Greenstone Mountain, Flowers and Birds

The 18th trip to Greenstone Mountain (in 19 years) on July 3rd had 24 people participating. The weather was mixed with sun, cloud, wind, and a dash of mosquitoes.
The total plant list for the day was 80+ species. Thanks to the good turnout of people and the level of knowledge of many of them, we developed our best one-day list ever.
At a seasonal pond and at Ned Roberts Lake we saw several species of birds. Rick Howie talked about how to identify a female Northern Pintail, a Barrow's Goldeneye, and a Ruddy Duck. A Spotted Sandpiper and Killdeer were scolding us to move away. A pair of Adult Common Loons were seen and later, a young loon. A pair of Red Crossbills was on the roadside gathering gravel for their crops.
Many digital camera operators were very busy and got photos of a cicada, Tree Frog, Western Toad, and many of the blooming flowers.
The view from the top of the mountain looking toward the Logan Lake mine and Tunkwa Lake was clear and the Coast Mountain range was visible with its snow-capped peaks.
All in all, a good day to be out enjoying beautiful BC.
Eric McAlary

Photos on the Greenstone Mountain trip taken by Lindley Roff
Columbine:

Horned Beetle:

Paintbrush:

Rick and Cicada:

Wildflower meadow:

Flower:

Arnica after the fire 1:

Arnica after the fire 2:

Delphinium & Butterfly:

Penstemon

Campbell Creek Field Trip

Five enthusiastic people took advantage of a pleasant summer day on Sunday, June 5 to take in the birding trip along the Campbell Creek Road. A brief stop at Separation Lake off Highway 5A rewarded us with a view of 3 Wilson's Phalaropes spinning in the small pond or walking along the water's edge. At Walker Lake we spotted some ruddy ducks, blue-winged teal, red-winged blackbirds, and a bald eagle surveying the country from its nest tree. The vegetation along the Campbell Creek valley was very lush and we stopped at several places to listen for birds while the creek burbled in the background. The willow flycatcher seemed to be at every stop with its "fitzbew" call. At several places we also heard the common yellowthroat and at one point, we thrilled to the flute-like song of the veery. Some people caught a glimpse of a lazuli bunting. We ended up at Duck Lake Meadows and caught sight of an elusive female oriole in the bushes while a red-necked grebe floated gracefully offshore. On the way back home, we strayed down the Robbins Creek Road to view some painted turtles basking on a raft in a small pond.   By this time, the sky had clouded over and a few rain drops splattered the windshield, however, it had been a glorious day in the countryside, with warm temperatures, no wind, and lots of birds. Although no one was keeping track, some of the other species seen or heard were: pied-billed grebe, northern shoveller, canvasback, ring-necked duck, goldeneye, hooded merganser, red-tailed hawk, sora rail, America coot, killdeer, ? hummingbird, western wood peewee, eastern and western kingbird, Clark's nutcracker, yellow warbler, chipping sparrow, vesper sparrow, yellow-headed blackbird, western meadowlark, and many of the more common birds seen around Kamloops.

Niskonlith Field Trip

We had a good turn-out for the photo/flowers field trip with Dave Williams on Sunday, May 8. The sky was overcast but Dave explained that it was perfect for taking excellent photographs. At the first stop, he gathered the group around him to explain the secrets of taking prize-winning close-ups by carefully selecting the appropriate shading and contrast details to enhance the photographs. He passed out examples of his own work and then everyone traipsed up the hillside to practice their camera operating techniques. David moved from person to person, offering words of encouragement and advice. Half the group was equipped with either digital or single-lens equipment and was diligently engrossed in getting up close and personal with their ground-level subjects. Captured on film were arrowleaf balsamroot, chocolate lilies, fringe-cup, arnica, larkspur, and even the lowly dandelion.

The other half of the group, although not involved in the photography sessions, was happy to be outdoors, enjoying the green hillsides, the singing of the birds, and the warmth of the sunshine which occasionally brightened the day. Gales of laughter from this group sometimes interrupted the concentration of the avid photographers.   We were thrilled to be buzzed by an elusive hummingbird and amazed to see the blackened spars of trees left standing after the destructive fires of 2003.

We made one more stop to take advantage of a rock face covered with shrubby blue penstemon and the photographers were soon perched precariously on the hillside, taking close-up shots of the pretty flower.    Prize-winning photos taken on this trip will soon be displayed on the club website - www.kamloopsnaturalist.ca. Thanks, David, for a productive and enjoyable afternoon.
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