Rotary Marsh

I was hoping that it would be wheel-shaped, or tucked up in the middle of a traffic circle, but Kelown’s Rotary Marsh is, as I suspected, named after the civic organization that co-sponsored its preservation. Descriptions of the site on line promise more than this morning delivered, though I’m sure things pick up once spring is upon the land. Red-shafted Flickers were everywhere this morning, and the songs of House Finches, Song Sparrows, and Red-winged Blackbirds gave some hint of what it might be like in the warmer seasons.

A few ducks were scattered up and down the lake, American Wigeon and Mallard the most abundant. Common Merganser and Common Goldeneye were feeding in close when I arrived, but farther offshore by the time the jogging hordes descended.

Grebes were nice, too, with four species present. Red-necked and Pied-billed Grebes were represented by single individuals, and there were a few Westerns floating around. I most enjoyed the Horned Grebes, though, small elegantly dressed parties of them all up and down the lake.

The near-absence of passerines was getting  on my nerves, so I left the lakeside to look for sparrows along the creek that winds back among the warehouses and condominium piles. Aha, the explanation! A Northern Shrike was doing exactly the same thing I was doing, I hope to better effect.