A red-winged blackbird in Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Michael Kennedy

It's nearly spring meanings birds are beginning to flock back to the Thompson Okanagan region following warmer temperatures.

Earlier this week, hobbyist photographer Michael Kennedy snapped a photo of some red-winged blackbirds in the Kamloops area. He’s taken photos of the birds before when they’ve had babies, he said.

“I just go out and take a chance, you’d say,” he said when asked about his secret to getting good photos of the birds at Dufferin Pond.

The birds are easy to recognize as they’re completely black with red-and-yellow shoulder badges, according to allaboutbirds.org.

Chris Charlesworth, a bird watcher and owner with Avocet Tours, said they’re one of the most common songbirds in the area and are one of the first birds to return to the Interior once the marshes thaw.

Here are some more early birds you can spot this month:

A northern flicker

Image Credit: Pixabay

Northern flicker

“They seem to be everywhere, and they’re super common,” Charlesworth said.

The northern flicker is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family, according to All About Birds.

Canada geese enjoy the wet weather at Riverside Park last week.

(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

Canada geese

Through March, you’ll see Canada geese and other water fowl start to head north, he said.

Canada geese, nicknamed “cobra chickens” on social media for their less-than-friendly demeanour, can be found near water, grassy fields, and grain fields, according to All About Birds.

Bohemian Waxwing

Image Credit: Wikipedia Commons

Bohemian waxwings

There are quite a few of these birds around this winter, Charlesworth said. In March, they start to head to northern B.C. and the Yukon, so residents will see larger numbers of them as they head north.

Bohemian waxwings wander like bands of vagabonds across the northern United States and Canada in search of fruit during the nonbreeding season, according to All About Birds.

Bald Eagle

Image Credit: Flickr.com

Bald eagles

In March, you’ll see raptors including bald eagles much more too, Charlesworth said.

You can find them closer to water, looking for fish, according to All About Birds.

It’s a bit of an exciting time in March as more birds begin to migrate north, he said.

Increase your chances of finding an uncommon bird this season by getting out and looking for them, Charlesworth said.

“Be a bit persistent,” he recommended.

Weather patterns can also influence when rare birds can be seen.

If there’s a storm on the coast and it’s heading into the Okanagan, it “might blow some interesting stuff” here, he said.

“The early bird gets the worm, it is true in birding too,” he said.

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