“Summer camp. The horse shivers to shake off the horseflies, snorts as girls handle tackle and Western saddles, old leather, hay and muck. A salt lick. The barn looks cool in the shadow of the cottonwoods and pines. Hot high... [Continue Reading]
Which birds might I see today? Bluebirds I was asked a question recently regarding some small birds seen last summer. The questioner said, in some surprise, “They were blue!” I replied, “They were probably bluebirds”. Indeed. To the non-birder, the... [Continue Reading]
Birds of a Feather Which birds might I see today? Shorebirds, also known as Waders You might think that a valley with a large lake like ours would host a horde of breeding shorebirds. In fact most shorebirds breed further... [Continue Reading]
Which birds might I see today? Finches It is quite likely that you already know the birds I’m going to show you this time around. They are colourful, plentiful in numbers, sing beautifully and will come to feeders readily. They... [Continue Reading]
Which bird might I see today? Warblers As the days lengthen and warmer temperatures creep northward over the North American continent, deciduous leaves unfold, insects emerge – and the warblers return from wintering in the south to nest and raise young.... [Continue Reading]
From 1860 a steady settlement of the Valley took place and among the first four cattle men who came in was Thomas Wood. He first had a cattle ranch with Connie (Cornelius) O’Keefe, north of Vernon but soon moved to... [Continue Reading]
Are you an Applebox Belle? The Lake Country Museum invites the public to a community meeting Saturday, June 13th, to share your memories of you, your mother, or your grandmother working in Lake Country’s early packinghouses. The Museum is working... [Continue Reading]
Which birds might I see today? Migrating ducks Did you know that about 30 different species of ducks can be seen in our valley sometime during the year? Like the ever-present Mallard, which everyone recognizes, about half of these species stay... [Continue Reading]
The earliest domestic cattle in the interior arrived from the Columbia Valley in the 1840s, trailed in by the Hudson’s Bay Company and traded among the Okanagan Indians. By 1850, Okanagan Chief Nicola owned a large number of horses and... [Continue Reading]
Which birds might I see today? Hummingbirds Perhaps the reason I love hummingbirds so much is that I grew up in England where there aren’t any. I never tire of watching them seek out nectar from our feeders or the... [Continue Reading]
