Turtles are an amazing species that are beloved by so many, so let's celebrate them today. Here in the Okanagan and Similkameen, we only have one native species to celebrate, our Western Painted turtle! In BC there are 2 populations of this turtle: the Pacific Coast Population that is found in the lower mainland and Vancouver Island, and the Intermountain-Rocky Mountain population which is found here in the Interior of BC. Sadly both populations are at risk, with the Coastal

Out of all the species in the Okanagan, one of the most endangered ones is the American Badger. These guys are so special though and have so many cool features. Everything about the American badger is built for the dirt and digging. Here are some features that make them digging experts: Eyes - Like some mammal, like cats and dogs, badgers have a thin "third" eyelid called a nictitating membrane that helps prevent dirt from irritating their eyes. This membrane is translucent s

Today we want to celebrate these big billed birds, especially since most curlew species are at risk, including our very own Long-billed curlew. As a ground laying bird, Long-billed curlew have to be careful of all the potential predators that can disturb them and their nest. Thankfully, the young are ready to go pretty quickly after they hatch. Only a couple hours after these chicks hatch, they are already running around the grasslands, and the nest is abandoned within 24 hou

Today we want to celebrate all of our insect eating superheroes along with some amazing work that is being done to help them out. Ove the last several years, White-Nose syndrome (WNS) has been damaging certain bat populations across North America. This syndrome is a fungal issue that affects bats during their hibernation. It irritates their skin to the point that they wake up in the middle of winter and since they don't have access to food and they need to spend so much energ

All species of bats in the Okanagan and Similkameen are insectivores, so they only eat insects. No fruit or blood eating bats here. However, that does not mean that they catch insects in the same way. There are aerial hawkers, which scoop the insects straight out of the air, and gleaners, which pick the insects off the ground or other surfaces. Bat species can specialize in one of these techniques or they could use both depending on the situation. The Fringed bat that is foun

Female Western Screech-owl and her babies in a nesting box Western Screech-owl When you first think of owls, it is normal to picture the big ones, like Great Horned owls or Snowy owls, but in reality most owls in the Okanagan are small to medium sized. One such owl is our local Western Screech-owls, which is one of the smaller owls in the region, only being about the size of a medium to-go coffee cup. Their name is quite misleading since they don't actually screech. Instead t