Hi Tweeters!

My partner and I just returned from a marvelous, 5000 km road trip to the
upper Northeastern portion of British Columbia and western Alberta area. It
was one of my most memorable birding trip to date.

I highly recommend this area if you want a combination of boreal bird
species, eastern warblers, and interesting mammals set against some
incredible, rugged mountain beauty. The area is so vast, remote and there
is alot to explore.

We experienced some tumultuous downpour for almost 70% of the trip and
battled ferocious bugs (even used 34% concentrated Deet) so some optimum
birding time was lost. Regardless, I was able to see some incredible stuff
and managed to get a few decent photos despite poor lighting conditions.

If you go, expect bad weather, lots of bugs, and high gas prices. It was
almost 4.90 a gallon for petro. Camping is highly recommend as there are few
hotels along the remote Alcan Highway.

Highlights of the trip included 3 lifers, many lifer mammals including a
black wolf (photos include), and several rock and white tailed ptarmigans.
Also, had an aggressive Northern hawk owl, pounced on a vole, six feet from
me! There were plenty of butterflies and dragonflies as well.

I might need some one to help me id some mammals and flowers on my webpage.

Here is a sample list of birds and mammals seen on this trip.

Birds:

Sharp tailed grouse
Rock ptarmigan (photo)
White tailed ptarmigan (photo)
Spruce grouse (photo)
Northern hawk owl (photo)
Great Gray owl
Upland Sandpiper
Solitary sandpiper
Sprague's pipit
Yellow bellied Saspucker (photo)
Yellow bellied Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher (photo)
Eastern phoebe
Blue headed vireo
Philadelphia vireo (photo)
Blue Jay
Boreal chickadee (photo)
Bohemian waxwing
Tennessee warbler (photo)
Magnolia warbler (photo)
Cape May warbler
Black throated green warbler
Bay breasted warbler
Blackpoll warbler
Palm warbler
Ovenbird
Connecticut warbler
Mourning warbler
Canada warbler
American Redstart
Northern Waterthrush
Leconte's sparrow (photo)
Nelson's sharptail sparrow (photo)
Swamp sparrow
Rose breasted grosbeak (photo)
Baltimore oriole
White winged crossbills
Gray crowned rosyfinches
Pine grosbeaks

Mammals:

Caribou (photo)
Moose
Grizzy bear (photo)
Black bear (photo)
Brown bear
Stone sheep (photo)
Elk (photo)
Bison (photo)
Black wolf (photo)
Coyote
Red fox
Marten
Fischer
Stone sheep (photo)
Ground hog (photo)

I suggest you use the slideshow function (upper left hand corner of screen)
once you open the webpage site.

Here is the site:

http://www.pbase.com/spruce_grouse/northern_bc_trip_

Please let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy the photos...

Good birding,

Khanh Tran (Portland, Oregon)