About VLBO
Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory is located on the west side of Hwy. 97, 1 km north of Vaseux Lake and 4 km south of Okanagan Falls, BC. It is a member of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network. The Canadian Wildlife Service monitored migration at a site at the north end of Vaseux Lake from 1994 to 1998. After a 2-year hiatus, the station was revived by the Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance and moved 1 km north because of changes to the initial site. It is located on land owned by Environment Canada (Vaseux Bighorn National Wildlife Area) and by BC Ministry of Environment. Species commonly sampled are Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Gray Catbird, Song Sparrow, Willow Flycatcher, “Audubon’s” Warbler, and Common Yellowthroat. The station operates every morning from August 1 through October 15. Migrants are sampled through banding (with 14 mist nets), a daily census, and general observations.
Location of Vaseux Lake, and its position in the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network (click to enlarge)
Visitors are welcome during opening hours which are approximately dawn to noon. We also host an annual open house, usually in late September. If you’re interested in volunteering please email us at vlbovolunteer@gmail.com.
For more information you can also read Dick Cannings’ blog on the station. Click here for a bargraph checklist of the birds we’ve found in past years at the Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory.
Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory receives regular funding from Environment Canada, Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance, and the Great Canadian Birdathon. Thank you!
Note: no images or text on this blog may be used without permission from the Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory.
Birch woodlands along an old channel of the Okanagan River; vineyards on the ridge to the east
Meadows and marshes at the north end of Vaseux Lake
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Who looks after the board walk at the Observatory? My husband and I visited it yesterday and there has been some damage just past the first site with a bench…there is a loose board which we almost tripped on and it seems like a support might be missing as it sinks down a bit there. We both love this site and it has given us much pleasure over the past year that we have been visiting it.
Hi: I think the boardwalk is maintained by BC Parks. The Observatory is actually 1 km north of the boardwalk–it used to be located there at the north end of the lake but we had to move it when the boardwalk was built in 1999 (it was constructed along the path used by our netlanes–the actual boardwalk made it very difficult to put the nets up, and the increased foot traffic made access control difficult).
Thank you so much, Dick, for sharing your experience with us. It sounds like sych a fun adventure.