Subject: [Tweeters] Okanagan Valley (BC) Rare Bird Alert - January 1 update
Date: Jan 1 19:09:54 2005
From: Chris Charlesworth - c_charlesworth23 at hotmail.com


This is the Okanagan Valley Rare Bird Alert, sponsored by Avocet Tours
(www.avocettours.com).

Sightings for Saturday, January 1- 7:00 PM update

Featured Birds include:

AMERICAN TREE SPARROW (Kelowna)
SWAMP SPARROW (Kelowna)
HARRIS'S SPARROW (Kelowna)

Other birds mentioned:

Northern Harrier
Rough-legged Hawk
Northern Shrike
Cooper's Hawk
American Kestrel
Northern Pygmy Owl
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Killdeer
GYRFALCON
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW
GREAT GRAY OWL
SAVANNAH SPARROW
Pileated Woodpecker
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT
EURASIAN WIGEON
Red-breasted Merganser

Sightings for January 1

A weedy field on Lakeshore Road in Kelowna produced 2 imm. HARRIS'S SPARROWS
and a SWAMP SPARROW, amongst many SONG and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS (CC,RT).
>From the lights at the bottom of Chute Lake Road, turn right along Lakeshore
and you'll find the field on the left hand side of the road 0.6 km from the
intersection.

The weeds behind the Capital News Centre on Gordon Road in Kelowna yielded
17 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS. A number of raptors were working this field as
well, including 3 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS, 5 RED-TAILED HAWKS, 2 NORTHERN
HARRIERS, 1 COOPER'S HAWK, and 1 AMERICAN KESTREL. An imm. NORTHERN SHRIKE
was observed as well (CC,RT).

The GYRFALCON was watched hunting pigeons at Marshall's Feedlot on the W.
side of Hwy 97, S. of McCurdy Road in Kelowna (CC,RT).

Along Philpott Road in Joe Rich a CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE was seen near
the green mailboxes approx 5 km from Hwy 33 (CC,RT). Also in the Joe Rich
area was a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL perched on a treetop at 8 Mile Ranch and 3
PINE GROSBEAKS in some bushes along the S. side of Hwy 33, about 1 km E. of
the subdivision (CC,RT).

In Westbank, a lingering KILLDEER was at Gellatly Bay and an imm. NORTHERN
HARRIER was also hunting in that area (EF).


Sightings for December 31

A GREAT GRAY OWL was seen along Shrike Hill Road, off McKinney Road, E. of
Oliver (JT).

The wintering GYRFALCON in Kelowna has been seen daily at Marshall's Feedlot
along the W. side of Hwy 97, S. of McCurdy Road (CC,CS).

Two SAVANNAH SPARROWS were found in the extensive weedy field behind the
Capital News Sports Centre along Gordon Road in Kelowna (CS).

At the N. end of Duck Lake, in Kelowna, a PILEATED WOODPECKER visited a suet
feeder at Holiday Park (JM).


Sightings for December 27

With 98 species seen, the Vaseux Lake CBC was held on the 27th. Highlights
included a DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT at Gallagher's Lake, S. of Vaseux Lake
(ED), 2 female RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS at the S. end of Skaha Lake in OK
Falls (CC,TF,SK), a male EURASIAN WIGEON at Vaseux Lake (RM,GR) and a
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW in the Willowbrook area (MF).


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Observers: CC - Chris Charlesworth; MF - Mike Force; ED - Eva Durance; RM
- Richard Mooney;
GR - Glenda Ross; SK - Skip King; JM - James McGregor; CS - Chris Siddle; JT
- John Theberge; RT - Ryan Tomlinson; EF - Elke Fischer.


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