Field Trip Report:

Cathedral Lakes Extension Trip 2006

by Dick Cannings

BCFO looking at White-tailed Ptarmigan

Cathedral Lakes Extension Trip Cathedral Provincial Park is a spectacular alpine area in the north Cascades southwest of Keremeos. About 30 birders took part in the extension trip to Cathedral Lakes Lodge, and all enjoyed sunny weather, invigorating hikes and great birding. Most of us took the four-wheel-drive “bus” up to the lodge on the afternoon of Sunday, July 16. After settling in to the lodge we hiked up to Glacier Lake to get a taste of the scenery and alpine birding. Pipits chipped from the hillsides and Boreal Chickadees called from the alpine larches. Another grouped hiked around Quiniscoe Lake and found an obliging American Dipper at the beautiful waterfall at the west end of the lake.


Quiniscoe Lake

After a wonderful roast lamb dinner (the lodge does not stint on good food!) we were all ready for bed when Leslie Robertson reminded me that I had promised to take the group owling. So we put on our long pants to deflect the mosquitoes and chilly evening air and hiked a short ways past the Quiniscoe Lake campground. I was not very hopeful that any owls would answer my whistles and hoots this time of year, but soon we heard a couple of strange calls coming from the steep hillside to the west. We bushwhacked up the hill, over logs and rocks and finally got close to the sounds. I turned on my flashlight and there on the lower branches of a big spruce was a juvenile Boreal Owl! After a few minutes the adult flew in. From its size in comparison to the juvenile (the adult was smaller) I assume it was a male while the juvenile was a female. The other young bird calling had a slightly deeper voice, so I’m guessing that it was a brother to the one we saw. Elated, we headed back to our beds for a well-deserved sleep.

The next morning, after a light breakfast of granola, toast, fruit salad, scrambled eggs, sausages and pancakes, we set off in small groups to ascend to the Rim Trail. The groups soon reverted into a single mass as we watched several American Three-toed Woodpeckers feeding on spruce beetles that have been at high population levels around Cathedral Lakes for the past few years. The long climb quickly spread out the group again. Above Glacier Lake we had good looks at Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches and a brief fly-by of a flock of White-winged Crossbills. We reached the Rim Trail at about 10 a.m. and regrouped for the main quest of the day—White-tailed Ptarmigan.


Glacier Lake

Turning north, we ascended the ridge of Mount Quiniscoe, then fanned out from the peak (2551 m/ 8370 ft) to search for these elusive small grouse. A few minutes later there were simultaneous shouts of “Ptarmigan!” from two adjacent spots and we all gathered to look at two pairs of the birds. Several people celebrated lifer experiences there! Another surprise at the peak was a singing Rock Wren. Most of us then hiked south to Stone City, enjoying a remarkably close encounter with a herd of a dozen mountain goats and another pair of ptarmigan, then descended down the steep, slippery, shaly slopes to Ladyslipper Lake. Most of us were exhausted (there was talk of producing T-shirts with “I survived the Cannings marathon” on the front) but all were happy when we got back to the lodge that day. In the evening I went back to the owl site for a quick look with a few people who had missed them the previous day and found them right where we’d left them.


White-tailed Ptarmigan

Gray-crowed Rosy Finch


White-tailed Ptarmigan


Spruce Grouse

On the third and final day, most of the group hiked the Diamond Trail loop, enjoying the sweeping vistas and big flower meadows, as well as stumbling onto a couple of broods of Spruce Grouse and watching a male Mountain Bluebird vigorously attack a squirrel. After lunch we climbed into the Unimog bus and bounced down the extraordinarily steep road to the Ashnola River, all vowing to return one day to Cathedral.

 


Meadow below Quiniscoe Mt - Red Mt

 

Bird List

  • Spruce Grouse
  • White-tailed Ptarmigan
  • Dusky Grouse
  • Osprey
  • Red-tailed Hawk
  • Spotted Sandpiper
  • Boreal Owl
  • Rufous Hummingbird
  • Hairy Woodpecker Am.
  • Three-toed Woodpecker
  • Northern Flicker
  • Pileated Woodpecker
  • Hammond’s Flycatcher
  • Gray Jay
  • Clark’s Nutcracker
  • Common Raven
  • Horned Lark
  • Mountain Chickadee
  • Boreal Chickadee
  • Red-breasted Nuthatch
  • Brown Creeper
  • Rock Wren
  • Winter Wren
  • American Dipper
  • Golden-crowned Kinglet
  • Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  • Townsend’s Solitaire
  • Mountain Bluebird
  • Hermit Thrush
  • American Robin
  • Varied Thrush
  • American Pipit
  • Yellow-rumped Warbler
  • MacGillivray’s Warbler
  • Chipping Sparrow
  • Savannah Sparrow
  • Fox Sparrow
  • White-crowned Sparrow
  • Dark-eyed Junco
  • Gray-crowned
  • Rosy-Finch
  • White-winged Crossbill
  • Pine Siskin