Prairies and Boreal Forests of

ALBERTA & SASKATCHEWAN

June 3 - 10, 2013

Below are a few photos from trips in 2010 and 2011

Two of the most wanted birds on this trip: left - Connecticut Warbler male, right - Le Conte's Sparrow

Spectacular sunrises: left - a boreal pond, right - Cold Lake

American Avocet doing broken wing act, and the endangered Piping Plover

The endangered Swift Fox with two (!) Richardson's Ground Squirrels for breakfast

Trip Summary:

This seven night, eight day trip through southern and central Saskatchewan and Alberta is timed to take advantage of the incredible array of breeding species in this region. From prairies to badlands to potholes to boreal forests this trip provides dramatic scenery, great mammal viewing and outstanding birding with many difficult target species likely. Photographic opportunities for this trip are good (birds, mammals, scenics). Accommodations are good throughout and the birding sites are generally extremely quiet (apart from bird song!), providing an outstanding experience.

Target Species:

Birds: A few of the many possibilities include Common Loon, five species of grebes (with Clark's a possible sixth), American White Pelican, the whole gambit of pothole and boreal waterfowl, Cinnamon Teal, White-winged Scoter, Yellow Rail (possibly heard only), Northern Goshawk, Ferruginous and Swainson's Hawks, Merlin, Prairie Falcon, Golden and Bald Eagles, Gray Partridge, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Greater Sage Grouse (rare), Spruce and Ruffed Grouse, Virginia and Sora Rails, Yellow Rail (rare), Sandhill Crane, Piping Plover, American Avocet, Black-necked Stilt, Solitary Sandpiper, Upland Sandpiper, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Stilt, White-rumped and Baird's Sandpipers, Wilson's and Red-necked Phalaropes, Franklin's, Sabine's, California and Bonaparte's Gulls, Forster's and Black Terns, Great Horned, Burrowing, Northern Saw-whet and Short-eared Owls, Common Nighthawk, Poorwill (rare), Red-naped Sapsucker, Pileated, Black-backed and Three-toed Woodpeckers, Olive-sided, Alder, Yellow-bellied, Willow, Least and Dusky Flycatchers, Western Wood-Pewee, Loggerhead Shrike, (Western) Warbling Vireo (possible split), Blue-headed and Philadelphia Vireos, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee, Rock, Winter, Marsh and Sedge Wrens, Mountain Bluebird, Sprague's Pipit, twenty plus warbler species including Connecticut and MacGillvray's Warblers, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Lark, Brewer's, Baird's, LeConte's, Nelson's (Sharp-tailed) and Grasshopper Sparrows, Chestnut-collared and McCown's Longspurs, Lazuli Bunting, Red Crossbill and Evening Grosbeak.

Mammals: This route always should produce a great selection of mammals with possibilities including Black Bear, Coyote, Red and Swift Fox (seen 2010), Elk, White-tailed and Mule Deer, American Badger, several ground squirrel species, Black-tailed Prairie Dog, Moose, Striped Skunk, Raccoon, Beaver, Muskrat, Mink, Least Weasel, and Fisher (seen 2011). In 2010 we also scored North America's rarest mammal - the Black-footed Ferret (watched for ten minutes in the scope!).

Itinerary: (prairies and boreal forest main tour)

June 3rd (day 1) Arrive in Calgary. Check in to hotel. Group meets for dinner this evening at our hotel lobby at 6 pm. Night: Calgary Airport

June 4th (day 2) Calgary to Cold Lake. We will depart very early this morning and work our way east and north to Cold Lake. En route we will make stops in a variety of habitats from badlands to prairies to potholes to alkali lakes. Some of the possibilities today include Piping Plover, Grasshopper and Baird's Sparrows, Rock Wren, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Swainson's Hawk, Short-eared Owl, Loggerhead Shrike, and a wide variety of breeding waterfowl. We will arrive in Cold Lake in mid afternoon in time for some evening birding at a nearby wetland which should be full of breeding waterfowl, rails, and Marsh and Sedge wrens. Night: Cold Lake

Coyote and nesting Ferruginous Hawk (chicks at nest and dark morph adult here) are often seen today.

June 5th (day 3) Cold Lake to Turtle Lake. Before breakfast we will head north to Cold Lake Provincial Park in search of boreal breeders such as Connecticut, Mourning, Blackburnian, Palm, Canada, Cape May and Bay-breasted Warblers, Northern Waterthrush, Boreal Chickadee, Gray Jay, Pileated Woodpecker, Ruffed Grouse, Common Loon, Ring-necked Duck, White-winged Scoter, Bonaparte's Gull, Solitary Sandpiper, Olive-sided, Least and Alder Flycatchers, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Winter Wren, Lincoln's, LeConte's and Nelson's (Sharp-tailed) Sparrows. Raptors are scarce in the boreal forest but those that are seen are often high quality. We will likely see Osprey and Bald Eagle today, with Merlin, Sharp-shinned Hawk and Northern Goshawk as possibilities. After breakfast we will check nearby Jessie Lake for lingering migrant shorebirds and waterfowl. Night: Cold Lake.

Mourning Warbler male (courtesy participant John Van de Graaff), Ruffed Grouse and American Three-toed Woodpecker male are all good possibilities today.

June 6th (day 4) Cold Lake area. We will have a second full morning to track down any specialties we missed on our first day in Cold Lake. Depending upon water levels we may spend more time today searching for migrant shorebirds in the Jessie Lake area, or we might work Cold Lake for Arctic bound migrants such as Sabine's Gulls, which are rare but regular spring migrants here. In the afternoon, we will head southeast through Saskatchewan towards the town of Rosetown, where we will spend the night.

Night: Rosetown

June 7th (day 5) Rosetown to Grasslands N P. After a good sit down breakfast we will head south of town about a hour and a half to Luck Lake. If water levels are good this site can hold huge numbers of migrant shorebirds and ducks. Although most shorebirds will have passed through there will almost certainly be an excellent selection of breeding plumage shorebirds. This is one of those places where you never know what will show up. Last year we found the first record for inland North America of Bar-tailed Godwit here (well photographed and seen by others over several days). This huge alkali lake is also well known for breeding and migrant waterfowl. If the water levels are low, we can expect to see thousands of shorebirds here with large numbers of breeding American Avocets, Willets, Wilson's Phalaropes and Marbled Godwits. There should still be reasonable numbers of Sanderlings, Semipalmated and Bairds Sandpipers on their way to Arctic breeding grounds. In addition to the shorebirds, this site holds thousands of waterfowl including all the expected prairie breeders. From Luck Lake we will continue south to another sites that holds several dozen breeding pairs of the endangered Piping Plover. This is also a major staging area in spring for northbound Sanderlings which should be present in the thousands. In late afternoon, we will arrive in the small prairie town of Val Marie, which is the gateway to Grasslands National Park. Pending weather we may take an evening drive. We will spend the night in a unique hotel which is a converted convent. Night: Val Marie, Convent Inn

Wilson's Phalarope female and Marbled Godwit are both common at Luck Lake. At right the delightful Convent Inn in Val Marie.

June 8th (day 6) Grasslands N P to Cypress Hills. We will depart early for a dawn drive through nearby Grasslands N P, having a picnic breakfast along the way. The morning will be spent exploring this unique site. Possibilities include Greater Sage Grouse (rare), Sharp-tailed Grouse (there is sometimes an active lek right by the roadside!), Burrowing Owl, Golden Eagle, Say's Phoebe, and Sprague's Pipit. We will also pass through several large Black-tailed Prairie Dog towns (good photo opps likely). This is the only place in Canada where you have can see these animated critters. Badger, Swift Fox and Black-footed Ferret are all possibilities here too. In late morning we will head west to the town of Eastend, where we will stop for lunch. From here we will head to nearby peak with a spectacular view of the river valley and badlands below. This site has traditionally held nesting Prairie Falcons, Rock Wrens, Mountain Bluebirds and Violet-green Swallows. We will arrive at our hotel in the conifer topped Cypress Hills in time for some birding on the hotel grounds. The hotel feeders often produce spectacular views of Red Crossbills, Pine Siskins, Hairy Woodpecker and Red-breasted Nuthatch (good photo opps). We will spend two nights here. Night: Cypress Hills Resort, Cypress Hills Provincial Park.

Badger, Prairie Rattlesnake and Burrowing Owl all occur at Grasslands National Park. The snake is by far the hardest to see!

June 9th (day 7) Cypress Hills and nearby lowland prairie habitat. We will spend a full day exploring habitats in and near the provincial park. Some of the targets include Baird's, Grasshopper, Brewer's, Lark and Clay-colored Sparrows, Sprague's Pipit, Lark Bunting, Gray Partridge, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Ring-necked Pheasant, Wild Turkey, Northern Goshawk, Northern Harrier, Prairie Falcon, Golden Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Upland Sandpiper, Long-billed Curlew, Wilson's Snipe, Marbled Godwit, Wilson's Phalarope, Western Kingbird, Mountain Bluebird, MacGillvray's Warbler, (Western) Warbling Vireo (a possible split), Dusky Flycatcher, McCown's and Chestnut-collared Longspurs and Cinnamon Teal. Mammals that are likely to be encountered today include Pronghorn (antelope), White-tailed and Mule Deer, American Elk, Coyote, Nuttall's Cottontail, Richardson's and Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels, and with some luck we may find American Badger. Depending upon everyone's energy level we may schedule an optional night drive to search for Poorwill and Northern Saw-whet Owl tonight. Night: Cypress Hills Resort, Cypress Hills Provincial Park.

The scenic mixed forests of the Cypress Hills, a gorgeous male Western Tanager, and Red Crossbill male - all likely to be seen today!

June 10th (day 8) After breakfast we will head west from the Cypress Hills, making several stops along the way to check roadside sloughs and prairie habitats where White-faced Ibis and Black-necked Stilt are possible. We will arrive in Calgary by 2 pm this afternoon. The trip will conclude with drop offs at the airport and nearby hotels. Please do not book departing flights any earlier than 4 pm this afternoon.

Leader:

Tom Hince will be the leader for this trip. Tom is an experienced professional bird guide who has organized and led trips through North, Central and South America, Africa and Australia. He has forty plus years of field experience and prides himself in providing clients with an outstanding experience.

What Is The Pace Like?

The focus of the trip will be birding. We will also make a concerted effort to view mammals and provide photographic opportunities for all participants where possible (ie. scenic viewpoints, co-operative mammals and birds). Although the tour is easy in terms of difficulty, the hours are long as we get early starts in the field. This is necessary due to the longer day length at this season and latitude, and we want to take advantage of early morning and evening opportunities for birding and mammal viewing. Where we spend several nights in a location, we will do our utmost to schedule pre breakfast walks, so anyone wishing to sleep in can join the group at breakfast. However, I do not recommend skipping these pre breakfast outings as they are often when the most memorable sightings occur!

Group Size:

The group will be limited to 8 participants (with a possibility of 9 if we have a single participant). We will use a 15 passenger van, with the back seat removed for storage of luggage. Space for this tour will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

What about Critters, Snakes, Bugs and Other Hazards?

The biggest potential hazard at this time of year is biting insects. The good news is that chiggers are not a problem! The trip is timed early enough that we should avoid the peak of mosquito and black fly abundance. However, we will likely encounter biting insects and participants should be sure to bring bug spray. It is also recommended that you treat your field clothing with anti tick spray, as wood ticks are often present in prairie areas at this time of year (this spray is extremely effective). Prairie Rattlesnakes are present in the central and southern prairies but it is extremely unlikely we will encounter one. We will not be walking off trail in areas where this species occurs.

What Is the Cost?

(Please note that all figures quoted are in Canadian dollars. Participants can also submit funds in US dollars.

The cost, for the main tour, from Calgary to Calgary, is $2699 PLUS GST (5%). This includes: 7 nights accommodations, guiding daily, ground transportation in 15 passenger van, entrance fees to public parks, entrance fees for private properties, all meals from dinner on Day 1 to lunch on Day 8 (7 breakfasts, 7 dinners, 7 lunches), cold drinks in the field (water, pop), use of a telescope provided by the leader, checklist, full trip report, group photo. Please note that the amount does not include alcoholic beverages, items of a personal nature, or items not specifically listed as inclusives. Also, I generally buy bags of fresh fruit and trail mix for the group for snacks in the van, but if you have other specific snacks you like you should purchase those for personal consumption.

Participants can submit deposits or full payment in either CDN, or US funds. Please note that the tour cost is fixed in Canadian dollars. US checks will be converted to Canadian and credited at the amount given by the bank on the date of deposit.

What About Singles?

Single bookings are easily accommodated. A single supplement will be charged if you wish to room alone, or no room mate an be found. The single supplement for the main tour is $500. Please note that in Val Marie, there are shared bathrooms regardless of payment of the single supplement.

A note about Meals:

Dinner will be a sit down meal. Where necessary we will work with limited menu choices to facilitate quicker ordering. Some meals (ie dinner at Convent Inn) will be preordered due to service requirements. To facilitate more time in the field, and due to limited facilities in some birding sites, we will have picnic style breakfasts and lunches on approximately half of the meals. If you are a coffee or tea drinker, don't worry, we WILL have hot coffee and tea and some snacks, available for early morning or pre-breakfast birding.

What Are the Accomodations Like?

In Calgary, we will be staying at a chain motel such as Holiday Inn Express or comparable quality. In the Cold Lake area we usually use a well appointed Best Western suites hotel. In Val Marie, the Convent Inn is as one might expect - a converted convent. It is a delightful spot with wonderful wood flooring and each room is unique. Depending upon the size of our group, some bathroom sharing may be necessary. However, this is by far the best available accommodation at this site. At Cypress Hills, we will be staying an ideally situated and comfortable, modern, well serviced resort (though rooms are standard motel style).

How Do I Join Up?

Reservations will be taken on a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED basis. Because a number of folks have already expressed an interest, I am sending this message out to everyone together. To reserve a spot, please email me at peleetom@netcore.ca or call at 1 586 839-7482 giving the name(s) of participants, email, phone number and address. I ask for CDN $500 per person deposit when you reserve. You can forward this to me via personal check made out to me and mailed to P.O. Box 281, RR#1, Wheatley, Ontario. Canada N0P 2P0.

Final payment: payment in full is due March 3rd, 2013.

Please keep in mind that there are only 8 spaces available for this trip, so if you are seriously interested don't hesitate.

Refunds and Cancellation Insurance

I strongly recommend that all participants purchase cancellation insurance. I dont provide this service, but it is readil y available on line.

If you cancel before March 2nd, 2013 - your deposit is forfeit. Any additional funds you have paid would be refunded.

If you cancel from March 2nd, to April 2nd, 2013 - fifty percent of your total tour costs are forfeit. Any balance paid over the fifty percent of the total cost due will be refunded.

Cancellation after April 2nd, 2013 will result in forfeit of the entire tour fee. No funds will be refunded.

Of course, if we cancel at any time, all funds remitted will be fully refunded.

Questions?:

If you have any questions about this trip please feel free to email Tom at peleetom@netcore.ca or call 586 839-7482

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