Osoyoos Cranes

[Gord]

A friend of Bruce and Joanne's sent them some photos of Sandhill Cranes over Osoyoos recently. Sounds like many flocks such as just the one shown in the photo below were going over making quite the sound. Reminds me of the first time I saw flocks of Sandhill Cranes migrating south when I was visiting Quesnel.





Thanks to Hazel and Graham for the photos!

[tmanson]

Hi Gord:
Last Friday, as I was standing on a bluff that overlooks the north east corner of Osoyoos Lake, I had a flock of 100 plus fly over my head; quite a sight, indeed. In Othello Washington, in the Spring, they have a Sandhill Crane festival, as many of the northern migrating Sandhills stop over in the local fields overnight; also an amazing spectacle that Jason Osterhold and I were able to witness on a birding trip down that way a number of years ago.
On the same day I saw the flock in Osoyoos, I found a latish Intermediate adult morph Swainson's Hawk down in the oxbows.
There has been a recent report of another White headed Woodpecker just north of where I live in Gallagher Lake, so I will have an extensive look for that elusive bird after census today at Vaseux.
BTW, the banding station at Vaseux remains open for another 2 weeks, and visitors are very welcome. Starting now, Doug Brown, the head bander, also bands Saw-whet Owls at night- quite interesting.
All the details are posted on bcintbird, but, of course, Fraser Valley birders are more than welcome to e-mail me for more info, if they are planning a trip over this way. Cheers, Thor

Thor Manson
Gallagher Lake, B.C.

[murraybrown]

I have just returned from a few days at LacLeJeune, which is a few kilometers south of Kamloops. And like Thor, we too were treated to the thrill of calling cranes. Around noon yesterday we heard them coming in the distance. Within seconds, there they were, straight overhead and starting to circle as they picked up a thermal. With the brilliant yellow and red foliage and the clear blue skies it was quite the spectacle. They continued to circle for 2 or 3 minutes and within that short time they were now several hundred feet higher and continuing their southern journey.

Murray