Having just returned from a nine-day trip from Vancouver to the south-east corner of Alberta and back I'm in the process of organizing my field notes. For those interested, a (long) list of sightings follows. Some species appear more than once as we had a list for BC and one for Alberta and then some of the more unique species plus those only heard at first were logged multiple times.

Highlights included; Veery, Ferruginous Hawk, Chestnut-collared and McCowan's Longspur, Lark Bunting, White-faced Ibis, Wild Turkey, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Sprague's Pipit, Burrowing Owl, Upland Sandpiper and Clarke's Grebe.

I wish I could lay claim to finding all of these on my own but I have to give credit to the other two members of our party plus a well-known birder in Alberta. I've only given general location information; if anyone needs specific directions for any of the sightings please e-mail me directly. Most of the rarer species can be found quite easily if you know where to look!

Between Vancouver and Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area

Northwestern Crow
House Finch
Mountain Bluebird
Common Snipe
Long-billed Curlew
Western Kingbird
Bullock's Oriole
Golden Eagle
Western Meadowlark
American Kestrel
Cedar Waxwing
California Quail
Chipping Sparrow
Eastern Kingbird
Turkey Vulture
Brewer's Blackbird
Steller's Jay
Western Bluebird
Red-eyed Vireo
Red-breasted Nuthatch
American Robin

Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area

Pileated Woodpecker
Red-naped Sapsucker
Dusky Flycatcher
Hammond's Flycatcher
Orange-crowned Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Osprey
Vaux's Swift
Yellow Warbler
Mallard
Wood Duck
Ring-necked Duck
Brown-headed Cowbird
Gadwall
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Western Wood Pewee
Great Blue Heron
Veery
Mourning Dove
American Goldfinch
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Bald Eagle
Tree Swallow
Common Merganser
Red-winged Blackbird
Northern Shoveler
American Coot
Blue-winged Teal
Redhead
Ruddy Duck
Common Goldeneye
Cliff Swallow
Western Grebe
Bufflehead
Song Sparrow
Common Raven
Common Yellowthroat
American Wigeon
Marsh Wren
Pied-billed Grebe
Gray Catbird
Red-tailed Hawk
Black Tern
Forster's Tern
Belted Kingfisher
Black-headed Grosbeak
Wilson's Warbler
American Bittern

Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area to BC/Alberta border

American Crow
House Sparrow
Rock Dove
European Starling
Killdeer

BC/Alberta border to Waterton Lakes National Park

Red-tailed Hawk
Wilson's Phalarope
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Mallard
Killdeer
American Coot
Red-winged Blackbird
Western Meadowlark
American Crow
Black Tern
Ruddy Duck
Black-billed Magpie
Cliff Swallow
House Sparrow
Green-winged Teal
Swainson's Hawk
Lesser Scaup
American Wigeon
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Northern Harrier
American Robin
Mountain Bluebird
Brewer's Blackbird

Waterton Lakes National Park

Bald Eagle
Canada Goose
Rufous Hummingbird
Spotted Sandpiper
Chipping Sparrow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Siskin
Cassin's Finch
Bullock's Oriole
Red Crossbill
Barn Swallow
Least Flycatcher
Warbling Vireo
Dark-eyed Junco
MacGillivray's Warbler
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Townsend's Warbler
Ruffed Grouse
Common Raven
Cedar Waxwing
Barrow's Goldeneye
Yellow Warbler
Tree Swallow
Song Sparrow
Varied Thrush
Gray Jay
Red-naped Sapsucker
Pine Grosbeak
Fox Sparrow
Steller's Jay
White-crowned Sparrow
Solitary Vireo
Winter Wren
Western Tanager
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Common Merganser
Savannah Sparrow
American Redstart
Northern Waterthrush
Least Flycatcher
Clay-colored Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Black-capped Chickadee

Waterton Lakes National Park to Taber Provincial Park

Trumpeter Swan
Bufflehead
Cinnamon Teal
Osprey
American White Pelican
Redhead
Rock Dove
Canvasback
Franklin's Gull
Northern Pintail
Gadwall
Ring-billed Gull
Horned Grebe
Mourning Dove
Short-eared Owl
American Kestrel

Taber Provincial Park

Veery
Brown Thrasher
House Wren
Gray Catbird
Western Kingbird
Western Wood Pewee
Eastern Kingbird
European Starling
Northern Flicker
Bank Swallow
Double-crested Cormorant
Belted Kingfisher
Baltimore Oriole
California Gull

Taber Provincial Park to Writing on Stone Provincial Park

Great Blue Heron
Horned Lark
Ferruginous Hawk Purple Springs
Chestnut-collared Longspur Purple Springs
Grasshopper Sparrow Purple Springs
Marbled Godwit
Willet
Lark Bunting Purple Springs
Gray Partridge
Eared Grebe
American Avocet
Loggerhead Shrike
Long-billed Curlew
Black-crowned Night Heron
Marsh Wren
Common Yellowthroat
Pied-billed Grebe Pakowki Lake
Western Grebe Pakowki Lake
Forster's Tern Pakowki Lake
Prairie Falcon Pakowki Lake
White-faced Ibis (2) Pakowki Lake
American Bittern (4) Pakowki Lake
Black-necked Stilt Pakowki Lake
Common Tern Pakowki Lake
Vesper Sparrow

Writing on Stone Provincial Park

Spotted Towhee
Merlin
Great Horned Owl
Wilson's Warbler
Rock Wren
American Goldfinch
Ring-necked Pheasant
Swainson's Thrush
Golden Eagle

Writing on Stone Provincial Park to Cypress Hills Provincial Park

Greater Scaup
McCown's Longspur (10+) Foremost

Cypress Hills Provincial Park

Dark-eyed Junco
Merlin
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
Hairy Woodpecker
American Redstart
Western Tanager
Downy Woodpecker
Dusky Flycatcher
Red-eyed Vireo
Red-necked Grebe
White-winged Scoter
Western Wood Pewee
Bank Swallow
Ovenbird (2)
Common Loon
Ring-necked Duck
Common Snipe
Wild Turkey (7)

Cypress Hills Provincial Park to Dinosaur Provincial Park

Sharp-tailed Grouse (1)

Dinosaur Provincial Park

Common Nighthawk
Common Goldeneye
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Willow Flycatcher
Lark Sparrow (5)
Say's Phoebe (1)
Violet-green Swallow

Brooks, Lake Newell, Rolling Hills Lake

Common Grackle
Caspian Tern (1)

Dinosaur Provincial Park to Banff National Park

Sprague's Pipit (10+) Tilley "O" Resevoir
Lesser Yellowlegs (1) Tilley "O" Resevoir
Burrowing Owl (1) South of Tilley "O" Resevoir
McCown's Longspur (10+) South of Tilley "O" Resevoir
Ferruginous Hawk (2 on nests) South of Tilley "O" Resevoir
Upland Sandpiper (1) Tilley "O" Resevoir
Wood Duck Inglewood Sanctuary, Calgary

Banff National Park

Varied Thrush
Mountain Chickadee
Harlequin Duck

BC/Alberta border back to Vancouver

Magnolia Warbler (2) Roger's Pass
Varied Thrush
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Clark's Grebe (1) Salmon Arm
Glaucous-winged Gull

Eric Greenwood
Vancouver, B.C.
egreenw at intranet.bc.ca