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

Sightings for Tuesday, January 28th - 8:00 PM update.

Featured birds include:

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE (Osoyoos)
LONG-TAILED DUCK (Osoyoos)
BLUE JAY (Westbank)
BARN SWALLOW (Osoyoos)


Other birds mentioned:

GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE
Rough-legged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
"Harlan's" Hawk
American Kestrel
Northern Harrier
American Robin
Wood Duck
Varied Thrush
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Northern Pygmy-Owl
GYRFALCON
Wilson's Snipe


Sightings for January 28th

Two BARN SWALLOWS were present along Road 22, at the bridge over the
Okanagan River (DB).

N. of Oliver along the Okanagan River, 3 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS were found
(DB).

The GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE continues near the end of Lakeshore Drive,
on the E. side of Osoyoos Lk in Osoyoos (DB).

At the marsh at Haynes Point, in Osoyoos, a VARIED THRUSH was with AMERICAN
ROBINS in the Russian Olive trees (DB). From the end of Haynes Point, three
WOOD DUCKS were seen and on the N. side of Haynes Point, the LONG-TAILED
DUCK continues (DB).

In Kelowna, the male GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE was at the intersection of Hwy 97
and Cooper Road (TF) and a raptor survey in the Ellison area produced 2
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, 16 RED-TAILED HAWKS, including 1 "HARLAN'S" HAWK, 1
NORTHERN HARRIER and 2 AMERICAN KESTRELS (BC).

A probable BLUE JAY was heard in the Glenrosa area of Westbank near the
intersection of Gorman Road and McIver Road (fide LB).

On the Westside of Kelowna, a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL was along Bear Ck Road, 100
yards S. of its intersection with Rose Valley Road, in an old orchard (TF).


Sightings for January 27th

An unseasonable BARN SWALLOW was seen along the Okanagan River at Road 22,
N. of Osoyoos (DB). This appears to be the first winter record for the
Okanagan, and possibly for the interior of BC.


Sightings for January 26th

At Robert Lake, in Kelowna, an adult gray-phase GYRFALCON was seen perched
on a fence post (GW,RT).

The male GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE was seen at the MacDonald's restaurant near
the Hwy 97 / Cooper Road intersection in Kelowna on the 26th (CC), and at
the Orchard Park Mall on the 25 (CS).

A WILSON'S SNIPE (formerly Common Snipe) was in a ditch along Bailey Road,
on the Vernon Commonage, 50-100 meters uphill from Hwy 97 on the 25th (CS)


Observers: CC - Chris Charlesworth; GW - Gwynneth Wilson; DB - Doug Brown;
TF - Trevor Forder; RT - Ryan Tomlinson; BC - Bill Cutfield; Lisa Brown; CS
- Chris Siddle.


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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