The ornithologists diary: 2010, Okanagan

[Bsuds]

On Tuesday while having breakfast with some friends, I saw a Bald Eagle. It landed in a tree and sat there for quite a long time.
This was near the railway tracks by Enterprise.

[Glacier]

Nice, Glacier! Lucky you! Where were you?

In the Cariboo some 3500 ft above sea level.

[grammafreddy]

Were you up on the plateau? I would have thought the winters would be too harsh for those birds up there.

[Glacier]

Yup, I was on the plateau. The interesting thing about the evening grosbeak is that they are one of the few birds that don't have to migrate to warmer grounds in the winter. Therefore, the Cariboo is not too cold in the Winter.

[Tootsie]

I usually see people walking around our neighbourhood with clipboards around this time of year - they're doing a bird count. They always stop to take note of what birds are at our feeders. Does anyone know what day it's usually done (Gramma F. - maybe you know?). Just wondering if it's New Year's Day.

[grammafreddy]

From the BC Interior Bird Yahoo Group messages about the Kelowna Christmas Bird Count (CBC):
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/bcintbird/

Kelowna CBC results


Birders,

The Kelowna CBC was held yesterday, Dec 18, 2010. Conditions were very good
throughout the day with little wind and good visibility until the end of the day
when a snow squall began around 3 PM. A dozen teams scoured the Kelowna area
turning up 98 species. Here's the total list:

Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Trumpeter Swan
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
California Quail
Ring-necked Pheasant
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Western Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
American Kestrel
Merlin
PEREGRINE FALCON - Seen chasing pigeons over Chichester Bird Sanct.
GYRFALCON - Perched on power pole on W. side of Dilworth Mtn.
Virginia Rail - One at Chichester and another along Mill Ck near W. end of
McCurdy Rd.
American Coot
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull
Thayer's Gull
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL - Ad at Kelowna Landfill.
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Western Screech-Owl - 1 heard in Scenic Canyon.
Great Horned Owl
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl - 1 heard in gully along Anderson Rd.
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Am. Three-toed Woodpecker
BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER - 1 along Gillard FSR in Mission area.
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Shrike
Gray Jay - 5 along Gillard FSR.
Steller's Jay
Clark's Nutcracker
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Pacific Wren
Marsh Wren - 1 along Bulman Rd.
American Dipper
Golden-crowned Kinglet
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET - Several in different areas.
Western Bluebird - 5 along Mt Royal Ave.
Townsend's Solitaire
American Robin
Varied Thrush
European Starling
Bohemian Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Pine Grosbeak
House Finch
Red Crossbill
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak
House Sparrow


Thanks for the help from everyone who came along!

Chris Charlesworth
Kelowna, BC

Other areas will do them on different days. If you want a specific area, other than Kelowna, I can see if I can find info about it for you - or you could check the BC Interior Bird group and perhaps join and participate there yourself

[grammafreddy]

For those interested, there are a few winter feeder/bird programs to participate in.

Project Feeder Watch (Nov 13, 2010 - April 8, 2011): http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/

The Great Backyard Bird Count (Feb 18 - 21, 2011): http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/

[Queen K]

Rotary Bird Sanctuary sighting:

[Queen K]

And a Heron.

[grammafreddy]

Pretty nice, Queenie! I don't have a Pintail yet. Guess I'll have to head down to Rotary Marsh for one. I sure have lots of pics of that heron, though.

[grammafreddy]

Time for this year's Great Backyard Bird Count ... Feb. 17-20, 2012

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/

Anyone participating?

[Graphite]

How long is the Bullock's Oriole in Kelowna for? I found one in Rutland today, and I think that I have heard him/her singing for a few days in my neighborhood

[grammafreddy]

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bullocks_Oriole/id

They breed here and raise their young so I'd guess through the summer. I have a pic of one at Chichester taken on May 21 and one at the Tower Ranch on June 28.

Where did you see it? They are sure a pretty bird with a nice song.


Just checked the BC Interior Bird List - it shows them here from May to September.

[Graphite]

I saw her near South Rutland Elementary. Thank you for the info on when they are here, I was worried I might not get more chances to see them this summer! That would be a shame.

Their songs are beautiful, I agree. That is the way I have found them when I am outside, song first, then if I am lucky I can find them

[grammafreddy]

Have you checked out the Tower Ranch for birding? It's quite incredible up there. I have added quite a few species to my list by going there at least once a week. The osprey hunt in the golf course ponds. There's hawks, kestrels, kildeer, mourning doves, meadowlarks, hummers, orioles, Lazuli Buntings, finches, different sparrows, kingbirds, Say's Phoebes, swallows, ducks, bluebirds ... and robins There's also gophers and weasels.

If you are into weeds and wildflowers, its the only place I have ever found Prickly Russian Thistle Salsola iberica ...