I had my breakfast, packed up and was on the road. I made it to Princeton by 10:00 AM. As I was approaching Swan Lake, I saw a Raven on the side of the road. I stopped and got this photo from the car.
Common Raven - near Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC
It's not unusual to see Mule Deer in or around the Sanctuary. I got a good shot of one just as it noticed me.
Mule Deer - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC
I went further into the Sanctuary and stopped briefly in the wooded area. I noticed a large bird flying slowly to my right, it was a Great Horned Owl. The Owl landed and then saw me. It did not look impressed with me being here, but did not consider me an immediate threat.
Great Horned Owl - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC
I over-exposed the next photo by a stop and got a better result.
I was on a tight schedule so I had no time to hike over to the lake. Near the car was an Eastern Kingbird sitting on a fence.
Eastern Kingbird - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC
I heard a Western Wood-pewee calling nearby and was able to locate it and shoot a brief video. You can hear its distinctive call at the end.
Back in the car, my last stop would be the Beaver Pond at Manning Park.
At first it was quiet as usual, but it's only about 100 meters to the end of the trail so I kept going. After turning back, I noticed motion to the right. It was a pair of Chipmunks feasting on the flowers of an unknown (to me) plant.
Least Chipmunk - Beaver Pond Trail, Manning Park BC
I hinted in my June 2 post that I might actually see some birds on this trail sometime. Today was my lucky day. There was a flash of yellow and red in the trees to my left, it was a Western Tanager. I located it, but struggled to get focus. I got this one shot that has some detail with a blend of light and shadow.
Western Tanager - Beaver Pond Trail, Manning Park BC
It moved to a different location in better light and I got an open shot. I think the colour blend on the face always makes it look like the shot is slightly out of focus.
Western Tanager - Beaver Pond Trail, Manning Park BC
I noticed some other yellow birds in the area and snapped a few shots. I did not determine their ID until I looked at the photos on my home computer. They were Wilson's Warblers, another new species for 2017.
Wilson's Warbler - Beaver Pond Trail, Manning Park BC - 2017 Bird #164
You can't mistake this species if you can see the black cap on the head.
Wilson's Warbler - Beaver Pond Trail, Manning Park BC
My last bird on the trip was a Clark's Nutcracker at the Resort Picnic Area.
Clark's Nutcracker - Resort, Manning Park BC
It had been a whirlwind three days, with lots of good photos and some additions to my 2017 list. My favourite stop was early Saturday morning at Haynes Point in Osoyoos with the Bullock's Orioles putting on a show.
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