Subject: Okanagan Valley (BC) Rare Bird Alert - Dec 14th update
Date: Dec 15 00:50:57 2002
From: Chris Charlesworth - c_charlesworth23 at hotmail.com


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

Sightings for Saturday, December 14th - midnight update

Featured birds include:

EURASIAN WIGEON (Kelowna)
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER (Kelowna)
GLAUCOUS GULL (Kelowna)
HARRIS' SPARROW (Kelowna)
SWAMP SPARROW (Kelowna)
GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE (Kelowna)

Other birds mentioned:

Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Northern Goshawk
Blue Grouse
Ruffed Grouse
Virginia Rail
Wilson's Snipe
Western Bluebird
RUSTY BLACKBIRD
GYRFALCON
Great Horned Owl
Glaucous-winged Gull


Sightings for December 14th

The Kelowna Christmas Bird Count was held today, and the final tally, 89,
was considerably lower than the average count. Here are the highlites of the
count.

The male GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE, made his second CBC appearance at the Orchard
Park Mall in front of the Bay in Kelowna (DC).

On Gordon Drive, in Kelowna, a male EURASIAN WIGEON was on Thompson-Brook
Pond (BT).

Possibly a first for a Kelowna CBC, a female type WHITE-WINGED SCOTER was on
Belgo Pond on Walburn Road, in Kelowna's Rutland area (CC,RY,WA).

At the Kelowna Landfill, an adult GLAUCOUS GULL was seen (MF,LB).

Along Lakha Road, in Ellison, the imm. HARRIS' SPARROW was again seen
(CS,TF) and the SWAMP SPARROW was again heard at Robert Lake (MF,LB).

RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS were seen along Mission Ck near Casorso Road (DeB),
and near East Kelowna Road (CC,JT,PH), and on Manhattan Point (GW,EF,LR,KA).

The Chichester Bird Sanctuary produced a VIRGINIA RAIL and a WILSON'S SNIPE
(CC,WA,RY).

Ten WESTERN BLUEBIRDS were in Rutland at Walburn Road and Garner Road
(CC,RY,WA). Ten more WESTERN BLUEBIRDS were also at the Cedar Ck Winery on
Lakeshore (DW,RT).

A hike up the MacDougall Creek Trail produced a NORTHERN GOSHAWK, 2 BLUE
GROUSE and 5 RUFFED GROUSE (DB).


Sightings for December 11th

On December 9th, two RUSTY BLACKBIRDS, a male and a female, were along the
W. dyke of the Okanagan River Channel, S. of Road 22, near Osoyoos (DB).

A female WOOD DUCK is at the Fascieux Ck Wetlands along Casorso Road in
Kelowna (DeB) and a GREAT HORNED OWL was again seen roosting along Mission
Ck in Kelowna, between Gordon Drive and Casorso Road (DeB).

The GYRFALCON was again at the Marshall's Feedlot, along Hwy 97, in Kelowna,
S. of McCurdy Road on Dec 10 (CC,DW).

On Dec 10th, a THAYER'S GULL and 6 GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS were at the mouth
of Vernon Ck in Vernon (CC,DW,PB), however the Lesser Black-backed Gull seen
earlier in the week couldn't be relocated.



Observers: TF - Trevor Forder; DB - Doug Brown; DC - Don Cecile; DeB -
Denise Brownlie; CC - Chris Charlesworth; DW - Don Wilson; PB - Peter
Blokker; BT - Brenda Thompson; RT - Ryan Tomlinson; RY - Robin Yellowlegs;
WA - Wilf Akerlund; GW - Gwynneth Wilson; LR - Lesley Robertson; EF - Elke
Fischer; KA - Karen Arkinstall; CS - Chris Siddle; LB - Lisa Brown; MF -
Mike Force; JT - Judy Toms; PH - Paddy Hann.


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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