WE WENT FOR A DRIVE UP THE ASHNOLA RIVER YESTERDAY.

Apricots in Cawston.

Apricots in Cawston.

Cherries in Cawston.

Apricots in Cawston.

Apricots in Cawston.

California Quail in Cawston.

Pussy Willows along the Ashnola River.

Beaver dam and lodge along the Ashnola Road.

Beaver lodge, you can see all the sticks on the bottom that they have stripped the bark off for food.

Foam pattern in the river.

Ashnola River.

Old corral where we had lunch.  The whole time we were there we never heard a manmade sound!

A more modern cabin along the road.  I noticed it was tightly chinked so probably easy to heat.

Not so sure about the roof though.

A drafty outhouse out behind the cabin.

An old swaybacked bridge across the Ashnola River.

Ashnola River and Road.

Ashnola River and Road.

DEFINITE SIGNS OF SPRING

 A few signs of spring along the Okanagan River trail walking from home.

Magnolia in a neighbour's yard that we walk past on the river trail.

Saskatoon Bush.

Balsamroot.

Saskatoon Bush.

Shrubs and trees across the river.

Saskatoon Bush.

Antelope Brush.

Antelope Brush.

WE HAVE FEATHERS!

 These were taken in the past few days.

I think this might be a quail feather caught on a branch.

I don't know if they just hatched the one gosling or if they've already lost the rest but this guy appears to be just one or two days old.

Under Dad.

He kept going back and forth between Dad and Mom and finally Mom squatted down and covered him.

Rufous Hummingbird. 

Rufous Hummingbird. 

Rufous Hummingbird. The only photo that showed some beard colour.

Rufous Hummingbird. 

Rufous Hummingbird. 

A FEW FROM MY TUESDAY MORNING WALK THEN FROM MY EXPLORATORY CLIMB UP SOME BLUFFS IN THE AFTERNOON

Female Osprey on the nest in our park

Northern Flicker

Northern Flicker doing his flicker song, see his throat puffed out.

I think the Flickers are nesting in this cavity

On the Allendale Road bluffs looking south.  My car is in the lower left.

On the Allendale Road bluffs looking north to Okanagan Falls community.

Okanagan Falls' new industrial park being developed.  This may greatly increase the viability of the little community by bringing many jobs.

Balsamroot

Few-flowered Shooting Star

Woodland Stars

Bee on Balsamroot

WATCHING THE GANDER LED TO SEEING THE GOSLINGS

On my walk up the river trail yesterday I stopped to watch the antics of this gander.

He was acting a little differently so I waited around a bit. 

Then he flew along to this rock in this photo taken with my phone.  If you look closely, you will see the geese near the top of the rock.  This is where she hatched the babies and as I watched she tried to entice them to jump off the rock down to the ground. 

Here's a close up of the geese on the rock.

Six goslings.