Nicola Naturalist Society – winter events 2026

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Alan Burger

Evening meetings of the Nicola Naturalist Society are held once a month from September through May. We generally meet at 7PM on the third Thursday of the month in the Lecture Theatre of NVIT (Nicola Valley Institute of Technology) on Belshaw Road, Merritt. Admission is free to members.

Field Outings are usually held in spring, summer and fall and are listed below. Members will receive e-mail notices too. Field trips are restricted to paid-up members (but visitors can sign up as a member for the day for a nominal fee).

We are on Facebook. Check out our Facebook page: NNS Facebook

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December 20, 2025: Merritt Christmas Bird Count

We held a very successful Christmas Bird Count – click here to see photos and data: Merritt CBC 2025 

 

Coming up this winter and early spring 2026 ……

Thursday January 15th 2026, 7 PM at NVIT: Ellen Simmons – Indigenous knowledge, KiʔlawnaɁ (Grizzly Bear), seeing the landscape differently

Ellen Simmons is an instructor at NVIT here in Merritt and is completing her PhD at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. She is Swampy Cree (Saskatchewan) and of Polish descent. Her research looks into the complexities around socio-ecological systems as they relate to grizzly bears, huckleberries and forest practices, through the lens of Indigenous and western science approaches. Her work contributes to research-based collaboration between Indigenous and academic communities. Ellen has extensive experience in combining Indigenous knowledge with landscape management in many different contexts.

Thursday February 19th 2026, 7 PM at NVIT: Dawn Brodie & Loretta Holmes – Tracking Burrowing Owls 

The Burrowing Owl restoration program at the Upper Nicola Band land has been going for 10 years. At the end of the 2025 breeding season a few owls were fitted with tiny satellite-tracking devices. The data from these tagged birds is giving exciting new insights into their movements – here at the breeding grounds and well beyond on their long-distance migration. Dawn and Loretta will share some of the early results from this innovative work.

Burrowing Owls at their Upper Nicola breeding grounds. Photo: © Dawn Brodie

Sunday February 22nd: Snow Bunting Shiver Sunday

This is our traditional winter outing to the Douglas Lake Plateau to look for those rare winter birds and enjoy the stunning winter grassland scenery. And yes – we usually do find some Snow Buntings and other interesting critters like Horned Larks, Coyotes and Moose. Meet at Merritt Civic Centre to carpool – 09:00. Bring warm clothes, binoculars, lunch & drink. NOTE: our field outings are for paid-up members only.

From the 2025 Snow Bunting Shiver Sunday, Horned Larks (L) and a Snow Bunting (R). Photos: © Alan Burger

Thursday March 19th 2026, 7 PM at NVIT: Rabeya Shikdar Orpa – Amending soil for reclamation of native plant communities at mine sites

Rabeya Shikdar Orpa is a master’s student of Environment Science at Thompson Rivers University, and also works with the Grassland Conservation Council of BC as an outreach and stewardship consultant. Her research focuses on greenhouse experiments with thirteen different native plant communities, testing potential amendments and fertilizer to improve the re-establishment of native plants on mine overburden and tailings (post-mine landscapes). Her work is specifically aimed at improving restoration of native plant communities at the Highland Valley Copper mine near Logan Lake.

And coming up in the months ahead (details to come) ….

Thursday April 16th, 2026: Jay Ackerley – Gardening with native plant species

Thursday May 21st, 2026: Tori Hartley – Research on the threatened Williamson’s Sapsucker in the B.C. Interior

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Merritt Christmas Bird Count 2025

Posted on January 1, 2026 by Alan Burger

The Nicola Naturalists organized the 27th Christmas count in the Merritt count circle, on Saturday 20th December 2025. The weather was fine and Nicola Lake was mostly ice-free as were some other water bodies. We had 21 field participants and 4 feeder watchers and at the end of the day tallied 59 species and 3,905 birds (both slightly under the averages of 62 species and 4,172 birds). We added two more species in the Count Week.

To see the full 2025 count results click here: Merritt Xmas Count data 2025

For the full 27 years of data (3-page pdf) click here: Merritt Xmas Count data 1995-2025

Nicola Lake on Saturday 20th December 2025 – calm and ice-free made for ideal conditions here. Photo: © Dawn Brodie

The group covering southern Nicola Lake hard at work. Photo: © Dawn Brodie

We found three species that were new for Merritt Christmas counts: Snow Goose (1), Dunlin (6) and a hybrid Mallard x Red-crested Pochard (1).

This Snow Goose was the first ever for a Merritt Christmas Bird count. It was with Canada Geese on Nicola Lake. Photo: © Dawn Brodie.

Three of the six Dunlin found at Nicola Lake on the Merritt Christmas count, foraging among Green-winged Teal. Photo © Dawn Brodie

Dunlin at Nicola Lake. Dunlin were also found on the Kamloops CBC on the day after the Merritt count, and they might all have been driven inland by the extreme winds preceding these counts. They are common on the B.C. coast in winter but rare inland at this time. Photos © Dawn Brodie

This hybrid Mallard x Red-crested Pochard (top bird) spent weeks in the Nicola River in the early spring of 2025 and was back again in time for the Merritt Christmas count. The other bird, for comparison, is a female Mallard. Red-crested Pochards are a Eurasian species but are often kept in captive waterfowl collections in the U.S., which is probably where this bird originated. Photo: © Paul Willms

Several species were found this year that had only been reported two or three times before in a Merritt CBC: Northern Shoveler, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Yellow-rumped Warbler and White-throated Sparrow. Three Northern Shovelers were found, but the others in this list were singletons.

This female American Three-toed Woodpecker was found on Mill Creek Road on 20 December and is just the third to have been recorded on a Merritt CBC. This species is an uncommon year-round resident in the Nicola Valley and surrounding areas. Photos: © Alan Burger

This Yellow-rumped Warbler is just the third to be recorded in a Merritt CBC. This is a very common summer breeder in the Nicola Valley but one doesn’t expect them in the depths of winter. Photo: © Paul Willms.

This handsome White-throated Sparrow was only the second to be found on a Merritt CBC. The first was a single bird in 2015. Photos: © Vic Newton

Several species had notably high counts:

  • Canada Goose – a new record high of 1,040 birds (average is 263 birds)
  • Trumpeter Swan – near-record 124 birds (record is 129, average is 40)
  • Green-winged Teal – near-record 65 birds (record is 67, average is 18)
  • Spotted Towhee – record high 18 birds (average is 6)

A few of the Canada Geese found in the Merritt CBC on 20 December. The total of 1,040 is a new record high for this count. Photo: © Dawn Brodie

Trumpeter Swans in flight near Nicola Lake. A near-record high of 124 swans was recorded on 20 December. Photo: © Alan Burger

Spotted Towhee – a record high of 18 towhees was tallied on the 2025 Merritt count. Photo: © Alan Burger

As usual, there were a few regular species that were missing on the count day:

  • We had neither Greater or Lesser Scaup – found in 16 and 18 of the previous 26 counts, respectively.
  • No Sharp-shinned Hawk on count day, but one in the Count Week (found in 17 of the previous 26 count days).
  • No Mourning Doves, but two in the count week (found in 25 of the previous 26 counts and usually around 100 birds).
  • No Belted Kingfisher (in 21 of the previous 26 counts).
  • No Brewer’s Blackbirds (in 17 of the previous 26 counts). Red-winged Blackbirds were also in low numbers (5 compared with the average of 84 birds)
  • No Pine Siskins (in 17 previous counts) or Red Crossbills (in 12 previous counts). Other finches, like House Finches and Goldfinches were also in low numbers.

This Sharp-shinned Hawk was photographed in a Merritt yard during the Count Week, on 18 December, but the species was not seen on the count day. Photos: © Corinne Pitt.

Similarly, three Mourning Doves were prominent at a Merritt feeder two days after Count Day, but none was found on the Count Day. Photo: © Bob Scafe

On a more positive note, here are some other notable species found on the Count Day:

These two Common Loons are probably juveniles, lacking strong markings. Five Common Loons were found on Nicola Lake, matching the high counts in several previous years. Photo: © Dawn Brodie.

Northern Pygmy-Owl is always a treat to see, and fortunately a fairly regular species on the Merritt count (14 out of 27 counts). Photo: © Vic Newton.

This is one of two Ruffed Grouse found on 20 December just outside Merritt. This species is a regular on our count, found in 14 previous counts. Photos: © Corinne Pitt.

This male American Kestrel was the lone representative of his species on the Merritt Count. He is often seen on the power lines next to Highway 5A. Photo: © Alan Burger

Three regulars that usually occur in small numbers (L to R): Townsend’s Solitaire, Northern Shrike and Clark’s Nutcracker. Photos: © L to R: Corinne Pitt, Bob Scafe, Alan Burger.

Horned Grebes have occurred on 25 of the 27 Merritt counts, on Nicola Lake. This was the lone bird this year. Photo: © Dawn Brodie.

Northern Harriers. The first two photos are of a female or immature bird (note the white rump – diagnostic for this hawk), and the right photo is an adult male. All in the Quilchena area. Photos: © Dawn Brodie

Introduced species (not native to North America) are increasing in numbers in the Merritt area. Here are two of these species, the third is House Sparrow which had 180 birds this year, almost double the long-term average.

Two introduced species. Eurasian Collared Dove first appeared in the Merritt count in 2009 and has increased in numbers ever since – we had 132 this year (average is 81). The right bird is a European Starling, which is widespread across N. America and in most of the world. We had 317 in 2025 (average is 281). Photos: © Vic Newton.

And to end off, some very familiar species, but always nice to see in mid-winter.

Who doesn’t love chickadees – they are always active and conspicuous, at feeders or in the forest: Black-capped Chickadee (L) and Mountain Chickadee (R). Both are common in the Nicola Valley and are regulars in almost every Christmas Bird Count here. Photos: © Alan Burger

Two regular nuthatch species: Red-breasted Nuthatch (L) and Pygmy Nuthatch (R). Both species hunt for insects in the bark and foliage of big trees. Photos: © Alan Burger.

Thanks to all the participants who made this annual event a success.

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Nicola Naturalist Society – Fall events 2025

Posted on August 24, 2025 by Alan Burger

Evening meetings of the Nicola Naturalist Society are held once a month from September through May. We generally meet at 7PM on the third Thursday of the month in the Lecture Theatre of NVIT (Nicola Valley Institute of Technology) on Belshaw Road, Merritt. Admission is free to members.

Field Outings are usually held in spring, summer and fall and are listed below. Members will receive e-mail notices too. Field trips are restricted to paid-up members (but visitors can sign up as a member for the day for a nominal fee).

We are on Facebook. Check out our Facebook page: NNS Facebook

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Coming up this fall ……

Saturday 6 September 2025, 11:00 AM at the Merritt Library – Lori Weidenhammer: Bees, Butterflies and Botany – talk and walk.

A joint presentation of the Merritt Library and the Nicola Naturalist Society. Lori Weidenhammer is a self-styled “bee nerd, artist and educator” and author of Victory Gardens for Bees: A DIY Guide to Saving the Bees. Native bees and pollinators are her specialty. This presentation is aimed at families and naturalists of all ages. The talk will be followed by a nature walk at the Rotary Park Pollinator Garden. For more information on Lori check here: Madam Beespeaker.

Native bees. Photos © Lori Weidenhammer

Thursday September 18th 2025, 7 PM at NVIT: AGM & Members’ Photo Night

We keep the essential business meeting short to allow plenty of time to enjoy some great photos of local nature, wildlife, wildflowers and scenery. Renew your membership for 2025-2026 (or join us if you are not already a member). This is always a popular event with lots of interesting photos.

Western Meadowlark by NNS member Murphy Shewchuk. An example of the photos to see at our Members’ Photo Night.

Saturday September 27th: Learn about Lichens – field outing.

Our own lichen aficionado Christine Rimmington will lead an outing to get to know some of our local lichens. Lichens are fascinating organisms made up of fungi, algae and sometimes other micro-organisms living together as symbionts. And our local lichens are often colourful and highly varied. Meet at 09:00 at the Merritt Civic Centre to car-pool. Dress for the weather and wear sturdy footwear for minor rock scrambling (which is optional). Magnifying glass, macro-camera or cell phones are useful too. Bring a lunch and drink for a longer outing. A reminder: our field outings are for paid-up members only.

Art in Nature: a crustose lichen Lecidea lapicida, from Kane Valley. Photo: © Christine Rimmington.

Saturday October 4th and Saturday October 18th: Geology and mining outing with Gerry Sanford

Gerry Sanford has had a long career working with the local geology and the Craigmont Mine near Merritt. These outings will explore some of the local geology and topography, touching on the processes that have shaped our landscape. Gerry also has fascinating insights into the copper and coal mining that have been a big part of Merritt’s economy. Meet at 10:00 at the Merritt Civic Centre to car-pool.

Thursday October 16th 2025, 7 PM at NVIT: Nancy van Wagoner – Volcanism in our backyard and its impacts.

Volcanoes in the Thompson-Nicola region??! YES – they had a big impact on our landscape. Nancy Gruver Van Wagoner is a Professor of Geology and volcanologist at Thompson Rivers University. She has studied volcanoes all over the world, ranging from some of the youngest volcanoes at the Juan de Fuca Ridge, to some of Canada’s oldest volcanoes of the Precambrian Shield. Her presentation will be a survey of volcanism—causes and hazards – and then focus in on the Early Eocene (roughly 55 million year old) volcanism of central BC and how volcanism influences climate and landscapes.

Dr Nancy van Wagoner at a lava tunnel near Kamloops (from one of her YouTube presentations).

Thursday November 20th 2025, 7 PM at NVIT: Selena Carl – Where are the juvenile Chinook? Tracking salmon in the Okanagan River system with acoustic telemetry.

The Okanagan River supports a genetically and geographically distinct population of Chinook Salmon. This population is greatly reduced and despite ongoing recovery efforts, little is known about the movements and survival of the juveniles in this system. Selena Carl is a graduate student at Thompson Rivers University. She has used innovative acoustic telemetry to track these juveniles. Her study will inform science-based restoration strategies, guide adaptive management practices, and support the long-term recovery of this imperiled Chinook population.

Juvenile Chinook Salmon. Photo: US Fish & Wildlife Service

We don’t have an evening meeting in December but an important event …….

December 20: Merritt Christmas Bird Count

Join thousands of naturalists across North America in this Christmas tradition. We form groups to survey the 22 km diameter Merritt Count Circle and tally all the species on the count day. You don’t have to be an expert birder – each group has one or more experienced birders. A great way to learn about our winter birds. To register, email nicolanaturalists@gmail.com.

A Northern Pygmy Owl. This species has been recorded in 13 of the 26 Merritt Christmas Bird Counts. Photo: © Alan Burger

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Sandhill Crane Surveys 2025

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Alan Burger

For the second successive year, our club undertook daily counts of Sandhill Cranes on their spring migration on the Douglas Lake Plateau near Merritt, B.C. Funding this year came from a Club Support Grant (BC Nature and BC Naturalists’ Foundation) and a grant from the BC Field Ornithologists. The funding covered volunteer travel and allowed us to hire a part-time contractor, Opal Charters, who lives at the Spax’mn Reserve, Upper Nicola Band, within the survey area. Opal was our contractor in 2024 too.

Sandhill Cranes on the Douglas Lake Plateau, 2025. Photos: Vic Newton (L), Loekie van der Wal (R)

Based on our daily 2024 counts, we focused on morning counts (06:00 – 10:00) in 2025 – these give higher numbers and more reliable data than the evening counts, because some cranes arrive at the resting sites after dark.

A typical large flock of Sandhill Cranes stopping over on their spring migration, 13 April 2025. This flooded pasture was the most-used location for the cranes along our survey route. Photo: Vic Newton.

As in previous years, we used high-resolution photos stitched together in Photoshop to count big flocks of cranes. Here are a few examples from 2025:

A section of the panorama photo used to count a large flock of cranes, 12 April 2025. Photo: Paul Willms

Panorama used to count cranes on a hayfield on Douglas Lake Ranch, 20 April 2025. Photo: Loekie van der Wal.

Photographs can also be a useful way of counting flying flocks. Here is an interesting example:

See any cranes? They are not really visible. Photo: Opal Charters

But a flock is visible when zooming in on the photo. Photo: Opal Charters.

And even though the cranes are just dots in the sky, they can be counted. Photo: Opal Charters.

In total, over 42 morning surveys we counted 18,715 Sandhill Cranes through the spring migration. This is the highest count ever made of cranes using this interior migration flyway. The daily tallies varied quite a lot but most cranes passed through between 12th and 23rd April, with a few early birds and some stragglers.

Daily counts of Sandhill Cranes between 29 March and 9 May 2025.

As in previous years most of the cranes stop over at a partly flooded pasture on the Douglas Lake Ranch. Several thousand cranes are here on some nights.

Sandhill Cranes along the edge of the flooded pasture, 19 April 2025. Photo: Yvonne Lord

Hayfields were the next most-used habitats ……

A big flock of Sandhill Cranes on a Douglas Lake Ranch irrigated hayfield, 19 April 2025. Photo: Yvonne Lord.

Cranes on a hayfield after an unexpected snowfall on 30 April 2025. Photo: Paul Willms

A few cranes foraged in the bare feedlots, often among the cattle. Photo: Opal Charters

Natural bunchgrass was used by relatively few cranes for foraging. Photo: Paul Willms.

The cranes regularly mingled with cattle on the pasture. Photo: Opal Charters

Cranes wading in the flooded pasture. Photo: Gerry Sanford.

Some other interesting critters were seen on the crane surveys …..

Porcupines are uncommon on the high elevation grasslands. This one was found on the May 4th crane survey. Photo: Angelina Brooymans.

In early April, White Pelicans are often found on lakes and ponds on the Douglas Lake Plateau – on their way to breeding grounds further north in the B.C. Interior. Photo: Opal Charters.

Range management and hay production on the Douglas Lake Ranch are compatible with migration rest-stops for thousands of Sandhill Cranes heading north on their spring migration. Photo: Loekie van der Wal.

An article on our 2025 crane surveys has been published in the BC Field Ornithologists newsletter – click here for a copy: SaCr article BCFO Newsletter.

A journal paper analyzing the 2024 and 2025 surveys is also under review and will be posted when published.

Thank you to our sponsors, our keen contractor Opal Charters and the 21 club volunteers who did the surveys (Angelina Brooymans, Alan Burger, Margaret Carlson, Shelley Cressy-Hassel, Mike Hassel, Loretta Holmes, Alex Jeffries, Liis Jeffries, Yvonne Lord, Susan Newton, Vic Newton, Corinne Pitt, David Pitt, Gerry Sanford, Bev Scafe, Bob Scafe, Henrik van der Wal, Loekie van der Wal, Joan Willms and Paul Willms).

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Merritt Christmas Bird Count 2024

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Alan Burger

The predicted high winds never arrived and we had near-perfect weather for the 26th Merritt Christmas Bird Count on December 14. We had 27 people out in eight groups and five feeder-watchers. Overall, we counted 64 species on the count day (just above the average of 61 species) and added a further two for the count week. Our tally of 5,846 birds is way above the average (4,172 birds) but not as impressive as our 2022 tally of 9,154 birds.

To see a summary of this year’s count click here: Merritt Xmas Count 2024 data

To see all 26 years of the Merritt CBC click here: Merritt Xmas Count data to 2024

Highlights

We added one new species to the overall species list for Merritt Christmas counts – a couple of Ring-billed Gulls were on Nicola Lake. This species was a Count Week record in 2018, but has never been seen on a Count Day.

The two Ring-billed Gulls at Nicola Lake, 14 December 2024. Photos: Alan Burger

A single Wood Duck was present among the other waterfowl on Nicola River. This species has only been reported on two previous counts.

A female or immature Wood Duck on the ice at Nicola River – on the left. Mallards on the right. Photo: Susan Graham.

High counts or notable records were recorded for several species:

  • Gadwall – 33 birds (average is 9 birds)
  • American Wigeon – 65 birds (average is 20)
  • Mallard – 3,072 birds (average is 1,341)
  • Clark’s Nutcracker – 48 birds (average is 24)
  • Pygmy Nuthatch – 40 birds (average is 19)
  • Brown Creeper – 1 bird (only found on 6 previous counts)
  • Townsend’s Solitaire – 18 birds (second highest ever – average is 7)
  • American Robin – 82 birds (second highest ever – average is 24)
  • Spotted Towhee – 13 (the highest ever – average is 5 birds)

Part of a flock of over 600 Mallards on Nicola Lake, along with 2 Trumpeter Swans and 3 Canada Geese. Panorama made from 4 photos stitched together. Photo: Alan Burger

Here are the same photos – somewhat larger so you can see the birds. Photos: Alan Burger

We found 18 Townsend’s Solitaires on December 14th. This was just one less than the record count of 19 in 2002. Photo: Alan Burger

Another notable species was Chukar – found the day before the count but not on the count day. This species has only been recorded on four of the 25 previous counts.

Low counts or missing regulars

A few species had exceptionally low numbers or were species that we regularly get but didn’t show up:

  • Ring-necked Duck – 1 bird (average is 21 birds)
  • Greater Scaup – 2 birds (average is 11)
  • Lesser Scaup – none recorded (average is 11)
  • Pied-billed Grebe – none recorded (found on 19 of the previous 25 counts)
  • Sharp-shinned Hawk – seen in the Count Week but not on the Count Day (was in 17 of the previous 25 counts)
  • American Kestrel – none recorded (was in 15 of the past 25 counts)
  • Merlin – none recorded (was in 15 of the past 25 counts)
  • American Dipper – 1 bird (average is 7 birds)
  • House Finch – 70 birds (average is 174)
  • Pine Siskin – 1 bird (average is 36)

The paucity of blackbirds continues. Last year we had no blackbirds and this year far fewer than normal. We suspect that the usual cattle feedlot where they hang out now feeds their cows less grain and more hay.

  • Red-winged Blackbird – 12 birds (average is 87 birds)
  • Brewer’s Blackbird – 4 birds (average is 45)

More photos

Northern Pygmy-owls are always a treat to see. We had two on the Merritt Christmas Bird Count. Photo: Glenn Dreger.

This Kingfisher at Nicola Lake was the only one seen on the Merritt Christmas Bird Count. Photos: Alan Burger

We recorded 3 Rough-legged Hawks on the Merritt CBC. The average is 6 birds. Photo: Alan Burger

These are some of the 380 Bohemian Waxwings we tallied on the Merritt Christmas Bird Count. This species is a winter visitor to our area from northern boreal areas. Photo: Loekie van der Wal.

Bohemian Waxwings in Merritt on the count day. Photo: Loekie van der Wal.

One of our regulars – a Song Sparrow. Photo: Loekie van der Wal.

Spot the Northern Harrier? Sitting on a fencepost at Quilchena. This was the only harrier for the count day. Photo: Alan Burger

And let’s not forget the birders ……

A happy crew in area B1 above the Coquihalla Highway. Photo: Diane Clark.

Area A2 crew hard at work at Nicola Lake and Quilchena. Photos: Robin Brodie (L), Alan Burger (R).

Well at least one person was birding in Area C2 in the south part of town. Photos: Vic Newton.

But – here is the C2 crew hard at work. Photo: Lis Ladyman


“Well if this is a bird feeder, where are the birds I’m supposed to feed on?”. Photo: Lis Ladyman

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Nicola Naturalist Society – Winter events 2024-2025

Posted on November 26, 2024 by Alan Burger

Evening meetings of the Nicola Naturalist Society are held once a month from September through May. We generally meet at 7PM on the third Thursday of the month in the Lecture Theatre of NVIT (Nicola Valley Institute of Technology) on Belshaw Road, Merritt. Admission is free to members. We have awesome raffles.

Field Outings are usually held in spring, summer and fall and are listed below. Members will receive e-mail notices too. Field trips are restricted to paid-up members (but visitors can sign up as a member for the day for a nominal fee).

We are on Facebook. Check out our Facebook page: NNS Facebook

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Saturday 14 December 2024 – Merritt Christmas Bird Count

This will be the 26th Christmas Bird Count in the Merritt count circle.  You don’t have to be an expert birder to participate – the count is done in groups and there are always one or more experienced birders in each group. So this is a great way to learn the winter birds in the Nicola Valley.

To see the 2024 Merritt CBC results click here: CBC 2024

Two of the 67 species recorded in the 2023 Merritt Christmas Bird Count: European Starling (left) – a common introduced species, and American Tree Sparrow (right) – an uncommon winter visitor from the boreal regions. Photos: Loekie van der Wal (L); Alan Burger (R).

Thursday January 16th 2025: Murphy Shewchuk – 50 Years of Exploring the Nicola Valley – with a Camera!

Murphy is a founding member of the Nicola Naturalists, and an award-winning author of many outdoor guides, including the local Coquihalla Trips & Trails. He is also an expert photographer and his images have been used in numerous wildlife and outdoor publications. Murphy will share 50 years of exploring and photographing the Nicola Valley – including his latest venture – drone photography.

A drone photograph of the of the Douglas Lake Plateau grasslands at Pennask Lake Road. © Murphy Shewchuk.

Thursday February 20th 2025: Charlene Joe & Sean Strang – River Restoration to meet Indigenous Values

Following the disastrous 2021 floods, there has been a strong focus on restoring the Nicola and Coldwater Rivers, which meet in Merritt, to a more natural and flood-resistant state. The STUWI(x) Naturalization Project is led by local community members and the six local First Nations, with funding from Merritt city and the provincial and federal governments. We will hear from the leaders of this unique project. Charlene Joe is a member of the Lower Nicola Band. She is the Indigenous Engagement Manager with the city of Merritt and the chair of the STUWI(x) steering committee. Sean Strang is the Director of Flood Recovery and Mitigation for the City of Merritt.

Thursday March 20th 2025: Liliana Ortega – Bats!

Liliana Ortega is the coordinator of Bats BC for the BC Interior, based in Kamloops. Learn more about these fascinating, misunderstood and important night critters.

Long-eared Myotis (Myotis evotis) – a fairly common bat in the Nicola Valley. Photo: © Alan Burger

Thursday April 10th 2025: Alan Burger – Marvelous Marbled Murrelets – BC’s unique tree-nesting seabird

Marbled Murrelets, relatives of puffins and auks, nest in the canopies of tall coastal old-growth forests. Much of this essential habitat has been logged and this species is now listed as Threatened in Canada and the U.S. Alan Burger is the president of the Nicola Naturalists. He studied Marbled Murrelets for over 30 years, in their marine foraging habitat and in their forest nesting habitat. He helped develop new techniques for studying murrelets using high-frequency radar to count murrelets at watersheds, and low-level helicopter surveys to assess forest suitability for nesting. Learn about this fascinating little seabird and the efforts being made to protect its habitat.

A Marbled Murrelet at sea. Photo: © Alan Burger

Thursday May 8th 2025: Mae Frank – A Fisher’s Fight For Food: how prey abundance compares to the diet of a red-listed weasel species in BC

Mae Frank is a graduate student at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops. She is studying the availability of prey taken by Fishers, and how that affects their distribution and abundance in the BC Interior. Fishers are an uncommon and vulnerable member of the weasel family, and declining in our province. This will be a fascinating presentation.

And more to come in 2025 ……

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Nicola Naturalist Society – Fall events 2024

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Alan Burger

Evening meetings of the Nicola Naturalist Society are held once a month from September through May. We generally meet at 7PM on the third Thursday of the month in the Lecture Theatre of NVIT (Nicola Valley Institute of Technology) on Belshaw Road, Merritt. Admission is free to members. We have awesome raffles.

Field Outings are usually held in spring, summer and fall and are listed below. Members will receive e-mail notices too. Field trips are restricted to paid-up members (but visitors can sign up as a member for the day for a nominal fee).

We are on Facebook. Check out our Facebook page: NNS Facebook

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Thursday September 19th 2024: AGM and Members’ Photo Night.

We keep the essential business meeting short and have lots of time to enjoy our members’ photos of local wildlife, wildflowers and scenery. An annual favourite.

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth. Photo by Nicola Naturalist Society member © Murphy Shewchuk

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Thursday October 17th 2024: Megan Blackmore – Rooted in Nature: Cultivating Beauty and Biodiversity with Native Plants

Megan is a certified horticulturalist, avid naturalist and Thompson-Shuswap Master Gardener. She will explain how to integrate native plants into the home landscape. Whether you want to create habitat to support native biodiversity, reduce your water usage, or simply bring the beauty of the surrounding forests and grasslands home, there are native plants for every garden. By choosing the plants that are naturally adapted to our region, gardeners can create attractive, low maintenance green spaces that benefit birds, bees, butterflies and beyond!

A bee pollinates Mountain Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale). Photo: © Megan Blackmore

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Thursday November 21st 2024: Kristi Iverson – Wildfires in BC Interior Forests – Past, Present and Future

Increased severity and frequency of fires, attributed to climate change and accumulating fuel, pose significant threats to our dry-belt Douglas-fir and Ponderosa Pine forest communities. Without interventions, drought and frequent wildfire suggest a trajectory toward a substantially non-forested landscape. Kristi Iverson, a Vegetation Ecologist with the Ministry of Forests, delves into fire history and the historical and present structures of our interior forests. She summarizes climate-change projections, the implications for future wildfires and examples of recent harvesting and restoration work. Together, this information can guide us to more fire-resistant forests in the future.

Terrifying wildfires have become a regular reality in the BC Interior and have profound effects on the forests.
Photo courtesy Kristi Iverson (BC Ministry of Forests)

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Stay tuned for further events this fall and early winter – Merritt Christmas Bird Count and more.

And coming up in 2025 …….

The Nicola Naturalist Society is hosting the 2025 BC Nature Spring Conference & AGM – May 22-25, 2025. The theme of the meeting is Nature in the Rain Shadow – Grasslands, Forests & Wetlands. Planning is underway for a fabulous array of presentations, field trips and social events.

Keep in touch – to join the Nicola Naturalist Society go to our Membership Page – click here.

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Sandhill Crane surveys – 2024

Posted on June 18, 2024 by Alan Burger

In 2024 our club undertook a greatly expanded series of surveys for Sandhill Cranes in the southern portion of the Douglas Lake Plateau. Thousands of cranes stop over in this area on their northward spring migration and the importance of this area for cranes was one of the primary reasons for the establishment of the Douglas Lake Plateau Important Bird & Biodiversity Area (IBA). Cranes are also a key consideration as this area is assessed as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA).

A portion of the flock of Sandhill Cranes on the Douglas Lake Ranch on 15 April 2024. Photo: Opal Charters

In previous years we have made one or a few field outings to view and count the cranes. In 2024, with funding from the BC Nature IBA/KBA program, we did twice-daily surveys (morning and evening) through the migration period. The goals were to get a better information on: the total number of cranes using the area, the chronology of their spring migration and the areas most used by the cranes. The funding allowed us to hire a contractor, who lives in the survey area, to cover the weekday surveys and our club volunteers covered the weekends.

Overall, we counted over 11,500 cranes passing through the area. You can see our full report here: 2024 Sandhill Crane Report

Sandhill Cranes on the Douglas Lake Ranch – 24 April 2024. Photo: © Leanne Cleaveley
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Nicola Naturalist Society – Spring Events 2024

Posted on April 10, 2024 by Alan Burger

Evening meetings of the Nicola Naturalist Society are held once a month from September through May. We generally meet at 7PM on the third Thursday of the month in the Lecture Theatre of NVIT (Nicola Valley Institute of Technology) on Belshaw Road, Merritt. Admission is free to members. We have awesome raffles.

Field Outings are usually held in spring, summer and fall and are listed below. Members will receive e-mail notices too. Field trips are restricted to paid-up members (but visitors can sign up as a member for the day for a nominal fee).

We are on Facebook. Check out our Facebook page: NNS Facebook

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Sandhill Crane Project

Our club is undertaking an ambitious project to monitor the migration of Sandhill Cranes at the Douglas Lake Plateau every day through the migration season. We have a paid contractor covering the weekday mornings and evenings but club members will be doing the surveys on weekends. Mileage costs are covered for members who register for these surveys. For more information (members only) email nicolanaturalists@gmail.com

There will also be our usual Sandhill Crane group outings (for club members only):

Sunday April 21st – meet at 07:00 at the Merritt Civic Centre parking lot

Saturday April 27th – meet at 07:00 at the Merritt Civic Centre parking lot

Sandhill Cranes taking off to resume their northward spring migration – April 2023. Photo: © Leanne Cleaveley

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Thursday April 18th 2024, NVIT Lecture Theatre at 7 PM: Leanne Cleaveley – Nature in your Backyard; How to Capture it using Macro-photography

Leanne Cleaveley is an elementary school teacher-librarian and photographer here in Merritt. She has combined her skills to write educational photography guides for a variety of topics, often focusing on macro-photography of flowers, insects and other elements of the natural world. Her razor-sharp photos of tiny insects and spiders have entranced our naturalist club in recent years and Leanne has agreed to share her experience and show us more of her amazing photos.

An example of Leanne’s macro-photography – a pollinating wasp. Photo: ©Leanne Cleaveley

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Thursday May 16th 2024: Tom Willms – The Nicola Valley Beaver Project.

NVIT instructor Tom Willms is leading a project to re-introduce beavers to many local areas where they have been extirpated. Beavers are now recognized as a key to water conservation and flood control and are being re-introduced in many areas.

A beaver is released at Howarth Creek near Merritt in May 2023 and inspects its new home. Photos: ©Liz McDonald
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Snow Bunting Shiver – Feb 2024

Posted on February 21, 2024 by Alan Burger

The Nicola Naturalist Society held our traditional winter Snow Bunting Shiver outing on Sunday Feb 18th, 2024. Eleven members ventured up to the Douglas Lake Plateau in search of winter specialties – and maybe even Snow Buntings. The weather was kind – no wind and mild and the roads were freshly plowed.

Our first wildlife encounters were with two herds of Mule Deer and a rapidly disappearing Coyote.

Mule Deer along Pennask Lake Road. Photo: © Loekie van der Wal

Despite the good conditions we encountered very few birds. Our next bit of interest involved another mammal species – Moose on a distant hillside

A female Moose with a yearling calf on the Douglas Lake Plateau. Photo: © Alan Burger
A closer look at mama Moose and her coy calf. Photo: © Alan Burger

After giving us a careful scrutiny, the pair disappeared over the hilltop.

The pair of Moose heading over the hilltop. Photo: © Loekie van der Wal

At the Spax’mn Reserve at Douglas Lake we found many more birds. Douglas Lake was frozen over but the runoff into the Nicola River at the bridge provided open water with lots to see there. The usual Belted Kingfisher was there, but didn’t stay long enough for photos. A family of Trumpeter Swans, however, provided plenty of photo ops.

A pair of Trumpeter Swans and their three offspring in the Nicola River at Douglas Lake. Photo: © Alan Burger
A closer look at the Trumpeter Swans – an adult and two juveniles. Photo: © Leanne Cleaveley
The advantage of having such a long neck – an adult Trumpeter Swan preening its wing feathers. Photo: © Loekie van der Wal
Followed by some vigorous wing-flapping. Photo: © Loekie van der Wal
One of the juvenile swans feeding. Photo: © Leanne Cleaveley
Meanwhile the rest of the family got in some rest time. But look closely and you can see that the front two swans are keeping an eye on us humans on the bridge. Photo: © Loekie van der Wal
In the same patch of open water as the swans – a pair of Gadwall. Photo: © Alan Burger
The Spax’mn village is always a good place to find Black-billed Magpies – we had 8 there during our visit. Photo: © Alan Burger
The ice in the Nicola River has fascinating patterns. Photo: © Alan Burger
This adult Red-tailed Hawk was patrolling the road north of Spax’mn. Notice the bulging crop – the hawk has evidently just eaten something, likely a vole. Photo: © Leanne Cleaveley
The adult Red-tailed Hawk on a power pole. Photo: © Leanne Cleaveley
And finally heading off. Photo: © Leanne Cleaveley

We had lunch at Prince Philip Point on Douglas Lake – warm enough to stand around in the snow and enjoy the view and some socializing. But we hadn’t seen a Snow Bunting. And the day was still young. So most of us decided to retrace our path back up Minnie Lake Road and down Pennask Lake Road in hopes of finding an elusive bunting.

A black dot on a far hillside turned out to be a Coyote. Or is this a Wolf? At this range it was hard to say. Photo: © Alan Burger
But zooming in we can see that is indeed a Coyote, looking larger with its thick winter coat. Photo: © Alan Burger

Many km later, along Pennask Lake Road, something whitish flits across the road ….

We finally get our Snow Bunting. Just one. But it remains on this post for 10 minutes or so, allowing us to get good views and some photos. Photo: © Alan Burger
Closer views of our Snow Bunting – a male in its winter plumage. Photos: © Loekie van der Wal

Snow Buntings breed in the high arctic tundra but some of them migrate into our area in winter and are most often found in the open snow-swept grasslands of the Douglas Lake Plateau. In our area they are usually in small flocks of 5-20 birds so finding a lone bunting is somewhat unusual.

The birds seen on this outing are listed here on eBird: Feb 18 Trip List

And mammals:

  • Moose 2
  • Mule Deer 15+
  • Coyote 2
  • Small rodent running across the road 1

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