Pelicans ~ Kamloops Lake ~ Kamloops, BC

I used to understand pelicans to be a coastal bird so it should be a rare one for our area of Kamloops, BC but that just isn’t so.  The Brown Pelican is the one who lives along the coastal waters, some of whom we have seen before but that was during visits in the Southern US.  The American White Pelican visits Kamloops so we’re going to visit them.

Pelican coming in for landing on Kamloops Lake, BC

The American White Pelican has been making Kamloops a stopover on their migration travels from their homes farther north.  There are several places they spend the summer months in before making their way south for the winter.  They’ve been seen in other places on their stopovers in our area but our visit with them was at Cooney Bay on Kamloops Lake this year.

Pelicans group fishing

In the summer months, they nest in colonies from NE California to as far north as the Northwest Territories then migrate south in September or October.  They spend the winter months near the Pacific Coast and Gulf of Mexico as far south as Panama, preferring estuaries and lakes.  

Pelican having a drink

The American White Pelican will avoid open ocean on their migrations and favor desert and mountain areas for their travels.  I recently heard about the Australian pelican that gather by the thousands at an inland lake only to have to abandon many of their young who are too young to fly hundreds of kilometers to survive as the lake dries up in the summer heat.  Thankfully this isn't a problem in this country.

Pelicans follow the leader

 The Brown Pelican will dive into the water for their fish, or wait for fisherman’s scraps on the pier as we watched in Texas, but the White catches their fish while swimming.  Their head only will be below water when they catch the fish in their big bill taking in up to 20 litres then straining out the water.

Pelican sees a fish

We saw a flock of pelicans on a visit to the Salton Sea in Southern California last spring.  There are lots of fish in this sea which makes for a great feeding area for them.  Tilapia in abundance would make fishing easy for these large birds.  Click here to see those, some of whom just may be in Kamloops first, and learn more about their size and wing span. 

Fish sighting causes some excitement

The pelican is a very large bird and adults will eat 4 pounds of fish every day.  The pelicans are usually in a group of 12 or more and will corral the fish for one another. There are times they fight over the catch but I guess that would depend on the supply; there did not appear to be any fighting here.  

Fish sighting 

These pelicans were near where the Tranquille Creek comes into the lake, bringing a supply of fish to them including the rainbow trout.  They’d float back and forth near the mouth of the creek and occasionally we’d see one reach down for a fish, this often brought a flurry of others to that spot, too. 

Pelican scatter across Kamloops Lake, BC

We counted about 30 pelicans on Kamloops Lake this day, many more than the 3 or 4 we’d seen on a visit here a week earlier. They were spread over a large area of the lake and we likely did not see all of them, we’d heard there were a lot more on this visit.

Pelican came up empty

Pelicans were removed from the national endangered species list in 1987 but they’re still considered endangered in Alberta and protected in all of Canada. The numbers have increased but not to the point they’ve been in the past, but hopefully that will change.

Pelicans coming in for a landing

The pelicans don’t stay for long so it was a great treat to be able to see them during their brief stay here. They’re making their way south for the winter months then return to their nesting grounds in March and April. It was entertaining to watch them come in for their landings, which is skipping along the water until they slow down enough to land. 

Kamloops Lake, BC

The access to Cooney Bay is easy when the lake is at the low level of the season.  It was very windy on our first visit but the second time was better making it easy to walk to the mouth of Tranquille Creek and sit on the sand or driftwood to watch the pelicans.  

What a great way to spend some time and just another reason why there is no place like home.

Ord Road ~ Cooney Bay ~ Kamloops, BC

Ord Road travels east-west for 4.8km (3 mi) following alongside the CN railway tracks that passes through Kamloops.  There has been a lot of development happening on Ord Road over the past few years, some commercial and some residential but there are other things happening that may not be as obvious.  Let’s drive Ord Road from where it leaves Westsyde Road at Batchelor Heights and see some sights on our way to Cooney Bay.

Mural on Brocklehurst Water Reservoir

The mural painted on the Brocklehurst Water Reservoir was done as an Art Smart Program, which was done to cover graffiti.  Ms Nadine Matthews, part of the Mayor’s Task Force was given a grant by the City of Kamloops and she along with four students from the Brocklehurst Secondary School, painted the Rocky Mountaineer Train on the reservoir in 2001.



Ord Road follows CN Railway track in Kamloops, BC

Nearby the water reservoir is what is called the Ord Road Gap (not shown here).  This is recently news to me but it appears to be a popular spot to take a bike ride downhill and do some aerial stunts while you’re at it.  It seems to be pretty popular with those who like to have that thrill.  You may even see some of them as they challenge that hillside. 



Chukar on Ord Road in Kamloops, BC

Often found anywhere along Ord road you may see some chukars.  They were first introduced to this area in 1950 by the BC Fish & Wildlife with 17 birds.  During the next 5 years, several more were brought in and they successfully reproduced in our dry country.  



Rattlesnake Bluff on Ord Road in Kamloops, BC

The climate in Kamloops has long been the ideal home for rattlesnakes and the Rattlesnake Bluffs were named for those in residence here.  In 2009, Phil and Arlene Theimer donated this parcel of land to Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), which is a national non-profit organization that works to protect Canada’s natural habitat. Several other creatures make these rugged hills and cliffs their home, including birds, bats, marmots and Bighorn sheep. 



Hillside at Cinnamon Ridge, Kamloops, BC

Once you leave the Bluffs, you will cross over the train tracks and join onto Tranquille Road, which you can follow for another 6.6 km (4.1mi). You will bypass the Kamloops Airport, Kamloops Golf Course and several ranches as you follow along Cinnamon Ridge. This interesting rock formation is part of that ridge and can be seen from the road. You will often see cars parked at this point where hikers will be begin their walks on the trails of Cinnamon Ridge.

Great herons at Tranquille Wildlife Management Area

Springtime brings in some migrating birds to the fields in the Tranquille Wildlife Management Area.  The area will have Kamloops Lake fill in the fields when the Thompson River overflows its banks.  We’ve seen pelicans and herons on different visits and these two herons seemed to be feeling right at home here.

Tranquille on the Lake

Just beyond this point, the Red Lake Road will turn off Tranquille Road and you will be approaching Dewdrop Range and Tranquille Canyon, all on part of the 15,000 hectares (37,000 Acres) of the Lac du Bois Grasslands. These along with the Cinnamon Ridge offer some great hiking trails, but be sure to see a map to learn more and stay safe. We stay on Tranquille Rd, be sure to stop by Tranquille Farm Fresh if you’re here on the weekend.

No Trespassing on private property

You will follow a dirt road when you pass the Tranquille Farm Fresh grounds and will come onto a parking area at Cooney Bay on Kamloops Lake. We saw some hikers with their dog crossing fields on private property where the signs say ‘No Trespassing’.  Please respect such signs, so that others may still be able to enjoy the other sights at this location.  



Kamloops Lake from Tranquille Farm Fresh

You may see visitors with cameras and tripods in hand going down to the water’s edge to photograph some of the sights here.  This parking area at the end of the road is where kayaks and canoes may be seen loading or unloading from cars.  On our visit, some were getting into the river to enjoy a ride along the shores of Kamloops Lake.



Path leading to Cooney Bay

Follow the path making the way through a grove of trees that camouflage Cooney Bay from the parking area.  Depending on the time of year of your visit, the water levels vary so that the path may not make the lake accessible, there were indications that high water had been there at some point.

 Highwater beach on Kamloops Lake, BC

Here is Kamloops Lake, calm and clear on this gorgeous day. Remnants of stumps and logs are strewn about but that is all part of the lakeside, looking more like driftwood on an oceanfront beach. A couple of young men are going to try their luck at fishing, and I understand there are some pretty big fish in the lake so they should have some stories to share on their return.



Carvings on the beach

As I got closer to the lake, I walked in front of the stumps that are sitting on the beach and what a surprise. The burnt out stump is not just an old stump. It has become a wonderful carving of an old character face! The nearby piece of wood is a checkerboard with rocks as checkers with smaller stumps to sit upon if you care to play a game. Someone had spent some time at Cooney Bay and created something for everyone to enjoy. I have since learned that a local artist, Brian Ferguson had created this work of art.

The journey of today has covered a total of just over 11 km. (7 miles) yet we have seen so many local treasures that many may not realize are here. There are miles of hiking trails up on the Ridges that would offer views of the great city of Kamloops and also these surrounding green hills, that color which is unusual here for this time of year.

Then there is the stump at the end of the road. You just never know what treasures you may find unless you take time to enjoy it all, wherever you call home.