Clark's Nutcracker

Had an absolutely wonderful 10 hours of birding today, when a friend invited me to join him on a day out in the Rocky Mountains. The plan was to see if any White-tailed Ptarmigan could be found high up at Bow Summit (between Bow Lake and Peyto Lake). No luck with the Ptarmigan but, oh, what amazing wildlife we (or rather, my friend, who is a superb birder!) found. We stopped off en route at a place called Harvey Heights, a small hamlet right on the boundary of Banff National Park, near Canmore. There, we saw:

1 Stellar's Jay - a new bird for me!
10 Clark's Nutcrackers - a new bird for me!
24+ Pine Grosbeaks - the first time I could see one close enough
3 Pine Siskins - the first time I could see one close enough
8 Mountain Chickadees
2 Boreal Chickadees
1 Red-breasted Nuthatch
2 or 3 Brown Creepers
1 Downy Woodpecker

AND 1 Pine Marten. Neither of us had ever seen one before!

"The marten, or pine marten, is a weasel-like animal that is dark brown to blond in colour with a paler head and underparts. The tail is long and bushy; the ears pointed and small. Average weight is 1-4 pounds.

Distribution - The marten occurs throughout most of Canada particularly in coniferous forests.

Biology - In April, 2-4 young are born blind in a leaf nest. The marten feeds on squirrels, rabbits, birds, mice, eggs, berries, seeds and honey. Their valuable pelts have led to their extirpation in many areas and logging has destroyed their habitats. Martens are now protected." Taken from bcadventure.com.

We also came across several VERY friendly Ravens in the Bow Summit area. When the car was stopped, they would fly on to the hood of the car, then manage to get on to the driver's side mirror and wait to be fed!!

This photo shows one of the Clark's Nutcrackers.