Vernon naturalist finds furry surprise inside bird nest box

Every week, Eric Kowalski goes out to monitor and repair bird boxes installed on fenceposts on Vernon-area farms and ranch lands, and he recently found something interesting in one.

Bluebird nesting boxes are found throughout the Thompson-Okanagan region as part of an ongoing initiative by the BC Bluebird Society to help increase populations of western and mountain bluebirds.

Volunteers with local naturalist clubs look after the boxes.

“We check for damaged boxes, boxes that have become infested with wasps or ants and other creatures,” Kowalski said. “There are boxes where nestlings have died from disease, a loss of parents to predation or poor weather conditions and we clean them out. The boxes can be a source of snacks for snakes and bears, and cattle brush against them and knock them down.”

Kowalski is the president of the North Okanagan Naturalist Club which began monitoring bluebird nest boxes decades ago and now manage roughly 20 trails with up to 40 boxes per trail.

Volunteers like Kowalski collect data on the bird species using them, which can include tree swallows and other species, along with the date of egg laying and the number of chicks produced.

Kowalski helps out with a couple of trails but primarily monitors one in the Goose Lake area that has 27 boxes.

A few days ago, one of those boxes had a sleepy northern flying squirrel tucked inside of it.

“I was very surprised when I opened the nest box and found a flying squirrel inside,” he said. “I had no idea what it was but one of my co-volunteers who is an ecologist recognized it right away.

“I didn’t realize we had flying squirrels in this area, although colleagues have since told me they’ve seen them on Silver Star mountain.”

The northern flying squirrel is the only species of flying squirrel found in the North Okanagan. They’re elusive, strictly nocturnal animals that live in mature coniferous forests and rely heavily on dead standing trees for their dens. Because they’re nocturnal, they’re rarely spotted during the day.

“Occasionally, they turn up in local nest boxes or old-growth areas throughout the Thompson-Okanagan,” Kowalski said. “One of the exciting parts of nest box monitoring is you never know what’s inside them until you open them. This was a special find.”

Discovering the squirrel provided one of many learning opportunities he has had since joining the club in 2022.

“I can’t claim to be an amazing naturalist but it has been quite a learning experience, I find this club to be phenomenal,” he said. “I recently met a new club member who talked about how welcoming the club has been and how generous members are with sharing knowledge.”

He started out as a substitute bluebird box monitor, working on different trails while other members were on vacation.

“It was cool because I saw different areas,” he said. “If people are thinking of volunteering with the club, it’s important they know they can. I never thought I’d be out doing this kind of stuff but you can really learn a lot and it’s quite fascinating.”

Members of The Kamloops Naturalist Club have also been looking after nest boxes in the Kamloops area for a few decades to promote bluebird and tree swallow populations.

Go here to learn more about the North Okanagan Naturalist Club and to volunteer. Residents are encouraged to join in weekly Saturday morning walks.