I met up with Marina and her mother this morning and we made our way up Beaver Lake Road, in Lake Country. It was a sunny day, but the blue skies and sunshine were a little subdued because of wildfire smoke. Temperatures up at the top of the plateau were a comfortable 19 degrees Celsius, and up to 29 in the valley bottom. Our first couple of stops were in the grassland section of the road. We enjoyed views of Say’s Phoebe, Western Meadowlark, Black-billed Magpie, Brown-headed Cowbird, Brewer’s Blackbird and Vesper Sparrow. Some of the usual suspects around there. A Merlin flew low over the grassland and landed in a distant tree for scope views. In a little gully filled with aspen and chokecherry, there was a real flurry of bird activity. Both Western and Eastern kingbirds showed off nicely, as did Bullock’s Orioles, Western Tanagers and a couple of Lazuli Buntings, with even a couple of stunning blue males seen as well. A Red-tailed Hawk came in and landed in the trees, and was immediately surrounded by a mob of unhappy magpies! A very vocal little House Wren called from a fence post, and a male Cassin’s Finch picked up grit from the roadside. We had brief looks at Savannah Sparrow and a couple of juvenile Lark Sparrows. Gray Catbirds ‘meowed’ from the roadside shrubbery and we did eventually see one. Swainson’s Thrush called as well, but remained hidden.
Further up Beaver Lake Road, in the coniferous forest, we enjoyed nice looks at a Red-naped Sapsucker, as well as a group of noisy Red-breasted Nuthatches. Along the first couple of km of Dee Lake Road we were treated to excellent views of a Northern Pygmy-Owl. A Common Loon yodeled out on the lake, and a Pileated Woodpecker and a Canada Jay called, but we didn’t see them. We popped into the Beaver Lake Lodge for a coffee and, from the deck we saw the Common Loon. There were dozens of Barn Swallows chattering as they flew around the lodge. A Dark-eyed Junco, our only one for the day, foraged on the ground at the edge of the parking lot.
In addition to birds on Beaver Lake Road, we had some cool mammals as well. In the grassland, we saw a buck Mule Deer near the roadside. Two Coyotes were moving through the grassland as well, looking for prey. Yellow Pine Chipmunks were numerous all the way up the road, and we also saw some Columbian Ground-Squirrels and American Red Squirrels.
Our final stop was at Robert Lake. As usual, we added a bunch of species here, including waterfowl such as Cinnamon Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Ruddy Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, and Redhead. A highlight was seeing an Eared Grebe sitting on its nest. Both Yellow-headed and Red-winged blackbirds were seen in the reeds. Shorebirds were few and far between but we had Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs and a juvenile Red-necked Phalarope. We had seen and / or heard about 65 species by the end of our morning of birding.
Birds Species on Tour: Canada Goose; Cinnamon Teal; Gadwall; Mallard; Redhead; Lesser Scaup; Bufflehead; Ruddy Duck; California Quail; Eared Grebe; Eurasian Collared-Dove; Mourning Dove; hummingbird sp; American Coot; Killdeer; Spotted Sandpiper; Lesser Yellowlegs; Red-necked Phalarope; Ring-billed Gull; Common Loon; Bald Eagle; Red-tailed Hawk; Northern Pygmy-Owl; Red-naped Sapsucker; Downy Woodpecker; Northern Flicker; Pileated Woodpecker; Merlin; Western Kingbird; Eastern Kingbird; Say’s Phoebe; Canada Jay; Black-billed Magpie; American Crow; Common Raven; Tree Swallow; Barn Swallow; Black-capped Chickadee; Mountain Chickadee; Red-breasted Nuthatch; Pygmy Nuthatch; House Wren; Ruby-crowned Kinglet; Swainson’s Thrush; American Robin; European Starling; House Sparrow; Cassin’s Finch; Red Crossbill; Spotted Towhee; Chipping Sparrow; Vesper Sparrow; Lark Sparrow; Savannah Sparrow; Dark-eyed Junco; Yellow-headed Blackbird; Western Meadowlark; Bullock’s Oriole; Red-winged Blackbird; Brown-headed Cowbird; Brewer’s Blackbird; Common Yellowthroat; Yellow-rumped Warbler; Western Tanager; Lazuli Bunting.
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