Which Bird might I see today? – Woodpeckers in Winter Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean birds are absent. Far from it. Winter is one of the best times to see some species, unobscured by summer foliage. Woodpeckers are a case in point. Here are three common woodpecker species you might...
If you can identify this object, your age may be showing! And that’s a good thing. I know what it is! It is a coal stoker! At least that was what I always called it. You, or should I say “I” would fill the bin with coal and an auger ran through the pipe into a coal fired...
Just south of the old pilings for Carr’s Landing stands a heritage home known as Okanagan House. It was built in 1909 by H. R. Raymer of Kelowna for a young English adventurer Sir Edward Simons Ward and his wife Lois. Edward was educated at Eton and then travelled extensively. An avid...
The Westbury Hotel, built in 1908, was one of two hotels in Okanagan Centre in the early 1900s. On Halloween day in 1947, fire broke out and the hotel burned to the ground. Although no one was injured, the guests and the seasonal packinghouse workers who boarded there lost all their possessions....
Which birds might I see today? Loons There is very little common about the Common Loon! This iconic bird of northern lakes is remarkable, supremely adapted to living on and in water. They are large, fish-eating birds that capture their prey by diving and chasing them underwater. Watching a loon...
If you’re looking for an interesting way to spend an hour in Lake Country try taking the Heritage Driving Tour. The tour features thirteen heritage locations as well as optional stops at wineries and points of interest. The tour can be accessed online at www.historypin.org, followed by a search...
This post concludes the Camp Kopje reminiscences by Douglas Broome. “Back to camp. The buildings went down the bay from the Panabode. The beach was clear the entire distance, edged by a 20 foot wide green area of bushes, pines, and deciduous trees through whose whole length ran clear paths...
This post continues the Camp Kopje reminiscences by Douglas Broome. “The main body of camp was laid out along 1,200 feet of pebble beach. At the northern end was a modern PanAbode cedar log home with large verandah and a lawn down to the lake at a spot where a sandbar ran a hundred metres...
“Summer camp. The horse shivers to shake off the horseflies, snorts as girls handle tackle and Western saddles, old leather, hay and muck. A salt lick. The barn looks cool in the shadow of the cottonwoods and pines. Hot high sun. One girl goes into the orchard to cool off in the ka-chk’s of...
Which birds might I see today? Bluebirds I was asked a question recently regarding some small birds seen last summer. The questioner said, in some surprise, “They were blue!” I replied, “They were probably bluebirds”. Indeed. To the non-birder, the sight of the first bluebird is memorable. They...
Birds of a Feather Which birds might I see today? Shorebirds, also known as Waders You might think that a valley with a large lake like ours would host a horde of breeding shorebirds. In fact most shorebirds breed further north than the Okanagan, and touch down here only briefly during spring or...
Which birds might I see today? Bald Eagles In our valley, winter is one of the best times to see Bald Eagles but did you know that the Kelowna landfill is one of the best places to see them? Every January members of the Central Okanagan Naturalists’ Club conduct a survey of numbers of both eagles...