Hugh and his birds

My name is Hugh and as one of the guides at Discover Banff Tours, I have the privilege of taking visitors out on tours and sharing this wonderful place with them.  On tour, there are often plenty of questions about wildlife and a common question is "Do you have bald eagles here?"  My answer is "yes".  On the Banff tour the other day, we spotted a bald eagle perched on a snag (old dead tree) between the first and second Vermilion Lakes, on the west side of town.

My favourite bird book (Birds of Alberta, Chris Fisher and John Acorn) says bald eagles are uncommon in Alberta, but that the Vermilion Lakes here in Banff are one of the best places to see bald eagles in Alberta.  I think it would be fair to say that if you spot one here, it's special.  It's even more special if you get to witness a bald eagle trying to steal a fish from an osprey (another bird of prey) in mid-air.  I was lucky enough to see such a thing a couple of summers ago, while canoeing on the Vermilion Lakes.

Speaking of seeing things, according to <baldeagleinfo.com>, bald eagles can see both forward and out to the side at the same time, with sharpness up to four times better than that of humans.  A bald eagle could, for example, spot a rabbit moving almost a mile away.  Or, they could see a fish moving in the water while soaring, gliding or flapping along in flight, several hundred feet above the water.  That's quite a feat, considering that most fish are darker coloured on top, making them harder to see from the air.  Or, according to one expert, one bald eagle can see another from a mile away, figure out that other eagles are gathering around a food source and fly toward that source.  Talk about having an "eagle eye"!

At Discover Banff Tours, we keep an eye out for bald eagles, especially on our Evening Wildlife Safari.  If circumstance allows, we may even be able to stop the bus, get out and set up the spotting scope, and give our guests a close-up look, through the scope, of one of these magnificent birds.  The Wildlife Safari goes out every evening, starting at 6:30 p.m.  Visitors can also rent a canoe or kayak from Blue Canoe and go paddling on the Vermilion Lakes.  Just remember not to approach bald eagles too closely, or any other animal for that matter.  You never want to disturb any animal that you're viewing.

Submitted by Hugh Johnston Senior Interpretive Guide at Discover Banff Tours