A pair of common mergansers paddle on the Similkameen River in Keremeos in late March.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Kathy Green
March 31, 2025 - 4:00 AM
Here's a sure sign of spring. Several species of birds are pairing up and can be observed calling for mates and doing fancy rituals in Kamloops and the Okanagan.
This month area photographers captured water fowl, song birds and a bald eagles in the process of courtship with each species having unique behaviours to watch for.
The common merganser male will swim rapidly in circles near a female and suddenly stretch his neck upward with his bill pointing up and give a soft call, according to Audubon.
Drake mallards show off their brilliant mating plumage to a hen mallard in the Kamloops area.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Valerie Walsh
The male mallard will dip his bill in the water, then rear up, whistle and grunt before sitting back down. He then raises his head and tail while calling sharply, then plunges forward flicking up water with his bill.
Songbirds are also interesting to watch.
The male western meadow lark will sing to defend nesting territory and when courting a female will puff up his chest, spread his tail wide and flick his wings, while the male killdeer will fly high over nesting territory and float in the air with slow wingbeats repeating his unique call.
A western meadowlark sings at White Lake Wildlife Conservation area in the South Okanagan.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Kathy Green
Bald eagles mate for life and engage in several courtship behaviours as they build their bond. The pair will do aerial displays spinning together with talons clasped together, or a single bird will repeatedly climb high and dive down, according to Live Science.
As the pair gets closer to copulating, they will sit beside each other making calling sounds and preening on another. The female will call to the male and bow and and the male climbs are her back.
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Killdeer couple was spotted in Pritchard in late March.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Ann Steenhuysen
This eagle couple in Rock Creek was spotted mating in spring.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Brigitte Huerzeler
Two male western meadowlarks face off for territory in Kamloops late March.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Terry Conroy
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