This is the Okanagan Valley (BC) Rare Bird Alert (250-491-7738).


Sightings for Sunday, December 21 - 10:30 PM update.

The Featured Birds Include:

PACIFIC LOON (Kelowna)
GYRFALCON (Kelowna)
ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD (Kelowna)
GREAT GRAY OWL (possible)
SORA (Vaseux)
DUNLIN (Kelowna)
GLAUCOUS GULL (Kelowna)
HERMIT THRUSH (Kelowna)
WILSON'S WARBLER (Oliver)
RUSTY BLACKBIRD (Oliver)

Other birds mentioned include:

Winter Wren
Spotted Towhee
Western Meadowlark
Varied Thrush
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Wilson's Snipe
Virginia Rail
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE
SNOW GOOSE
ICELAND GULL
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW
Canada Goose
Eared Grebe


UPCOMING CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS

Oliver/Osoyoos - December 27 - (call Dick Cannings " ")
Lake Country - December 28 (call Trevor Forder - 250-765-4082)


Sightings for December 21

On Friday, Dec 19, a possible GREAT GRAY OWL was described along Glenmore
Road, N. of Kelowna (fide LR). The bird was near the most northerly pond on
Glenmore Road, called Slater Pond by some.

The Kelowna Christmas Bird Count was held on Dec 20 and the preliminary
total is 100 species.

Potentially the best bird found on the count was a selasphorus hummingbird,
of the Rufous / Allen's type at 665 Drummond Court (DW,CS). The view was
brief, but good enough to determine the bird was not an Anna's. The female
ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD was, however, also seen at 665 Drummond Court on count
day (CS,DW).

Another excellent find was a HERMIT THRUSH along Mission Creek (CC,WA,HP).
To find this bird, park near the green mailboxes on Hollywood Road S, just
S. of the its intersection with East Kelowna Road. Follow the trail down
towards the creek and walk until the you find a spring flowing down off a
steep hillside. The thrush, along with a WINTER WREN and a SPOTTED TOWHEE,
were in the brush near this spring. Feeding in the wet vegetation at the
base of the hill were 4 WILSON'S SNIPE (CC,HP,WA).

The long-staying GYRFALCON was tallied at the Marshall's Feedlot along the
W. side of Hwy 97, at McCurdy Road (RV,DP) and the PACIFIC LOON was again
seen in Sutherland Bay in the North End (GW,EF,m.ob).

At Rotary Beach along Lakeshore Road, 2 DUNLIN were present and an adult
GLAUCOUS GULL was found amongst other gulls (RT,JL,m.ob).

Three VARIED THRUSH were in Woodhaven Regional Park in the Mission area, and
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS were reported from various locations (m.ob).

At the Chichester Bird Sanctuary, in Rutland, 2 VIRGINIA RAILS were found
and 7 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were noted in the Ellison area (TF,RG).

On the 21st, a male WILSON'S WARBLER was found along the foot and bike path
between Oliver and the Hwy 97 bridge, N. of Oliver (WC).

The Vaseux Lake CBC was held on the 21st, with a prelminary total of 99
species. Highlights included a SORA at Hack's Pond, which was found on the
20th (BM), and a RUSTY BLACKBIRD in N. Oliver (fide DCa).

Sightings for December 18

In Kelowna, the GYRFALCON was again seen at the Marshall's Feedlot, which is
located along the W. side of Hwy 97, at McCurdy Road (RM).

A PACIFIC LOON was reported on Okanagan Lake, in Kelowna, off Manhattan
Point (GW) and the EARED GREBE continues in Sutherland Bay (GW).

Two AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS were found in the weedy field at Burtch and Byrns
Road in Kelowna (MB,CD,ED).

In Westbank, a SNOW GOOSE was at Shannon Lake (HB) and a GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was found with CANADA GEESE along Benvoulin Road in
Kelowna (RM).

The continuing ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD was seen at the feeder at 665 Drummond
Court in the Upper Mission area of Kelowna (DW).

In Vernon, the adult ICELAND GULL was seen at the mouth of Vernon Ck in
Okanagan Landing (DC) but the third year LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL has not
been seen since December 14 (PG,TF).


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Observer Initials: CC - Chris Charlesworth; CS - Chris Siddle; DC - Don
Cecile; TF - Trevor Forder; DW - Don Wilson; HB - Howard Bryan; WA - Wilf
Akerlund; HP - Hugh Philips; DC - Don Cecile; RG - Rick Gee; DW - Doreen
Wierenga; LR - Lesley Robertson; DP - Dwayne Pahl; RV - Rick Vargassy; GW -
Gwynneth Wilson; EF - Elke Fischer; RT - Ryan Tomlinson; JL - Judy Latta; WC
- Wilma Coriveau; BM - Bob Mackay; DCa - Dick Cannings; PG - Phil Gehlen.

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.

CHRIS CHARLESWORTH
AVOCET TOURS
725 RICHARDS ROAD
KELOWNA, BC, CANADA
V1X 2X5
WWW.AVOCETTOURS.COM
C_CHARLESWORTH at AVOCETTOURS.COM

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