Okanagan Specialties

The Okanagan Valley has the greatest breeding bird diversity of any site in Canada! By late May, migrants have arrived and birds are in full song, from desert grasslands in valleys to highland subalpine forests. "Okanagan specialties", species that occur in Canada only in the Okanagan Valley, or are easiest to find there. These include Sage Thrashers on sagebrush benchlands, Chukar, White-throated Swifts and Canyon Wrens around spectacular cliffs, Gray Flycatchers, Pygmy Nuthatches and White-headed Woodpeckers (luck needed!) in parklike ponderosa pine forests, and Williamson’s Sapsuckers in western larch forests. Evening owling expeditions could get us Flammulated, Western Screech, Barred and Northern Saw-whet Owls as well as Common Poorwills. This is western birding at its best, with Eared Grebes, Wilson’s Phalaropes and Yellow-headed Blackbirds displaying in rich marshes; Western Meadowlarks and Brewer’s Sparrows singing from sagebrush at dawn; Cassin’s Vireos, Western Tanagers and Townsend’s Solitaires warbling from pines; and the tiny Calliope Hummingbird dwarfed by the majestic Golden Eagle. A popular and rewarding short tour!

Highlights
• Superb birding in spectacular scenery! An exhilarating experience!
• Many species of birds: the Okanagan has one of the highest breeding totals in North America

Itinerary:

Day 1 - Arrival
Our tour begins after dinner in Vancouver. Our leader(s) will meet the group around 7:00PM to discuss the tour itinerary and other logistics, and to answer any questions
that you may have. Night in Vancouver.

Day 2 - Transfer to Osoyoos
We leave Vancouver and travel to the Okanagan, stopping at several good birding localities on the way. In Manning Park, we explore Twenty Minute Lake, Beaver Pond
and Strawberry Flats, looking for migrant warblers, shorebirds and ducks. Four species of flycatchers, Belted Kingfisher, and Lincoln’s and Song Sparrows nest near the pond. Spruce and Blue Grouse breed in the park, as do Three-toed and Hairy Woodpeckers,
Gray Jay and Clark’s Nutcracker. After leaving Manning Park, we stop at Separation and August Lakes for waterfowl, grassland birds and Williamson’s Sapsucker. Near Keremeos we scan the rugged cliffs for Mountain Goats. Night in Osoyoos. Time and weather permitting, there will be an optional evening search for Flammulated Owl and Common Poorwill.

Day 3 - Black Sage Road, Road 22, Coteay Meadows
We start the morning early on the antelope-brush benches under the towering cliffs of The Throne, overlooking the Okanagan River Valley. Here we look and listen for Lark Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Prairie Falcon, White-throated Swift and Canyon Wren. We then scan the lush meadows of Road 22 for Long-billed Curlew, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Wilson’s Phalarope and Bobolink. After breakfast, we expand our search to the oxbows of the Okanagan River looking for Yellow-breasted Chat, Gray Catbird, Sora, Virginia Rail, Willow Flycatcher, and a variety of songbirds that will test our skills at birding-by-ear. Continuing north in the valley, we stop at likely spots for Calliope Hummingbird, Western Bluebird, Western Wood Pewee, Bullock’s Oriole and Black-headed Grosbeak. An impressive colony of Bank Swallows may attract a Merlin or two and may have one of their burrows taken over by an enterprising pair of Northern Flickers. Along the lower slopes of Camp McKinney Road we watch for Pygmy
Nuthatch, Lazuli Bunting and Black-chinned Hummingbird, while higher up, toward the 4200 ft. Coteay Meadows, Townsend’s Solitaire, Three-toed and Black-backed
Woodpeckers and Mountain Bluebird will be our targets. Also expected here will be Hammond’s Flycatcher and Cassin’s Finch. After a picnic lunch in the cool mountain air, we return to the valley bottom west of Oliver in search of Chukar and possibly Clark’s Nutcracker and a Golden Eagle or two, arriving back at our hotel perhaps in time for a pre-dinner swim. Night in Osoyoos.

Day 4 - Irrigation Creek, Venner Meadows & Vaseau Lake
Gray Flycatcher and Western Tanager will be our prime pre-breakfast targets among
the Ponderosa pines of Irrigation Creek, but we will also be watching for Dusky Flycatcher, Ruffed Grouse, Red-naped Sapsucker and Say’s Phoebe along Shuttleworth Road. A brief stop in the riparian thickets of the valley bottom could reveal Cassin’s Vireo, Steller’s Jay and more Yellow-breasted Chats. After breakfast, we return to the
lower, park-like forests, listening for Pygmy and White-breasted Nuthatches, Nashville Warbler and, who knows, maybe even a White-headed Woodpecker!
Higher up the mountainside, in the moist forests of western larch and Douglas fir, we search for Williamson’s Sapsucker and Mountain Chickadee. The lush willow thickets of Venner Meadows hold Northern Waterthrush, Lincoln’s Sparrow and a variety of warblers, while nearby spruce forests have Spruce Grouse, Boreal Chickadees and Pine Grosbeaks. We will watch for moose here as well. After a picnic lunch, we descend into the valley, stopping at Vaseau Lake. Around the lakeshore we look for Veery, nesting Red-necked Grebes, Marsh Wren and perhaps an American White Pelican. On the towering rock cliffs are more White-throated Swifts, Canyon Wrens and Rock Wrens, while California Bighorn Sheep feed around us. Nearby pines attract Lewis’s Woodpeckers. After dinner, we have an optional outing to search for owls at two or more sites. Western Screech, Great Horned, Barred, Flammulated and Northern Saw-whet are possibilities, with a remote chance of Boreal and Long-eared Owls. Night in Osoyoos.

Day 5 - Richter Pass and back to Vancouver
A drive over Richter Pass begins our final morning, and offers panoramic views of small lakes and alkaline potholes, each of which might hold Ruddy Ducks and other waterfowl in colourful breeding plumage, Pied-billed Grebes and American Coots with comical downy young, and perhaps a Bald Eagle. We then look for further species that we may not have found up to now, before driving back to Van

Featured Birds and Mammals:

• Flammulated Owl
• Canyon Wren
• Yellow-breasted Chat
• Lewis's Woodpecker
• Williamson's Sapsucker
• Pygmy Nuthatch
• Calliope Hummingbird
• Common Poorwill
 

Date: May 29 - June 2, 2012

Duration: 5 days

Limit: 12 people

Price: $1,395 USD + 6% HST, $1,350 CAD + 12% HST, single supplement $235 USD + HST, $225 CAD + HST

Tour Starts and Ends: Vancouver, BC

What to Expect

• Easy to moderate walking
• Warm/hot to cool, moist weather
• Good quality accommodation
• 5 days/4 nights from Vancouver, BC
• 4 breakfasts and 4 picnic lunches included
• 4-8 participants with one leader, 9-12 with two
• One or two 15 passenger van(s)

Our daily travel schedule varies according to weather and species behaviour. We will plan on birding very early each morning, perhaps fortified by coffee, juice, fruit and a muffin, before returning for breakfast after the peak of bird activity wanes. There will be two late evening expeditions in search of nocturnal birds for those interested. The tour features easy walking with some hill climbing and possibly muddy sections. We stop frequently, concentrating on birds but observing other wildlife and ecosystems as well. There are one to two long drives (4-5 h) but we stop periodically to break up the journeys. Around mid-day, weather permitting, we will enjoy picnic lunches in attractive and birdy locations. If it is hot, as it can be in the Okanagan in late May, we may rest for an hour or so during the afternoon. For dinner, we go to a local restaurant selected for its good food and comfortable atmosphere, where we will discuss the day's activities, review the list of birds and make plans for the next day. Weather can be highly variable, ranging from warm to hot and sunny in the valley bottoms to cool and moist at the higher elevations.