This is the Okanagan Valley (BC) Rare Bird Alert (250-491-7738).


Sightings for Saturday, February 28 - 8:30 PM update.


Featured bird is:

GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH (Vernon)

Other birds mentioned include:

RED-BREASTED MERGANSER
Western Grebe
Mew Gull
Pine Grosbeak
Killdeer
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Northern Pygmy-Owl
GYRFALCON
Lapland Longspur
SNOW GOOSE
Northern Pintail


Sightings for February 28

Up to 50 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES were seen along the Old Okanagan Hwy, S.
of Vernon (TF,m.ob). The birds, of which both coastal and interior races
were noted, were foraging on an open hillside approx. 1 km S. of the Kal
Lake lookout.

Raptors were on the move, with good numbers of RED-TAILED HAWKS and a few
ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS noted around the Vernon area (LR,CC,m.ob).

A NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL was seen along Sovereign Lakes Road, off Silver Star
Road, E. of Vernon (LR). Another NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL was heard at Crystal
Mountain near Westbank (RM). Along the road to Crystal Mountain were 2 PINE
GROSBEAKS (RM).

A flock of WESTERN GREBES were noted on Okanagan Lake, off Rotary Beach in
Kelowna on Feb 26(PL,GW,m.ob). Also at Rotary Beach was a first year MEW
GULL (GW,m.ob)

KILLDEER flocks have been noted in open fields throughout the Kelowna area
(m.ob).

A male RED-BREASTED MERGANSER was seen on Osoyoos Lake, at the Hwy 3 bridge
in Osoyoos (TF,HV,JV).


Sightings for February 23

The GYRFALCON continues at Marshall's Feedlot, in Kelowna, along Hwy 97 at
McCurdy Road (JV).

A LAPLAND LONGSPUR was found on the rocks along the outer trail at the
Rotary Marshes in downtown Kelowna (JV).


Sightings for February 22

A lone SNOW GOOSE was reported at the N. end of Osoyoos Lake (TF).

Along Road 22 were the first migrant NORTHERN PINTAILS (TF). There were 8 in
total.

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Observer Initials: CC - Chris Charlesworth; TF - Trevor Forder; RM -
Richard Mooney; JV - John Vooys; GW - Gwynneth Wilson; LR - Lesley
Robertson; PL - Pam Laing;

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

This update has been sponsored by the TUMBLEWEED NATURE STORE at 67 Front
Street in Penticton.

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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