Southern Alberta's short-grass prairie holds some of the most sought-after birds in Canada, Burrowing Owl, Chestnut-collared and Thick-billed Longspur, Sprague's Pipit, Lark Bunting alongside migrant songbirds such as Gray-cheeked Thrush and staging Red Knots and Black-bellied Plovers someone other shorebirds passing through the Brooks area. This long-weekend tour is a focused introduction to the region and some of the best grassland birding left on the continent (!), all within a few hours of Calgary.
Tour Information
Dates: May 14-17, 2027
Starting/Ending City: Calgary, AB (YYC)
Cost: $1385 CAD
Single Supplement: $230 CAD
Guide: Gavin McKinnon
Max # of participants: 8
The price includes all accommodation from May 14-17, 2027, professional guiding services, park entrance fees, breakfast, field lunches, water and snacks, and ground transportation in a 15 passenger van. Does not include travel to/from Calgary, travel insurance, items of a personal nature, evening meals and GST. Space can be reserved with an initial deposit of $400 CAD
Dates: May 14-17, 2027
Starting/Ending City: Calgary, AB (YYC)
Cost: $1385 CAD
Single Supplement: $230 CAD
Guide: Gavin McKinnon
Max # of participants: 8
The price includes all accommodation from May 14-17, 2027, professional guiding services, park entrance fees, breakfast, field lunches, water and snacks, and ground transportation in a 15 passenger van. Does not include travel to/from Calgary, travel insurance, items of a personal nature, evening meals and GST. Space can be reserved with an initial deposit of $400 CAD
May 14: Depart Calgary
Our getaway begins at noon, departing Calgary. The drive east takes us through some of southern Alberta's most productive wetlands — Weed Lake, Marsland Basin, and Namaka Lake — where, depending on water levels, we can find excellent shorebird numbers and get a first look at the region's common waterbirds. We'll check into our accommodations in Brooks by late afternoon. After dinner, a relaxed evening outing nearby offers a chance at Black-necked Stilt, Sora, and Caspian Tern.
May 15: Kinbrook Island Provincial Park & Kitsim Reservoir
We'll spend the morning at Kinbrook Island Provincial Park, working the Lake Newell shoreline and campground woods for migrant songbirds that may have dropped into the cottonwoods overnight — Swainson's Thrush, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, and Orange-crowned Warbler are all possible. In the wetlands surrounding the park we'll look for American White Pelican, American Bittern, Cinnamon Teal, and an assortment of grebes and waterfowl. From there, we'll check locations that can host staging flocks of Red Knot and Black-bellied Plover, a closer look through the flock often turns up Sanderling or a Ruddy Turnstone.
May 16: Dry Mixed-grass Prairie
Today we head onto the open prairie east of Brooks in search of the region's signature grassland birds; Long-billed Curlew, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Thick-billed Longspur, Sprague's Pipit, Lark Bunting, Brewer's Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow and Burrowing Owl. We'll spend a good part of the day driving back roads in productive locations. In the afternoon we'll take a break from the heat before some evening birding at Tillebrook Provincial Park, followed by a nocturnal outing to Dinosaur Provincial Park for Common Poorwill.
May 17: Dinosaur Provincial Park & Return to Calgary
Today we visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Dinosaur Provincial Park. The park's badlands preserve an ancient seabed famous worldwide for its dinosaur fossils, but today it's their living relatives we're after. The cliffs and coulees here are home to Rock Wren, Lark Sparrow, Yellow-breasted Chat, Brown Thrasher, and Violet-green Swallow, rounding out a tour that has covered grassland, wetland and badland habitats in a single weekend.
Our getaway begins at noon, departing Calgary. The drive east takes us through some of southern Alberta's most productive wetlands — Weed Lake, Marsland Basin, and Namaka Lake — where, depending on water levels, we can find excellent shorebird numbers and get a first look at the region's common waterbirds. We'll check into our accommodations in Brooks by late afternoon. After dinner, a relaxed evening outing nearby offers a chance at Black-necked Stilt, Sora, and Caspian Tern.
May 15: Kinbrook Island Provincial Park & Kitsim Reservoir
We'll spend the morning at Kinbrook Island Provincial Park, working the Lake Newell shoreline and campground woods for migrant songbirds that may have dropped into the cottonwoods overnight — Swainson's Thrush, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, and Orange-crowned Warbler are all possible. In the wetlands surrounding the park we'll look for American White Pelican, American Bittern, Cinnamon Teal, and an assortment of grebes and waterfowl. From there, we'll check locations that can host staging flocks of Red Knot and Black-bellied Plover, a closer look through the flock often turns up Sanderling or a Ruddy Turnstone.
May 16: Dry Mixed-grass Prairie
Today we head onto the open prairie east of Brooks in search of the region's signature grassland birds; Long-billed Curlew, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Thick-billed Longspur, Sprague's Pipit, Lark Bunting, Brewer's Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow and Burrowing Owl. We'll spend a good part of the day driving back roads in productive locations. In the afternoon we'll take a break from the heat before some evening birding at Tillebrook Provincial Park, followed by a nocturnal outing to Dinosaur Provincial Park for Common Poorwill.
May 17: Dinosaur Provincial Park & Return to Calgary
Today we visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Dinosaur Provincial Park. The park's badlands preserve an ancient seabed famous worldwide for its dinosaur fossils, but today it's their living relatives we're after. The cliffs and coulees here are home to Rock Wren, Lark Sparrow, Yellow-breasted Chat, Brown Thrasher, and Violet-green Swallow, rounding out a tour that has covered grassland, wetland and badland habitats in a single weekend.
