Day 1 - We will meet up early this morning in Kamloops. We will spend this morning exploring the Lac du Bois Grasslands, a lovely area of rolling hills, ponds, lakes and forests. Early spring migrants should be present, such as Western Meadowlarks, Say's Phoebes, Mountain Bluebirds, and more. Wetlands should have a variety of waterfowl present, such as Barrow's Goldeneye, Ruddy Duck, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail and more. We'll keep our eyes on the sky for migrating raptors, which could include Rough-legged Hawk and Golden Eagle, amongst others. In the forest, we'll make a couple stops, hoping to bump into birds like Red Crossbill, Mountain Chickadee, Ruffed Grouse, Northern Pygmy-Owl and woodpeckers.
We will then explore areas around Tranquille, where more waterfowl, including Trumpeter and Tundra swans are possible. With any luck, we'll find some Chukar in the area as well, and we could see Bighorn Sheep too.
This evening we may go out and take a look for owls, which could include Short-eared Owl, Great Horned Owl, or perhaps even Great Gray Owl.
Night Kamloops.
Day 2 - From Kamloops, we'll head south on Hwy 5A, stopping along the way at Rose Hill, to look for birds like Swainson's and Rough-legged hawks, Horned Lark, and other early season migrants. We'll continue exploring the lakes and ponds alongside Hwy 5a, where we should rack up an impressive list of waterfowl. At Quilchena, we'll keep an eye open for Long-billed Curlew in open farm fields. Early season migrants, like Violet-green and Tree swallows should be seen, as well as raptors, such as Northern Harrier, American Kestrel and Bald Eagles. We'll watch the sky and listen for the haunting calls of flocks of Sandhill Cranes as they migrate north. In the late afternoon, we'll return to Kamloops for the night.
Day 3 - Today, we'll explore the variety of habitats to be found along the Douglas Lake Road, again watching for migrating cranes and raptors. Grassland birds to watch for include Horned Larks, Northern Shrike, Mountain Bluebird and Say's Phoebe. Sharp-tailed Grouse can be found here, but are secretive and not to be expected, though we will keep our fingers crossed. An assortment of lakes and ponds are excellent for waterfowl. We will end up back in Kamloops in the mid-afternoon, where the tour will conclude.
