Okanagan Weekend

Lake View - Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park near Vernon

View from Beaver Lake Road

Western Bluebirds

  

The other day I scored a I scored a lifer thanks to Gary. He had found a site for Magnolia Warbler, which is and was a beauty. Got pretty fair views of an uncooperative bird. And then brief views of Pacific Wren plus Swainson’s Thrush – so a pretty fair after school jaunt. 

California Quail

Yellow-bellied Marmots

On a past weekend - a while ago - Megan and I took advantage of my parents presence and escaped Nakusp for the Okanagan Valley. Took a day off to turn it into a three day weekend. We did some birding which Megan seems to be enjoying a little more and saw some good birds – Western Bluebirds, Flycatchers, Warblers etc etc all in some spectacular scenery.

View from Beaver Lake Road

We visited Beaver Lake Road which is a great drive to - you guessed it - Beaver Lake. The road travelled east from the main road between Vernon and Kelowna, crossing grasslands before crossing through Ponderosa Pine before heading further upslope into Spruce Forest. With the habitat changes the variety of birdlife obviously increased. The grassland birds, for me, was the standout. Both because of the time of the day which meant that the forest birds were a little subdued and the fact that the grassland birds are not used to finding or using cover. California Quails, Western Meadowlarks, Western Bluebirds, Western Wood Peewee, Olive sided Flycatcher, A FOY House Wren, Lazuli Buntings, Savanna  and Chipping Sparrows etc.

Coyote

Robert Lake yielded Wilsons Phalarope, Semi-palmated Plover, Kildeer, YH Blackbird plus a few common waterfowl spp. 

The cleverly named Yellow-headed Blackbird

Poor photo of an uncooperative Western Tanager

Lazuli Bunting male

We visited Bear Creek Provincial Park - south of Kelowna and that proved to be a nice little canyon walk with a few decent bird spp in attendence - especially nice was a generous flock of Western Tanagers who could have only improved their visit only by posing better for a photo. Lazuli Bunitngs were singing. Western Woodpeewee, Olive sided Flycatchers and my FOY Dusky Flycatchers accompanied a few other common warblers and chickadess.

View of West Kelowna from Bear Creek Provincial Park

   

 When the weather turned wrong we spent enough time in shopping centres to remind us of the fact that we don’t really like shopping centres. Had a hotel with a pool which we didn’t use and a hot pool which we did. Got two mammal ticks over the weekend – American Pica and a Porcupine.

The porcupine was seen crossing the road on our return trip over the Monashee and it nearly caused a marital issue. 

Megsy at Bear Creek Provincial Park

The porcupine suddenly started waddling across the highway - comppletely unannounced [although I'm unsure of how a porcupine would announce its crossing......]. Anyway I saw it and yelled -"Megan - get the camera!" She quickly 'followed my command' and started searching between her feet among the other rubbish that had accumulated over the weekend. Anyway by the time she had resurfaced, camera in hand, the porcupine, despite his amblinng pace had disappeared. I was accused of a conspireracy - denying her of the opportunity of see a porcupine. 

Thing were tense for the next ten kilometers.  

American Pica

The Pica was less dramatic. We stopped at a site that Gary had suggested and immediatley heard the nasal call. The animal, despite being effectively a very tiny bunny, was found quite easily. Far more easily than their habitat would initially suggest. They inhabit steep scree slopes; rocky and rock filled with bigger-than-small-bunny sized rocks affording them many places to hide and take cover.


On the way back we also did some great birding in and around the Vernon Area - in particular the Commonage Road  where we saw some great stuff - in particular Swainsons Hawk. Also got reasonable views of Clay-coloured Sparrows - a bird i have not seen since 2009. And i saw it in exactly the same spot. Perhaps the same bird???

Spotted Sandpiper

Swainsons Hawk

Lake from Vernon Commonage Road

Californian Quail	Callipepla californica	X
Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	X
Gadwall	Anas strepera	X
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	X
Blue-winged Teal	Anas discors	X
Northern Shoveler	Anas clypeata	X
Redhead	Aythya americana	X
Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	X
Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	X
Barrow's Goldeneye	Bucephala islandica	X
Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	X
Goosander	Mergus merganser	X
Common Loon/Great Northern Diver	Gavia immer	X
Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	X
Turkey-Vulture	Cathartes aura	X
American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	X
Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	X
Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	X
Swainson's Hawk	Buteo swainsoni	X
Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	X
American Coot	Fulica americana	X
Semipalmated Plover	Charadrius semipalmatus	X
Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	X
Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius	X
Wilson's Phalarope	Phalaropus tricolor	X
Rock Dove	Columba livia	X
Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	X
Common Nighthawk	Chordeiles minor	X
Vaux's Swift	Chaetura vauxi	X
White-throated Swift	Aeronautes saxatalis	X
Rufous Hummingbird	Selasphorus rufus	X
Calliope Hummingbird	Stellula calliope	X
Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	X
Downy Woodpecker	Picoides pubescens	X
Hairy Woodpecker	Picoides villosus	X
Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	X
Say's Phoebe	Sayornis saya	X
Olive-sided Flycatcher	Contopus cooperi	Near-threatened  X
Western Wood Pewee	Contopus sordidulus	X
Willow Flycatcher	Empidonax traillii	X
Gray Flycatcher	Empidonax wrightii	X
Western Kingbird	Tyrannus verticalis	X
Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	X
Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	X
American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	X
Common Raven	Corvus corax	X
Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	X
Black-capped Chickadee	Parus atricapillus	X
Mountain Chickadee	Parus gambeli	X
Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	X
Violet-green Swallow	Tachycineta thalassina	X
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	Stelgidopteryx serripennis	X
Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	X
House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	X
Pygmy Nuthatch	Sitta pygmaea	X
Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	X
Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	X
European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Introduced species X
Varied Thrush	Ixoreus naevius	X
Western Bluebird	Sialia mexicana	X
Townsend's Solitaire	Myadestes townsendi	X
American Robin	Turdus migratorius	X
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	X
Buff-bellied Pipit	Anthus rubescens	X
Pine Siskin	Carduelis pinus	X
House Finch	Carpodacus mexicanus	X
Nashville Warbler	Vermivora ruficapilla	X
Yellow Warbler	Dendroica petechia	X
Yellow-rumped Warbler	Dendroica coronata	X
Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	X
Wilson's Warbler	Wilsonia pusilla	X
Bullock's Oriole	Icterus bullockii	X
Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	X
Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	X
Brewer's Blackbird	Euphagus cyanocephalus	X
Western Meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta	X
Yellow-headed Blackbird	Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus	X
Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	X
Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	X
Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	X
Clay-colored Sparrow	Spizella pallida	X
Vesper Sparrow	Pooecetes gramineus	X
Spotted Towhee	Pipilo maculatus	X
Western Tanager	Piranga ludoviciana	X
Lazuli Bunting	Passerina amoena	X

 87 SPP

Porcupine, red, grey, eastern fox squirrel, Columbian ground-squirrel, coyote, black bear, yellow-bellied marmot, mule deer, white-tailed deer.