Posted by Andy Rouse on December 5, 2007 at 2:01 PM
Hello All, I am coming over to Vancouver and Calgary in January for a couple of weeks and wondered if any of you have folks have any great ideas where I can go to get close to some local wildlife? The Reifel sanctuary looks great south of Vancouver and I guess in Banff there will wildlife on the ponds but would appreciate any help. many thanks in advance.
I am not sure about Vancouver. As for the rockies, you might be better off in the Kootenays or Jasper rather than Banff. I strongly recommend Darwin Wiggett's book on how to photograph the rockies (you can check it on his website).
Andy, Reifel is GREAT in the winter, there are all kinds of birds you'll be able to photograph. You might put this message on the main forum, too, since we have some photographers from up near Calgary, Jasper AND Banff who could weigh on shooting there in the winter.
One thing to remember with Jasper is that they're putting a pipeline in through there now, and the wildlife are not sticking around to watch it happen! Some friends of mine just got back from there, and have decided to stay away until the pipeline's in, as the photography action was very limited as to wildlife.
Hope this helps, and hope your trip goes well,
Nancy
Posted by Tony Graber on December 6, 2007 at 1:39 AM
Hi Andy!
Vancouver is one of my favorite cities to go to! Vancouver has Stanley Park with hiking trails and, more importantly, the Vancouver Aquarium. Granted, an aquarium is not the best place to photograph animals in the wild, but has great photo opportunities. Dolphins, Beluga Whales, Harbor Seals, to name just a few.
Another place to go is north of Vancouver called Grouse Mountain. When I was there in 2005, there was a bear exhibit, wolf exhibit, and Birds of Prey exhibit. The Birds of Prey was especially interesting because the birds were not in cages, but handled by trainers. Another important thing about Grouse Mountain is that one can get there, from Vancouver proper, by taking public transportation (the Harbor Ferry, then city bus). One problem is that I am not sure if these exhibits are year round. I was there in June, 2005.
If you were going in the summer, I would also suggest a whale watching excursion. There are a number of operators going out from Vancouver.
Hope this answers at least one of your questions.
Tony
Posted by Andy Rouse on December 7, 2007 at 4:33 AM
Thank you both for your time and great suggestions, it is much appreciated!
Discussion
4 repliesAndy Rouse
www.andyrouse.co.uk
One thing to remember with Jasper is that they're putting a pipeline in through there now, and the wildlife are not sticking around to watch it happen! Some friends of mine just got back from there, and have decided to stay away until the pipeline's in, as the photography action was very limited as to wildlife.
Hope this helps, and hope your trip goes well,
Nancy
Vancouver is one of my favorite cities to go to! Vancouver has Stanley Park with hiking trails and, more importantly, the Vancouver Aquarium. Granted, an aquarium is not the best place to photograph animals in the wild, but has great photo opportunities. Dolphins, Beluga Whales, Harbor Seals, to name just a few.
Another place to go is north of Vancouver called Grouse Mountain. When I was there in 2005, there was a bear exhibit, wolf exhibit, and Birds of Prey exhibit. The Birds of Prey was especially interesting because the birds were not in cages, but handled by trainers. Another important thing about Grouse Mountain is that one can get there, from Vancouver proper, by taking public transportation (the Harbor Ferry, then city bus). One problem is that I am not sure if these exhibits are year round. I was there in June, 2005.
If you were going in the summer, I would also suggest a whale watching excursion. There are a number of operators going out from Vancouver.
Hope this answers at least one of your questions.
Tony