American Robin (F) - Almond Gardens Road, Grand Forks BC
And here's the male with the Kettle River blurred out in the background.
American Robin - Almond Gardens Road, Grand Forks BC
We hit the road and drove for just under two hours before stopping near Bridesville. We heard and briefly saw a Williamson's Sapsucker. I think Chris might have got a photo but I only heard and briefly saw the bird. This photo was taken in 2014 in the Okanagan while on a guided birding tour.
Williamson's Sapsucker (2014) - 2019 Bird #151 heard at Bridesville BC
Still in the same area, the next bird was more easily photographed. I'm quite certain this is a Western Wood-Pewee. I'm welcome to corrections.
Western Wood-Pewee - Bridesville BC - 2019 Bird #152
Here's the Pewee again with a Chipping Sparrow underneath.
Western Wood-Pewee and Chipping Sparrow - Bridesville BC
We drove for another hour, taking a northerly turn at Osoyoos so that we could visit the Vaseux Cliffs near Oliver. After parking, the first creature we saw was not a bird.
Yellow-bellied Marmot - Vaseux Cliffs, Oliver BC
This location is one of the best in BC to see White-throated Swifts. They are numerous here, but tough to photograph as they are always on the move overhead.
This shot shows a group of the Swifts.
White-throated Swift - Vaseux Cliffs, Oliver BC - 2019 Bird #153
And here's a cropped close-up of a single Swift.
White-throated Swift - Vaseux Cliffs, Oliver BC
Most of the deer seen in this area are Mule Deer. These ones are quite young.
Mule Deer- Vaseux Cliffs, Oliver BC
We did observe a Golden Eagle soaring high overhead, too high for a photo. I've substituted this photo taken in 2013 at this location.
Golden Eagle- Vaseux Cliffs, Oliver BC - 2019 Bird #154 (Photo taken in April 2013)
Just across the highway at Vaseux Lake, we observed this Hairy Woodpecker.
Hairy Woodpecker - Vaseux Lake Wildlife Center, Oliver BC
We took White Lake Road back south and I lucky to get some great shots of a Lark Sparrow.
Lark Sparrow - White Lake Road, Oliver BC
Lark Sparrow - White Lake Road, Oliver BC
Also on White Lake Road we saw a male Bullock's Oriole. Once again I was disappointed with my shot of this colourful bird.
Bullock's Oriole - White Lake Road, Oliver BC
We stopped briefly at Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary near Princeton, a place I've had some luck on previous trips.
The first bird seen was this Willow Flycatcher.
Willow Flycatcher - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC - 2019 Bird #155
Our last Western Bluebird of the trip was this female
Western Bluebird (F) - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC
As we made our way back to the car, we noticed the sounds of a large number of birds around us. It didn't take long to realize that we'd stumbled upon a large flock of Evening Grosbeaks.
Evening Grosbeak - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC - 2019 Bird #156
The birds above and below are males, the more colourful members of this species.
Evening Grosbeak - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC
This shot is the best I managed of a female:
Evening Grosbeak (F) - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC
We saw a few Western Tanagers on the trip, but i never got a nice focused shot. This one of two males in no exception.
Western Tanager - Swan Lake Bird Sanctuary, Princeton BC
Our last stop was at Manning Park, where we visited the Beaver Pond. A Yellow-rumped Warbler was reasonably cooperative and posed for some photos.
Yellow-rumped Warbler - Beaver Pond, Manning Park, BC
Yellow-rumped Warbler - Beaver Pond, Manning Park, BC
The very last bird seen was a Mountain Chickadee, another shot of a recent lifer for Chris.
Mountain Chickadee - Beaver Pond, Manning Park, BC
From Manning Park we drove home to North Delta for me and Richmond for Chris. Overall it was a fantastic trip. I added 85 species to my 2019 list and 8 species to my Life List.
I don't know if we'll do this trip again, but i'd be willing to revisit some of the locations.
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