This is the Okanagan Valley (BC) Bird Alert (250-491-7738), sponsored by The
Land Conservancy of BC.

Sightings for Monday, August 2 - 11:30 PM update

**RARE BIRD ALERT for ANCIENT MURRELET (Salmon Arm)

Featured Birds include:

SPRUCE GROUSE (Kelowna)

Other birds mentioned include:

American Bittern
CASPIAN TERN
Baird's Sandpiper
American White Pelican
Gray Flycatcher
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
Red-necked Phalarope
Western Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Semipalmated Plover
Bobolink
BROWN THRASHER
LARK BUNTING
Blue Grouse


Sightings for August 2

A juvenile ANCIENT MURRELET was photographed on Shuswap Lake at the end of
Sunnybrae Road in Salmon Arm on July 31 (fide TH,FK). The bird was in
distress and was taken into a bathtub to recoup, then released in the
evening. The observers watched it swim offshore until dark. Any further
sightings, please report!

Back country explorations in the Kelowna area produced two sightings of
female SPRUCE GROUSE with broods of young. One was seen along Postill Lake
Road and the other near Ideal Lake (TF).


Sightings for August 1

Falling water levels have made Robert Lake ideal for shorebirds. High
numbers of birds were tallied today including 2 juv. BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS, 2
WESTERN SANDPIPERS, many SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, at least 3 RED-NECKED
PHALAROPES, a SOLITARY SANDPIPER, a SEMIPALMATED PLOVER and few other common
species (CC,RM).

The first day of banding at the Vaseux Banding Station produced the
observatory's first GRAY FLYCATCHER (fide DC).

In Salmon Arm, birds seen from the Nature Park, formerly known as the dog
park, at the foot of Narcisse Road included 2 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, an
AMERICAN BITTERN, 8 CASPIAN TERNS, 17 SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, 4 LONG-BILLED
DOWITCHERS and a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE (TH).

On July 30, a flock of 10 fall plumage BOBOLINKS were seen foraging in a
recently plowed hayfield along the E. dyke S. of Road 22 (CC,CoC).

On July 28, a female BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD was at the feeder at the log
house near the large pond in Sutherland Hills Park in Kelowna (CC).


Sightings for July 25

A BROWN THRASHER was found 6 km S. of Salmon Arm along Hwy 97B in the area
of Grandview Bench Road on July 21 (TH). The bird was on the S. side of the
road and anyone planning on searching for this great rarity should plan to
arrive as early in the morning as possible in case it is singing.

Also, in a late report, a male LARK BUNTING was in the Scotch Ck area near
Salmon Arm back on June 4 (TH). Perhaps the same bird that appeared in
Summerland earlier in July?

An AMERICAN BITTERN is being seen and heard regularly from the dog park at
the foot of Narcisse Road (TH).

At Robert Lake in Kelowna there was a single SEMIPALMATED PLOVER and a
single SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER amongst many more common species (CC).

A SOLITARY SANDPIPER was on a muddy pond in Sutherland Hills Pk in Kelowna
(CC).

On the Vernon Commonage, 3 BLUE GROUSE, most likely a grown up brood, were
seen along Howard Road (CS).


--------------------------------------------------------


Observer Initials: CC - Chris Charlesworth; TH - Ted Hillary; CS - Chris
Siddle; DC - Dick Cannings; CoC - Connor Charlesworth; RM - Richard Mooney;
TF - Trevor Forder.

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

Chris Charlesworth
Avocet Tours
725 Richards Road
Kelowna, BC, Canada
V1X 2X5
(250) 718-0335
c_charlesworth at avocettours.com
www.avocettours.com

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