Subject: Okanagan Valley (BC) Rare Bird Alert - Feb 28 update
Date: Feb 28 20:34:01 2004
From: Chris Charlesworth - c_charlesworth23 at hotmail.com
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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