Day 12
Trip Start
May 17, 2009
1
15
23
Trip End
Jun 15, 2009
Vernon, British Columbia, Canada
Monday, June 1, 2009
177 bird species seen in BC.
22 Mammal species.
Bears - Black - 6 Vs - Grizzly - 6.
So to recap. Birds have had a great season [spring]. Mammals started poorly but have been developing of late. And bears it's still neck and neck although most would agree that Grizzly's best is now behind them and Blacks should improve from this point on...
So much for forced metaphor.
Today we came via a hell of a sunday drive from Kamloops to Vernon that ended a mere 12 hours after it started netting some 80 bird spp - the best birding day of the trip so far. It should have been more if we had completed the entire plan but we obviously spent too much time looking at some of the stuff and places.
Great day for waterbirds - saw by far the majority of possible BC waterfowl spp, including good views of both goldeneyes, hooded mergansers, buffleheads, canvasback [a surprize] redhead and ruddy duck [the north american version of our blue billed].
4 sparrow day; including savannah, chipping, vesper and the new one clay colored.[note american spelling]. Lewis's woodpecker was a great new one but the highlights were for me were the new raptors, in particular, Golden Eagles, Swainsons and Cooper's Hawks and Kestrel.
Also note worthy was the site of 2 black bears, one black and the other brown. Let me explain both were of the species Black bear but they were different colours. sorry no photo!
Included today are a few bird photos - just for something a wee bit different.
