Subject: Okanagan Valley (BC) Rare Bird Alert - Aug 28 update
Date: Aug 28 18:20:20 2004
From: Chris Charlesworth - c_charlesworth23 at hotmail.com


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

Sightings for Saturday, August 28 - 6:30 PM update


Featured Birds include:

AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER (Kelowna)
AMERICAN REDSTART (Kelowna)

Other birds

Olive-sided Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Townsend's Warbler
RED PHALAROPE
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER
SABINE'S GULL
Black-bellied Plover
Red-necked Phalarope
Northern Pintail
FRANKLIN'S GULL
American White Pelican
STILT SANDPIPER
Peregrine Falcon
Sandhill Crane
SANDERLING
RUSTY BLACKBIRD
American Three-toed Woodpecker
Spruce Grouse
Black Swift


Sightings for August 28

An AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER was found, in Kelowna, on the turf farms S. of the
airport. From the intersection of Hereron Rd and Acland Rd, scan, with a
scope, the only plowed field to the NE. The bird was in association with
numerous KILLDEER (CC).

Sutherland Hills Regional Park, in Kelowna, produced a female AMERICAN
REDSTART, an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER and a LEAST FLYCATCHER (CC), while
Chichester Bird Sanctuary in Kelowna had many warblers including a
TOWNSEND'S WARBLER (CC,RM,CM).


Sightings for August 25

At the Osoyoos Sewage Ponds, two RED PHALAROPES were reported (DB). An adult
and a juvenile were reported at the lagoons which can be accessed from the
club house of the Osoyoos Golf Club. Walk east across a fairway towards the
sewage ponds which are surrounded by a chain-link fence. It would be smart
to obtain permission to cross the fairway from the clubhouse.

In Salmon Arm, up to 9 BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS were present at the mudflats
off the Nature Park at the foot of Narcisse Road. Also here were 48 STILT
SANDPIPERS, 2 juv. BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, an adult PEREGRINE FALCON, 2
AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS, 2 SANDHILL CRANES, and 16 juv. FRANKLIN'S GULLS.
Particularly stunning was an adult SABINE'S GULL (DC).

A juv. FRANKLIN'S GULL was also seen on the 24th from the dyke W. of the
Vaseux Banding Station (LRock).

Robert Lake, in Kelowna, has filled up with water once again and is
attracting large numbers of birds, including up to 23 STILT SANDPIPERS, many
NORTHERN PINTAIL and good numbers of RED-NECKED PHALAROPES (CC).


Sightings for August 24

One of the two juv. BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS was again seen in Salmon Arm,
on the mudflats, from the Nature Park at the foot of Narcisse Road on Aug 23
(TF).

Two male RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were found at the intersection of Hereron Rd and
Acland Rd in N. Kelowna (CC). The birds were feeding on seed with BREWER'S
BLACKBIRDS, in the drive way of the white trailer on the N. side of the
intersection.

A SANDERLING, first found on Aug 22, was again seen on the 24 in the ponds
along Kilpoola Lake Road, W. of Osoyoos (DB).

Up to 9 BLACK SWIFTS were seen, during a rain shower, flying low over the
Chichester Bird Sanctuary in Kelowna (CC).

A hike through the Myra Canyon end of the trestles, an area ravaged by last
summer's wild fires produced two AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKERS and a
number of other woodpecker species. A SPRUCE GROUSE was also seen in the
area (ST).

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


Observer Initials: CC - Chris Charlesworth; TF Trevor Forder; DB - Doug
Brown; DC - Don Cecile; LRock - Laurie Rockwell; ST - Scott Thompson; RM -
Richard Mooney; CM - Connor Mooney.

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

_________________________________________________________________
Take charge with a pop-up guard built on patented Microsoft SmartScreen
Technology.
http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-ca&page=byoa/prem&xAPID=1994&DI=1034&SU=http://hotmail.com/enca&HL=Market_MSNIS_Taglines
Start enjoying all the benefits of MSN Premium right now and get the
first two months FREE*.