2014 Summer Vacation - June 29 - Fort MacLeod and Frank Lake Part 1

Our first night in Alberta was spent in Lethbridge, my home town. We wanted to take Austin to Head-Smashed-in-Buffalo-Jump (HSIBJ), so it made no sense to go all the way to Calgary from Grand Forks.

June 29 - near Fort MacLeod, Alberta

Just as we made the turn left off Highway 2 to go to HSIBJ, I spotted a hawk on a telephone post. I was expecting to see Swainson's Hawk in Calgary, but this was the only one I saw and photographed. A little blurry but it will have to do.

Swainson's Hawk

At HSIBJ I was hoping for Cliff Swallows and perhaps some grassland sparrows, but the only bird I saw was this Robin.

American Robin


June 29 - High River, Alberta - Frank Lake Part 1

Frank Lake is a place I try to get to every year. Since we were coming from the south, it made sense to stop and do a bit of scouting to see what the bird activity was like. I planned to come back here on the day that Edith and Austin were going to Spruce Meadows later in the week.

Last year's post-flood visit in August was disappointing. Even though High River was one of the worst flood victims, Frank Lake - only 10 KM to the east - was quite dry. However, no flooding this year and early July is the best time for birds.

Here are a some of the birds seen on the scouting mission.

Wilson's Phalarope - this is a shorebird where the gender roles are reversed. The females are colourful while the males are drab.The females are larger and breed with as many males as possible. Each male is left to take care of the nest and the young after they hatch. After laying her eggs, the female migrates south.

This is probably a female.

Wilson's Phalarope

Ibis is a bird normally associated with the southern US, but the White-Faced Ibis breeds in Southern Alberta and Saskatchewan.I took better photos on my second trip, they will be in a subsequent posting.

White-Faced Ibis

Franklin's Gull is present in large numbers at Frank Lake. They all seem to nest in the tall grass and the photo below is a common sight as they collect nesting material.

Franklin's Gull

The Eared Grebe is beautiful in summer plumage.By late June the nestlings have hatched and may be riding around on the mother's back. This year they appear to have hatched a bit earlier and they are swimming on their own, but still dependent for food. There is a blind on the lake and it's usually possible to get good close-ups without  disturbing the birds.

Eared Grebes

The next bird is one I see on the Coast. It's a beautiful bird that is always difficult to photograph. This is the last bird seen on the scouting mission, there are quite a few more in the next Frank Lake posting.

Cinnamon Teal