Canada Journeys
Explorations in Canada.
2023
2023-06-01 Presqu’ile Park, Ontario
It had been three weeks since I crossed into Canada near Detroit. In that time, I have squeezed in many memories. Point Pelee was my first stop, but it was…
2023-05-27 Ontario, West of Oakville
My friend Judy has lived in Oakville most of her adult life. During my visit, she tried to show me all of her favorite birding locations. And though she did…
2023-05-25 Return to McKinnon Road
After a lovely week in the Township of Tiny Ontario, I said goodbye to the region and the friends I made there. I made two stops on my drive back…
2023-05-24 Tiny Marsh, Ontario
I spent Wednesday at Tiny Marsh. It was my ‘last hurrah’ in the region, and Thursday morning I began my exodus. I met several enthusiastic birders during my tour. A…
2023-05-20 Two Days At Legendary Wye Marsh
Friday after breakfast, I drove twenty minutes east from Tiny Township to Midland Ontario. There, on the southern edge of town, lies a wetland called Wye Marsh. A 3000 acre…
2023-05-19 Cabin Life
After arriving Wednesday at Judy’s cabin, I placed seed and suet in the feeders next to the front porch. Unsure how, when, or ‘if’ the birds would find these offerings,…
2023-05-18 A Quick Tour Of McKinnon Road
Thursday, after spending a few minutes with my friend Judy’s backyard birds, I drove north, towards her cottage near the shore of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron. I planned a…
2023-05-13 Ontario’s Bronte Harbour & Long Point
While visiting with my friend Judy in Ontario Canada, she offered to escort me to a few of her favorite birding destinations, and Saturday we spent the day on the…
2023-05-09 Point Pelee Canada
2023-05-10 Wednesday This morning I said goodbye to Point Pelee. The local folks I met during my visit said I was a week early for the warbler migration. Nearly everyone…
2022
2022 Expedition in Review
On February 27, I left San Diego on what turned out to be a 16,000 mile tour of western North America that lasted 7½ months. I began with a slow…
2022-07-16 Adieu Canada
This saga spans the last five nights and six days I spent in Canada on my 2022 expedition. It focuses on southern Saskatchewan’s Grasslands National Park, just a few short…
2022-07-09,10,11 A Long Drive To South Saskatchewan
Rain caught up with me on my drive away from Slave Lake, and I found an out-of-the-way place to park in Lac La Biche, further east in Alberta. There were…
2022-07-06 Revisiting Lesser Slave Lake
I spent Tuesday night at the Slave Lake Walmart, and I broke my fast at the Sawridge Travel Center, where I have enjoyed dining on my earlier visits. I explored…
2022-07-05 Kimiwan Lake
My long drive from Grande Prairie ended Monday at Lake Kimiwan near the Town of McLennan in the province of Alberta. There is a boardwalk over the marsh at the…
2022-07-03 Return to Grande Prairie
When I arrived in Grande Prairie, I drove straight to Crystal Lake and spent a few hours there (read about my earlier visit Here!). There weren’t many new actors on…
2022-07-02 Piper Pond
I spent time north of Dawson Creek at a location called Piper Pond. I had heard there were Rusty Blackbirds there, and I hoped to gather some images. When I…
2022-06-29 McQueen Slough
I explored three locations around Dawson Creek in my quest to find photographic birds. Two were very productive locations. I spent most of my time at a place called McQueen…
2022-06-28 Taylor Landing Once More
It’s only a 20 minute drive south from Fort Saint John to Taylor Landing, on the banks of the Peace River. I discovered this place white driving north on the…
2022-06-27 Return To Charlie Lake
Early Monday morning I drove north to Beatton Provincial Park on Charlie Lake from Fort Saint John for what would be my third visit. My first experience there was in…
2022-06-27 Birds in Fort Saint John
Sunday in Fort Saint John, I drove to the local college campus, where there was public parking for a “Community Forest”. Much like Fort Nelson’s Demonstration Forest, this woodland preserve…
2022-06-25 Road to Fort Saint John
I left Fort Nelson Saturday morning after having breakfast at the Fort Nelson Hotel. The town has a well maintained RV Dump station at the west end of town. After…
2022-06-24 Fort Nelson Once More
With every visit to Fort Nelson, including my time in 2005, I’ve explored the woods at the northeastern corner of town that the locals call the Demonstration Forest. I’ve never…
2022-06-23 Muncho Lake Through Toad River
Wednesday night I roadside camped a mile from the Northern Rockies Lodge at Muncho Lake. The rain followed me all the way from Teslin and continued all night. The abundant…
2022-06-22 Return To Watson Lake
I reached Watson Lake after spending the night 170 miles away at Teslin Lake. I immediately drove to Wye Lake Park, where I enjoyed my time with birds on my…
2022-06-20 Whitehorse Exodus
I left Whitehorse Sunday morning with a plan to return to the pond on the Tagish Road south of Jakes Corner. Two weeks ago, while on my way to Whitehorse,…
2022-06-18 Friday & Saturday’s Arctic Terns
After my Friday morning at McIntyre Marsh, I explored the riverside area that my new British Columbia friends suggested. I found the location and walked almost a mile into the…
2022-06-17 Friday At McIntyre Marsh
Paraphrasing Canada’s own Robbie Robertson, “I pulled into Whitehorse, was feeling ‘bout half-past dead, I just need to find a place, where I can lay my head.” It was a…
2022-06-16 Thursday At Lake Lebarge
Rather than chase the same birds as I did Wednesday, I wanted to try for birds in an area yet unexplored by me. Lake Labarge, the subject of Robert Service’s…
2022-06-15 Whitehorse After A Long Rain
After arriving in Whitehorse last Friday (June-10), I took several days off from the rigors of the road and capturing new images. I used the time to rest, recuperate, and…
2022-06-09 Getting to Whitehorse
My journey to Whitehorse was another long drive, and I took two days to cover the distance. I left Tuesday and didn’t pull into Whitehorse until Thursday. I slept Wednesday…
2022-06-07 Two Nights at Watson Lake
If I would have had any cell reception after leaving the Fort Nelson area, I’d have parked at a wide spot along my route to Watson Lake. Since the work…
2022-06-06 The Long Road To Watson Lake
It’s a long and arduous drive from Fort Nelson to Watson Lake, and I planned on several stops along the way. I found that there was highway construction going on…
2022-06-05 Sunday In Fort Nelson
Sunday, I spent time in Fort Nelson in northwestern British Columbia. There is a managed woods at the edge of town, called the Fort Nelson Demonstration Forest that I visited…
2022-06-03 Charlie Lake, BC
Just north of Saint John BC is Charlie Lake. It is both a body of water and community. I stayed there on my way to Alaska in 2005, and I…
2022-06-02 Taylor Landing At Peace River
At Dawson Creek, I stayed the night in the Walmart parking lot. The nights are short at these latitudes, and they do not get very dark. Even at midnight, the…
2022-05-31 Crystal Lake in Grande Prairie
After I camped at Lake Winagami Tuesday night, I drove for a little over two hours to reach Grande Prairie. Family restaurants that serve breakfast are not so easy to…
2022-05-30 Late May At Lesser Slave Lake
I took two days to drive from Jasper to Slave Lake, a town at the southeastern end of Lesser Slave Lake. I camped overnight in Whitecourt along the way. When…
2022-05-25&26 Long Drive Through Banff and Jasper
I didn’t do much birding after leaving Lewistown Montana on May 20. Any birds I met during this part of the expedition came at 60 mph, and in quick glances.…