Which Bird might I see today? Ducks that dabble A couple of years ago I told you about the ducks that migrate into our area in spring to breed. Today our subject is more ducks, the ones that stay all winter. If you are new to birding you can’t do better than start with the ducks. You might be...
Which birds might I see today? Colourful Songsters This time I’m going to introduce you to two of my favourite birds, the Western Tanager and the Lazuli Bunting. These are two of the most tropical-looking birds to be found annually in our valley and summer is a good time to see them. They have the...
A couple years ago, I was watching America’s Funniest Home Videos (AFV) and they showed a clip of an unusual looking critter swimming across a pond with its head held high above the water. It turned out to be a small snake that slithered up the other side. Then recently, I was thinking about an...
We read in the newspaper that the current flood conditions are a “once in two hundred year” event. How would we know that? We have no written records for Lake Country before settlement, which began with Tom Wood’s pre-emption of 160 acres at the south end of Pelmewash (later Wood) Lake in 1871. It...
Which bird might I see today? More woodpeckers It’s spring! Are you being woken up early by a woodpecker drumming on your chimney or siding? Try not to get mad. It’s just ‘spring fever’ or as the song says, “Love is in the air”. Your bird is a Northern Flicker and he’s not trying to get food, he’s...
Which Bird might I see today? – YEAR ROUND – Canada’s National Bird “Quiet, bold, impulsive and curious”. All of these have been used to describe the bird recently voted Canada’s pick for National Bird. Voting began in January 2015 and was conducted by Canadian Geographic. Tens of thousands of...
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...
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...
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...
The vision of a recreational corridor depends on residents digging deep. Fundraising for the Okanagan Rail Trail between Coldstream and Kelowna began Tuesday, May 17, 2016 with the launch of a $7.86 million campaign. “This is a lot of money. However, if we each give what we can and encourage...
Washrooms higher priority than paving for respondents to city survey on Vernon-Kelowna trail amenities1 By Ron Seymour, The Daily Courier Paving the Vernon-Kelowna railway path is both the most popular and the least popular idea among respondents to a City of Kelowna survey. One-quarter of those...
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...