Subject: Vancouver BC Alert 12.04 (long)
Date: Dec 5 00:06:14 1994
From: Michael Price - Michael_Price at mindlink.bc.ca



VANCOUVER RARE BIRD ALERT sponsored by the Vancouver Natural History
Society.

Area: VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA (abbrev-VCR)
Period: MON NOV 28 1994 to SUN DEC O4 1994, updated weekly
Call: 604-737-9910 (hot line updated daily, or as necessary)
To report: Same
Compiler: Michael Price
Transcriber: Same
Contact: michael_price at mindlink.bc.ca
(604) 731-4715 FEATURED BIRDS:

EMPEROR GOOSE
GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCH
SNOWY OWL
HARRIS' SPARROW
TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE
PINE GROSBEAK
WESTERN GULL
AMERICAN CROW
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW
CLARK'S GREBE
REDHEAD
MARBLED GODWIT
BOHEMIAN WAXWING
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD


For sick or injured birds please call:
WILDLIFE RESCUE 526-7275
MONIKA'S WILDLIFE SHELTER 882-0908
SPCA ANIMAL EMERGENCY 879-7343
If you have a report, be sure to leave your name and telephone
number/e-mail address, for our records.
If you're calling the hotline and you want to skip the update to leave your
message, press the *STAR* button on any touchtone telephone, otherwise
please wait for the long tone at the end of the update.

TRANSCRIPT (some editing for continuity):

SUN DEC 04
RARE BIRD ALERT An *EMPEROR GOOSE*, Vancouver's first in at least 15
years, showed up this morning at Beach Grove in Tsawwassen. Initially
located on the lagoon at the E end of 12th Ave in Tsawwassen, the bird
moved with a flock of CANADA GEESE into a variety of locations either along
the Beach Grove dike, on the foreshore, or on the golf course to the W and
SW.

A flock of 4 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES of the 'Gray-cheeked' or
'littoralis' race remained at the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal Jetty in S
Delta for a *seventh* consecutive day. The birds were feeding on weed and
grass seeds on either side of the jetty. In the morning they were in what
has become the most consistent place in which to find them, about halfway
out the jetty at the W end of the gravel road which parallels the highway
along its S side; you can access this gravel road by turning L onto it at
the base of the jetty. These birds have a tendency to forage in the gravel
*beneath* cars parked at this area and will even enter the engine
compartments. The birds sometimes will not show up right away, so please
have patience.

Late note: The birds have been discovered to be roosting under the eaves of
the more westerly of the two buildings at the base of the jetty. Though
birds of this species are normally very tame, please do not approach too
closely and risk sending them on their way further S. Also at the
Tsawwassen Jetty was 1 basic-plumaged ROCK SANDPIPER.

The winter's first report of *SNOWY OWL* comes with the sighting of a
single bird on Westham Is in Ladner; the bird was seen from the N side of
Brunswick Point. Up to 100 TRUMPETER SWANS and an AMERICAN BITTERN were
also at this location. Also in Ladner, the basic-1 plumaged HARRIS' SPARROW
was at the Reifel Refuge on Westham Is. in the brambles along the S side of
the entrance road to the refuge near and at the main gate.

A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was in a yard on Rondoval Crescent in the Upper
Lonsdale district of N VCR where one day earlier, Saturday Dec 03, there
was a male PINE GROSBEAK. Also on the North Shore mountains, a NORTHERN
PYGMY OWL was at Cypress Bowl in W VCR, and the WESTERN GULL was again at
the gravel roosting bar just upstream from the mouth of the Capilano R in W
VCR.

A bird believed to be an AMERICAN CROW is frequenting the area of Vine & W
10th Ave in the Kitsilano area of VCR for a second consecutive day. At
Jericho Pk on W 4th Ave in VCR, the male EURASIAN X AMERICAN WIGEON hybrid
has moved close to the bridge between the two ponds where there is a small
amount of open water left, and a female OLDSQUAW has been frequenting the
shoreline at Jericho for at least the last 4 days.


SAT DEC O3
A flock of 4 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES remained at the Tsawwassen Ferry
Terminal. At the Reifel Refuge on Westham Is, both the basic-1 plumaged
HARRIS' SPARROW and a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW were found near the main gate,
and up to 5 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS have been frequenting Fuller's
Slough within the Refuge.

Up to 5 SHORT-EARED OWLS were at the base of the N Jetty at Iona Is. along
with 1 adult NORTHERN SHRIKE. A male of the 'YELLOW-SHAFTED' race of the
NORTHERN FLICKER is frequenting a feeder in the 3200-block of W 14th Ave.
in VCR, and a male 'RED-SHAFTED' X 'YELLOW-SHAFTED' intergrade NORTHERN
FLICKER was again present at Iona Is.

Out of town, it appears that the ROSS' GULL in SE Washington may have moved
on as it has not been seen since Thurday, Dec 01, however if you're
*really* eager to see this rare Arctic species, there's one in Ft Chambly,
near
Montreal in the proviince of Quebec.


FRI DEC 02
For the fifth consecutive day, 3 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES were along the
S side of the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal Jetty in S Delta.
The HARRIS' SPARROW was again at the Reifel Refuge on Westham Is in Ladner;
the bird is frequenting the brambles on the S side of the entrance road in
the vicinity of the main gate to the refuge.

In W VCR, an adult WESTERN GULL is frequenting the gull roost on a loafing
bar in the Capilano R upstream from the BC Railways trestle just E of
Ambleside Pk; other gulls of interest at the loafing bar were 27 THAYER'S
GULLS and 1 adult HERRING GULL. Also in W VCR, a BARRED OWL was at 28th
Avenue in the Dundarave district.

The female REDHEAD was back on the display pond at Trinity Western U in
Langley; somewhat unusual at this location were 3 DOUBLE-CRESTED
CORMORANTS.

At Blackie Spit in Crescent Beach, there is 1 EARED GREBE, the LESSER
YELLOWLEGS, and the THREE AMIGOS: the LONG-BILLED CURLEW, MARBLED GODWIT,
and WHIMBREL.

LATE REPORT: 1 *CLARK'S GREBE* was seen from the Stanley Park Seawall in
the vicinity of the Lion's Gate Bridge across First Narrows on Wednesday,
Nov 30. and a BOHEMIAN WAXWING has been present along the entrance road to
the Alaksen Wildlife Management Area just to the E of the Reifel Refuge
since Saturday, Nov 26.


THU DEC 01
Continuing the unusual pattern this winter of seeing rosy finches on
various shorelines and jetties in the Greater Vancouver Checklist Area, for
the fourth consecutive day, 3 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES were along the S
side of the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal Jetty in S Delta. The 2
basic-plumaged ROCK SANDPIPERS were again to be found with BLACK TURNSTONES
at the W end of the jetty; today they were on the N side of the jetty near
the Terminal Building.

A SWAMP SPARROW was on the N Trail in the vicinity of blue tag 41 at the
Reifel Refuge on Westham Is in Ladner, perhaps the same bird which has
wintered there in previous years.

At the end of 216th St in Maple Ridge, there were 6 SNOW BUNTINGS and 1
WESTERN SCREECH OWL.


WED NOV 30
4 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES were along the S side of the Tsawwassen Ferry
Terminal Jetty in S Delta. Further W along the jetty, near the end, a flock
of up to 40 BLACK TURNSTONES contained 2 basic-plumaged ROCK SANDPIPERS.

At least 25 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were at the S end of 72nd St where it ends
against the Boundary Bay dike in S Delta; the birds could be found either
in the field to the W of 72nd St or on the foreshore just across the dike.

In Pitt Meadows near Maple Ridge, a mixed flock of MALLARD and NORTHERN
PINTAILS contained a drake MALLARD X NORTHERN PINTAIL hybrid. Out-of-town,
there was no report today of the *ROSS' GULL* in SE Washington state which
has been frequenting the Columbia R at the McNary Dam on Interstate Highway
82 between the towns of Plymouth on the Washington
side and Umatilla on the Oregon state side. For updates on this bird,
please call the Seattle, Washington Rare Bird Alert at (206) 526-8266.


TUE NOV 29
Out-of-town, the *ROSS' GULL* was again present at the McNary Dam across
the Columbia R. in SE Washington. This is in the area of Plymouth and
Umatilla, Washington. For updates, please call the Washington RBA at (206)
526-8266.

Locally, a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL was at the Reifel Refuge in Ladner, and
the female REDHEAD was again on the display pond on the campus of Trinity
Western University in Langley.


MON NOV 28
Out-of-town, the *ROSS' GULL* was again present at the McNary Dam across
the Columbia R. in SE Washington. This is in the area of Plymouth and
Umatilla, Washington. For updates, please call the Washington RBA at (206)
526-8266.

Locally, a single, very late MARBLED GODWIT was in a flock of 150
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS in a field beside the Boundary Bay dike at the S end
of 64th St. in S Delta; this bird is virtually certain to be a different
bird from the Marbled Godwit which makes up 1/3 of the Three Amigos at
Blackie Spit about 15 km to the E at the opposite end of Boundary Bay.

There were 3 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES at the Tsawwassen Jetty in S Delta.
Further west along the jetty, on the rocks at the S berthing area, were 2
ROCK SANDPIPERS with 9 BLACK TURNSTONES.

A male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was at the rear parking lot of Buckerfield's
Seed Store in the 6000-block of 200th St. near the Fraser Highway in
Langley; up to 3 YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS have been present at this
location as recently as mid-month.

Finally, the female REDHEAD was again present
on the display pond at the campus of Trinity Western University in Langley.


If you have a report or a query about bird identification or
Vancouver birding please call:

Michael Price at (604)731-4715
Mark and Eleni Wynja at (604)438-6529
(Other contact names omitted on request)

Thanks for calling the Vancouver Bird Alert and Good Birding!