2017 Vacation Blog - Okanagan, Alberta, Solar Eclipse and San Francisco: 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.