The Canadian Rockies Guide to Wildlife Watching

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

For someone wanting specifically to see wildlife in the Rockies, this
volume presents a species-by-species guide to the best sites. Fish,
mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles are covered.

The field-guide part of the book is good, though not as extensive as
one might wish. The comparative illustrations and descriptions are
useful and informative and in sufficiently plain language that most
readers would be able to use the book. There are also track comparisons,
horn comparisons, and lots of tips about how to best to watch wildlife.
A 1, 2, or 3 horseshoe rating is used to indicate the likelihood of
seeing the animal. At the back of the book are nine “wildlife
travelogues”—route maps with good viewing points listed—that cover
the six major national and provincial parks in the area, as well as
Kananaskis area, the Canmore area, and the Columbia valley. Alongside
mileage markers are notes about what wildlife one might see at each
point.

As a bird watcher, I wished that more species had been included;
however, I now know exactly where to go and during which season to look
for all those that are listed. Most experienced wildlife watchers will
want to use this book in conjunction with their standard field guides.
For the novice or those with limited time in the Rockies, this will be a
good single guide. Recommended for public libraries in Alberta and to
anyone who plans a wildlife-watching trip to the Rockies.