[Tweeters] Okanagan Valley (BC) Rare Bird Alert - Nov 6 update

[Chris Charlesworth]

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

Sightings for Saturday, November 6 - 9:30 PM update


Featured Birds include:

PACIFIC LOON (Penticton)
GYRFALCON (Kelowna)

Other birds mentioned:

NORTHERN HAWK-OWL
Tundra Swan
Cackling Goose
Barred Owl
SWAMP SPARROW
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW
SNOW BUNTING
Peregrine Falcon
Lapland Longspur
Northern Pygmy-Owl


Sightings for November 6

The gray-phase adult GYRFALCON has returned to its winter headquarters at 
the Marshall's Feedlot in Kelowna (CC). This bird has returned to Marshall's 
Feedlot, which is found along the W. side of Hwy 97, just S. of McCurdy 
Road, for 4 winters now.

On the 5th, an alternate plumage PACIFIC LOON was seen on Okanagan Lake 
along the Penticton waterfront (MG).


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).

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Observer Initials: CC - Chris Charlesworth; TF - Trevor Forder; Neish; RT - 
Ryan Tomlinson; JM - James MacGregor; DB - Doug Brown; DW - Don Wilson; GW - 
Gwynneth Wilson; RM - Richard Mooney; MS - Murphy Shewchuck; MG - Mark 
Gardiner.

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