to cause a traffic jam on the Icefield Highway in Canada, the way to do it is with these magnificent creatures.  How often we would ride along and come around a bend in the road to find cars and other vehicles pulled to the side of the road.  We came to know that something had captured the imagination of fellow travelers.  We would immediately slow and join the event.

At one stretch of the road we found a crowd enjoying these magnificent creatures, Elk, known to the First Nation Peoples as Wapiti.  Wapiti originated with the Shawnee and literally means “white rump”--apropos.

I still marvel at these animals.  I can’t imagine having the neck muscles to support and wield the large racks of antlers so characteristic of these creatures.  How can animals this large move with grace and power and speed as these are known to do?

I know one can find these animals elsewhere, but these wonders are yet another reason to visit Canada.

Savannah Gold

One of our day trips while in Canada was to the town of Golden, BC, a small town on the west side of the Canadian Rockies and through which runs the Kicking Horse River.  There is a nature area straddling the Kicking Horse and it is to this we headed.  Harlequin Ducks were said to be found along several rivers on our trip, and I, having never seen one, made it our objective.  Alas, it would not be in the cards for us to find one.

However, we did have a good hike and saw quite a few species of animals and birds.  This Savannah Sparrow and others of its kind were singing from the fence line surrounding the landing strip of the area’s airport. At first, it sounded like a Grasshopper Sparrow and from a distance we thought it might be.  The closer we got, which enabled a good photographic opportunity, the more we doubted our first guess and now we settle on the Savannah.  The yellow lores, although faint, raised crown, and streaked breast with a central spot give it away.  The songs of these two species do sound remarkably similar.  However, the Savannah’s is richer, as I hear it, and drops lower on the final note.

Our Two Favorite Canadians

We have just returned from a wonderful trip to Canada.  We spent time in Alberta and British Columbia.  The target place was Jasper National Park, but we found Yoho National Park to be fabulous as well.  Actually, there are many places that should be visited because there is so much to see and experience.

One wish was to see some Grizzlies in the wild.  We spent may days actively searching in areas where there were said to be.  When we were not able to find them, we became quite depressed and were about to resign ourselves to having failed.  However, the owner of the Blue Diamond B&B in Brule suggested we take the road from Hinton to Cadomin stating that one could see many different animals on that road.  Once again, we arrived at Cadomin without seeing any grizzlies.  We did see many other animals.  On our way back to Brule, we noticed another vehicle pulled over stopped.  About that time, I spied exactly what were the objects of their attention.  Success! Sweet success!

The one on the left was very wary and wanted to move on.  However the one on the right was of the stand your ground variety.  We watched for a good long time never leaving the car.  The bears may not have been grinning, but we were.

Mountainsmith Red Rock Goes to Canada

This Mountainsmith Red Rock 25L Day Pack has been to Canada and back, climbed mountain trails, and carried all needed supplies and water for each day.

Find it at http://www.kingbirdfeeders.com/ and have a good hike.

Golden Mantle in Canadian Rockies

On our recent trip to Alberta, Canada we found this little guy.  It's a Golden Mantle Ground Squirrel and was all over the talus slope rocks near the trail to Consolation Lake (one of our many hikes).

This is just a taste of the excellent time we experienced.  More will follow.

Swallowtails and Butterfly Bushes

This Texan was very impressed with the Butterfly TREES on Galiano Island and the attendant Swallowtails. Back in Texas our butterfly bushes grow to about three feet tall, having to struggle with intense heat and dry conditions. However, in British Columbia the rainfall and milder temperatures must make a tremendous difference.

This picture, by my spouse, was taken on the grounds of a delightful pub where we ate lunch.