Birders,

Brenda Thomson called the bird alert this AM with news of a SNOWY OWL along
the lakeshore in Kelowna. I arrived at Sarson's Beach at about 10:30 and
found a gathering of birders looking for the owl. It could not be seen so we
tried another nearby beach access with no luck. I returned to the Sarson's
Beach and found the bird roosting near some docks. Below are the directions:

>From Hwy 97 in downtown Kelowna head S. on Pandosy St. Pandosy turns into
Lakeshore Road in the Kelowna Mission area. When you come to the lights at
Sarson's Road turn right. Follow Sarson's to the beach / playground area and
park in the lot. Follow the beach along the N. side of the point and you'll
see numerous docks along the shore. You'll also see a row of huge boulders,
used by the resident for landscaping. The SNOWY OWL was on the ground near
the base of the boulders. It was being harassed by the occasional crow,
raven and Ring-billed Gull. The owl appears to be an immature.

Also, the WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL hasn't been seen as of yet today. If you
want to see a photograph of it go to Richard Mooney's photo site at
www.picturetrails.com/rmooney.

Sincerely,

Chris Charlesworth
Kelowna, BC