April 7, 2018
We met at the Apple Bowl on Saturday morning, it was a dreary rainy looking day. We were supposed to head south for stops in Penticton, Summerland and Oliver. Chris informed us that we'd first go to his place in Peachland and check out the birds at his feeder and wait for the rain to let up.But before we left, yesterday's Merlin put in another appearance at the Apple Bowl.
Merlin - Apple Bowl, Kelowna BC
Peachland
Chris lives quite high up above the lake in Peachland. His seed feeder was near his house and we huddled under the eaves to watch it. There was a Chestnut-backed Chickadee, which is rare for the Okanagan, but it eluded my camera.
I did capture this Mountain Chickadee.
Mountain Chickadee - Peachland BC - 2018 Bird #119
Summerland and Penticton
We left Peachland heading south for Summerland. We visited a small area off the highway that has some access to Okanagan Lake. Chris has seen a Long-eared Owl here before, but it was not here in the rain today. A nice consolation was an immature Northern Shrike and one of my better photos of the day.
Northern Shrike - Trout Creek Point, Summerland BC
An exciting bird for the Okanagan was a Dunlin, a common shorebird on the coast. I was not able to get any kind of photo if it unfortunately.
We did see this Red-necked Grebe in the lake.
Red-necked Grebe - Trout Creek Point, Summerland BC
We made our way down to Penticton and had a long coffee break at Tim Horton's ( I quickly visited Starbucks for my coffee). We then went to the lakefront in Penticton. It was quiet except for a pair of Mergansers. The photo of the female turned out the best.
Common Merganser (F) - Okanagan Lake, Penticton BC
We continued south and forked off onto White Lake Road just after the turnoff to Kaleden.
White Lake Road, Kaleden
This road is normally a great place to see Okanagan birds. Near the start of it is the St. Andrews Golf Course (named for the more famous one in Scotland).
On this day it was more of a canoe racing course.
This Common Merganser felt right at home here.
Common Merganser - St. Andrews by the Lake Golf Course, Kaleden BC
Another visitor to the course was a Greater Yellowlegs, my first of the year.
Greater Yellowlegs - St. Andrews by the Lake Golf Course, Kaleden BC
2018 Bird #120
The rain had abated and the birds started appearing as we crossed into the Oliver segment of White Lake Road.
Western Bluebird - White Lake Rd, Oliver BC
Monica called out Townsend's Solitaire, and it turned out there were three of them. I was not fast enough to get a photo, so I'm substituting one seen at Hardy Falls in Peachland last year.
Townsend's Solitaire - 2018 Bird #121 on White Lake Rd, Oliver BC
Photo taken at Hardy Falls Peachland in April 2017
As we were driving along, Chris reported on the Walkie-talkie that there was a Rough-legged Hawk alongside the road. I was able to get this shot from inside the car.
Rough-legged Hawk - Green Lake Rd, Oliver BC
A bird I expect to see at Hardy Falls in Peachland is the American Dipper. However, the park is closed this year due to flood damage that occurred in Summer 2017.
They are also found at the Okanagan Dam in Okanagan Falls. After scanning for a while, a Dipper was spotted and I got some nice long-distance shots.
American Dipper - Okanagan Dam, Okanagan Falls BC - 2018 Bird #122
We stopped briefly at Vaseux Lake, one of my favourite hotspots in my early years of birding, but it was quiet. We did hear a Marsh Wren singing but I was unable to locate it or get a photo.
Just across from Vaseux Lake are the McIntyre Bluffs. We drove up there and Chris tried calling in a Canyon Wren. He did get a response but the bird stayed high up out of sight in the rocks.
Overhead there was a Golden Eagle soaring in the clouds, but I could not get a shot before it disappeared. Once again, I've substituted a photo. This one was taken at the same location on our tour in 2013.
Just across from Vaseux Lake are the McIntyre Bluffs. We drove up there and Chris tried calling in a Canyon Wren. He did get a response but the bird stayed high up out of sight in the rocks.
Overhead there was a Golden Eagle soaring in the clouds, but I could not get a shot before it disappeared. Once again, I've substituted a photo. This one was taken at the same location on our tour in 2013.
Golden Eagle - McIntyre Bluffs, Oliver BC - 2018 Bird #123
Photo taken in April 2013.
By this time we were all exhausted. It was time to go check in at The Lakeside Resort in Oliver for the night. Chris cancelled the owling expedition when he discovered there were Great Horned Owls nesting at the resort! We'd check them out the next morning.
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