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

Sightings for Friday, August 6 - 9:30 PM update


Featured Birds include:

FRANKLIN'S GULL (Salmon Arm)
ALDER FLYCATCHER (Salmon Arm)
BLACK SWIFT (Salmon Arm)

Other birds mentioned include:

Clay-colored Sparrow
American White Pelican
Black Tern
CLARK'S GREBE
Spruce Grouse
ANCIENT MURRELET
American Bittern
CASPIAN TERN
Baird's Sandpiper
Gray Flycatcher
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
Red-necked Phalarope
Western Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Semipalmated Plover
Bobolink


Sightings for August 6

In Salmon Arm the ALDER FLYCATCHER continues to sing near the outhouse along
the trail to Christmas Island (CC,MF).

Two adult CLARK'S GREBES were seen in Salmon Arm; one from Christmas Island
and one from the pier (CC,MF).

>From the Nature Park at the foot of Narcisse Road in Salmon Arm the two
AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS continue as well as a few hundred assorted
shorebirds. Two juv. BLACK TERNS were foraging over the water and 4
FRANKLIN'S GULLS were loafing with big numbers of gulls on the mudflats.
Overhead were at least 20 BLACK SWIFTS (CC,MF).

On the Vernon Commonage at the intersection of Commonage Rd and Bench Row Rd
were 5 CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS (CC,MF).


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).


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


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

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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