April 8
The last day of the tour is always abbreviated as most of the group returns to Kelowna in the afternoon. Edith and I were staying in Okanagan Falls overnight before heading to Grand Forks to visit family the next morning.
Lakeside Resort, Oliver
Our first bird of the day required no travel. As mentioned in the previous post, there were a pair of Great Horned Owls nesting in a tree at our resort. We all gathered for a look at 8:00 AM. I took some photos of the owl on the nest but there was no clear shot to be had.However, the partner was very photogenic, watching us all to ensure we didn't get too close to the nest.
Great Horned Owl - Oliver BC
Road 22, Oliver BC
We left the resort and made our way to Road 22, always a staple on the tour. The east-west roads are numbered from north to south out of Oliver and this is the farthest south. The Okanagan River flows through this area and there are preserved lands on either side. There's also a dike along the river that can be driven on or walked on.The first birds of note were a group of 18 pelicans off to the West moving North. We'd seen them on other tours, this seems to be the time they migrate from the south. We have friends near Quesnel which is often their destination.
American White Pelicans - Oliver BC - 2018 Bird #125
Another common nesting species in this area is the Osprey. They like these platform nests with the garish decorations.
Osprey - Near Road 22,- Oliver BC - 2018 Bird #126
We also saw Savannah Sparrows in the fields but too far away for photos. I took the photo below six days later in Point Roberts, Washington.
Savannah Sparrow - Road 22, Oliver BC - 2018 Bird #127
(Photo taken April 14, 2018 at Point Roberts WA)
Chris had hoped to show us Long-billed Curlews as they are seen at this time of year in farmer's fields. Although we think of them as shorebirds, they nest in fields where the male creates a small scrape on the ground for the female to lay eggs in. They use the tall grasses to hide the location.
As we were finishing our walk on the dyke, Chris heard the call overhead and we were able to locate the curlews in a nearby field. This photo was take from about 100 meters distance, one of the clearer long distance shots of the trip.
Long-billed Curlew - Road 22, Oliver BC - 2018 Bird #128
McIntyre Bluffs, Oliver BC
This location is across the highway from Vaseux Lake and overlooks the lake from on high. We made a quick stop to try for a Canyon Wren and we may have heard one response. I didn't count it as enough to put it in my year list.
We did see a Mountain Bluebird up there and I finally got a couple of nice shots of this species.
Mountain Bluebird - McIntyre Bluffs, Oliver BC
We returned to the Highway and proceeded north towards Okanagan Falls. Just before the town we took a logging road east and then forked off on Venner Meadows Road. The target was Williamson's Sapsucker, but Chris could not call them in. This was the first time we'd missed this species on the tour.
We got a nice consolation prize when he called in a Northern Pygmy Owl.
Northern Pygmy Owl - Venner Meadows Rd, Okanagan Falls BC
2018 Bird #129
We then heard and saw a Pileated Woodpecker, but I was unable to locate it with the camera. It was 2018 Bird #130.
The second to last bird on the tour was a Cooper's Hawk. It was spotted by one of our novices. How she saw it is a mystery. It took Chris quite a while to get the scope on it. The photo below was taken with my IPhone through the scope. The tail shape is the best indicator in this photo.
Cooper's Hawk -Venner Meadows Rd, Okanagan Falls BC
2018 Bird #130
Chris also got a response from a Gray Jay and it came in to have a look at us. However, the lighting was poor and I didn't get a shot. Here's one from the same approximate location taken on the tour in 2016 (in much better lighting conditions).
Gray Jay - Venner Meadows Rd, Okanagan Falls BC
2018 Bird #130
Photo taken at same location in April 2016
This was the end of the tour and we said our goodbyes as most of the participants were heading back to Kelowna. We were staying in Okanagan Falls overnight before travelling to Grand Forks.
I did get one more photo on the day, an American Kestrel hawking insects from a wire in OK Falls. This was taken from my IPhone from the car.
American Kestrel - Okanagan Falls BC
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