Wilderness Birding Adventures
Canadian Wildlife Adventures
Canadian Wildlife Adventurers located on the barrenlands of the NWT. Comfortable fishing and eco lodges. We are on Aylmer lake, Lac de Gras east and west camps, Courageous lake and Jolly lake. Giant trout & grayling.
Your adventure awaits.
We lead small groups throughout Canada’s barrenlands on Aylmer Lake and Clinton Colden lake in search of birds, wildlife, and wild places. Specializing in remote destinations, unique experiences, and wilderness travel, Aylmer Lake Lodge is THE choice for those seeking to bird in the Northwest Territories. We welcome novice and expert birders alike, and are happy to assist you in finding the perfect fit.
From a remote float plane base camp in the Arctic Barrenlands we offer serious birding tours we design and deliver impeccably organized and professionally guided trips to Northwest Territories birding hot spots and to its little known hideaways. Our leaders, skilled birders and seasoned travelers, team up with the best local birders and naturalists in our area to help you get the most from your adventure.
Aylmer Lake Lodge Base Camp
BIRDING OUR WAY ALONG THE RIVER. PHOTO KEVIN MCNEIL
The Northwest Territories Barrenlands are nearly uninhabited, with the exception of a few coastal villages and towns. The area's remoteness is vast with lots of bird viewing opportunities. East and north of Great Slave is a regal, spell binding change of landscape that has been described as desolate, lonesome realm – the treeless zone of the Barrens, legendary wildlife viewing. Once you get connected and involved in the activities the flora, fauna, birds, fish, and wildlife you soon realize this magic place is teeming with life.
Here, rivers flow clear, herds of caribou stretch to the far horizon, and wolves survey their empire from atop ancient outcrops, impervious to human visitors, a spectacular wilderness area of towering, raw barrenland rocks and drained by rivers that jostle through the rock-ribbed landscape, bound for the far Arctic Ocean. You’ve heard rumours of these waterways: the Thelon, Earl Grey (Thanokied) and Back. Reached by floatplane from Yellowknife, they can involve weeks of adventure – and provide a lifetime of stories.
Our destination for this trip is a quiet spot along Aylmer Lake, Clinton Colden lake and the Thanokied river that runs between them in the northern barrenlands . July on the barrenlands is a busy time for birds and wildlife: the Bathurst caribou herd attracts an array of predators such as grizzly bears, arctic wolves, wolverines, peregrine falcon, bald eagle, golden eagles; a variety of birds sing through the 24 hours of daylight on their breeding territories; the occasional musk ox grazes on the barrenlands, and a multitude of butterflies, insects and spiders flourish in the brief summer. As the mercury climbs and the daylight increases, snow and ice rapidly melt away in June and wildflowers burst from a cold, dark dormancy into lively barrelands colours. An intricate chain of life maintains an exquisite balance in this land of extremes.
Spending five days in one location allows us to dig in and thoroughly explore our surroundings. We’ll take hikes each day, always returning to the lodge each night. In some years there is so much happening in and near camp that it’s difficult to make it very far before being distracted–but that’s why we’re here!
This trip is remote and can be moderately strenuous; outside help could be days away. Participants need to be in good health, pack a positive attitude, and be capable of handling a variety of conditions.
We’ll hold a pretrip meeting at the lodge the day you land at the lodge for the trip. We’re scheduled to return to Yellowknife late afternoon on Day 5. The price of the trip includes all chartered float plane flights from the float dock in to Aylmer Lake and return to Yellowknife, all meals during the trip, all permits for birding and an Aylmer Lake Lodge guide. You are responsible for your Yellowknife logistics and expenses (lodging, meals, etc.) and your personal gear.
Tour Details: Aylmer Lake Lodge Base Camp
Dates: July and August 2020
Price: $4,500 USD plus 5% Tax
Tour Begins/Ends: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories Canada
Participants: 6
Leaders: Kevin McNeil, team of guides
More Information:
Cumulative Bird List
AYLMER LAKE LODGE BIRDING ADVENTURES BARRENLANDS BASE CAMP— CUMULATIVE BIRD LIST
Red-throated Loon
Yellow-billed Loon
Greater White-fronted Goose
Canada Goose
Long-tailed Duck
Peregrine Falcon
7. Red-breasted Merganser
8. Rock Ptarmigan
10. Willow Partmigan
11. Rough-legged Hawk
12. Golden Eagle
13. Gyrfalcon
14. Parasitic Jaeger
15. Long tail Jaeger
16. Snowy Owl
17. American Golden-Plover
18. Semipalmated Plover
19. Spotted Sandpiper
20. Lesser Yellowlegs
21. Solitary Sandpiper
22. Wandering Tattler
23. Semipalmated Sandpiper
24. Least Sandpiper
25. Baird's Sandpiper
26. Pectoral Sandpiper
27. Wilson's Snipe
28. Mew Gull
29. Herring Gull
30. Glaucous Gull
31. Parasitic Jaeger
32. Short-eared Owl
33. Say's Phoebe
34. Common Raven
35. Horned Lark
36. Arctic Warbler
37. Hermit Thrush
38. Townsend's Solitaire
39. American Robin
40. American Pipit
41. Orange-crowned Warbler
42. Blackpoll Warbler
43. Yellow Warbler
44. Wilson's Warbler
45. American Tree Sparrow
46. Fox Sparrow
47. Savannah Sparrow
48. White-crowned Sparrow
49. Golden-crowned Sparrow
50. Dark-eyed Junco
51. Lapland Longspur
52. Smith's Longspur
53. Common Redpoll
54. Red -necked Phalarope
55. Arctic Tern
56. Snow Bunting
57. Hoary Redpoll