Howdy, Calgary, and a Sweet Nutcracker in Lake Louise

Alas, my last day in British Columbia, Victoria to be exact, was uneventful.  I was throwing one last Rock Sandpiper Hail Mary and visited all the locations it had been seen over the past two weeks, but came up empty. No birds in the hand, in the bush or on the rocks. Oh, I saw lots of the local and expected birds, but will now have to obsess about this one bird over the next 11 months, if I don’t get one before December.

I boarded an Air Canada flight to Calgary early this morning, and once on the ground and changed into my birding uniform: lined cargo pants, LL Bean Storm Chasers, Canada-Red ScotteVest, and Tilly fedora, with ear flaps, I was ready to begin birding in my fifth province this year, and 7th overall.  I was headed, first, to a local neighborhood in search of resident Gray Partridges.  I was going off of the most resent sighting from eBird and also the one closest to the hotel I was staying that night.  I saw no partridges, but lots of Black-billed Magpies and a huge flock of Bohemian Waxwings.

Black-billed Magpie:

Bohemian Waxwings:

So, I decided to poll the neighborhood dog walkers who didn’t known about partridges, but thought there were often grouse along the road early in the morning.  I had to explain to them that those birds were likely not, in fact, grouse but the partridges I was seeking.  Convinced that they were correct about coming first thing the next morning, even if mistaken about the species, I decided to wait until morning.  I had the same experience back in 2012 with Mountain Quail in Yosemite.  The Gray Partridge has become more of a “yard bird” over the last decade or so, with loss of open farm fields and grasslands to housing.

In the meantime, I headed over to Griffith Woods Park to try for American Three-toed Woodpecker and Boreal Chickadee.  The chickadee were pretty easy to find on the very icy trail.  Luckily I had my ice cleats, crampons,(odd name), to keep me from ending up flat on my back.  I met another couple birding and we had a nice chat while looking for woodpeckers, the three-toed in particular, while we watched the chickadees. 

Boreal Chickadee:

While I searched in one direction, the other birders, Lorne was the gentleman’s name, kept going along the path in the opposite direction.  Later, I heard a sharp, staccato drumming, that sounded very much like the Three-toed Woodpecker drumming audio I had listened to earlier.  I turned in the direction of the sound and there was Lorne’s wife pointing up in a tree while he took some photos.  I quickly, but carefully, walked over and got my binoculars on the bird.  Lorne had found the American Three-toed Woodpecker!  I thanked him profusely for helping me with species 143 for the year.

American Three-toed Woodpecker:

By that time I was losing light and was, frankly, very tired from all my travels.  The temperature was beginning to drop, so I headed to the hotel, which had heated underground parking, and checked in for the night.  I was upgraded to a suite, with a living room and separate bedroom and enough space to hold a small cocktail party.  I was also very hungry, having not eaten lunch, so ordered Chinese food from Uber Eats and was delivered enough food to feed a small cocktail party.  I ate what I could and had enough leftover for the next week if I were to stay long enough.

Early to bed and early to rise makes a birder more likely to score a Gray Partridge.  Pretty wise.  I headed to the neighborhood I had visited the previous day, while it was still dark and before I could even park the car a Gray Partridge flew across the road, right in front of my headlights.  I got the bird!  I saw a couple more before I began the long drive up to Lake Louise and Banff National Park.

Gray Partridge:

Driving to Banff was at times a delight and an adventure in winter weather.  Most of the time, unlike in British Columbia, the drivers, especially the truckers, were respectful of the cars going slowly in the right hand lane during whiteout conditions.  I made a few stops along the way looking for Clark’s Nutcrackers hoping to not need to drive all the way to Lake Louise.  I did see Mountain Chickadees at a feeder and there were, of course, lots of Common Ravens, but no nutcrackers.

As it turned out, by the time I got to Lake Louise and the beautiful Fairmount Chateau Lake Louise, I wished I had a reservation, for the skies had cleared, the sun was out and it was a beautiful winter’s day.  Lots of people were skating and even playing hockey on the lake, there was a gorgeous ice sculpture building going up and there were, naturally, lots of ravens.  I was hoping for Clark’s Nutcracker and Canada Jay, and was chatting with a couple of young lads shoveling the never ending snow, when a gray bird flew into a pine tree right in front of us.  I thought, at first, it was a Canada Jay, but on closer inspection, I saw a larger bird with black wings. It was a Clark’s Nutcracker.  One of the two snow shovelers asked for help in telling the two apart, and I was glad to oblige.  The nutcracker has black wings and the Canada Jay looks like a balding grandpa.

Clark’s Nutcracker:

I took a long hike up one of the snow trails, hoping to spot a Canada Jay, but the going was tough and I was winded after about a third of a mile up the mile and a quarter trail to the Tea House, which would have been a nice reward for the walk.  A Canada Jay sighting will have to wait for another day.

Lake Louise, Alberta:

With bad weather moving in to both Calgary and the Toronto area, and a Pink-footed Goose being reported in Nova Scotia and another continuing in Newfoundland, I have decided to get out of dodge a day early, and head home, and using the time and money saved to book a trip to the east coast, again, try for the goose and try again for the Common Gull, I missed in early January.

So, here I sit at the Calgary International Airport, having finished my first month of nearly nonstop birding, with a count of 145 species for the year, including 14 new birds for my Canada Life List which now stands at 404.  I have also added three species to my ABA Life List, leaving me six species away from officially joining the ABA 700 Club.