Sketch and story by Tom Godin,
June 15, 2000

On Monday morning, June 12, following the annual two day bird outing a pleasant longing permeated my mind, no doubt an effect of the trip.

Things done and seen kept coming back in the form of vignettes, like the last bits of effervescence in the now flat champagne of everyday activities. Things like Bob's late night stir fry over a blazing campfire, spiced up with morel mushrooms picked a few hours earlier on an alpine slope; standing on Jesmond Lookout taking in the incredible view while at our feet courageous blooming alpine flowers braved the bursts of snow, wind and flashes of sunlight; Bighorn Sheep in the lush green fields of Gang Ranch viewed across the Fraser River; the Fraser River seen from high above, its surface defined by undulating smooth wrinkles on a tea-with-milk colouration; Violet-Green Swallows throwing themselves out over sheer cliffs all the while chattering exuberantly; Nighthawks jouncing through air like black, flexing boomerangs; awaking to the first clear notes of an Oriole's song; a pair of Magpies in the early dawn light inspecting their sage covered places, keeping company with a thousand hidden things in the eroded hills that only they know about; the shy Towhee's bright red eye seen through the foliage of the White Clematis ... Who would not find themselves somewhat unfocused after such a trip?

And of course the birds are always of great interest. Before the official gathering at the tourist booth I went to the corner of a field near Horse Lake to take in the birds there. Eight Sandhill Cranes were standing near the fence along the road. Wilson's Phalarope were swimming in the waters of the field. The 100 Mile Marsh provided us with the usual sightings; Red-necked Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Redhead, Yellowthroat, Marsh Wren, Willow Flycatcher, and other birds associated with Cariboo ponds. But this year we were able to add a bird to the list that we have never recorded on the Churn Creek trip - the Northern Three-toed Woodpecker. This was made possible by the fact that a pair are nesting near the marsh.

Before leaving town we went to the park to get the Winter Wren which was singing loudly and no doubt nesting in that area. A Goldeneye duckling was spotted on the small pond in the park immediately in front of a duck box that I had placed on a tree last year, so this was possibly the day they were jumping from the nestbox.

When we left town we headed south down Highway 97, stopping at some swamp areas before turning in at mile 59 onto the gravel roads. Solitary Sandpiper, Townsend's Solitaire, Mountain Bluebird, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Savannah Sparrow, were some of the birds encountered. At this point a few members of our group headed for Churn Creek early, trying to cross the Fraser ahead of the 1 p.m. bridge closure. The rest of us knew that the next opening at 6 p.m. would be just about the time we would be getting to the Fraser.

A special highlight was a visit to a lake where American Avocets nest. This location is kept quiet so as not to raise undue distress for these birds. We viewed them from far back, and with no shortage of spotting scopes, we all had a chance to see them clearly. Avocets look so exotic it seems quite unusual to see them in a typical backdrop such as the south Cariboo offers. A side trip to Jesmond Lookout didn't provide any high country birds but was definitely a highlight of the trip.

We arrived at Churn in the rain but it abated after we set up tents. A blazing campfire was soon going and a rain free evening kept us up late. The next morning began with the sun shining, Orioles singing and the Lewis's Woodpecker and Western Kingbird chattering above us while we prepared our morning meal in luxurious leisure. The sage covered slopes up to the Gang Ranch were fairly steaming off their last night's moisture as we birded our way uphill. The Lazuli Bunting came out to sing. On the way back down we gathered at the side of the road to watch the Long-billed Curlews. They prefer the bare grass hills where they strike magnificent profiles up against the blue sky. We had a chance to watch one of the Curlews chase away a Red-tailed Hawk that had strayed too close to their chosen territory.

Back down across the Fraser, we stopped for lunch at a favourite cottonwood copse on the side of the arid hills of the Fraser River. The Towhee lurked and called from the bushes and a male Western Tanager was resplendent in the bright sunlight. At this point some of our group went on toward Williams Lake. I returned to town and later heard of sightings such as the Peregrine Falcon, White Pelican, Bobolink and American Goldfinch.

The thrust of the trip for some is to get 100 species in a day, as well as get a total species seen list. How did we do? The first day I probably got 94 species. The total species seen list stands at one hundred and thirty one. All in all it was a memorable trip spent with a fine group of people.

Other Stuff

It's baby bird time of year again. In the park I saw a Black-capped Chickadee feeding its short tailed nestling.

Also two large Ravens sitting on the back of a park bench were obviously just enjoying their first trip into town. There was much croaking from the nearby spruce as I approached to within eight feet of these large juveniles.

About eight pairs of Canada Geese at the marsh are kept busy trundling their various sized groups of gosling from one grassy spot to the next.

A female Common Goldeneye has 15 ducklings in her care.