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

Sightings for Monday, November 1 - 10:00 PM update


Featured Birds include:

NORTHERN HAWK-OWL (Kelowna)

Other birds mentioned:

Tundra Swan
PACIFIC LOON
Cackling Goose
GRYFALCON
Barred Owl
SWAMP SPARROW
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW
SNOW BUNTING
Peregrine Falcon
Lapland Longspur
Northern Pygmy-Owl
White-winged Scoter
Chukar
Northern Shrike


Sightings for November 1

A NORTHERN HAWK-OWL was seen and photographed along the Little White Forest
Service Road S. of Kelowna on October 31 (MS). This is in fairly remote
country and a good four wheel drive, equipped with chains, is required. You
can access this road from the top of June Springs Road. The bird was at the
8 km point on this road. There is a 7 1/2 km marker, but no 8 km marker. The
location is in the Okanagan Mountain Park burn, near a small creek on a flat
area. Those who can use a GPS may find the coordinates useful. They are 11 U
E 331600 N 5516000.

A family of six TUNDRA SWANS were reported at Duck Lake in Kelowna on Nov 1
(JM).


Sightings for October 31

With the arrival of cooler weather, many northern species are now arriving
in the Okanagan Valley. Four PACIFIC LOONS were on the pond along E. dyke,
S. of Road 22, near Osoyoos (DB). In Kelowna, a basic plumage PACIFIC LOON
was seen on Okanagan Lake off the Grand Hotel (RT).

Migrant flocks of CANADA GEESE should be checked right now, since small
numbers of CACKLING GEESE are beginning to arrive. Today, 4 were in with
Canadas in the fields along Cornish Road in Rutland (CC,TF), and another was
along Valley Road in Kelowna, near Cross Road (GW).

Huge numbers of migrant ducks and geese along the foreshore in Salmon Arm
are no doubt what attracted a gray-phase GYRFALCON to the area on the 30th
(CC,RM,TF,DW). The bird was harassing ducks over Christmas Island. At the
Nature Park, in Salmon Arm, an adult PEREGRINE FALCON was observed
(CC,RM,TF,DW).

AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS have just arrived in good numbers, with one on
Christmas Island on Oct 30th (CC,m.ob), 2 at the N. end of Otter Lake, N. of
Vernon (CC,m.ob), 1 in a weedy field along K.L.O Road (CC), and 6 along the
E. dyke S. of Road 22 (DB). Also along this stretch of the river channel, a
SWAMP SPARROW was found in the extensive marshes (DB).

E. of Kelowna along Hwy 33 at Pyman Road, a scan of the Black Mountain
Grasslands produced a small flock of SNOW BUNTINGS (CC). A NORTHERN
PYGMY-OWL was at km 1 on Philpott Road in this area as well (CC).

At Robert Lake, a LAPLAND LONGSPUR was observed (RT) and on the Vernon
Commonage, along Bailey Road, a BARRED OWL was in the first large copse of
trees encountered W. of the hwy (TF).


Sightings for October 27

WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS were noted on two small lakes, W. of Okanagan Falls
along Green Lake Road. There was one at Green Lake on the 27th (DB) and 4
were at Mahoney Lake on the 26th (ED).

On the 26th, up to 4 PACIFIC LOONS, along with 1 COMMON LOON, were on the
pond on the E. side of the dyke S. of Road 22, near Osoyoos (JL).

At the Elkink Ranch, W. of Osoyoos on Hwy 3, numerous CHUKAR were found and
a single NORTHERN SHRIKE was present on the 26 (JL).


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Observer Initials: CC - Chris Charlesworth; TF - Trevor Forder; LN - Laure
Neish; RT - Ryan Tomlinson; JM - James MacGregor; JL - Judy Latta; DB - Doug
Brown; ED - Eva Durance; DW - Don Wilson; GW -
Gwynneth Wilson; RM - Richard Mooney; MS - Murphy Shewchuck.

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