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Big horn sheep
Atlantic puffins
Orcas cruising
Bald eagle in flight
they are extremely elusive and you’re more likely
to hear their calls than get direct sightings. They’re
most often seen in Alaska’s Denali National Park,
on the Bow Valley Parkway near Lake Louise, and
in Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park.
Caribou
To see a family of caribou in their tundra home
is an impressive sight. Imagine then what it must
be like to see one of North America’s last true
migrations - the great herds of caribou, hundreds
of thousands strong, that traverse thousands of
kilometres across the barren tundra, following
the fresh grass growth and harried by packs of
wolves. A journey to the north is bound to bring
you close to these magnificent animals and will
surely be a highlight of your trip.
Moose
The moose is the largest member of the deer
family and is found in forests from Alaska all the
way across to the eastern tip of Newfoundland.
The bulls of these imposing animals can grow larger
than the tallest horse and have a rack of antlers
spanning over one and a half metres in width. They
have poor eyesight, skinny legs under a bulky body
and a long, mournful-looking snout giving them an
almost comic appearance. Some of the best places
to see moose include New Brunswick, Algonquin
Provincial Park and Banff and Jasper National Parks.
Grizzly bears catching salmon
Musk Oxen
Natives of Arctic Canada, Greenland and Alaska,
musk oxen are neither oxen, nor do they have
musk glands; being closely related to sheep or
goats. They are noted for their thick shaggy coats,
long curved horns and for the strong odour
emitted by the males. Their thick coats enable
them to survive bitterly cold winter temperatures.
Sociable animals, they usually live in herds of
between ten to twenty animals but sometimes
the herd can number several hundred. Musk
oxen, or their ancestors, are believed to have
migrated to North America between 90,000 and
200,000 years ago making them a contemporary
of the woolly mammoth. The largest population is
on Banks Island in the Northwest Territories but
herds can be found all over the northern tundra.
Whales
Canada and Alaska are two of the best places in
the world to watch a wide variety of whales
during the summer months. Humpbacks, minke
and finback whales are found off the coast of
Newfoundland while northern right whales and
humpbacks are found slightly to the south in the
Bay of Fundy. The St. Lawrence River is home to
13 species of whale, including the world’s largest,
the blue whale, and a large number of white
beluga whales, which are also to be found
Bull caribou
gathering in Hudson Bay and Arctic waters. Rare
narwhal can be spotted in the Arctic whilst orcas
and grey whales can be found in abundance off
the coasts of Vancouver Island and Alaska.
Birds
This vast region has an incredible variety of bird
species, both resident and migratory. Alaska and
western British Columbia are renowned for huge
populations of bald eagles whilst the cliffs of the
Maritime Provinces echo to the enthralling
cacophony of shrieks and calls of some of the
world’s largest seabird colonies, providing ideal
nesting conditions for thousands of kittiwakes,
murres and razorbills. The Queen Charlotte Islands
are known as the ‘Canadian Galapagos’ and a third
of the world’s population of murrelets nest here
along with horned puffins and Peales peregrine
falcons. Oak Hammock Marsh in southern Manitoba
is one of the finest bird sanctuaries on the continent
where each autumn up to half a million geese arrive
on their way south. Other notable places to see
birds are the remarkable Point Pelee National Park
in Ontario, and the Île Bonaventure in Québec
which, with 60,000 birds, is home to North
America’s largest gannet colony.
Wildlife
Telephone: 01993 838 700
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