We could not check in yet, so we stopped to get our bearings. I took a quick walk along the main lake and saw some wildlife immediately. At first I thought this was a White-tailed Deer but I've changed my opinion to Mule Deer.
Mule Deer - Waterton Lakes National Park
These fawns are the reason I changed it, as the size of the ears and the black on the tail indicate Mule Deer.
Mule Deer fawns - Waterton Lakes National Park
The path I was walking on bordered Emerald Bay on the Upper Waterton Lake. I spotted a lone duck out on the lake, ignoring the rain.
Common Merganser - Waterton Lakes National Park
As the storm abated we decided to take one of the park's scenic drives to Red Rock Canyon. The photos below don't do justice to this beautiful place.
Red Rock Canyon - Waterton Lakes National Park
Red Rock Canyon - Waterton Lakes National Park
I saw the occasional Cedar Waxwing while walking the canyon trails, but not close enough to get a good photo.
My luck changed when we took a short side trip to check out the camp-ground off the main road. At the gate we had to turn around and I heard a familiar song off in the distance. It was the elusive Swainson's Thrush. I had the Nikon handy, so I zoomed it in the direction that the sound was coming from. I had no real hope of seeing it, but there it was right in the open. This is only my fourth photo of this bird in over 25 years of birding. The photo is not tack sharp, but the bird was probably 50 to 75 meters away.
Swainson's Thrush - Waterton Lakes National Park
Our next stop was a location that had a viewpoint and a guide to the local wild flowers.
Wild Garden - Waterton Lakes National Park
While we were here a few Cedar Waxwings paid a visit. This afforded some nice close-ups with the Nikon.
Cedar Waxwing - Waterton Lakes National Park
That was it for birds, we returned to town and checked in. The premier hotel in Waterton is the Prince of Wales. It was a bit too high end for our budget, but this photo was free.
Prince of Wales Hotel - Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton is small but quite nice for a resort town. There were hanging baskets everywhere with the usual restaurants and souvenir shops.
Downtown Waterton
This dog didn't like it so much while waiting for its owner to come back from the Heritage Centre.
Downtown Waterton
After a nice dinner, we took a walk around town. Here's a view of the lake looking west.
Upper Waterton Lake - Waterton Lakes National Park
We left the next morning and headed south to cross into the US. On the way out of town. I took this panorama shot from a viewpoint on Highway 6.
Waterton Lakes National Park
After crossing the border into Montana, we drove the Logan's Pass in Glacier National Park. I had made this trip a few times when I was a child and mostly remembered being car sick. The road is very narrow and winding and it was very busy with tourists. It took us about three hours to drive the 60 miles. I took a couple of photos but it was difficult to stop in very many places.
Glacier National Park, Montana
Glacier National Park, Montana
By the end of the day we made it to Couer d'Alene in Idaho. Tomorrow, we'd be heading north to Grand Forks BC to attend my niece's wedding. There's be some bird-watching opportunities there.
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