Manning and Monck Parks

[Bill]

Hi,

My family and I just returned from and excellent 4 night camping trip to Lightning Lake and Nicola Lake (Monck Park). We managed to sneak is some birding time and were rewarded with 70 species. 6 life birds for me ;D.

I need help Iding this one. This bird was sitting on the wires just out of Merritt on Hwy 5A. It looked like it was fly catching but was not very active. I looked through my Sibley guide but cannot find anything that looks like this one. The closest bird I keep going back to is the Pinyon Jay but it would be out of range and not in a flock like Sibley says it should be! The other problem is the marking on the front and the rusty coloring. Is it a juvenile something?? I saw it's tail as it flew away and it was bright blue along with the wings. It looks like it may be a blue bird but I thought it was to big.
Any thoughts??





Other lifers were a Ruffed Grouse in Manning Park Thanks to my wife for pointed it out as we drove by. The van made a rather quick stop but we were rewarded. (Brakes are cheap!)



Rock Wren and Monck Park:




Western Scrub Jay on Hwy 5A between Princeton and Merritt
Bank Swallow near Nicola Lake
Vespers Sparrow near Nicola Lake

Here is the list (In order that we saw them- starting at our bird feeder the morning we left!)
House Sparrow
Black-Headed Grousebeak
Rufous Hummingbird
Robin
Tree Swallow
Red-winged blackbird
Northern Rough Winged Swallow
American Goldfinch
Bald Eagle

At Manning Lodge:

Brown Headed Cowbird
Clark's Nutcracker
Evening Grosebeak
American Crow
Violet-green Swallow
Cliff Swallow



Barn Swallow

Manning Park (Beaver Pond and Lightning Lake)

Pine Siskin
Cedar Waxwing
Common Yellowthroat
Western Wood Pewee ?
Common Golden eye?



Mallard
Red-Breasted Sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Three toed Woodpecker
Red-Naped Sapsucker ? (3 second view ,10 feet away, from my chair while writing the list for the day!)
Yellow Warbler
Osprey
Lincoln's Sparrow
Black-capped chickadee
Gray Jay
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Wilson's Warbler
Junco
Fly catcher??
Yellow Rumped Warbler



Solitary Sandpiper
Killdeer
Raven
Ruffed Grouse
American Pipit
Townsend Warbler
Hermit Thrush (maybe Swainsons?)
Varied Thrush
Chestnut backed chickadee
Song sparrow

Hwy 5A to Merritt

Red tailed hawk



Western Scrub Jay
Canadian Goose
Wilson's Snipe
Break for a story- We stopped at one of the many lakes on the highway for a stretch/birding break. I was scanning the pond and our kids thought they would try to make the trucks honk. They were successful and the honk scared 2 snipe from about 15 feet away! It's all in the technique¡K¡K




Brewers Blackbird
Turkey Vulture

Monck Park and the road leading there

Chipping Sparrow
Common Merganser
Western Tanager
Bush Tit
Rock Wren
Vespers Sparrow
Western Kingbird
Northern Harrier
Hooded Merganser
Bank Swallow
Eastern Kingbird
Blue Bird on the wire (see above)
Hairy Woodpecker
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning dove
American Kestrel

[b1schmor]

Hi Bill,

it's a Mountain Bluebird.

Congrats on the six lifers,

Brent Schmor
Harrison Mills

[Chris]

Congrats on the six lifers Bill. I looked at every fence post when I was in Merritt for a Mountain Bluebird but didn't see one. The Goldeneye is a Barrow's Goldeneye.

[Gord]

Bill, nice! I wonder if that Western Scrub-Jay is the same bird as Dave Pepper reported. Certainly a rarity for BC! Well done guys.

Chris, I was thinking perhaps Common Goldeneye but I think you might be right. Sure, the bill is not orange, but often it is not. The bill does look short enough and the head shape promising. Good eye on the goldeneye! (pardon the pun ;D)

[Bill]

Thanks for the Id on the bluebird. The only other bluebird I saw was a sick one at Eagle Point. I thought this bird was bigger and I was getting so many lifers........ ;D.

Also, thanks for the Id on the golden eye.

Bill