By the end of May, the spring migration has pretty much peaked. This ‘mid-spring’ season always causes some excitement as we wait to see which species return — or don’t —, what patterns are altered, which accidentals surprise. Mating, breeding, and the raising of young by many species provided many comforting diversions as usual.
In late April, as we dealt with our grief after Sean’s death from cancer, we turned to travel first as documented hereand then, later in the month by heading from home east then south along Highways 33 and 3 from Kelowna to Rock Creek, then west to Bridesville and on to Osoyoos before turning north for home.
As we were driving I realized that I wanted to revisit (from a trip in April 2017) the property of fireman-cowboy-preacher Ed Brouwer at Eagle’s Nest Ranch. I had no idea if Ed would be home, or even if he still lived there.
Highway 33 from Joe Rich Creek to Westbridge is mainly moderate elevation fir forest. Nothing special to see or to stop for. South of Westbridge, however, we get into an area that had been ravaged by wildfires in the previous decade. Kettle River Recreation Area is just southeast of where the 33 is on the map above. While some of it had been burned, and some campers’ lives had been in danger, no one had died in the fire of 2015, and much of the park was spared from the flames. We turned into the park and had lunch by the river, one of my late son’s favourites for fishing the eddies where the brisk current is forced by the river’s bends to slow down.
While some lovely Yellow-Rumped Warblers foraged furtively along the shore, we didn’t see much else in terms of bird life. This little Yellow-Pine Chipmunk was a delight to watch as ate our sandwiches. As he got used to us, he moved from shade into better light and allowed me a few fotos.
Yellow-pine Chipmunk (Tamias amoenus) Kettle River Recreation Area Day camping, near Rock Creek, BC.
It was a typical late April day, a mix of sun and clouds, neither warm nor cold; in short a good day to be on the road. Next stop we decided would be Eagle’s Nest Ranch and the Williamson’s Sapsucker Sanctuary that Ed B. had created after our suggestion.
The WISA isn’t bound to stay in any one woodlot, of course, and on this Friday afternoon, we didn’t see any. We did visit briefly with Ed, a retired fireman and now a cowboy-preacher in the area between Bridesville and Osoyoos, the Sidley Road region on the east side of Anarchist Mountain which overlooks Osoyoos (Lake) and the southern Okanagan Valley.
I’ve ‘borrowed’ this image of Ed in his firefighter days nearly a decade ago from the Flickr site of Patrick Kelly. Today, Ed operates his ranch in the Sidley Road region west of Osoyoos, and ministers to local folks there. He is a very kind, compassionate, and down-to-earth gentleman. We talked about my son and he offered to pray for him and us.
Ed’s dog Washington is a massive St. Bernard with a heart as big as the sky and the demeanour of a saint. I’m sure he sensed our feelings. After greeting me, he went to Nana, who was undergoing cancer treatments at the time, as if to comfort her. He stayed by her side the whole time as we chatted to Ed. It was a remarkable encounter. I hope we get to see both Ed and Washington again.
Here, Washington had followed us out the drive as we were leaving. I stopped to thank him and to take this photo.
Below: We enjoyed watching this young foal frolicking and learning the ropes from his mère.
Looking south across Eagles Nest Ranch, Sidley Road region north of Highway 3, east of Osoyoos.The ranch gate of Eagles Nest. The top of the post reflects Mr. Brouwer’s faith.
As indicated above, we had found Mr. Brouwer’s property a fabulous spot for woodpeckers. Besides Williamson’s, we had enjoyed great closeups of a Hairy excavating an aspen, and a pair of Pileateds hard at work. While I saw Red-naped, I didn’t get decent shots that time. So on our way out of Eagle’s Nest Ranch this time, I took some scenic shots and managed to find some Red-naped woodies as well.
From here, with the afternoon light fading as clouds rolled in, we headed for Osoyoos where we spent some time at Haynes Point Sanctuary, where again we found some Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a beautiful blossoming crabapple tree.
Yellow-rumped Warbler male at Haynes Point Sanctuary, Osoyoos, BC. Late afternoon.
Crabapple tree at Haynes Point Sanctuary, Osoyoos, BC. Late afternoon.
Crabapple blossoms details. Haynes Point Sanctuary, Osoyoos, BC. Late afternoon.
The images of spring were lovely, but the ache in our hearts will remain for a long, long time….
Before the 18th: Early spring predators & ‘critters’
So far my posts on spring 2021 (up to the time of my son’s passing on April 18) have focused on birds. But I’m also quite interested in non-avian wildlife, and even plants — especially in the equinoctial seasons. So I’m going to include a couple of shots of raptors first and then some of the creatures that have to pay attention to attacks from the sky.
Turkey Vulture over Trapalanda Farm on the northeast sector of my beat.
The earliest of the larger butterflies of spring: the Mourning Cloak. New Growth Area above Crawford Falls (west side), Kelowna, BC.
March 16, 2018: I was just mumbling to myself the other day, that since our first winter here (2014-15), the Marsh had become somewhat less exciting, what with no harrier, fewer hawks, fewer finches, and no, repeat no otters!
Then I did a little rethinking (I recommend this custom) and acknowledged that this year I’ve enjoyed exceptional opportunities with a Northern Shrike and great luck with a number of ducks that I didn’t see that first winter.
And, today, 2018 wrangled a whole new lease on my affections with the reappearance in Thomson Marsh, West Pond, this time, of four North American Rivers Otter (Lontra canadensis). I had headed out earlier than I’d been going recently, and that turned out to be a blessing. I’d seen an otter’s wake a few days ago, but not the beast. Yet I had no premonitions, as happens occasionally, for this day.
I always check out West Pond these days as it’s not unusual to see a migrant drop in for a day or two, a Barrow’s Goldeneye, say, or some Scaups, or even a Redhead (the duck, you ninny!). As I scanned the surface today, there was no doubt about the wake again, and this time the critter revealed itself — along with three other family members.
So, without further ado, here are today’s highlights: To enlarge it in a new tab, click image.
First look: a profile view….
It didn’t take long for the otters to spot me!
Unlike some wildlife, the otters’ curiosity is stronger than their wariness — at least when they’re in the water and their chronicler is on land….
Powerful swimmers, they appear very much in command of the situation….
This one entered the very narrow channel and pulled up onto some snow-crushed cattails.
S/he was almost as interested in her/his own reflection as my existence….
Difficult light at this time of day, but we did the best we could….
Back in the water, this one tried his darnedest to levitate!
There’s something almost snakelike about otters when they stretch out like this in the water….
And, like the first time I photographed them in January 2015, they liked to have group photos, too.
Don’t know if they’ll be back tomorrow, but I know I will….
Postscript (as we used to say….) And I did return the next day (Saturday, March 17).
Found them again, this time in the Raptor Tree Pond. Still just four. This time they were enjoying a feed of carp — at least one was — no leftovers for juniors!
I’m indebted to my Flickr friend Heather for this caption: Carp diem!
Although I took more photos, they weren’t as interesting as the ones I got the next day, (Sunday). I went a little earlier each day, and this time caught them returning from West Pond en route to Raptor Tree Pond, which means that I had a couple of chances to view them at close range in the narrow channel that leads into the big pond. They were too smart for me, however, and chose to cover that section either under water or very close to the far shore!
Still, once back where I believe they have a temporary den (used periodically over the years), they did give me a few more shots that I’d like to share:
Sneaking past, close to the cattails….
Click either image below to enlarge both in a new tab:
Allemand right!
Allemand left!
“Are you the Candid Camera guy? I’m smilin!'”
Denoising the image makes him look like Slick Willie!
Not sure about more photos, but the past three mornings have been a dream come true!
NOTE: If the cursor changes to a hand over any photo, click to enlarge the image in a new tab.
On our very enjoyable visit to my cousin’s farm near (tent-caterpillar-free) Maryfield SK, which I mentioned in Part 3, we also enjoyed a special moment with these little guys:
Fox kits under the granary. The one out front was definitely most confident. I dubbed him “Francis.”
Although his siblings were curious, only Francis dared to come out….
For Francis, it seemed to be a game. If I moved in, he retreated…
but not so far that he couldn’t see me….
Here he seems bored with the game; either that or he needed a quick nap!
Eventually, I got too close, I guess, and Francis disappeared with the the others. I thought I should have a look around the back side of the granary, and, as I moved carefully in that direction, who should come round the bin, but Francis, as happy to see me as I was him — maybe not, but the backlit shot here is a memory I’ll keep alive as long as can!
Surprise!!
It’s hard to say why this felt like such a blessing. Of course, they’re cute, but they can be a pest on a farm or even an urban environment. I often used to see them in Sapporo, where I lived from ’89 to ’02. In the spring of 1990, I’d had a delightful encounter with a family of Hokkaido fox kits near the top of an urban ski hill not far from where I lived.
Since returning to Canada from Japan in 2002, I hadn’t seen any foxes in BC or elsewhere. It was just a coincidence that this summer, my cousin was not keeping chickens as she often does, so she and her husband were enjoying the foxes, too, and told me where to look for them. This is a memory I’ll cherish as long as I’m able to!
The next day, we pushed on — across the border into Manitoba where we hoped to do some birding around the village of Melita and to camp in the Turtle Mountain Park before visiting Whitewater Lake the next day. Then we’d be on our way to Winnipeg.
A short day in terms of distance, but with lots of exploring. We actually travelled a lot farther than this map shows….
Well, the birding was okay, no caterpillars to contend with. Not fantastic, but okay. Turtle Mountain, however, turned out to be so much less than I’d imagined all through my youth when I looked south from the Trans -Canada Hwy on our regular visits from our home near Winnipeg to Moosomin where my grandmother lived, and the farm which Alec and Iris took over in the 1950s. My research with Google Maps indicated that there was a decent road from west to east through the Park. That did not pan out. So, enough said; what’s a little wasted time?
We headed north to Boissevain, a town I’d long known of but never visited, in hopes that we could camp there. When the campground proved quite unsatisfactory (I’ll spare readers the details), we thought we were stymied. Once again, ended up at Subway for dinner where we enquired of one of the employees as to where we might find a decent camping spot. He immediately and strongly recommended a place that hadn’t even come up on our searches, a spot called William Lake Provincial Park. We decided to have a look. It turned out to be one of our favourite camping spots of the summer. Not that we have many photos to show for it! Fortunately, Nana took some with her iPhone.
William Lake: Car camping among the scrub oaks. Breakfast. No caterpillars!
William Lake, through the trees. Wish we had taken more shots here!
Some of its features couldn’t really be illustrated with photos: June 2 — no caterpillars!Clean heated washrooms with showers and hot and cold water! Wonderful morning birdsong —particularly a lovely House Wren that really didn’t want to pose for pics as it foraged among the oaks. Free firewood! And we had the place almost entirely to ourselves…. Until the next morning (Friday, June 2) when, as we were leaving, we found the gate that had been dark and unstaffed the night before, now processing a line of cars coming in. As the exit was closed, I went in to pay for our night’s stay, only to be informed that we would also be charged the $5 day pass fee for Friday, as well. I explained that I didn’t that was reasonable, and I was “let off this time”…. Good ol’ Manitoba. (BC did away with day passes several years ago….) If they had simply rolled the five bucks into the camping fee, we’d never have minded. Funny how that works: don’t nickel and dime me; in fact, I’ll give you a dollar if you don’t!
So, off we went, backtracking to Whitewater Lake, which also turned out to be a mild disappointment. Although it’s quite large, there’s a long spit that stretches out from the marshy shores and has an observatory gazebo of sorts at the end. Unfortunately the road/walkway out to it had been washed away recently and we couldn’t get to the end. While we saw birds including Western Grebes, a Cattle Egret, and other waders, gulls, and more, they were generally too far away to get decent shots.
Long shots at Whitewater Lake: Western Grebe (This is already cropped heavily!)
Whitewater Lake: Cattle Egret with Canada Geese. It was windier than it looks here….
There was also a small domesticated herd of bison on the shore in the distance. And, as usual, the gusty wind that helps account for the lake’s name was less than wonderful!
So, back to the plan: drive across southern Manitoba through places I’d know of nearly forever but had never to my recollection ever visited: Killarney, Cartwright, Crystal City, La Riviera, Pilot Mound, Manitou, Morden, Winkler, Carman, each with it’s own claim to fame that I’m not going to go into here….
Day 10: June 2, 2017
If the surprises of the day, to this point, had been less than memorable, what happened in Killarney, a town of 2200 with its strong pretence of an Irish heritage, was not only remarkable, but wonderful. I’ll get to why in a moment.
First, though, this bit from Wikipedia:
“The Town of Killarney was officially incorporated in 1906 [KAR —about the time my grandfather began homesteading near Moosomin, SK]. An Irish land surveyor named John Sidney O’Brien named Killarney Lake (before that, it was called Oak Lake by the aboriginal people) after the Lakes of Killarney, in Ireland. Legend has it that as he sat on the shore of the lake, homesick for his native home, he took a bottle of “Good Irish” from his pack and, pouring it into the water, christened the lake Killarney. The “Irish”-ness of the community is often used as a tourist attraction with things such as green fire engines, Erin and Kerry Parks, Little Irish Downs, and many other good Irish-themed attractions used to play up this theme. Killarney, Manitoba does not have any actual connection with the town of Killarney, Ireland. Most of the people who originally settled the region were from the Scottish Highlands, the English or were Mennonites or Hutterites of Central European extraction.”
What will stick in my mind most, however, are the images of this clean, charming, progressive town. Although Highway 3 allows one to bypass it, that would be a great mistake. My advice? Turn off the highway, and drive towards Killarney Lake, not “man-made,” but certainly human-enhanced. Stop at Erin Park and look for Blue Jays, Grackles, and lots of other birds.
The Splash Park
Enjoy the families playing in the park and its fabulous Water Bucket Splash! I’d never seen one of these; instead of simply shooting a video, I took bursts of the bucket filling, then dumping its contents over the delighted children. The process takes much longer than this animated gif indicates — we miss the wonderful suspense…. When I got home, I rued my “mistake” until I found software online that allowed me to make this image. Turns out my blog doesn’t allow me to upload videos anyway!
What blew us away, however, were the White Pelicans, a bird I’d long wanted to photograph! We have ’em in BC, of course, but they’re only rarely seen at either The Coast or in the Okanagan Valley. I had no forewarning that I’d see them here, so the surprise was truly thrilling. Our first look came at Erin Park where we saw them at a distance both in the lake and in flight. It never occurred to me that I could get better shots than the ones below, so I happily accepted what the lake was serving.
First views: click any photo to enlarge them all….
Pelicans erythrorhynchos arriving….
Landing, er, watering?
Youngster or done breeding?
Ready to breed….
An even better surprise lay in store, however. We got back into the Murano to go uptown and find some lunch. First, we had to cross the bridge. And there they were: the main flock — so close in some cases, I could barely fit them into my viewfinder. Took a jillion photos and still managed to leave some great shots wanting to be taken, like a conflict in which a Red-winged Blackbird objected defiantly to a Pelican cruising too close to shore. Nana urged me to capture the moment — it went on for several minutes — but after getting the shots below (and a whole lot more), I figured I could come back after lunch and likely find this behaviour again. I was wrong. I know, I know! I should always take my wife’s advice!
The closeups: Click any photo to open it, enlarged, it in a new tab.
Good things happen when we work together….
Of course, there’s always one who’s lookin’ the wrong way!
Feeding frenzy!
Success!
Okay! I’ve caught one; now what?
Yeoww!! Catfish got my tongue!!
Down the hatch!
After lunch cleanup….
Serenity at last….
And, of course, there have to be more flight shots! Click any photo to enlarge them all….
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos in flight – one!
Two!
Three!
Four!
Five! Enough already!
Many of these shots were less than perfect. If I lived in Killarney, I’d be down here every day honing my skills and working the light! I think, now that I’m home and looking more closely at the map, that there are probably several other parks and ponds I’d be checking out on regular basis. Will I ever get the chance? Time will tell….
(The last part of Day 10 is included in the follow-up post….)
In 2015, January, as we were preparing to move up to this wonderful place, Nana and I were house sitting, ironically, just across the lane from the condo we were purchasing. I had excellent opportunities to familiarize myself with the neighbourhood, especially Thomson Marsh. At the same time, a delightful romp of North American River Otters showed up for a two week stay where the marsh widens into pools, very close to home. Despite the low light, I was able to get some photos and video. Since then, despite reports from others, I have not seen them in numbers.
Click image above to see original in Flickr.
In March 2017, I caught the back of one swimming upstream away from me, and, a day or so later, just missed seeing several in the same spot they’d visited in 2015. Fortunately, another local fotog was able to get some images.
Recently, I was reminded of the 2015 experience when Angela, one of the folks I frequently encounter on my beat, asked if I’d seen any otters lately. That gave me a chance to share some entertaining (she said) video from two years ago. I promised her links, and finally, here they are!!
The first two links are back to my Flickr site. Below them are links to my Youtube account where the videos, also available via Flickr in rough form, have been enhanced to make them easier on the eyes!
Yes, you are meant to sing this posts’s title’s last five words — à la Johnny Horton!
April 11, 2017: With strong assurance that we had a sunny day at last, Nana and I set out for White Lake and Osoyoos hoping to discover whatever we could. There’s less disappointment with such vague objectives, you know….
Truth be told (and shouldn’t it always?), we were looking for Mountain Bluebirds (Sialia curricoides), Western Meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta), and Nature-willing, Yellow-rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronata). Won’t keep you in suspense — we found ’em all right, yet came home with not one decent photo of any of ’em. Not the right day. Nice to see, but far too far off to fotograph!
Click the map at left (or any graphic where the cursor turns to a pointing hand) to enlarge it….
Before you start commiserating, however, let me finish. We did not return empty-memory-carded! At White Lake, right off the bat, I got some decent shots of a Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana). Actually wished later that I’d spent a little more time there, right across from the parking lot, but we had our targets and figured they were down the trail. We had some fun with meadowlarks, but they were smarter than we. As for the warblers, found that we could do better at home….
Click on any photo in the cluster to enlarge them all….
Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) at White Lake – 1
Western Meadowlark at White Lake. Damn that unseen piece of grass!
Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) at White Lake – 2
(Tachychineta thalassina) female in the stone foundation of our condo, Kelowna.
We didn’t linger long at the lake. Instead we headed south to Osoyoos and famous Road 22 which crosses the Osoyoos River floodplain just north of Osoyoos Lake. At this time of year we can expect to see Ospreys freshly returned from their winter homes in the States, as well as a few other migrants navigating northwards. As we crossed the river and turned south onto the dike road, we saw a flight of Violet-green Swallows (Tachychineta thalassina), a couple of hundred I’d guess, swarming around the bridge area. As we have these at home, we didn’t take time to shoot any….
We did enjoy some success with the Ospreys, however. There are three nests in the floodplain that I’m aware of, and pairs occupied each one . We focused on the largest and most colourful nest, perhaps in the whole Okanagan Valley, maybe in BC, maybe even the world, (!) not that it matters. I’ve provided just three Osprey shots here but if you want more, click this link…. To enlarge the photos, below, click on the —oh, you know…!
We have the best nest!!
Poppa Osprey is not quite all there!
Momma Osprey on wing and the lookout!
On our way back to Oliver, we chose to take the Nimkip Road through Osoyoos Indian Band lands (the road is provincial). Near the junction of Rd. 22 and Sage Rd. sits an old barn and, across the road, some other sadly deteriorated ranch buildings. There we enjoyed great looks at some Say’s Phoebes (Sayornis saya), which seem to be in abundance through their BC range this year. Came away with one acceptable photo.
From Oliver, we drove to Vaseux Lake and up McIntyre Rd. (which Google insists on calling Dulton Creek Rd. Apple Maps, for once, gets it right!) This area is collectively referred to as McIntyre Bluffs (or sometimes Vaseux Bluffs). See map above.
It’s home to a variety of wildlife, both avian and four-legged. We saw (and interacted again) with meadowlarks (still denied the quality shots we got last year). We saw four mule deer, which, after spotting us, turned their attention to a predator they could see, but we couldn’t. Although they stayed put, the here was giving it undivided attention. As the Mulies were too far away to photograph, we didn’t.
Ewe is here!
Wait, this is U2! One down, one up!
On the way up to the ranch on McIntyre Bluff, we stopped to appreciate a rather thin and tired looking California Bighorn ewe. Nana wanted to go look for the rest of the herd, but that came later on our way home….
Turkey Vulture at the ranch above Vaseux Lake near Oliver, BC.
After turning around, a km or so past the ranch, we were startled on our way back down, just as we approached the feedlot, to find a wake of Turkey Vultures (nine altogether) mostly on the ground but also flying in and out. Must admit that I was struck with vulture fever! Stopping the car as close as I could on the opposite side of the road (with no traffic, that was a mistake!), I rolled down the window and attempted to shoot between strands of the barbed wire fence. While the opportunity was fabulous, the fence was a foil. To get the results I wanted, I had to get out and hope that in their frenzy, the ol’ buzzards would stay put and let me shoot. Alas, not happening on this day! While I got the closest ever to TUVUs, the images produced are not nearly as good as they should be. Were I doing it again, I’d drive to the wrong side of the road close to the fence; I think the TUVUs were oblivious to the machine but not to the man…. One of those situations where one is seen exulting and beard-muttering at the same time!
Sort of what I felt like doing when I got such a feeble result!
On the way down the highway, located “our Ewe” again, and observed her and 21 others in the herd, by Nana’s count. There may have been more. No rams, however…. To enlarge any photo below, click on it!
The view of Vaseux Bluff from McIntyre Bluff. Can you spot “Ewe”?
Ewe is a sweetheart!
One dozen of the herd. Nana counted 22 in all….
Finally, from the new tower-blind at the Vaseux Lake “Important Birding Area” (a lot more on this fraud some other day!), one last look at Vaseux Lake and Bluff.
Vaseux Lake from the beautiful new tower-blind. Sadly, the same old lousy birding spot!
birds & musings 