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.
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