2016 North Okanagan Christmas bird count results

VERNON – The weather on Sunday, December 18th, really cooperated and so the count was quite successful with about 20,000 birds counted of 92 species.

Highlights:
2 Yellow-headed Blackbirds, found by the team of Ian Robertson at the O'Keefe Ranch. This was voted the "Bird of the Day".

Gail Loughridge and Jim Bodkin were the runners-up with two Red-breasted Mergansers near Kin Beach.

Other interesting sightings: 11 Wild Turkeys on the Commonage, 6 Golden Eagles, 1 Peregrine Falcon at the Coldstream ranch, 4 Virginia Rails, 6 Great Horned Owls, 1 Northern Pygmy Owl, 2 Barred Owls, 9 Northern Shrike, 1 Gray Jay, 1 Rock Wren, 2 Pacific Wrens, 1 American Dipper in the creek behind Walmart, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, 2 Varied Thrushes, 5 White-throated Sparrows, 2 Pine Grosbeaks, 20 Common Redpoll.