Cottonwood Slough, Medicine and Maligne Lakes, Old Fort Point

We got up at the early hour of 6:45 am to take part in the free guided bird tour we'd signed up for.  It was not till we reached the parking lot at Cottonwood Slough and saw several cars but no people that I realized we were still operating on BC time and were an hour late!  Fortunately we caught up with the group for the second hour.  

Birds seen:  Siskins, dowitchers, lesser yellowlegs, spotted sandpiper, ring necked duck and Barrows goldeneye w/young, mallard, buffleheads with young, phalaropes (red necked or Wilsons), western pewee, cedar waxwing, lincolns, song sparrow. But the bird of the day was white-winged crossbill.

Our local guide Gord recommended Medicine Lake on the Maligne Lake Road as a good spot to find woodpeckers in the burnt forest so we headed there next.  On the way we passed a large group of tourists double parked on the road for a black bear eating sopallallie berries.

Medicine Lake and its spectacular setting

There were no woodpeckers to be found, but there were lots of Siskins and waxwings, and also an osprey and a bald eagle nest, spotted sandpiper, common loon, surf scoters, and Canada Geese.  

Fruitlessly searching burnt timber for woodpeckers.

And a big patch of these anemones, which I can't find in my guidebooks.

Cedar waxwing, not the bird of the day, but still lovely

Then we headed up the road to the famed Maligne Lake, much more overrun with tourists, did a quick hike around the Moose Lakes Loop with everyone else and then stopped for a photo of Maligne Lake before escaping the crowds.

Not quite.  On the drive back down the Rangers were crowd managing the animal traffic jams, but their instructions were not very clear, leading to a lot of frustration on our part.

Our next mini-hike was up Old Fort Point, right near town and Jasper lodge.  A short hike up to the top with fabulous views all around and even the mountains came out of the clouds.  Then we completed the loop through aspen parkland with lots of flowers blooming.  As you can see, too much happier campers.

Portrait in plaid, Old Fort Point.  That's Lake Beauvert and Jasper Park Lodge in the background.

If you're going to visit a tourist trap, you might as well take advantage so we dined in town, delicious Indian food.

On the way home for the night we spotted a grizzly in the bushes, snacking on soopalallie.  And back to the trailer just in time for a big rainstorm.