Welcome to the SONC website.
If you have any suggestions please get in touch with Bob Handfield or Glenda Ross.

Mission Statement:

"To provide a dynamic local focus for experiencing the natural world of B.C. and for promoting its conservation"

  • Indoor meetings are held on the 4th Thursday of the month, September to May (except for December) at
  • 7:00 pm at Penticton Seniors' Drop-In Centre, 2965 South Main Street, Penticton.
  • . Please bring your own coffee mug ---- New members always welcome.
  • Our birding, wildflower, geology, social group meets every Thursday in the north parking lot of Cherry Lane Mall (north of Warren Ave. and east of Atkinson St.) at 9 AM.
  • Field Trips are generally made in the spring and fall.

Annual Waiver

Required annually with membership fee.


Download PDF Waiver

Next Monthly Meeting


December,

No monthly meeting during December: instead join in on the

Christmas Bird Counts

The Penticton count is on Dec 15th. The Vaseux count will be on Dec 21, the Oliver Osoyoos one on Dec 28 and lastly the Peachland count will be on Dec 30. Please let Alex Bodden know if you wish to participate. He will forward your interest to the coordinator of the counts. You do not have to be an expert birder at all, and the groups assigned to the various areas of the count circles will have someone who can identify what is seen. This is an all-day event, but if you can only come out for half a day that is fine. There is a potluck count up afterwards that are always fun and interesting as everyone recounts their experiences for the day. The count up for the Penticton count will be at the seniors’ centre.

There will also be a Christmas Bird Count for Kids on Dec 29 at 1:00 to 3:00 PM starting at the Penticton Art Gallery. This is the first try at this, so lots of unknowns. The route will be along the waterfront, through the marina and into part of the Esplanade trails. If you have some time to come out and help, let Alex know. If you know relatives or families who may be interested, please ask them to register with the number of people by sending a message to okanagannature@gmail.com so we know how many to plan for. There will be a warm room and some refreshments. https://www.birdscanada.org/bird-science/christmas-bird-count-for-kids literary awards.

Next Monthly Meeting


March 23rd: Come out to hear award winning local author and ecologist Don Gayton discuss his new book The Sky and the Patio. Don uses his backyard patio as a springboard to delve into our human relationship with nature. Don's awards include the BC Book Award, the Canadian Science Writers Award and the US National Outdoor Book Award.

Recent Newsletter

Bird Outings

Thursday birding outings are back! Outings generally start at 9AM. If you would like to know more about Thursday outings, please email Wendy at wendyastewart@shaw.ca .

Trip Outings

SONC Creston Valley field trip summary - May 2024

View Creston Valley Field Trip Report (PDF)

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Remembering Anne and Jim Ginns

Image

We reported a while back that Anne Ginns had passed away and we now sadly report that her husband Jim Ginns passed away on April 29th. See the March 2020 Honker (click on the view PDF button below) for a writeup about Anne and Jim and their connections to nature and SONC.

Full News Article
View or Download PDF File
View Jim Ginn"s Obit

Anniversary Video

If you missed the Club’s 60th Anniversary dinner and presentation in September 2022 you can watch the retrospective video produced by Club member Patrick Parenteau by clicking on the play link below (about 25 minutes).