Boating the South Thompson River

What better way to spend a sunny summer day than on the beautiful South Thompson River for a boat ride.  We spent many summers doing this, but those days are past and this day is a great reminder of great family boating days.  The view is so different from here on the river.

Boating on the South Thompson River

We travelled upriver with family and friends in a couple of boats with the plan to stop on Banana Island for a picnic and fun.  The sun was shining, the river was calm and the sights were relaxing.

Eagle eye view

The hoodoos and clay banks line the South Thompson, and create some very interesting shapes as well as viewpoints.  It is more likely we’d see an eagle in a tree but this one was happy to watch everything from the bank’s edge.  See more eagles here.

Grazing the green grass

The river is still high the beginning of July but that doesn’t seem to discourage these cattle from grazing on the riverbank.  I’m sure that green grass is tastier than sagebrush and they’re checking it out.

The Pritchard bridge

Pritchard Bridge has historic appeal, it is rare that we see anything old anymore, hopefully it lasts another many years.  It has the strength to allow a logging truck to pass over so it should be.  There was a ferry crossing at this point before the single lane bridge was built.

Historic Pritchard bridge

I have not found much history for this bridge but it was built in 1920 when sternwheelers would travel up and down the river, hence the room to pass under.  There was also a busy wharf and a train station here.

An osprey in the nest

We see these nests on our travels but rarely do we see an osprey in there so this was a surprise.  The river hawk, as they’re also called, always nest on high platforms near fresh water and live mainly on fish.   They are a large raptor with a wing span of 180 cm, which is almost 6 ft. Osprey are the only living species that live nearly worldwide, the only place they are not found is in Antarctica.

Alpaca herd shows little interest

When we passed by these sheep, we were far enough away to not realize we weren’t looking at sheep.  Photo close-up says their necks are too long…….I think they are alpacas!  Research says they are quiet and peaceful, hum to one another to communicate and they look pretty darn cute, too!

The bald headed eagle

The bald headed eagle is such a majestic looking bird and I do not seem to get enough photos of them, in my humble opinion. (: This one was watching the passers-by and waiting for his lunch to appear.  There are more of this eagle to see here. 

The South Thompson River offers some great scenery and sights to enjoy.  We will never tire of these sights and hope to see them again.  There is just no place like home.

Father's Day ~ Bald Headed Eagles ~ South Thompson River

Father’s Day is celebrated the third Sunday of June in Canada, as well as in many other countries around the world.   The day originated in the United States in 1910 when Sonora Smart Dodds of Spokane, Washington wanted to honor her dad.  Canada followed the next year and we’ve been celebrating Father’s Day yearly since then.



South Thompson River at Kamloops, BC, Canada

The day is to honor those fathers and father figures who contribute to the lives of their children, much like we celebrate Mothers Day in May.  It is a great opportunity to spend family time together and enjoy the day, no matter how you might choose to do that.

Father's Day on the South Thompson River, Kamloops, BC

We were invited to share our Father’s Day celebration boating on the South Thompson River.  The day began with a blue sky and promises of summer temperatures so we all gathered to get on board and enjoy the special afternoon. 

Russian Olive trees line the South Thompson River

The South Thompson River, like many other rivers at this time of year is still carrying much of the snow melt coming down from the mountains so although we are not being threatened with any flooding this year, the river is high and leaves no beaches to moor the boat at.  The water level will recede later in the summer and that will allow for beaches along the river.  

Duck Range overlooks South Thompson River

We leisurely boated up the river for awhile, stopped along the river’s edge to eat lunch, where we did see a deer dash away too quickly for a photo.  After lunch we slowly drifted back downstream as we enjoyed the great company and peaceful river ride.

Bald Headed Eagle high above South Thompson River

The surprise of the day was hearing there was a bald headed eagle in a tree up ahead.  My camera, almost always ready, jumped into action.  Then, along with others reminding me, realized I had a new big camera lens to use that would surely give me some better photos, so I quickly put that onto the camera……and voila!  I do love my new lens! 

Bald headed eagle watches as we pass by

I could hardly wait to see the results of the photos I was able to take as we floated by this beautiful bird.  He was sitting in this barren tree, as they’re wont to do, just watching the day go by.  He was not particularly interested in us and made no attempt to leave his viewpoint.  It is very difficult to judge his size but a guess would be close to a metre (about 3 ft.) high. 

Bald  headed eagle sits proudly in the tree

I was hoping that once I got all the photos I could, that he might decide to leave so I could get a photo (or many photos) of him in flight.  A full grown eagle’s wingspan can be anywhere from 2 or more metres (72-90”), so a great photo that would make, but he was happy to just stay where he was and enjoy the view.

The bald headed eagle watches the S. Thompson River

Our biggest bald headed eagles viewing was in the Fall of 2011 on a drive along the highway that runs parallel to the South Thompson River but that was not to happen today.  There are eagles that do call the area home but that particular day was an exception for us to see so many.  If you wish to see those eagles, click here.  I believe the population in the spring is low but I wasn’t able to find a current count.

Bald headed eagle sits high above the river

I was left wondering if this was a ‘father’ eagle that we saw on Father’s Day but we shall never know. There is a size difference between male and female eagles but without comparison, we cannot tell. Eagles mate for life and are both involved in feeding and raising their young. The bald headed eagle is a great example of a family man in the bird world.

In honor of the day of this sighting, though, I say that he is a father and perhaps he is on a fishing trip. For now, he proudly sits high above the South Thompson River, enjoying the quiet and knowing he “contributed to the lives of his children”. 

Bald Headed Eagles ~ South Thompson River ~ Chase, BC

We had recently driven the highway near Chase, BC, about 30 minutes east of Kamloops and were so surprised at the number of bald headed eagles that we could see in the trees near the South Thompson River.  We made the plan to come back out soon to get some pictures.


South Thompson River at Chase, BC

Eagles are not rare in this area but we hadn’t seen them in these numbers before so this was quite amazing.  We weren’t seeing their large stick nests, which are usually very visible high in barren trees so we don’t know where they’d been nesting.

Three bald headed eagles watch for fish in the river below

Eagles mate for life and can live up to 30 years old. Both male and female look after the 2-3 eggs for the 35 days of incubation and both hunt for food for the young until they’re ready to fly at 10 -13 weeks of age. Fish is the biggest part of their diet so they build their nests near water, either rivers or the ocean. Eaglets are able to fly for thousands of kilometers and late summer and fall is when they’re learning to hunt for themselves.

Bald headed eagle family

Bald headed eagles are not bald, so the name is misleading but derives from a Middle English word “balled” that means “shining white”.  The young are a mix of brown and white feathers, and we’re seeing that in the majority of eagles on this visit. Even the immature are large and when full grown will have a wing span from 72” TO 90”.

Young bald headed eagles are not yet bald

They reach maturity by the time they are 5 or 6 years old and it is then that both the male and the female have their ‘shining white’ head.  Eagles from the north tend to be a bit larger than those from more southern areas but no matter where they’re from, the females are a bit larger than the males at 35 to 37” tall.  Eagles weigh 10-14 lbs. and can lift up to 4 lbs. 

Four bald headed eagles watch the Trumpeter Swans and Canada Geese fly by

The bald headed eagle has 7000 feathers and those are often part of religious and spiritual customs for First Nations.  They consider it a powerful symbol of courage as well as other significant meanings and use them in traditional ceremonies, including them as part of the decorations on their costumes.  The eagle feather is treated with great honor and is the highest honor that can be given to a person.

The gnarled trees that eagles habitate

We’ve never seen a large number of eagles in flight but that would be called a “kettle of eagles”. Perhaps we haven’t seen this because they’re able to fly at an altitude of 10,000 ft., and during level flight can reach 30-35 mph. We’d have difficulty seeing that far away but with their keen eyesight, they’d be seeing us!


Young bald headed eagles learn to fish in the fall sun

Canada does not recognize the bald headed eagle with any offical label but they are considered a magnificent bird of prey. It is a different story in the US since they became the US National Emblem in 1782. They neared extinction in the U.S. in the 1970’s but that was withdrawn in June 2007 as their numbers having increased enough to say they’re no longer endangered. They are protected by law on both sides of the border.

Trumpeter Swans on the South Thompson River

We drove by the same place a week after our visit for photos and there was only one bald headed eagle to be found. I believe we were ‘honored’ to have seen so many of them as they enjoyed the view from their perches high in the trees in our neighborhood.  Perhaps they were migrating and found this to be a great stopover location, and that means we could look forward to their visit again next year.   In the meantime we can enjoy watching the trumpeter swans as they winter on the South Thompson River.