Canada and Alaska 4 - Rocky Mountaineer and Vancouver

 

The next two day were spent on the Rocky Mountaineer train travelling from Banff to Vancouver with an overnight at Kamloops. The train journey was fascinating but for birding it was a bit frustrating. I saw a few distant birds most of which I couldn't recognise. There were lots of Osprey and Bald Eagles but even with the train slowing down as we passed the nests, pictures were difficult. 

Bald Eagle Nest

Other birds seen included Common Loon, Common Merganser, Starling, Lincoln's Sparrow, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, and Double-crested Cormorant. There was also a hint of something that looked like Cranes in the background of one picture but I couldn't be sure. They could well have passed for Ostriches if I had been in Australia. It was getting dark by the time we got to Kamloops but we saw Tree Swallows and as always lots of distant birds that I could not put names to.

Red-tailed Hawk through train window

I had been looking forward to birding around Vancouver. We only had one day allocated too see the city, then possibly a couple of hours the following morning before we boarded the cruise ship but I had done my research and planned to make the most of it. Sadly the best laid plans sometimes fall by the wayside. We ended up having to travel to the airport to be tested for Covid before we were allowed onto the cruise ship which is USA territory. Then when one of the people on the tour tested positive we had to go through the whole testing routine again the next morning before being allowed to board. Our time in Vancouver was wiped out and all I managed was a couple of hours just after dawn walking around Stanley Park.

Sad but being amongst the early visitors to both Canada and American which still had most of their Covid restrictions in place was always going to carry a degree of risk. At least the Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park gave me a few new birds.

Tree Swallow

Wilson's Warbler

Anna's Hummingbird

Orange-crowned Warbler

Great Blue Heron

Pelagic Cormorant

There were also sightings of Wood Duck, Northwestern Crows, and Song Sparrows along with some of the more common birds. Sadly I did not get to search the extensive shore line for some of the sea ducks I had been hoping to see.