Subject: [Tweeters] Okanagan Valley (BC) Rare Bird Alert - Jan 2 update
Date: Jan 2 23:52:41 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 Sunday, January 2 - 11:30 PM update

Featured Birds include:

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE (Osoyoos)
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW (Lake Country)
HARRIS'S SPARROW (Osoyoos)
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD (Armstrong)
BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD (Oliver)

Other birds mentioned:

Northern Pygmy-Owl
Canada Goose
AMERICAN PIPIT
Prairie Falcon
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW
Pine Grosbeak
Long-eared Owl
SWAMP SPARROW
Northern Harrier
Rough-legged Hawk
Northern Shrike
Cooper's Hawk
American Kestrel
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Killdeer
GYRFALCON
GREAT GRAY OWL
SAVANNAH SPARROW
Pileated Woodpecker


Sightings for January 2

The final Okanagan Christmas Bird counts were held today with frigid
temperatures and gusty winds. Osoyoos tallied 104 species, while Lake
Country tallied 81.

Highlights on the Osoyoos CBC included a BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD and a PRAIRIE
FALCON at the Southern Plus Feedlot off Black Sage Road, between Oliver and
Osoyoos (MF).

An AMERICAN PIPIT was at the Inkameep Campground, near Oliver (MH) and a
LEWIS'S WOODPECKER was along Black Sage Road btwn Oliver and Osoyoos (MF).

An imm. HARRIS'S SPARROW was found at the Osoyoos Sewage Lagoons (DH) with
another seen in the Richter Pass (DB). Two WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS were in
the woodlot S. of Road 22, on the W. side of the dyke (RC). A LONG-EARED OWL
was found in the woodlot N. of Road 22 on the W. side of the dyke (RC).

Be on the watch for a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE in with CANADA GEESE in
the Oliver / Osoyoos areas since one was tallied at an undisclosed location
on the CBC (DC).

In Lake Country, an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW was seen in the Okanagan Center
area along Moberly Road (RT,RM).

A high count of well over 150 PINE GROSBEAKS was made as well. Some
locations, such as the intersection of Todd Road & Oyama Lake Road on the E.
side of Woods Lake had both PINE GROSBEAKS and EVENING GROSBEAKS together
(CC,CS). Also at the last intersection was a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL (CC,CS).

Seen just S. of Armstrong, 3 YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were at the
intersection of Thomas Hayes Road and the Otter Lake Cross Road (JQ).


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).

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Observers: CC - Chris Charlesworth; MF - Mike Force; RM - Richard Mooney;
JM - James McGregor; CS - Chris Siddle; JT - John Theberge; RT - Ryan
Tomlinson; EF - Elke Fischer; JQ - John Quirk; DC - Dick Cannings; RC - Russ
Cannings; MH - Margaret Holm; DH - Donna Heard; DB - Doug Brown;


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