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#89068
Yesterday, 1 Jul 2019, I had to go across the border into the U.S. Since I was driving down Highway 97 through the Okanagan Valley, I decided to make a quick stop on Road 22 just north of Osoyoos. This is the road that leads over to the Burrowing Owl winery ... it also takes you to the Osoyoos Oxbows parking lot.

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As soon as we got out of the car, the birds were singing. It was around 1 pm but they were all very active. We saw this Gray Catbird immediately in the trees in the parking lot.

Image Gray Catbird

We took our bikes off the car, grabbed our binoculars and camera and went for a short ride. Leaving the parking lot, we turned right, crossed the bridge, and then rode down the dirt road to the south. This road leads down to the north end of Osoyoos Lake. Even though it was Canada Day, there weren't a lot of people there and we saw quite a few birds. Just at the bridge you can see four different swallows: Cliff, Barn, Northern Rough-winged, and Tree Swallows.

Image Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Image Tree Swallow
Image Cliff Swallow

At the end of the road, we heard several different birds and I was fortunate enough to capture this Yellow Warbler.

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There were Eastern Kingbirds, Western Wood-Pewees, Mallards, Wood Ducks, Song Sparrows, and a Great Blue Heron to name a few.

Image Red-winged Blackbird
Image Eastern Kingbird
Image Wood Duck
Image Great Blue Heron

We turned around and rode back up the road, crossed Road 22, and rode up to Road 18 on the eastside of the canal. We saw plenty of birds through this area--especially raptors.

Image Bald Eagle with Nest
Image Northern Harrier
Image Red-tailed Hawk

As we neared Road 18, we were stopped looking for a Catbird when we saw a large brown bird cross the canal to the other side. Knowing we would be coming that way and using a barn as a reference, we made our way up to Road 18 and back down towards Road 22. We stopped at the barn and started looking for the "big brown bird." We heard a lot of agitated birds in the trees and I mentioned it sounded like they were chirping at an owl. Sure enough, right near the waterline, was a Great Horned Owl sitting in the tree. He gave us a look and then nonchalantly made his way back across the canal. What an awesome treat!

Image Great Horned Owl

As we continued down the canal, we saw a bird flying toward the south low on the water. I realized it was a Sandpiper so we started to watch to see where it might land. Fortunately, I "spotted" it on the other side ... yep. Spotted Sandpiper.

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We had to leave for my appointment on the other side of the border. However, I realized we didn't try to see the Bobolink, so we came back after the appointment, around 6 pm and had another look. It didn't disappoint! A lifer for me, the Bobolink was in the field south of the Oxbows parking lot. We walked south along the west side of the canal and saw it out in the field (along with about 30 Red-winged Blackbirds!)

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We had about a 2 hour drive back to Kelowna, so we wrapped it up and headed out after a successful trip. We spent about 2.5 hours in total around that area and were able to see about 32 different species of birds ... Worth the stop if you get a chance!

Enjoy,
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