British Columbia - From the Rockies to Vancouver

The breathtaking landscapes of the Canadian Rockies are no secret. These spectacular mountains, which slice through Canada’s provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, have been attracting admirers ever since the country was first founded back in 1867. The best of this visual splendour is protected within Banff National Park, a world-famous reserve which offers new and dramatic vistas around every bend, from steep glacier-carved valleys and jagged snowy peaks to flower-filled meadows and vivid turquoise lakes. Within this dramatic landscape lives an exciting array of mammals and birds such as Grizzly and Black Bears, Moose, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, Harlequin Duck, Mountain Bluebird, Clark’s Nutcracker and many more. To the west of the Rockies, the landscapes and wildlife of central and coastal British Columbia are equally enthralling and on this tour we will traverse the whole province, stopping en route to enjoy the birds of the delightful Okanagan Valley, before ending in the forests and wetlands that surround the attractive city of Vancouver.

We begin our holiday with a flight to Calgary in the Canadian province of Alberta. Here we spend our first three nights whilst we adjust to the time difference and explore the variety of habitats nearby in search of, amongst others, Sandhill Crane, Wilson’s Phalarope, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, the attractive and localised Cape May Warbler and perhaps even a Great Grey Owl. Moving on, we enter the Rockies themselves, with two nights in the spectacular surroundings of Banff National Park. During our time here we will visit the dramatic Bow Valley Parkway and visit such iconic sites as Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and the Vermillion Lakes. As well as marvelling at the breathtaking scenery, we will be on the lookout for an exciting variety of birds and a selection of the park's 53 species of mammal, including Grizzly and Black Bears, Rocky Mountain Elk, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, Moose, Mountain Goat, Canadian Beaver, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel, Great Northern Diver (Common Loon), Canada Jay, Clark's Nutcracker, Varied Thrush, Boreal Chickadee, Pine Grosbeak and Townsend’s Warbler.

Next, we head west over the ‘Continental Divide’, enter British Columbia and begin our crossing of the province — watching out for Black Bears as we travel — with a single night each in the towns of Salmon Arm and Kamloops, before dropping south through the attractive Okanagan Valley to Penticton for a 4-night stay. En route we will make a brief stop at a woodland near Revelstoke where a variety of birds more associated with Canada's eastern forests can be found including Red-eyed Vireo, Veery, American Redstart, Magnolia Warbler and Gray Catbird.

The Okanagan Valley is one of the finest birdwatching areas in the whole of western Canada and the region's patchwork of woodlands, lakes, forested hills, orchards and grasslands are home to a wonderful variety of birdlife. During the next three full days we will visit a cross-section of these habitats, starting in the mountains to the east of the Okanagan Falls where we will search for Golden Eagle, MacGillivray's Warbler, Canyon and Rock Wrens and a suite of woodpeckers including Williamson's and Red-naped Sapsuckers, American Three-toed Woodpecker and, the largest of the family, the impressive Piliated Woodpecker. At nearby Vaseux Lake a herd of California Bighorn Sheep can often be found. We will also explore an area of dry sagebrush — part of Canada's so-called 'Pocket Desert' — home to Lark, Grasshopper and Brewer's Sparrows and the endangered Sage Thrasher. Nearby prairie grasslands hold Western Meadowlarks, Lazuli Bunting, Mountain Bluebird and North America's smallest bird, the diminutive Calliope Hummingbird, whilst nocturnal forays around Penticton may reveal a Western Screech-Owl, Flammulated Owl or Common Poorwill. There should also be time to visit Robert Lake near Kelowna, a reed-fringed shallow lagoon where ducks such as Redhead, Wood Duck and Lesser Scaup and waders including Wilson's Phalarope, American Avocet and Spotted Sandpiper regularly breed.

We end our tour on British Columbia's Pacific coast with two nights near the attractive city of Vancouver.  Here we will have a final opportunity to enjoy the Varied Thrushes, Harlequin Ducks and other species seen previously, along with a suite of new 'Pacific Coast' birds such as Glaucous-winged and California Gulls, Black Oystercatcher, Surf Scoter, Pelagic Cormorant, Sooty Grouse, Anna’s Hummingbird, Chestnut-backed Chickadee and Red-breasted Sapsucker. Finally, as our holiday draws to a close, we will make our way to Vancouver Airport, bid farewell to some of Canada’s most spectacular landscapes and exciting wildlife and begin our journey home.