More Icterids – Bullock’s Oriole and Western Meadowlark Bullock’s Oriole male In the spring posting we looked at three of the family known as Icterids. Those three were Red-winged Blackbird, Brewer’s Blackbird and Yellow-headed Blackbird. Today let’s turn our attention to two more Icterids, namely...
When life is challenging it can be helpful to read the signs nature gives us of rebirth and renewal. Trees, flowers, and shrubs put on new growth and in the bird world, spring brings us the annual miracle of migration to brighten our days and bring promise of new life. Today’s subjects, Turkey...
California Quail The days are growing shorter and cooler and the colourful summer birds that came north to breed and raise their young have gone south in search of warmer temperatures and food. So it’s time to turn our attention to birds that stay here in fall and winter. Where better place to...
Eastern and Western Kingbird Kingbirds are large flycatchers. In spite of the names, “Eastern” and “Western” both are regular visitors in our valley during the summer months. Westerns, as you might expect, are only found in the western US, our part of BC, as well as the extreme southern...
Which birds might I see today? Osprey Which of us has not thrilled to the sight of an Osprey hovering over the lake, then diving down with feet outstretched to catch a fish and fly off triumphantly with it? I never tire of watching the performance; the search, the plummet, the powerful wingbeats...
Which birds might I see today? White-crowned Sparrows Sometime in April my phone might ring and someone will ask, “I have lots of these birds in my yard I’ve never seen before; they have black and white stripes on their heads; what are they?” They are White-crowned Sparrows, and thousands upon...
Which birds might I see today? Ducks that dive Remember the dabblers and the divers – the two categories into which we group ducks? In an earlier posting we took a look at the dabblers, and in this posting we’ll focus on the divers. All of the species featured here can be found in our valley...
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...
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? 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....
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,...