Friday, June 2 - Hope, Manning Park and Wayne Lake in Princeton

I left home quite early in the day and made good time to my first stop in Hope. I always try to make a quick birding stop at the Hope Airpark just north of Highway 1. I might get an early look at a Western Kingbird or get really lucky and see a Lazuli Bunting.

It was not to be, I only saw two birds of note. The first was a Red-tailed Hawk soaring overhead.


Red-tailed Hawk - Hope Airpark, Hope BC

The other bird was a singing White-crowned Sparrow. I took a quick shot and headed east towards Highway 3 and Manning Park.

White-crowned Sparrow - Hope Airpark, Hope BC

Although it was June, it felt like early spring in Manning Park. I stopped at the resort to check out the picnic area for birds. There were a few hardy people there who were camping at Lightning Lakes.

The first bird I saw was the dreaded Brown-headed Cowbird. It was my first for the year which made it a little more of a welcome sighting. 

Brown-headed Cowbird - Manning Park Resort, Manning Park BC - 2017 Bird #156

The other birds I saw were much more welcome, a couple of Clark's Nutcrackers. I'd not seen this common alpine bird since 2015. They seemed to be ruling the Picnic area again after ceding control to Ravens last year.

Clark's Nutcracker - Manning Park Resort, Manning Park BC - 2017 Bird #157

I also a Gray Jay very briefly, but did not get a photo. The photo below was taken at Manning Park in 2015.

Gray Jay - Manning Park Resort, Manning Park BC (2015) - 2017 Bird #158

The other place I try to check out at Manning is the Beaver Pond. It's feast or famine here and this visit was devoid of birds except for a Mallard and this Song Sparrow. Maybe I'd have better luck here when I came back going home (hint, hint).

Song Sparrow - Beaver Pond, Manning Park Resort, Manning Park BC

I made my way slowly to Princeton as there was some road construction just outside the park. They are finally widening and repaving some of the narrower sections of Highway 3. I stopped at Thomasina's in Princeton for lunch and then made the short trip to a couple of nearby lakes. 

I've been going to Swan Lake for a few years. Last April a local birder told Mary-Jean and I about Wayne Lake, about 3KM past Swan Lake. I decided to go to Wayne Lake first and the hit Swan Lake on the way back.

After parking, I noticed a pair of Ruddy Ducks fairly close to shore. I switched the Nikon into video mode and shot this video. The male is the more colourful bird with the blue bill.

Here's a still photo of the pair:

Ruddy Duck - Wayne Lake, Princeton BC

I noticed a small bird fly in and got one shot of it. I knew it was a sparrow but did not confirm an ID until I loaded the day's photos onto my notebook computer. It was a Vesper Sparrow, one of my target birds for this area. The field marks for this bird are the complete white eye-ring, the rufous shoulders and the dark streaks.

Vesper Sparrow - Wayne Lake, Princeton BC - 2017 Bird #159

This wrapped up part 1 of the day, part 2 follows with Swan Lake and Cawston.

Friday, June 2 - Swan Lake and Crowsnest Winery

I've broken this day into two posts as there are a lot of photos, the next day will be broken up as well.

I made the short drive south from Wayne Lake to the Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary. At this time of year you could add Butterfly Sanctuary to the name as they are very common. This sanctuary is a small oasis of native grasses and plants located within 1/2 KM of the Princeton Garbage dump.

The lake is about a kilometer back from the road and features two bird blinds, one at ground level and one perched on a hill above the lake. This photo gives a feel for the grassland area.


Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary

I mentioned Butterflies, here a couple I photographed and identified. The first photo also includes a damselfly, which might be a Vivid Dancer. I'm more sure about the butterfly being a Common Ringlet.

Vivid Dance and Common Ringlet - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC

Another frequently seen butterfly is the the Spring Azure, a cute little powder blue butterfly.


Spring Azure Butterfly - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC

As I climbed the hill heading towards the lake, I could see a sparrow perched on a small bush. I was pretty sure it was a Vesper Sparrow, but it was at a distance. I took a couple of shots with the super zoom on the Nikon and this was the best result.  It looks somewhat different from the one I saw at Wayne Lake, but I believe they are both Vesper Sparrows.

Vesper Sparrow - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC

I reached the upper blind and spent some time in there looking for birds in the Lake and in the surrounding area.

Here's some American Coot chicks seen down on the lake.

American Coot (Imm) - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC

Down in the reeds below the blind there were numerous Yellow-headed Blackbirds carrying on. The males were declaring their territory and the females in various stages of nesting or chick rearing.

Yellow-headed Blackbird - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC

As I was entering the sanctuary, I'd met with the couple who are caretakers of the Sanctuary. They told me to watch for Eastern Kingbird and Willow Flycatcher in the bushes around the blind. I saw and photographed both species.

The blue in the background of this photo is the lake.

Willow Flycatcher - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC

   Eastern Kingbird - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC

I made my way back to the car and headed east. It was just after 2:30 in the afternoon and I was planning my next birding stop. My plans changed when I came to a halt in a long line of traffic just outside of Hedley. There had been a serious car/motorcycle accident and I didn't move for about 90 minutes. My thoughts were on the victims of the accident. The motorcyclist was airlifted to Kelowna and the car occupants were taken by ambulance to Princeton.

I was booked into the Crowsnest Winery in Cawston for two nights and arrived there in time for a pizza dinner. After dinner, I took a walk around the area and saw some common birds. There were numerous Killdeer in the area but I didn't get a good photo of any of them.

I did see a Rufous Hummingbird perched on a wire:

Rufous Hummingbird - near Crowsnest Winery, Cawston BC

The Brewer's Blackbirds were also cooperative.

Brewer's Blackbird - near Crowsnest Winery, Cawston BC

The males of this species are very good at looking sinister and threatening. 

Brewer's Blackbird - near Crowsnest Winery, Cawston BC

There were some California Quail around and I got one photo, somewhat better than I'd managed in April in Kelowna.

California Quail - near Crowsnest Winery, Cawston BC

It was getting late and I'd been up since 5:30 AM, so one last photo of the moon and I called it a night.

Moon from Crowsnest Winery, Cawston BC

Saturday, June 3 Morning - Nighthawk Border Crossing and Haynes Point Provincial Park

I made a point of getting up early and leaving before breakfast was served at the Winery. The first photo was taken at 6:58 AM. It was a Collared Dove near Highway 3. These birds are very common in this area, which is largely agricultural. Amazingly, this was my first of this species for the year, even though they are common in Delta.


Collared Dove - Cawston BC - 2017 Bird # 160

On my way towards Osoyoos, I took the southern fork towards the Nighthawk USA Border Crossing. I was hoping to see a Lark Sparrow or a Sage Thrasher, but settled for the first Western Kingbird of the year.


Western Kingbird - Nighthawk Border Road, near Osoyoos BC - 2017 Bird # 161

I arrived at Haynes Point Provincial Park on Osoyoos Lake, only to realize that the gates didn't open until 7:30 AM. I backtracked to Tim Horton's for a coffee and small breakfast, then returned to the park.

My second disappointment of the day was to discover that the trail that I normally take was flooded and inaccessible. I made the best of it and started looking for birds off the main road. I heard the familiar sound of a Yellow Warbler singing and was able to get a  decent photo of it.


Yellow Warbler - Haynes Point Provincial Park, Osoyoos BC - 2017 Bird # 162

I took some time to admire the scenery of Osoyoos Lake from this spit of land.



I heard some singing mixed with different calls and located the source, a Gray Catbird.

Gray Catbird - Haynes Point Provincial Park, Osoyoos BC

I also took a movie of the Catbird

Also in the area was a calling Western Wood-pewee. 

Western Wood-pewee - Haynes Point Provincial Park, Osoyoos BC

Another flycatcher was present, an Eastern Kingbird. It is quite common in the Okanagan, but always a challenge to photograph.


Eastern Kingbird - Haynes Point Provincial Park, Osoyoos BC

Nearby there was a great deal of squawking going on with occasional flashes of orange. I found the sources, it wa a few male Bullock's Orioles fighting over territory or females. Eventually, I was able to get a few shots of the males as they carried on.


Bullock's Oriole - Haynes Point Provincial Park, Osoyoos BC


Bullock's Oriole- Haynes Point Provincial Park, Osoyoos BC

At this point in the morning, I returned back to the Crowsnest Winery and enjoyed my complimentary breakfast.

Saturday, June 3 Part 2 - Cawston, Okanagan Falls, and Oliver

I got back to the winery from Osoyoos in time to have my free breakfast. It was so big I was able to save part of it for lunch on the road. I used my Birdfinding in BC book to find a couple of places nearby that looked interesting.

The first stop on the Similkameen River was very quiet, the second one was well worth the visit. There is a marshy area in Cawston near the river named Ginty's Pond. This area was formed by an Oxbow in the river. The pond is hard to see with all the marsh grass.


Ginty's Pond - Cawston BC

There were a few Tree Swallows nesting in the area.


Tree Swallow - Ginty's Pond - Cawston BC

There was a turtle enjoying the sunshine in the marsh.


Western Painted Turtle - Ginty's Pond - Cawston BC

The most common bird in the Marsh was the Red-winged Blackbird.

Red-winged Blackbird - Ginty's Pond - Cawston BC

I left Cawston and took Highway 3A towards Okanagan Falls. I'd decided to take the Subaru up the logging road that we normally visit on our April tour (not this year due to snow).

On my way through OK Falls, I saw a large bird on a barb wire fence. I'd seen a Western Kingbird earlier in the day, but the light was better here and this one stuck around for awhile.

Western Kingbird - Okanagan Falls, BC


Western Kingbird - Okanagan Falls, BC

My trip up the logging road was fun but pretty much bird free. It was either too late in the season, or too late in the day.

I did hear and very briefly see a Warbling Vireo up around Kilometer 23, but did not get a photo.
This was 2017 Bird # 163.



This Warbling Vireo photo was taken at Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver in 2014.

After coming back down to OK Falls, I turned south and visited the McIntyre Bluffs that overlook Vaseux Lake. This area was also very quiet, but I did get a shot of a sinister looking Magpie.


Black-billed Magpie - McIntyre Bluffs, Oliver BC

This Brewer's Blackbird was on alert and ready to take off if necessary.


Brewer's Blackbird  - McIntyre Bluffs, Oliver BC

Just as I was about to drive back down to the Highway, I spotted some Bighorn Sheep on a bluff with Vaseux Lake in the background. The one on the left has some kind of collar on, probably for ID.


Bighorn Sheep  - McIntyre Bluffs, Oliver BC

I took a quick drive on Horsetail Rd in Oliver. It was quiet except for this noisy catbird.

Gray Catbird - Horsetail Road, Oliver BC

My last stop was Road 22. I didn't have time to drive on the Osoyoos River dike, so I just stopped at the Nature area. There's a small shelter there and it normally has a Barn Swallows nest in the rafters. Today there was one visible occupant waiting for its next feeding. I assume this is a chick, but it could be a brooding adult.

Barn Swallow - Road 22, Oliver BC

Nearby on the telephone wires were a couple more swallows. I zoomed in on this one.

 Barn Swallow - Road 22, Oliver BC

This was my last stop of the day, I returned to the Winery in Cawston for supper and a good night's sleep. On Sunday, I'd be heading home.

Sunday, June 4 - Princeton and Manning Park

I had planned to get up very early and take the Subaru up a steep road just outside Keremeos. But the wind was howling and I decided on more sleep instead.

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.

Great Horned Owl - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC

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.