Author Archives: Gary Hunt

Winter Buteos

Kamloops Naturalist Club Posted on by

Buteos are the large hawks that we often see perched atop powerpoles, trees  or on fences, especially in open country but some prefer the forests as well. The 3 common buteos that we see around Kamloops are the Red-tailed Hawk, Swainson’s Hawk and Rough-legged Hawk. The Ferruginous Hawk has been seen periodically but rarely. One other buteo that has been seen recently during the fall migration is the Broad-winged Hawk which may become more frequent.  The Swainson’s Hawk only occurs here during the summer and will not be a focus … Continue reading →

Winter Waxwings

Kamloops Naturalist Club Posted on by

This is a time of year when we start seeing large flocks of waxwings in the interior of BC. And they cause confusion for some people. So I hope this post will help sort out the potential for errors. We have 2 species of waxwings in BC and in Canada generally. The common summering bird in the southern parts of Canada is the Cedar Waxwing. The Bohemian Waxwing breeds primarily in the northern regions although small numbers breed in the Rocky Mtns much farther south. The Bohemian Waxwings are the … Continue reading →

Glenn Dreger Had A Grizzly Bear Encounter

Kamloops Naturalist Club Posted on by

This story is featured in the latest club newsletter and was submitted by Glenn Dreger These Grizzly photos were taken on the Atnarko River on Sept 26th, 2018.   I have made several drifts on the Atnarko River with Kynoch Adventures over the past two years, and have seen bears on every one.   This was extraordinary in that we were on a narrow stretch of the river when we saw the bears.  Our guide pulled the boat into the opposite side of the river and anchored.   The guides are extremely professional, … Continue reading →

Ghost Beads

Kamloops Naturalist Club Posted on by

On November 10 this year, I was taking photographs at Tranquille and decided to examine the corral fencing for opportunities. My first photo depicts the fence lines. All well and good so then I examined one of the rails that was rotting pretty well. In the decaying depression, I noticed these curious, roundish seeds with a hole in one end. I had no idea what they were or how they got there or what may have bored the hole in one end. Obviously, something went in to feed on the … Continue reading →

Winter Birds at Kamloops Landfill

Kamloops Naturalist Club Posted on by

I prepared this short report for the City of Kamloops in consideration of their cooperation in allowing us to access the landfill and sewage lagoons during our annual Christmas Bird Count. I thought I would share it with the club and other readers. I don’t know if the long horizontal table will ultimately fit or website format but here is an attempt. Photo of juvenile Glaucous Gull with Herring Gulls at landfill. Executive Summary Surveys at the Kamloops municipal landfill during the mid-December period over a span of 25 years … Continue reading →

Fungi Forever

Kamloops Naturalist Club Posted on by

We have been having a bonus year for mushrooms and fungi in our area. I will add some photos from two recent trips that I have taken. The first will be from October 8 when I visited McConnell Lake in the rain and the second will be from The KNC field trip on October 14 led by Gary Hunt to the Scuitto Lake Forest Service Road south of Barnhartvale.  For many species, I won’t have names or if I do, they need to be verified by an expert, so it … Continue reading →