Events

Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance (OSCA) is set to present its annual Bird Migration Day open house on Sunday, September 21st from 9 am to noon – rain or shine. The event is taking place at the Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory which is located along highway 97 north of Vaseux Lake (details below). This is a free, family friendly event that offers a chance for people of all ages to view and identify some migratory birds up close with the help of interpreters and members of the Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory. Visitors will also get a chance to go on a guided nature walk with interpreters and learn about bird conservation. Plus kids receive a bird activity pack (while supplies last).

The Bird Migration Day focuses on three themes:

● migration monitoring,

● bird adaptation to migration,

● bird conservation issues and threats,

In addition to the Bird Migration Day Open House, OSCA also offers fall ECO-studies school programs to regional schools. This program and the associated regional school programs are funded in large part through Naturehood Program of Nature Canada. Cash donations are gratefully accepted on site to support the Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory, which operates from August 1st to October 15th on a shoestring budget. The banding station relies heavily on donations each year to be able to operate.

The Okanagan is a bird watching hot spot in Canada and an important summer nesting area for many species. Birds that have bred in the boreal forest and northern parts of BC also funnel through the Okanagan Valley on their way south to the USA, Central and South America, using Vaseux Lake area as a migration stopover to refuel on insects or seeds. Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory is part of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network (www.osca.org/vaseux-lake-bird-observatory).

The Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory (VLBO) is located 4 km south of Okanagan Falls just north of Vaseux Lake along highway 97 north of the migratory bird center parking lot. Please note that this event is NOT at the bird blind/boardwalk. Please see map below.

There is a slight pullout on the west side of the highway at VLBO with limited parking. You will see the signs and the vehicles parked inside the gates. From there, it is a short walk down to the bird banding station. If you are driving from the south, please continue driving north towards Okanagan Falls and turn off (right) at Weyerhauser road. From there, you can make a safe turnaround and then drive south to the bird observatory parking. The Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory is NOT wheelchair accessible. If you have mobility issues, there is very limited parking at the bird observatory along the highway, but please use extreme caution as there are no turn lanes. There is a portable toilet on site. Please note that no pets are permitted at the site. Overflow parking (labelled on the map) is located north of VLBO at the larger pullout on the west side of the highway and requires you to walk south along the highway to the banding station.