JASPER NATIONAL PARK - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 322

by people. While not common in the park, coyotes can be seen in cleared areas alongside
the roads, usually at dawn and dusk.
Other Mammals
The pine marten is common but shy; look for them in subalpine forests. The short-tailed
weasel —a relative of the marten—is also common, while the long-tailed weasel is rare.
At higher elevations, look for pikas in piles of fallen rock. Hoary marmots live near the
upper limits of vegetation growth, where their shrill warning whistles carry across the open
meadows; The Whistlers area, accessed by tramway, supports a healthy population of these
noisy creatures.
Birds
The extensive tree cover in the lower valleys hides many species of birds, making them
seem less abundant than they are; 248 species have been recorded. The two you're most
likely to see are the gray jay and Clark's nutcracker, which regularly joins picnickers for
lunch. Also common are black-and-white magpies, raucous ravens, and several species
of ducks, which can be seen around lakes in the Athabasca River Valley. Harlequin ducks
nest in the park during early summer. A stretch of the Maligne River is closed during this
season to prevent human interference.
The colony of black swifts in Maligne Canyon is one of only two in Alberta. Their
poorly developed legs make it difficult for them to take off from their nests in the canyon
walls—they literally fall before becoming airborne. High alpine slopes are home to white-
tailed ptarmigan, a type of grouse that turns white in winter. Also at this elevation are
flocks of rosy finches that live under overhanging cliffs. In subalpine forests, the songs of
thrushes and the tapping of woodpeckers can be heard.
At dusk, great horned owls swoop silently through the trees, their eerie call echoing
through the forest. Golden eagles and bald eagles can be seen soaring high above the
forests, and 15 pairs of ospreys are known to nest in the park, many along the Athabasca
River between town and the east park gate.
HISTORY
In the summer of 1810, David Thompson, one of Canada's greatest explorers, became
the first white man to enter the Athabasca River Valley. The following winter, when
Thompson was making the first successful crossing of Athabasca Pass, some of his party
remained in the Athabasca River Valley and constructed a small supply depot northeast of