鈥婳ne of my first bird encounters has left a lasting impression. I was staying with friends on the Alberta prairie flatlands east of Sundre. One early morning I wandered out to a nearby prairie slough, a seasonal reedy marsh. Fascinated, I moved closer. Then, an explosion of big, long billed birds burst up from behind the reeds with wide wings flapping and gangly legs dangling.
鈥婽hat was startling enough, but they seemed to be focused on me, and they were emitting the most frightening screeches. And that鈥檚 not all! Their wheeling numbers
were quickly joined by another equally loud, large, long narrow-beaked, spindly legged bird species that chased me off very quickly.
鈥婭 was soon enlightened by my laughing friends. I鈥檇 encountered wetland birds called curlews and godwits鈥omewhat like a much quieter and infrequent wetland visitor to the Okanagan, the American avocet, another member of the stilt bird family, Recurvirostridae.
鈥婽hankfully, most of my bird encounters have not been very dramatic. Most are delightful new experiences that have opened my eyes to a world that we often overlook. 鈥�
鈥婼uch as occurred on an Okanagan ranch when I was walking deep in the yellow fields of wild mustard. I looked up to see a similarly bright yellow on a bird perched above. About the size of a robin, it had a lovely soft grey back, head and upper breast, with the noted lower breast of yellow. A Western kingbird!
鈥婭 soon began to see a very similar bird, but this one was black headed, dark grey on its back and white from below its beak down its full breast, with a touch of white on the end of its tail. In this case, an Eastern kingbird. It was another member of the Kingbird family of larger flycatchers known as tyrant flycatchers or tyrannus, tyrannus. Apparently they can be very aggressive with each other!
鈥婼ometimes feel embarrassed that it took me a couple of years to realize the diversity and visibility of Okanagan birds. It helped to have a very bird-wise neighbour who once a year hosted hummingbird banding team and encouraged a visit to see a Western screech owl nesting in her woodshed.
鈥婳n another occasion I once again heard a most penetrating, loud and unsettling callfrom behind my ranch home. I thought it might be owl but I鈥檇 never heard anything like that before. I had already met a Great Grey owl that often spent the evening sitting in a tree less than 30 metres from the back door. One dusky evening it had even warned me off with a soft, silent, wide-winged flight toward me.
鈥婣 nest must be close by. Following a moment of googling the call, I realized I was hearing a young Great Grey insisting on its dinner! Alas, it wasn鈥檛 visible, but its demanding dinner call was heard for several evenings thereafter!
鈥婽o learn more about birds in the South Okanagan with photos by bird photographer Jodi Forster, join me at Penticton鈥檚 Brown Bag Lecture Series in the Museum Auditorium, March 11, 12 noon.
To contact Dianne please go to writer@diannebersea.com
