NORTH AMERICA πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ

Canada is my favourite place in the entire world! I was married in Banff, Alberta in 2009 to my inspirational wife and soulmate Dazza. I've also been lucky enough to live in Vancouver, British Columbia for a short while and got to know the culture and the people a little during my stay.

Canada
Canada’s biodiversity makes it a haven for wildlife, from the Rocky Mountains to the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic coasts, this country is simply incredible. The famous ‘Pacific Flyway’ a north-south route of travel for migratory birds in the America’s, extends from Alaska to Patagonia and runs right through the heart of this amazing country. Spring and autumn are simply stunning so you can probably understand what attracts us here!

Most Recent Canadian Visit: Vancouver - May 23rd - 28th 2017



In May 2015 Dee and I spent an amazing 18 days touring the USA in Oregon State. Our Canadian friends had always maintained that we should visit Oregon for the birding and so we did! We were not disappointed, flying into Seattle and then taking the stunningly picturesque highway US101 south along the Pacific coast as far as the Californian State-Line. In fact, at one stage moving across into California to visit the excellent Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge. From there we moved east inland before heading north once more, this time through the mountains and up along US97.

Over 170 species seen during our visit with plenty of breath-taking scenery and wonderful wildlife moments, this destination is now firmly on our radar.

Most Recent US Visit: Alaska May 12th - 23rd 2017

Next Visit: 'Oregon Revisited' May 2020 (Cancelled due Covid)


Below is a list of bird species and notable wildlife encountered on our various trips to Canada and the US.

Bird-Log (Using Sibley North American Bird Guide)



Loons (4)

Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata - CAN
Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica - CAN/USA
Common Loon Gavia immer - CAN/USA
Yellow-billed Loon Gavia adansii - CAN

Grebes (6)

Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena - CAN
Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus - CAN/USA
Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis - CAN/USA
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps - CAN/USA
Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis - CAN/USA
Clark's Grebe Aechmophorus clarkii - CAN/USA

Pelecaniformes (2)

American White Pelican Pelecanuus erythrorhynchos - CAN/USA
Brown Pelican Pelecanuus occidentalis - USA

Cormorants and Anhinga (4)

Great Cormorant  Phalacrocorax Carbo - CAN
Double-Crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax - CAN/USA
Pelagic Cormorant Phalacrocorax pelagicus - CAN/USA
Brandt's Cormorant Phalacrocorax penicillatus - USA

Wading Birds (6)

American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus - CAN/USA
Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias - CAN/USA
Great Egret Ardea alba - USA
Snowy Egret Egretta thula - USA
Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax - CAN/USA
White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi - USA

Swans, Geese and Ducks (38)

Mute Swan Cygnus olor - CAN
Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator - CAN
Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus - CAN/USA
Canada Goose Branta canadensis - CAN/USA
Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii - USA
Brant Branta bernicla - CAN/USA
Greater White Fronted Goose Anser albifrons - CAN/USA
Snow Goose Chen caerulescens - CAN/USA
Graylag Goose Anser anser - CAN
Wood Duck Aix sponsa - CAN/USA
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos - CAN/USA
American Black Duck Anus rubripes - CAN
Gadwall Anas strepara - CAN/USA
Northern Pintail Anas acuta - CAN/USA
American Wigeon Anas americana - CAN/USA
Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope - CAN
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata - CAN
Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera - CAN/USA
Blue-winged Teal Anas discors - CAN
Green-winged Teal Anas crecca - CAN/USA
Eurasian (Common Teal) - CAN
Canvasback Aythya valisineria - CAN/USA
Redhead Aythea americana - CAN/USA
Ring-necked Duck Aythya fuligula - CAN/USA
Greater Scaup Athya marila - CAN/USA
Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis - CAN/USA
Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicas - CAN/USA
Long Tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis - CAN
Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata - CAN/USA
Black Scoter Melanitta nigra - CAN/USA
White Winged Scoter Melanitta fusca - CAN
Barrow's Goldeneye Bucephala islandica - CAN
Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula - CAN
Bufflehead Bucephala albeola - CAN/USA
Hooded Merganser Mergus cucullatus - CAN/USA
Common Merganser Mergus merganser - CAN/USA
Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator - CAN/USA
Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis - CAN/USA

Diurnal Raptors (18)

Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura - CAN/USA
Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus - CAN/USA
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos - CAN/USA
Bald Eagle Haliaeetus ieucocephalus - CAN/USA
Sharp-Shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus - CAN
Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii - CAN
White-tail Kite Ictinia mississippiensis - USA
Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis - CAN
Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus - USA
Red-Tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis - CAN/USA
Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus - CAN
Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni - CAN
Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus - CAN
Common Black Hawk Buteogallus anthracinus - CAN
Osprey Pandion haliaetus - CAN/USA
Merlin Falco columbarius - CAN
American Kestrel Falco sparverius - CAN/USA
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus - CAN/USA

Upland Game Birds (4)

California Quail Callepepla californica - CAN/USA
Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus - CAN/USA
Spruce Grouse falcippenis canadensis - CAN
Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo - USA

Gruiformes (4)

American Coot Fulica chloropus - CAN/USA
Virginia Rail Rallus limicola - CAN/USA
Sora Porzana carolina - CAN/USA
Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis - CAN/USA

Shorebirds (23)

Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola - USA 
Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatis - USA
Snowy Plover Charadrius alexandrinus - USA
Killdeer Charadrius vociferus - CAN/USA
Black Oystercatcher Haematopus bachmani - CAN/USA
American Avocet Recurvirostra americana - USA
Black-necked Stilt Hilmantopus mexicanus - USA
Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca - CAN/USA
Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes - CAN
Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria - CAN
Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa - CAN/USA
Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica - USA
Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus - CAN/USA
Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia - CAN/USA
Whimbrel Numenius phaoepus - USA
Black Turnstone Arenaria melanocephala - CAN/USA
Sanderling Calidris alba - CAN/USA
Dunlin Calidris alpina - CAN/USA
Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla - CAN/USA
Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus - CAN/USA
Wilson's Snipe Gallinago gallinago - CAN
Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus - USA
Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor - USA

Gulls, Terns and Skimmers (17)

Bonaparte's Gull Larus philadelphia - CAN/USA
Franklin's Gull Larus pipixcan - CAN/USA
Mew Gull Larus canus - CAN
Ring-Billed Gull Larus delawarensis - CAN/USA
California Gull Larus californicus - CAN/USA
Herring Gull Larus argentatus - CAN/USA
Thayers's Gull Larus thayeri - CAN
Glaucous-winged Gull glaucescens - CAN/USA
Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus - CAN/USA
Western Gull Larus occidentalis - CAN/USA
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus - CAN
Caspian Tern Strena caspia - CAN/USA
Common Tern Sterna hirundo - CAN/USA
Forster's Tern Sterna fosteri - USA
Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea - CAN
Black Tern Chlidonias niger - CAN/USA
Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla - USA

Alcids (6)

Common Murre Uria aalge - USA
Pigeon Guillemot Cepphus grylle - CAN/USA
Marbled Murrelet Brachyramphus marmoratus CAN
Razorbill Alca torda - CAN
Black Guillemot Capphus grylle - CAN
Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata - USA

Pigeons and Doves (4)

Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura - CAN/USA
Rock Dove Columba livia - CAN/USA
Band-Tailed Pigeon Columba fasciata - CAN/USA
Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto - CAN/USA

Owls (4)

Barn Owl Tyto alba - CAN
Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus - CAN/USA
Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus - CAN
Northern Saw-whet Owl - CAN

Swifts (3)

Vaux's Swift Chaetura vauxi - USA
Chimney Swift Chaetura palagica - CAN
Black Swift Cypseloides niger - CAN

Hummingbirds (3)

Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna - CAN/USA
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus alexandri - CAN
Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus - CAN/USA

Kingfishers (1)

Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alcyon - CAN/USA

Woodpeckers (10)

Lewis's Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis - USA
Red-breasted Sapsucker Sphyrapicus ruber - CAN
Red-naped Sapsucker Sphyrapicus nuchalis - CAN
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius - CAN
Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens - CAN/USA
Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus - CAN/USA
Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus - CAN
White-headed Woodpecker Picoides albolarvartus - USA
Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus - CAN/USA
Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus - CAN

Tyrant Flycatchers (8)

Olive Sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi - CAN
Western Wood-Pewee Contopus sordidulus - CAN
Pacific-slope Flycatcher Empidonax difficillis - USA
Hammond's Flycatcher Empidonax hammondii - CAN
Alder Flycatcher Empidonax alnorum - USA
Black Pheobe Sayornis nigricans - USA
Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens - USA
Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis - CAN/USA

Shrikes and Vireos (5)

Northern Shrike Lanius excubitor - CAN
Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus - CAN
Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus - CAN/USA
Cassin's Vireo Vireo cassinii - CAN
Hutton's Vireo Vireo huttoni - CAN

Jays, Crows and Their Allies (9)

Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri - CAN/USA
Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata - CAN
Gray Jay Perisoreus canadensis - CAN/USA
Western Scrub-jay Aphelocoma insularis - CAN/USA
Clark's Nutcracker Nucifraga columbiana - CAN/USA
Common Raven Corvus corax - CAN/USA
American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos - CAN/USA
Northwestern Crow Corvus caurinus - CAN
Black-billed Magpie Pica hudsonia - CAN/USA

Swallows (6)

Bank Swallow Riparia riparia - CAN/USA
Northern Rough Winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis - CAN/USA
Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor - CAN/USA
Violet-Green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina - CAN/USA
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica - CAN/USA
Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota - CAN/USA

Chickadees and Their Allies (5)

Black-Capped Chickadee Parus atricapillus - CAN/USA
Mountain Chickadee Parus gambeli - CAN
Boreal Chickadee Poecile hudsonica - CAN/USA
Chestnut-Backed Chickadee Parus rufescens - CAN/USA
Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus - CAN/USA

Nuthatchers and Creepers (3)

Red Breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis - CAN
White Breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis - CAN/USA
Brown Creeper Certhia americana - CAN/USA

Wrens (4)

Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii - CAN/USA
Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris - CAN/USA
House Wren Troglodytes aedon - CAN/USA
Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes - CAN/USA

Old World Warblers, Thrushes, and Their Allies (9)

American Dipper Cinclus mexicanus - CAN/USA
Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa - CAN/USA
Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula - CAN
Townsend's Solitaire Myadestes townsendi - CAN
Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides - CAN
Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius - CAN
American Robin Turdus migratorius - CAN/USA
Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus - CAN
Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus - CAN

Mimids (0)

Starlings and Mynas (1)

European Starling Sturnus vulgaris - CAN/USA

Wagtails and Pipits (1)

American Pipit Anthus rubescens - USA

Waxwings (1)

Cedar Waxwing bombycilla cedorum - CAN/USA

Wood-Warblers (16)

Northern Parula Parula americana - CAN
Orange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata - CAN/USA
Nashville Warbler Vermivora ruficapilla - CAN
Yellow Warbler Dendroica petechia - CAN/USA
Chestnut-sided Warbler Dendroica pensylvanica - CAN
Yellow-Rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata - CAN/USA
Magnolia Warbler Dendroica magnolia - CAN
Blackburnian Warbler Dendroica fusca - CAN
Black-throated Green Warbler Dendroica virens - CAN
Black-throated Gray Warbler Dendroica nigrescens - USA
Black-and-white Warbler Miniotilta varia - CAN
American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla - CAN
Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapillus - CAN
Townsend's Warbler Dendroica townsendi - CAN
Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas - CAN/USA
Wilson's Warbler Wilsonia pusillia - CAN/USA

Tanagers, Cardinals, and Their Allies (3)

Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana - CAN/USA
Black-headed Grosbeak Phecticus melanocephalus CAN/USA
Rose-breasted Grosbeak Phecticus ludovicianus - CAN

Emberizine Sparrows and Their Allies (13)

Spotted Towhee pipilo maculatus - CAN/USA
American Tree Sparrow Spizella arborea - CAN
Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina - CAN/USA
Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis - CAN/USA
Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus - USA
Golden-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla - CAN/USA
White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis - CAN
White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys - CAN/USA
Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca - CAN/USA
Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia - CAN/USA
Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii - CAN/USA
Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis - CAN/USA
Snow Bunting Plectrophenax Nivalis - CAN

Icterids (7)

Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta - CAN/USA
Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater - CAN/USA
Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus - CAN/USA
Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus - CAN/USA
Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula - CAN
Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus - CAN/USA
Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus - USA
Bullock's Oriole Icterus bullockii - USA

Finches and Old World Sparrows (9)

Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus - CAN
Pine Grosbeak Pinicola enucleator - CAN
House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus - CAN/USA
Purple Finch Carpodacus purpureus - CAN
Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra - CAN
White-winged Crossbill Loxia leucoptera - USA
Pine Siskin Carduelis pinus - CAN/USA
American Goldfinch Carduelis tristis - CAN/USA
House Sparrow Passer domesticus - CAN/USA

Other Species

Grizzly Bear Ursus arctos
Black Bear Ursus americanus
Coyote Canis latrans
Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel Spermophilus lateralis
Columbian Ground Squirrel Spermophilus columbianus
Douglas Squirrel Tamiasciurus douglasii
Red Squirrel Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis (includes Black Squirrel)
Least Chipmonk Eutamias minimus
Deer Mouse Peromyscus maniculatus
Woodland Caribou Rangifer tarandus
Mule Deer Odocoileus hemionus
White Tailed Deer Odocoileus virginians
Elk Cervus elaphus
Mountain Goat Oreamnos americanus
Beaver Castor canadensis
Otter Lontra canadensis
Hoary Marmot Marmota caligata
Common Raccoon Procyon lotor
Garter Snake Thamnophis elegans terrestris
Pika Ochotona princeps
Bobcat Lynx rufus
Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus
Red Fox
Moose
Porcupine

Black-tailed Deer - Sub-species of Mule Deer