Mountain Trip No. 1

I went to Waterton Lakes National Park for a few days of camping in the mountains. May 30 to June 2. I haven't seen the Rockies since a family trip to Canmore in 2013, and I wasn't crazy about nature then like I am now. While I took less photos than I expected (only 2250 photos and 75 videos) it was a great experience with plenty of new species and stories to share.

Day 1

Somewhere north of Chaplin I saw two Pronghorns for the first time in two-and-a-half years and got my first photos of them. At the Albertan border, the first animals I observed were Richardson's Ground Squirrels and Western Meadowlark, by sound. Past Lethbridge on Hwy 5 is where the mountains first came into view.

Day 2

Drove to Cameron Lake and hiked into British Columbia through the Akamina Pass trail. My first bird in BC was an American Kestrel.

Day 3

I went up to Bluerock Wildland Provincial Park to meet up with a friend and walk the Sheep Trail to Dyson Falls. The sixth American Dipper of the trip was near a waterfall at the start of the trail. Stopping at the public park in Turner Valley before driving south, I found my first Western Wood Pewee.

Day 4

Walked around Waterton before driving to Red Rock Canyon. My seventh and final American Dipper was at Blackiston Falls. There were a fair number of Western Tanager, which would have been a lifer observation if I didn't find one during the Brandon City Nature Challenge in April.