Subject: [Tweeters] Okanagan Valley (BC) Rare Bird Alert - December 5 update
Date: Dec 5 21:14:08 2004
From: Chris Charlesworth - c_charlesworth23 at hotmail.com


This is the Okanagan Valley (BC) Bird Alert (250-491-7738), sponsored by
Avocet Tours.

Sightings for Sunday, December 5 - 9:00 PM update


Featured Birds include:

BOREAL OWL (Vernon)
GLAUCOUS GULL (Kelowna)
MACKAY'S BUNTING (Vancouver)

Other birds mentioned:

Northern Goshawk
PACIFIC LOON
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL
EURASIAN WIGEON
HARRIS'S SPARROW
Rough-legged Hawk
American Tree Sparrow
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW


Sightings for December 5

A roosting BOREAL OWL at the tree farm on Bench Row Road, on the Vernon
Commonage, was a great find on the morning of December 5 (RM,TF,m.ob). The
bird was in the first grove of coniferous trees encountered on the right (W)
side of the main path through the plantation. From the gate, walk a short
distance to the second green post with a sprinkler, then head right into the
small finger of mostly Ponderosa Pines that extend towards the road. The owl
was roosting in one of 3 Douglas Firs in this area and was present all day.
Also in the area were at least 2 GREAT HORNED OWLS.

At the Kelowna Landfill on Glenmore Road was a first year GLAUCOUS GULL
(CC).

An immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK was at Marshall's Feedlot along Hwy 97 in N.
Kelowna (CS).

In Vancouver, a winter plumage male MACKAY'S BUNTING was found near the tip
of the Iona Jetty (fide RTo). This bird was seen on the afternoon of the 4th
and again on the morning of the 5th. Call the Vancouver Bird Alert for more
information at (604) 737-3074.


Sightings for November 28

In Vernon, the adult winter LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was again at the mouth
of Vernon Creek in Okanagan Landing (MF,DC).

A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was at the N. end of Duck Lake in Kelowna (JM).

A male EURASIAN WIGEON and a PACIFIC LOON were seen from the provincial
campsite at Vaseux Lake (TF,RT,CC,RM).

At Road 22, the imm. HARRIS'S SPARROW was again seen (RM,TF,RT,CC). It was
along the E. dyke, S. of Road 22, approx. 100 meters S. of the bridge.

Large numbers of AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS were seen along the S. end of Black
Sage Road near Osoyoos (CC,RM,RT,TF).


Sightings for November 26

The adult basic LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was again at the mouth of Vernon
Creek in the Okanagan Landing area of Vernon (DC).

Along Miller Road, in E. Kelowna, two NORTHERN GOSHAWKS (an adult and imm)
were seen on power poles (GW,m.ob).

A HARRIS'S SPARROW and a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW were amongst many other
sparrows in the weeds along the dyke N. of Road 22 (DB).


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Observer Initials: CC - Chris Charlesworth; DC - Don Cecile; MF - Mike
Force; DB - Doug Brown; RM - Richard Mooney; TF - Trevor Forder; GW -
Gwynneth Wilson; RT - Ryan Tomlinson; JM - James McGregor; CS - Chris
Siddle; RTo - Rick Toochin;

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