Apr 21, 2018 — GREENWOOD, BC (BG)

Today we're beginning what will be an annual feature in the journal — an update on the progress of our local birdwatchers, who are compiling a photo-digest of all the birds sighted in the area.

Last Spring we launched the Greenwood Bird Gallery, followed by a separate gallery for Midway. Thanks to the efforts of a few determined local birders (with special thanks to Brigitte Huerzeler!), we've added 38 new species to the list this year.

We know there are many more beautiful birds living in the Boundary that haven't yet been sighted, identified and photographed. The Okanagan, which is world-famous for its diverse population, currently lists 332 species. Our inventory is approx. 1/3 of that after just a year of record-keeping. In a few more years, we'll undoubtedly see that the Boundary is equally rich in the diversity of its bird population.

Compared to the Okanagan, certain geophysical attributes are unique to the Boundary. Elevation, placement of mountain valleys and other aspects all effect our micro-climate zones, and these unique pockets no doubt attract certain birds, at certain times of the year, some of which may vary from the Okanagan. As we wrote in our initial article on "Birding in Greenwood", our Greenwood habitats range from mountains to lowland forest, rolling hills, rough rock screes, mining ruins, grasslands and lowland pasture, streams, wetlands, lakes, and the urban green we call our 'city'. The birds attracted to these surroundings are just as varied: perching birds and songbirds, woodpeckers, owls, raptors, game birds and waterfowl.

Even as amateur birdwatchers, there's so much we can learn about the birds who visit here on migratory fly-overs, and those who come to stay year-round.

Loosely grouped, following is our list of the birds we've seen in Greenwood and Midway over the last two years, with the year's new additions in blue:

Anna's Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Calliope Hummingbird

Bushtit
House Wren
Dusky Flycatcher
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Song Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
White Crowned Sparrow
MacGillivray's Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Western Tanager

Common Redpoll
Lesser Redpoll
Pine Siskin
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch

American Goldfinch
Purple Finch
House Finch
Mountain Bluebird
Western Bluebird
Lazuli Bunting
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
Slate-colored Junco
Evening Grosbeak
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
Song Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
Townsend's Solitaire
Varied Thrush

American Robin
Spotted Towhee
Bullock's Oriole
Meadowlark
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Kingbird

Bohemian Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing
Grey Jay (Whiskeyjack)
Steller's Jay
Tree Swallow
Eurasian Collared Dove
Mourning Dove
Magpie

Brewer's Blackbird
Red-wing Blackbird
European Starling
American Crow
Common Raven

Northern Red-shafted Flicker
Red-naped Sapsucker
Williamson's Sapsucker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downey Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker

Barred Owl
Great Horned Owl
Northern Pygmy Owl
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Common Nighthawk
American Kestrel
Merlin Falcon
Black Merlin Falcon
Bald Eagle
Golden Eagle
Turkey Vulture

Canada Goose
Ringneck Pheasant
California Quail
Chukar Partridge
Grey (Hungarian) Partridge
Wild Turkey

American Dipper
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Common Loon
Common Merganser Duck
Hooded Merganser Duck
Mallard Duck
Wood Duck
Belted Kingfisher
Great Egret

Please join us by contributing to the Bird galleries. Send your photos of birds sighted in Greenwood or Midway, along with month/year and general location of sighting, to: editor@beautifulgreenwood.com. We also welcome corrections, should you find any misidentified species in the flock!

Warblers — John James Audubon