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...
Ducks Unlimited: A longtime Okanagan family has donated two parcels of marshland to Ducks Unlimited Canada, ensuring the wetlands will be maintained for wildlife in perpetuity. The Young and Lloyd families, which settled in Oyama more than a century ago, were granted the parcels in the 1930s, when...
Which birds might I see today? Finches It is quite likely that you already know the birds I’m going to show you this time around. They are colourful, plentiful in numbers, sing beautifully and will come to feeders readily. They are the familiar finches, House Finches and American Goldfinches....
Every resident and tourist alike will agree that one of the jewels of the Okanagan is Kalamalka Lake – but what is it that gives the lake that alluring blue-green colour? As it turns out, Kal Lake is one of only a handful of very special “marl lakes” that display the colourful reaction...
Which bird might I see today? Warblers As the days lengthen and warmer temperatures creep northward over the North American continent, deciduous leaves unfold, insects emerge – and the warblers return from wintering in the south to nest and raise young. These little birds endure a long migration,...
Which birds might I see today? Migrating ducks Did you know that about 30 different species of ducks can be seen in our valley sometime during the year? Like the ever-present Mallard, which everyone recognizes, about half of these species stay here throughout the winter months, wherever they can...
The Birds of Winter: which bird might I see today? Chickadee If you have a bird feeder up in winter you are probably visited by chickadees. These endearing little birds are here year round and winter is one of the best times to see them. In our valley we have four species of chickadee:...
Which birds might I see today? Red-tailed Hawks As the leaves fall and temperatures cool, hawk migration goes into high gear. Those species of hawk that came here to breed in the summer go south and those that bred in the High Arctic come for the winter. But the hawk you are most likely to see in...
Which birds might I see today? Hummingbirds Perhaps the reason I love hummingbirds so much is that I grew up in England where there aren’t any. I never tire of watching them seek out nectar from our feeders or the flowers and shrubs in the garden. Four species of hummingbird can be seen here...
Which bird might I see today? The Swallow Many people consider the return of the first swallow the first sign of spring. This year the first swallows were seen in Kelowna on March 9th and more will be arriving any day. Six swallow species return here from wintering in the south to take advantage...
We are so fortunate to have a new Guest Blogger for this site: Pam Laing, local birder and photographer, has agreed to share with us A Year of Okanagan Birds. For those of you who attended Pam’s lecture at Creekside Theatre in February, you’ll know you’re in for a real treat....
Summerland’s ‘Cannonballs’ When the widening of Highway 97 was initially studied, efforts were made to preserve a section of rock that contained numerous ‘cannonballs’. These volcanic rocks are quite unique. Only one other location, the Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala,...