Western Tanager @ Brookside Campground |
Once we’d come off the main highway at Merritt we took the smaller and less busy highway 8 up towards Spences Bridge and it wasn’t long before normal service was resumed. Stopping off on several occasions to take in the stunning scenery our first Anise Swallowtail Butterfly, which I very nearly stepped on before it took flight, you can guess where my camera was! As we were enjoying a coffee a large hawk, very pale in colour dropped in to a nearby pine. I managed a few shots of the bird before it took flight and I’m hopeful it could be a Krider’s. A scarce pale Red-tailed Hawk variant, but further investigation is required.
American Kestrel |
Spence’s Bridge is where the Nicola River, which has followed us since leaving Merritt, meets the fast flowing Thompson River and is where we join highway 1 the Trans-Canada Highway through to Cache Creek. Here we had lunch overlooking the Canadian Pacific Railway which runs alongside the Thompson.
Over lunch we watch quite a number of Swallows, mostly Bank and Northern Rough-winged following the river downstream and my first ever Swifts in Canada, when at least 3 Black Swift flew through. A few Butterflies were also enjoying the gorgeous weather and Mourning Cloak, Clouded Sulphur and Comma were all recorded.
Wilson's Warbler |
We eventually arrived at tonight’s stop-over at Brookside Campground, Cache Creek at around 4pm and while Dee was checking us in I managed several shots of American Kestrel, when one was perched nicely atop a power pylon. After setting up the electric and services, and quite handily parking next to the Wifi booster point, I went for a little exploration of the grounds.
Lenticular Cloud |