the weather gets better

after an obligatory stop at the Lake Louise visitor centre, always a good idea as staff seldom know the difference between empid songs but they are often a good source of info on what big stuff has been along what road recently, and a nice meal at the restaurant it was a slow drive back to Canmore on the Bow Valley Parkway --a few passerines started to appear in the scrub as the rain finally stopped and the sun broke through including Tennessee, proved to be one of the most numerous songsters though seldom easy to see, Yellow Warbler, Audubon's warbler, Warbling Vireo, Lincoln's and White-crowned Sparrows and more Ruby-crowned Kinglets in song -- from there a visit to Vermillion Lakes turned up Osprey, Bald Eagle, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, a fine Horned Grebe and some Northern Rough-winged Swallows with an obliging Song Sparrow, Pine Siskins, Least Chipmunk and Elk completing the afternoon/evening roll call.