Subject: Okanagan Valley (BC) Rare Bird Alert - August 18th update
Date: Aug 18 19:19:23 2002
From: Chris Charlesworth - c_charlesworth23 at hotmail.com


This is the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Rare Bird Alert
(250)491-7738.

Sightings for Sunday, August 18th - 9:30 PM update.

The featured birds include:

STILT SANDPIPER (Kelowna)
RUSTY BLACKBIRD (Dee Lk)

Other birds mentioned:

Boreal Chickadee
Three-toed Woodpecker
Brown Creeper
Common Tern
Great Horned Owl
Merlin
Wood Duck
Baird's Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Red-necked Phalarope
FRANKLIN'S GULL
MEW GULL
ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD
Ring-billed Gull
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Hammond's Flycatcher
Orange-crowned Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Western Tanager
Cassin's Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Lazuli Bunting
Chipping Sparrow
Swainson's Thrush


Sightings for August 18th

Two juv. STILT SANDPIPERS continue at Robert Lake in Kelowna (CC,RT,YL).

A female RUSTY BLACKBIRD was seen at Dee Lake, on the plateau E. of Winfield
(CC,RT,YL). To reach this area take Beaver Lk Road, E. from Winfield. Turn
left onto Dee Lake Road at km 15 on Beaver Lk Rd and Dee Lake is found about
10 km N. Other noteworthy sightings along Dee Lk Road included two
THREE-TOED WOODPECKERS at km 3.6, six BOREAL CHICKADEES at km 3 and a BROWN
CREEPER at km 7.5 (CC,RT,YL).

Two ad. COMMON TERNS were feeding on Okanagan Lk in Kelowna, off the Rotary
Marshes (CC,RT,YL).

A GREAT HORNED OWL is regularly being seen in a barn on the N. side of the
Old Vernon Road, Bulman Road intersection in the Ellison area of Kelowna
(TF). Two young and an adult GREAT HORNED OWL were reported from a gully on
Black Mountain, E. of Kelowna (DW,JM).


Sightings for August 17th

At Robert Lake in Kelowna were three juv. STILT SANDPIPERS, 4 RED-NECKED
PHALAROPES, 27 BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS and 7 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS (CC,RT).

Thirty COMMON TERNS were counted along Okanagan Lake, in Penticton, from the
SS Sicamous (LN).

At the Chichester Bird Sanctuary in Kelowna highlites included a MERLIN and
a WOOD DUCK (CC,RT).


Sightings for August 16th

The mystery hummingbird in Osoyoos is now believed to be a female ANNA'S
HUMMINGBIRD. It is frequenting a feeder at 12504 Pinehurst Place, near the
Osoyoos Golf Course (LH,GH). Call Lee & Gaye Horne at 250-495-6626 for
updates and permission to view the bird, which has been present since August
7th.

Two juv. STILT SANDPIPERS were again at Robert Lake in Kelowna, where there
were also three RED-NECKED PHALAROPES (CC).

In the early morning, a juvenile FRANKLIN'S GULL was with RING-BILLED GULLS
on the Rutland Secondary School fields (CC) and the annual ad. MEW GULL has
returned to the MacDonald's at Hwy 33 and Hollywood Road in Rutland (CC).

Two COMMON TERNS were seen over Okanagan Lake at the Rotary Marshes in
Kelowna (GW,CC).

The change in the weather pattern may have boosted the local passerine
migration. At km 6 on Beaver Lake Road, E. of Winfield, many migrants were
noted in the mixed forest. Included were MACGILLIVRAY'S, ORANGE-CROWNED,
YELLOW-RUMPED, WILSON'S, NASHVILLE and TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS, HAMMOND'S and
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHERS, WESTERN TANAGERS, SWAINSON'S THRUSHES, CASSIN'S and
WARBLING VIREOS, CHIPPING SPARROWS and LAZULI BUNTINGS (CC).


Observers: CC - Chris Charlesworth; BC - Bill Cutfield; LH -Lee Horn; GH -
Gaye Horn; GW - Gwynneth Wilson; LN - Laure Neish; RT - Ryan Tomlinson; TF -
Trevor Foder; DW - Doreen Wierenga; JM - Joyce Mervyn; YL - Yvan Larche.


If you have any questions about Okanagan Valley birding, contact Chris
Charlesworth, in Kelowna at (250)-718-0335, Dick Cannings in Penticton at
(250) 496-4019, or Phil Gehlen in Vernon at (250) 542-8053.

This update has been sponsored by the TUMBLEWEED NATURE STORE at 67 Front
Street in Penticton.

Thanks for calling the bird alert and happy birding.



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