April 6 Travel Day - Hope, Hardy Falls and Kelowna

This blog details a five day trip to the Okanagan that I and my friend Mary-Jean took to participate in a guided birding tour of Kelowna and the south Okanagan. The tour was conducted by Avocet Tours, a Kelowna based company owned by Chris Charlesworth. There were 15 participants on the tour, many of them local birders from Kelowna.

This is my fifth year taking the tour and second year that Mary-Jean has traveled with me. I picked her up in Cultus Lake and we headed east. Our first stop was in Hope for gas and a quick tour of the Hope Airpark, located north of the Highway. It was a rainy overcast day and the only birds of note were a flock of Pine Siskins just off the road.


Pine Siskin - Hope Airpark, Hope BC

The weather was poor from Hope to Merritt and there was some snow and fog on the Okanagan Connector. I was happy to be in my new Subaru Forester as it handled the conditions with ease. As we were nearing the end of the connector the sky brightened, a welcome sight. Our next planned stop was Hardy Falls near Peachland, a very good spot to see American Dippers.

This species lives near running water where it feeds on aquatic insects. They also like to build nests in the waterfalls as they offer very good protection. I'd seen Dipper here in previous years with Avocet, but Chris had skipped this location the last couple of years.

We took the Peachland fork and headed west for about 10 KM. Hardy Falls is a regional park operated by the District of Peachland. There's a trailer park nearby where we've had some luck seeing other types of birds in previous years.



Hardy Falls feeds Deep Creek, which drains into Okanagan Lake. In early Spring, the creek is flowing vigorously. Dippers love fast flowing water.



Last year we caught a fleeting glimpse of a bird which was probably an American Dipper. Today, we spotted one about halfway up the walk to the falls. It was feeding in the creek and we both took some good shots. The Dipper is mostly Gray, perfect camouflage in a rocky creek


American Dipper, Hardy Falls Regional Park, Peachland BC - 2017 Bird #92

I caught it standing still here.



I took a movie of the bird that shows it's bobbing or pumping behaviour as it searched for prey.

When we reached the falls we were able to see the Dipper's nest behind the rushing water, but I was not able to get a clear photograph. Suddenly a grey bird flew past and landed on a nearby tree branch. We both took good photos and wondered what a Dipper was doing in a tree. I did not review my photos that evening and the next morning showed it to Chris. He said it was a Townsend's Solitaire and I started slapping my head for being such an idiot.

The good news was we spotted an uncommon bird, most often seen during spring migration. It is closely related to the Bluebirds (Mountain, Eastern and Western).


Townsend's Solitaire, Hardy Falls Regional Park, Peachland BC - 2017 Bird #93

We left Hardy Falls and traveled east to Kelowna. After checking in to our rooms and having some rest, we walked over to Mission Creek Regional Park, just south of downtown. We had some good luck here last year, but that was a normal spring. With the long winter this year, the park seemed devoid of birds by comparison.


Mission Creek Regional Park, Kelowna BC

We had a quick look for a Western Screech Owl that we'd seen with the tour last year but did not see one. We'd be back with the tour group the next morning with expert eyes to help find one.

We tromped around the park, up and down and all around. We finally found the Turtle pond and there was some bird life around that area. Here's a poor look at a Yellow-rumped Warbler.


Yellow-rumped Warbler - Mission Creek Regional Park, Kelowna BC

We spotted something flitting around in the bushes and with a bit of pishing it showed itself, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. This would not be the only one we'd see on the tour.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Mission Creek Regional Park, Kelowna BC

Also high above was a Northern Flicker.

Northern Flicker - Mission Creek Regional Park, Kelowna BC

With the absence of other birds, I tried to catch the full moon rising in the East.

As we left the park we spotted some California Quail , a common sight in the Okanagan. However, this is the only photo I took during this trip. I kind of like its psychedelic quality.


California Quail - Mission Creek Regional Park, Kelowna BC - 2017 Bird #94.

This ended day 1. Tomorrow morning we'd meet the group and start the serious birding.

April 7 - Tour Day 1 - Mission Creek Park, Robert Lake and Beaver Lake Road

We met the group at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna. Chris Chrlesworth and Mike Force were the two guides. There were fifteen birders. We were in one of three Subarus, a great vehicle for birding. We left a few vehicles at the Apple Bowl and headed over to Mission Creek Park hoping to locate a Western Screech-owl.

The group followed the leaders and waited while they searched for the owl. Within five minutes they had located it and Mike had it in his scope. I took this first photo with my phone through the scope.

Western Screech-owl - Mission Creek Regional Park, Kelowna BC - 2017 Bird #96

I'd seen this owl the year before and heard it on a golf trip in 2014. This was my first clear photo of one. Now that I'd seen it with the scope I could locate it with the Nikon and zoom in on it.

Western Screech-owl - Mission Creek Regional Park, Kelowna BC 

Our next stop was Robert Lake in Kelowna, located near the garbage dump. It's a good place for ducks and marsh birds including this Yellow-headed Blackbird.

Yellow-headed Blackbird - Robert Lake, Kelowna BC - 2017 Bird #97

I saw a few other year birds but with my scope but did not get photos:

Ruddy Duck - 2017 Bird #98

Redhead - 2017 Bird #99

Cackling Goose - 2017 Bird #100

We stopped for a quick Tim Horton's break and then crossed into Lake Country on Beaver Lake Road. Last year we'd seen large numbers of migrating Bluebirds shortly after heading south off Highway 97. Once again we saw them, but fewer than last year. There were no Western Bluebirds seen from our vehicle. 

My only good photo was this female Mountain Bluebird.

Mountain Bluebird - Beaver Lake Rd, Lake Country BC - 2017 Bird #101

We also saw and heard Western Meadowlarks (2017 Bird #102) but not close enough for a worthy photo.

Each vehicle had a walkie-talkie. The guides were in the lead vehicle and Chris announced there was an Accipiter on a post near his Jeep. I took a few long-range shots with the Nikon. The guides concluded it was a Sharp-shinned Hawk rather than a Coopers, probably based on size and head shape.

Sharp-shinned Hawk - Beaver Lake Rd, Lake Country BC - 2017 Bird #103

In the same area Chris spotted a Golden Eagle far off in the distance. I had a good look through his scope, but could not locate it to take a photo. This was 2017 Bird #104.

We carried on up the road and stopped after gaining some altitude. Chris tried his Northern Pygmy-owl call which will attract small birds as well as possibly a Owl itself. He did attract a number of Mountain Chickadees.

Mountain Chickadee - Beaver Lake Rd, Lake Country BC - 2017 Bird #105

Further up the road we stopped for lunch. Monica, one of the birders from Vancouver, spotted another Accipiter off in the distance. I was able to take a long distance photo with the Nikon before anyone got a scope on it. The white eyebrow (supercilium) was conclusive that it was a Northern Goshawk.

Northern Goshawk - Beaver Lake Rd, Lake Country BC - 2017 Bird #106

The Goshawk took flight and I was able to get some shots with the Canon.

Northern Goshawk - Beaver Lake Rd, Lake Country BC

After lunch  Chris tried to call in a Red-naped Sapsucker and was successful very quickly. The light was poor with the sun behind the bird. I took a couple of acceptable photos.

Red-naped Sapsucker - Beaver Lake Rd, Lake Country BC - 2017 Bird #107

Red-naped Sapsucker - Beaver Lake Rd, Lake Country BC 

We made our way up to the Beaver Lake campground hoping to see Clark's Nutcracker, but at this altitude the place was pretty well frozen over.

As we headed back down the mountain, Chris stopped and called that there was a Ruffed Grouse on the side of the road. We briefly saw it as it ran into the bush. I've substituted a photo from the tour I took in 2014 with Avocet.

Ruffed Grouse (2014) - 2017 Bird #108

We headed down the mountain and Chris announced that was it for the day. We'd meet for supper and then head south the following morning.

Mary-Jean and I stuck around and found a few more bluebirds. I got this photo of a male Mountain Bluebird, still not the quality I was hoping for.

Mountain Bluebird - Beaver Lake Rd, Lake Country BC 

This ended day one of our tour.

April 8 - Tour Day 2 - Hardy Falls, Summerland, Penticton and Oliver

We met back at the Apple Bowl in the morning and left Kelowna. The rest of the tour would be in the South Okanagan. The entire group would be taking over a old style motel set on Tuc-el-Nuit Lake in Oliver.

Our sighting of the American Dipper at Hardy Falls persuaded Chris to stop there. With a big group he avoids the site as it can burn up a lot of time. Luckily, we only had to walk about 100 meters before we caught sight of a Dipper. I did not take photos as I had good ones already.

There was some bird activity as we returned to the parking lot. Chris called out a Spotted Towhee, which is less common in the Okanagan compared to the Coast. Interestingly, they have a slightly different call than the Coastal birds.


Spotted Towhee - Hardy Falls Regional Park, Peachland BC

We then spotted some finches at a feeder over in the Trailer Park. Chris was able to confirm that they were Cassin's Finches, a species not seen on the coast. They are related, and similar to, the House and Purple Finches we see.

This was taken a quite a distance with the Nikon super zoom. The red male has a small crest on the head unlike the other two species.


Cassin's Finch - Hardy Falls Regional Park, Peachland BC - 2017 Bird #109

Another bird in the trailer park was a Say's Phoebe. I didn't take any shots of it, but Mary-Jean got quite a nice one.


Say's Phoebe  - Hardy Falls Regional Park, Peachland BC by Mary-Jean Payeur

We resumed our trip south with Summerland being the next destination. Chris knew of a possible Long-eared Owl in the Powell Beach area. As we got out of our vehicles, Mary-Jean spotted a mid-size bird in a tree, a Northern Shrike. It was the first one she'd ever seen.


Northern Shrike - Powell Beach, Summerland BC

While Chris searched for the Owl we looked for other birds. Someone spotted a Merlin up in a tree. This is a small falcon, bigger than a Kestrel but smaller than a Peregrine.


Merlin - Powell Beach, Summerland BC - 2017 Bird #110

The owl could not be located so we piled back into the cars heading for Penticton. On the way out we passed a house with bird feeders in the front yard. I believe these are Cassin's Finches. Notice the yellow colour of the male on the right. This is caused by a lower level of carotenoids, which are pigments that affect the colouring of the males.

Our next stop was Penticton for coffee and then a quick visit to the lakefront. We saw a few different ducks and a Common Loon, but all at scope distance. We then visited Gyro Park in downtown Penticton where there was a well-publicized Great Horned Owl nest.

I took several photos of two chicks and one adult. There was a third chick according to news reports, it might be in the foreground with just a bit of the head sticking up. According to the latest news, two chicks fledged successfully but the third had to be rescued. It's doing well at the rehab center.


Great Horned Owls - Gyro Park, Penticton BC

Here's a photo of the parent, one eye watching out for danger.

Great Horned Owl - Gyro Park, Penticton BC

Back on the road again we headed toward Okanagan Falls. The group stopped at Three Gates Farm on White Lake Road which is officially part of Kaleden. Chris was able to call in some chickadees and nuthatches using his Pygmy Owl imitation mixed with some pishing. 

Although I have Red-breasted Nuthatches occasionally in my backyard, I had not seen any yet for the year.

Red-breasted Nuthatch - Three Gates Farm, Kaleden BC - 2017 Bird #111

The calls also brought in a White-breasted Nuthatch. Although related, this species is about 1.5 times larger and twice as massive as the Red-breasted and Pygmy Nuthatches.


White-breasted Nuthatch - Three Gates Farm, Kaleden BC - 2017 Bird #112

We stopped along White Lake Road to have lunch. Chris pointed out huge flocks of Sandhill Cranes flying high over us as they migrated North. Each V formation had a hundred or more of them and new flights came quite frequently. This photo zooms in on the leading edge of a smaller flock.


Sandhill Crane - Overhead on White Lake Road, Oliver BC

While having lunch we did some birding on the edges of the road. Here's a Yellow-rumped Warbler that I caught with the Nikon.


Yellow-rumped Warbler - White Lake Road, Oliver BC

We resumed our progress on White Lake Road until Chris made one last stop at a good place for Pacific Wren. He didn't manage to call one out, but got the attention of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. This has been the year of the Kinglet for me as I've seen Ruby Crowns wherever I go, including my backyard on Super Bowl Sunday.


Ruby-crowned Kinglet - White Lake Road, Oliver BC

Our last stop of the day was the McIntyre Bluffs overlooking Vaseux Lake. Our target was Canyon Wren. Chris managed to get an answer once from his playback call, but that was it. We did see this young Bighorn Sheep, but no birds.


Bighorn Sheep - McIntyre Bluffs, Oliver BC

We'd been on the road all day and were ready to check in, rest up for awhile and then go for a group dinner. This is the entire group at the Gecko Grill in downtown Oliver.

A portion of the group went out after dark looking for Owls, but we had no luck at all. We called it a night. The group would reconvene in the morning for the last day of the tour.

April 9 - Tour Day 3 - Oliver, Bridesville, and bonus time in Oliver

Chris had announced that everyone had to be up and out by 8:00 AM on Sunday morning. They were all going home, but Mary-Jean and I were keeping our rooms and heading home on Monday. Our first stop was Road 22 in Oliver where there is a small area owned by the Nature Trust of BC, adjacent to the Osoyoos River.

The first bird was a Turkey Vulture soaring overhead.


Turkey Vulture - Road 22, Oliver BC - 2017 Bird #114.

Next, Chris called our attention to the wires near the bridge where a variety of Swallows were perching. There was one North Rough-winged Swallow (NWRS), a bird I've only seen a few times in my life. It was surrounded by a number of Violet-green Swallows (VGS), the most common Swallow in the Okanagan. This photo was taken at a distance with the Nikon, there might be a few Tree Swallows mixed in as well.


Northern Rough-winged Swallow (3rd from left) and Violet Green Swallows - Road 22, Oliver BC.

The NWRS was 2017 Bird #115 for 2017, the VGS was # 116.

Over in the adjacent farmlands Monica spotted a pair of Long-billed Curlews at long range. I see these birds close up at Blackie's Spit, but these were the first of the year. Curlews like to nest in grassy prairie areas, they move to the coast after breeding season is over. These birds were about 150m away, so the photo is not that clear.


Long-billed Curlews - Road 22, Oliver BC - 2017 Bird #117

We headed out onto the dike road that runs along the river and saw one fly over us.


Long-billed Curlews - Over Osoyoos River, Oliver BC

What would a spring day be without a Yellow-rumped Warbler out on the dike road?


Yellow-rumped Warbler - Osoyoos River, Oliver BC

A bird you are guaranteed to see on the dike is Osprey, they nest here ever year on man-made towers. We saw one in Kelowna on day 1 of the tour, this is the first photo.


Osprey - Osoyoos River, Oliver BC - 2017 Bird #95


Osprey - Osoyoos River, Oliver BC

One of Mary-Jean's favourite birds on the trip was this American Goldfinch. I suspect it was an adult molting into breeding plumage, it seemed too early in the year to be a nestling.


American Goldfinch - Osoyoos River, Oliver BC - 2017 Bird #118

We returned to our cars and headed west for Highway 97. Chris stopped and radioed the group that there were a pair of Cinnamon Teal in a pond on someone's property. I grabbed this shot of the female using the zoom on the Nikon. I did not see the male.


Cinnamon Teal (F) - Road 22, Oliver BC - 2017 Bird #119

The group headed to Osoyoos for a break and we had a misunderstanding. While everyone else went to Tim Horton's, we went to JoJo's downtown. I thought they were having lunch so we both ordered something that took some time. When we finished, we returned to Tim's and saw no tour vehicles there.

I know they were going east up Anarchist Mountain, but did not know the exact location. I checked the rest area on Highway 3 but they weren't there. We kept going east and Mary-Jean called frequently on the walkie-talkie. We eventually got a response near Bridesville and reunited with the group.

While they were waiting for us the group saw a kettle of Rough-legged Hawks migrating northward, so we were punished for our lateness.

Chris had come here to try for Williamson's Sapsucker. Our usual site for this bird is above Okanagan Falls, but the roads there were not passable up there due to snow.

It took a very short time for Chris' calls to work as a male and female appeared to see who was in their territory. The light was good, but the foliage on the trees was challenging. I got one good shot of the male. Although he is colourful, he blends in well to the background.


Williamson's Sapsucker - Bridesville BC - 2017 Bird #120

We went for a walk in the snowy woods looking for a possible Great Gray Owl that had nested here in the past. It was a good trek but there was no evidence of the Owl.



When we returned to our vehicles, it was the official end of the tour and many of the Kelowna based birders left. Chris suggested we go birding back by Road 22 at a place called the throne (more officially called Haynes Lease Ecological Reserve). According to the website, it was established by the province to preserve a representative natural segment of the most arid ecosystem in British Columbia and Canada. Since we were returning to Oliver for one more night before going home, we eagerly accepted the invitation.

One of the other birders had been there recently and had seen Peregrine Falcon, Rock Wren, Canyon Wren and Calliope Hummingbird.

Upon arrival a pair of Pelicans flew over. There's been some earlier in the day but I'd missed them. I caught these two as consolation.


American White Pelican - Haynes Lease Ecological Reserve, Oliver BC - 2017 Bird #121

This was certainly a different environment from where we'd been less than an hour earlier.



We walked for quite a while following the gentleman who'd been here the previous afternoon. Upon reaching our destination most of us located the Peregrine Falcon immediately. However, in a bit of role reversal, Mary-Jean could not see it. Three different people tried to describe where it was and eventually she saw it. The problem boiled down to what constituted a depression and what we meant by whitewash on the rocks (Peregrine poop). And of course, it was the men's fault for not describing it accurately.


Peregrine Falcon - Haynes Lease Ecological Reserve, Oliver BC

These were my first photos of a Peregrine in a couple of years. I'd had scope views earlier in the year and on the first day of the tour. I believe they identified this one as a male, there was also a larger female as well.

When the male took flight, I was able to get a couple of shots, my first ever of them flying.





A very common bird in the Okanagan is the Black-billed Magpie. I'd seen one in downtown Kelowna, but this my first photo for 2017, so I'm counting this as my first sighting. This shot was unintentionally artistic. It seems to me that the bird's image is burned into the rocks.


Black-billed Magpie - Haynes Lease Ecological Reserve, Oliver BC - 2017 Bird #122

We also had a brief view of a Rock Wren, but there was no time to take a photo.

We headed back to the parking lot, and just as we got there Chris spotted a Western Bluebird. This was my first for the trip and the year.

Western Bluebird - Haynes Lease Ecological Reserve, Oliver BC

2017 Bird #123

This was the end of the unofficial tour and we said goodbye to Chris and Mike.

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But were weren't done for the day. Mary-Jean and I went back towards Okanagan Falls to visit the Vaseux Lake boardwalk. They have built a new observation tower there thanks to funding from the Nature Trust of BC.

As we walked in, I spotted a Crow. We have Northwestern Crows on the Coast, but east of Hope the American Crow is abundant. It's slightly larger and the call is a bit different. The best identification hint is the location where you see one.


American Crow - Vaseux Lake Boardwalk, Oliver BC - 2017 Species #124

We climbed the tower and had a look out over Vaseux Lake. It was early in the season here and there were not many birds heard or seen. We did have a flyover by an Osprey.


Osprey - over Vaseux Lake, Oliver BC

As we returned to the parking lot, there was more bird activity. Along with a Yellow-rumped Warbler, I spotted this Kinglet.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Vaseux Lake Boardwalk, Oliver BC

We drove across the highway and up the hill back to revisit the McIntyre Bluffs. We drove up as far as we could before the road became private and saw a good number of Mountain Bluebirds moving up the slope. We both got some good photos of them, here are my best.

Mountain Bluebird - McIntyre Bluffs, Oliver BC

Here's a male and female together, the female on the left is just a bit out of focus.

Mountain Bluebirds - McIntyre Bluffs, Oliver BC

The focus is better here but the pose is not quite so good.

Mountain Bluebirds - McIntyre Bluffs, Oliver BC

This ended our birding, it had been a long day. Tomorrow we'd head home, but do some birding along the way.

To view our last day, click on the Older Posts link below.