Birders,

Compelled by recent reports of Mockingbirds and Sage Thrashers, I set out
for a three day trip to the S. Okanagan. Although I didn't find either of
those birds, I enjoyed some great birding and was treated to fantastic looks
at most Okanagan specialties. I wasn't the only person doing this; there
were dozens of birders scouring the S. Okanagan this week. Here's how it
played out.

May 27

Met up with Brent & Wayne Diakow at White Lake where we searched,
unsuccessfully, for the Sage Thrasher. We were treated to many BREWER'S
SPARROWS however. A LEAST FLYCATCHER was singing in a nearby aspen grove
also. Good bird, but increasingly common it seems.

>From White Lake we headed to River Road. The bird song was in full force
here and to me the combination of numerous BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS, GRAY
CATBIRDS, YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS, RED-EYED VIREOS, YELLOW WARBLERS and such
sounded like a morning in the tropics. A nice male BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD
was here too.

Camp McKinney Road is always good, even in the mid-day heat. We stopped at
km 10 at had nice looks at a GRAY FLYCATCHER.

At Green Lake, the numerous BARROW'S GOLDENEYE were accompanied by a female
COMMON GOLDENEYE. We were surprised when the bird took off and flew directly
into a nest-box. Typical woodland birds were here as well such as PYGMY
NUTHATCH, CASSIN'S FINCH, LAZULI BUNTING, RED CROSSBILL and a COOPER'S HAWK.

We visited Rd 22 in the evening and were plagued with hungry mosquitos. On
the brief jaunts from the protection of the truck we managed a LEAST
FLYCATCHER, a WILLOW FLYCATCHER, 5 BOBOLINKS, 2 LEWIS' WOODPECKERS, a CANYON
WREN, a WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, a LARK SPARROW, a LONG-BILLED CURLEW and a
male NORTHERN SHOVELER. On the side of Black Sage Road a huge GOPHER SNAKE
basked in the sun. When we approached he hissed and shook his tale,
mimicking a Rattlesnake.

A trip to Kilpoola for COMMON POORWILL was successful. We heard a couple and
spotlighted a GREAT HORNED OWL on the top of a power pole.

May 28

I got up very early and headed E. over the Richter Pass, stopping briefly at
"Conifryd" Lake where there were 50 WILSON'S PHALAROPES and a few ducks. At
a tiny wetland E. of Nighthawk Road there were 20 YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS
and a VIRGINIA RAIL. Nighthawk Road was quite productive in the early
morning. Many LARK SPARROWS were engaged in courtship along fencelines. 2
CHUKAR called from a hillside above the road, as did a BLUE GROUSE. A single
ROCK WREN called from a rocky outcropping and three LONG-BILLED CURLEWS were
in the fields to the E.

I traveled W. on Hwy 3 to Manning Park and added a few interesting birds to
my trip list; CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE, RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER and
NORTHWESTERN CROW. Other coastal forest species like VARIED THRUSH,
SWAINSON'S THRUSH, WINTER WREN, PILEATED WOODPECKER, STELLER'S JAY,
TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, and GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET were
common.

I then headed back to the Similkameen Valley and enjoyed some late afternoon
birding in the sunshine. Along the Nine Mile Ck Road I had a nice assortment
of birds, along what I assume was 9 Mile Ck. Included there were CASSIN'S
and WARBLING VIREOS, VEERY, RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, LAZULI BUNTING, CALLIOPE
HUMMINGBIRD, WESTERN TANAGER and HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER.

On a rocky hillside E. of Cawston, I located 9 ROCK WRENS and 2 CANYON WRENS
and along various roads in Cawston I found 5 or more EURASIAN
COLLARED-DOVES.

The Chopaka Road always impresses me. Since I discovered the road for myself
it has been added to my regular list of "places to stop" in the Similkameen
Valley. With the following list of birds, it's obvious why I like it so
much; RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD, LAZULI BUNTING, BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK, LARK
SPARROW, GRAY CATBIRD, LEWIS' WOODPECKER, BOBOLINK, YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT,
WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, BULLOCK'S ORIOLE. There were two Golden Eagle nests
pointed out to me by a local native, but the birds were not present. What
huge nests they were, however.

As I zipped past Osoyoos Lake in the evening, I pulled over to investigate
some large white birds on the E. side of the lake. Indeed, they were 10
AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS. Road 22 was again productive in the evening hours.
I got a SORA, a VIRGINIA RAIL, SAY'S PHOEBES, BOBOLINK, WILSON'S SNIPE, a
LEAST FLYCATCHER, a singing male AMERICAN REDSTART, 2 VEERY, a NORTHERN
WATERTHRUSH, and a male BELTED KINGFISHER there. The Redstart was at the S.
end of the E. dyke.

May 29

My first stop was Haynes Point Prov. Park in Osoyoos. Nothing out of the
ordinary here, but I did add my trip PIED-BILLED GREBE. Lots of GRAY
CATBIRDS, BULLOCK'S ORIOLES, WILLOW FLYCATCHERS here as usual.

At White Lake I made a successful run up the hillside for a GRASSHOPPER
SPARROW. The bird was singing his heart out on a grassy hillside. Awesome
views. N. of White Lake, a PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER sang from a Douglas Fir.
A nice bonus at White Lake was a BLUE RACER!

I drove up the Irrigation Ck Road, trying to gain elevation and escape the
blazing heat. Must have been at least 30 degrees Celsius there. Interesting
birds in the Ponderosa Pine Forest included NASHVILLE WARBLER,
PACIFIC-SLOPE, DUSKY and HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS, WESTERN BLUEBIRDS, CASSIN'S
FINCH, and a WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH.

The Venner Meadows Road was my final and most memorable stop. I got a tip
from the Diakows that they had seen a Barred Owl at km 15 so I went to
investigate. I walked in 100 M. to the W. from the km 15 sign and called.
Immediately 2 BARRED OWLS came swooshing in and landed right over my head in
a larch. They called wildly and put on an amazing show. Then, something
unexpected. An adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK came screaming in and started dive
bombing the owls! It remained in the area for a while, calling loudly and
acting very much as if a nest were nearby. While the owls called, begging
notes of baby, or fledgling owls could also be heard, although I could not
find them. A little further down the road the female BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER
was back in the same nest-hole she used 2 years ago a short distance down
the Browning Ck Road! A stop at km 14 for Williamson's Sapsucker was
unproductive, but a stop at km 13.5 produced a gorgeous male WILLIAMSON'S
SAPSUCKER. I used a tape to bring him in, then he sat on the top of a larch
and drummed away while I watched in the scope. At Venner Meadows a
highlight, besides a LINCOLN'S SPARROW and an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER was a
giant cow MOOSE feeding in the meadow.

What a great few days of Okanagan birding! Hope everyone else down there had
as much luck as I did.

Chris Charlesworth
Avocet Tours
725 Richards Road
Kelowna, BC
V1X 2X5
www.avocettours.com

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