Author Archives: Gary Hunt

Ralph Ritcey Big Bird Day 2024 Results

Kamloops Naturalist Club Posted on by

On Sunday, May 26, 16 birders for Team North and 14 for Team South participated in the annual Ralph Ritcey Big Bird Day. This is a fun and friendly competition beginning at midnight and ending at 4:00 pm. Home birders are welcome to record bird species at their feeders. 

At 5:00 we gathered at the home of Anne and Bruce Ritcey for a bring-your-own dinner and to talley the results. There are no prizes, only the bragging rights going to the winning team. The boundaries are a 50 km radius from Mount Dufferin Tower with the South Thompson and Thompson Rivers as the dividing line.
The results were: Team North 125 species, Team South 138 species. Total species recorded were 149. 
Big thank you with much appreciation go to Teresa Corboy for organizing the event and teams, the Ritcey family for hosting the tally, and all of the participants. Special thanks to Glenn Dreger and Teresa Corboy for allowing use of their photos from the day. 

Hairy Woodpecker_Teresa Corboy

Cori Dixon and Liam Canterac_Teresa Corboy

Snipe_Teresa Corboy

Western Tanager_Teresa Corboy

 

Time to Watch for Lightning Mushrooms

Kamloops Naturalist Club Posted on by

When the arrowleaf balsamroot is blooming, it is time for lightning mushrooms.  When you are out walking in the grasslands and sagebrush areas around Kamloops this spring, be on the lookout for circles of a large, white mushroom. These are lightning mushrooms, one of the few large mushrooms that occur in spring around Kamloops. It’s gone by various genera, including Calocybe, Lepista, and Tricholoma, but the genes have been sequenced and it is now known as Leucocalocybe mongolica in the family Lyophyllaceae. Originally described from East Asia, it is well … Continue reading →

Vancouver Avian Research Centre Bird ID Course

Kamloops Naturalist Club Posted on by

The Vancouver Avian Research Centre (VARC), which is a member of BC Nature (like KNC!), offers lots of programs, walks, courses, etc., throughout the year. They are offering a 5-week, online Bird Identification Course starting next Thursday, April 4. All sessions will be recorded so if you miss any, you can watch them later. The cost is $250 but a benefit to the club is that $125 of that will come back to our club. You can find details about the course and register here: https://donorbox.org/birdid2024 For more information about … Continue reading →