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

Area: VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA (abbrev-VCR)
Period: MON DEC 05 1994 to SUN DEC 11 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
PRAIRIE FALCON
GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCH
HARRIS' SPARROW
SWAMP SPARROW
GLAUCOUS GULL
TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE
PINE GROSBEAK
REDHEAD
WESTERN TANAGER

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 & brevity):

SUN DEC 11 The adult *EMPEROR GOOSE* present since at Beach Grove in
Tsawwassen all week has been diagnosed as having a severely bruised right
leg. Bev Day of the Owl Rehabilitation Center in S Delta, an expert in the
diagnosis and treatment of wild birds, stated that the bird needs to avoid
stress for its injury to heal properly, and that the best way to help this
bird to have a full recovery is to keep your distance. Please do not
approach this bird any closer than 100 feet, and please help by reminding
any birder or photographer that you see making a closer approach that the
bird is injured and requires sufficient space for recovery. The goose was
again near the ponds at the golf course at Beach Grove in Tsawwassen and
also the foreshore of Beach Grove at the E end of 12th Ave where there was
also 1 GR.
WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. To reach this location, go E on 12th Avenue to Jackson
and turn L.

There was no relocation of the PRAIRIE FALCON seen yesterday Saturday
Dec 10 along 33A Ave. and Friday Dec 09 before at Brunswick Pt., in western
Ladner, nor did the first-winter male PINE GROSBEAK reappear in the
4200-block of W 12th Ave. in Vancouver's West Point Grey district, not the
Kerrisdale district as erroneously stated in last night's update.

In an unprecedented sojourn in the area, The *4 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES*
remain on the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal Jetty in S Delta; the birds were
foraging on the S side of the Jetty beneath or around some cars parked at
the end of a gravel road which runs along the S side of the Jetty. You can
access this road by turning L onto it at the base of the jetty. Also on the
Jetty today was a flock of 30 BLACK TURNSTONES contained at least 2 ROCK
SANDPIPERS.

A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was in a yard on 37A Ave. in Langley. The male
REDHEAD was again present on Lost Lagoon in Vancouver's Stanley
Pk, and the VIRGINIA RAIL continues to frequent the small-bird feeding area
in the shrubbery beside the stone bridge at the W end of the Lagoon.


SAT DEC 10
RARE BIRD ALERT An adult PRAIRIE FALCON, likely the same bird observed
scuffling with 2 PEREGRINE FALCONS yesterday over Brunswick Pt in western
Ladner, was relocated today perched in a tree along 33A Ave. in Ladner
about 1/2-way between 34 & 41B St. This bird is showing no evidence of
being an escaped falconer's bird, as did the Prairie Falcon at Iona Is last
summer.

The adult *Emperor goose* was again present at Beach Grove in Tsawwwassen.

A basic 1 male PINE GROSBEAK visited a feeder in the 4200-block W 12th Ave
in the Kerrisdale district of VCR.

Two SWAMP SPARROWS were along the N trail at the Reifel Refuge just before
the bend toward the observation tower in the vicinity of blue tag 41, and
the immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK was again in the area of the main parking lot
at the Refuge. A winter flock of up to 40 MOURNING DOVES and a male
NORTHERN FLICKER of the 'YELLOW-SHAFTED' race are frequenting a small
orchard in NE Ladner; to see them go into the parking lot of the church
near 44th Ave. and Arthur Dr. and look to the SW. Finally, 5 BLACK
OYSTERCATCHERS made a flypast to the W along Spanish Banks on the S side of
Burrard Inlet in VCR.


FRI DEC 09
The adult *EMPEROR GOOSE* was again near the ponds at the golf course at
Beach
Grove in Tsawwassen. The 4 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES remain on the
Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal Jetty in S Delta; the birds were along the N side
of the jetty. In the vicinity of the terminal itself, a flock of
BLACK TURNSTONES contained at least 1 ROCK SANDPIPER.

The winter's 1st report of a GLAUCOUS GULL comes from the base of the
Roberts Bank Coalport Jetty. The basic 1-plumaged HARRIS' SPARROW was at
the main gate at the entrance to the Reifel Refuge in the brambles along
the S side of the entrance road. Up to 4 GR. WHITE-FRONTED GEESE continue
to forage in a field along Hwy 17 in S Delta to the SW of the Deas Tunnel
beneath the middle Arm of the Fraser R., and there was a brief territorial
brawl between 2 PEREGRINE FALCONS and a bird thought to be a PRAIRIE FALCON
above Brunswick Pt. in western Ladner.


THU DEC 08
The adult EMPEROR GOOSE was again at Beach Grove in Tsawwassen.


WED DEC 07
The adult EMPEROR GOOSE was again at Beach Grove in Tsawwassen. On the
foreshore of Beach Grove at the E end of 12th Ave. there were 81 BRANT
geese and at least 1 PEREGRINE FALCON. The flock of 4 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY
FINCHES was again present on the S side of the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal
Jetty.

The basic-plumaged male WESTERN TANAGER was relocated this morning in a
flock of AMERICAN ROBINS in the area of 30A Ave and 266B St. in
Aldergrove.

Two SWAMP SPARROWS are at the Reifel Refuge on Westham Is in Ladner, one
along the N trail in the vicinity of blue tag #41, the other near the
manager's house; also at the refuge is an immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK which
was frequenting the area between the gift shop and Fuller's Slough.

An AMERICAN DIPPER was at Tynehead Pk in Surrey.


TUE DEC 06
The adult EMPEROR GOOSE was again at the Beach Grove Lagoon in Tsawwassen.

A very late male WESTERN TANAGER in basic plumage visited a
feeder at 26641 29th Ave in the morning but was not seen further. Normally,
southbound tanagers have cleared the area by the end of September.

Up to 4 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS were on the rocky foreshore in the vicinity of
the Kitsilano Pool at Kitsilano Beach on Vancouver's W side.

A winter flock of up to 30 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were near the dike on the S
side of the S Alouette R in Pitt Meadows about 1/2 km E of the Neaves Rd
Bridge.

There was no report received today of the 4 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES along
the S side of the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal Jetty.


MON DEC 05

The basic 1-plumaged HARRIS' SPARROW which had been frequenting a feeder at
the W end of the alleyway between W 2nd & W 3rd Aves in the 3800-block in
Vancouver was relocated here again in the late afternoon after a hiatus of
almost three weeks.

A female TUFTED DUCK was reported from Lost Lagoon in Stanley Pk, and the
male REDHEAD was seen here as well; of interest was an influx of nearly 40
WOOD DUCKS onto the Lagoon, presumably birds from the Fraser Valley seeking
open water. 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!