Osoyoos is prime bird watching territory. Wetlands, grasslands, forests and mountain meadows provide ideal nesting and resting habitat for birds that make this their summer home, winter haven or stopover during migration season. Few places in North America offer such a variety of easily accessible terrain where birders can visit dry desert sagebrush habitat and subalpine tundra in the same day. Bring binoculars.
Haynes Point Provincial Park on Osoyoos Lake and the Osoyoos Oxbows (a remnant of the former Okanagan River habitat) host numerous species in their wetlands. The Golden Mile Trail (16km/10mi north) is part of the National Bluebird Trail and Vaseux Lake (35km/22mi north) is the site of a bird sanctuary and summer banding station.
The Okanagan Valley Birding Trail booklet highlights 17 birding sites within a 35km/22mi radius of downtown Osoyoos.
Pick a habitat and season and head out to add to that life list. The selection of habitats includes marshes and wetlands; antelope brush and sage grasslands; ponderosa parkland and high elevation forest.
Marshes & Wetlands
Look for such species as mergansers, grebes and great blue herons in wetlands at Haynes Point Provincial Park, Anarchist Mountain, Kilpoola Lake, Osoyoos Oxbows, Hack's Pond and Vaseux Lake.
Endangered Arid Grasslands
White-throated swift, Say's Phoebe and the very rare black-throated sparrow are among the species that may be spotted in the highly endangered arid grasslands. Check out the West Osoyoos Benchlands, Mount Kobau, Throne Ecological Reserve, Chopaka and the Golden Mile Trail.
Ponderosa Parkland
Watch for various woodpecker species, warblers and raptors among the clearings and open bush of the ponderosa parkland ecosystem. Good sites include Anarchist Mountain, the Golden Mile Trail and Sawmill Lake.
High Elevation Forest
High elevation forest species include spruce grouse, White tailed Ptarmigan and Boreal Chickadee. Look for these birds on Mount Baldy, Camp McKinney Road and Venner Meadows.
Vaseux Lake Provincial Park
Vaseux Lake Provincial Park, 35km/22mi north of Osoyoos, offers a short easy walk with excellent bird watching opportunities. A boardwalk leads to an observation tower and blind in the Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada Waterfowl Sanctuary. Bird watchers may spot a wide range of species including golden eagles, trumpeter swans and western meadowlarks.
Migratory Bird Banding Station
In August and September a migratory bird banding station is set up in the riparian area between the Okanagan River dikes and the remnant oxbows at the north end of Vaseux Lake. Visitors are welcome, but be careful of the mist nets.
Endangered Environment Still Bird Friendly
Riparian and wetland areas in the valley and grasslands on the surrounding benches and hillsides have suffered serious destruction. Flood control measures restricting the Okanagan River to a channel that abandoned its meandering oxbows and filling in wetlands for development have impacted up to 90 per cent of this critical habitat in the Okanagan Valley.
In addition, heavy cattle grazing in the late 1800s and early 1900s, with the subsequent invasion of non-native plant species, has badly damaged the grasslands leaving this area among the most seriously endangered ecosystems in Canada. Yet concerned citizens are working to save what remains and rehabilitate areas such as the Osoyoos Oxbows. Local naturalists and volunteers regularly identify over 110 species in the annual Christmas bird count.
Stop by the British Columbia Visitor Centre @ Osoyoos, junction of Highways 3 and 97, for suggestions on birding locations or to buy a copy of The Okanagan Valley Birding Trail.
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