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

Area: VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA (abbrev-VCR)
Period: MON SEP 26 1994 to SUN OCT 02 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


FEATURED BIRDS:

PALM WARBLER
SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER
SURFBIRD
BLACKPOLL WARBLER
BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
FRANKLIN'S GULL
GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER
GRAY CATBIRD
COMMON BLACK-HEADED GULL
EURASIAN WIGEON
CLARK'S GREBE

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 0CT 02 A *PALM WARBLER* was seen today at Blackie Spit in Crescent
Beach; the bird was seen along the high-tide line in the salicornia marsh
on the E side of the Spit.

A juvenile *SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER* was at the Iona settling ponds in NW
Richmond.

An AMERICAN DIPPER was at Nelson Creek in the Eagle Ridge area of W VCR.
Also in W VCR, over 200 SURFBIRDS and 12 BLACK TURNSTONES were on Bird
Islet in Garreau Bay; another 150 SURFBIRDS, 7 BLACK TURNSTONES, and 3
BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS were on Grebe Islets just to the W of Lighthouse Pk in
W VCR.

The male REDHEAD which appears to be just emerging from eclipse plumage,
was again on the Outer Pond at Iona Is Regional Pk.

The basic 1-plumaged FRANKLIN'S GULL was again present with BONAPARTE'S
GULLS at the pier at the S end of 14th St in W VCR. Across Burrard Inlet at
W Spanish Banks, there was a juvenile-plumaged RED-NECKED PHALAROPE.

Out of town, on Triangle Is in the Pacific Ocean off the N end of Vancouver
Is, the banding station there today recorded a basic-plumaged *BLACKPOLL
WARBLER* extremely rare along the coast.


SAT OCT 01 The first Burrard Inlet Bird Survey was carried out today under
blue skies and strong northwesterlies. This survey was held under the
auspices of the Burrard Inlet Environmental Action Program in conjunction
with the VNHS and the Port Moody Power Squadron.

Some of the notable species seen on this quarterly survey were a
record-high *5* basic1-plumaged FRANKLIN'S GULLS in E Burrard Inlet at the
S end of Indian Arm; the first BARROW'S GOLDENEYES of the southbound
migration, a flock of 4 in the Indian R estuary at the N end of Indian Arm;
a single AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER overflew the beach at Kitsilano Pk in VCR;
a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE was off Bayswater Beach just to the W; single TURKEY
VULTURES were seen in E Burrard Inlet and Bayswater Beach; a PEREGRINE
FALCON was at a customary perch on the railway bridge just to the E of the
2nd Narrows Bridge in E VCR; and, lastly, large numbers of southbound
CANADA GEESE could be seen migrating in many flocks high over the city,
taking advantage of the strong northwesterly winds.
The first large numbers of SNOW GEESE blew into the foreshore areas near
Brunswick Pt in Ladner, with a flock estimated at 500 birds. Finally, the
Alert stated in its last update that the first WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were
just arriving; however, it received a report of no less that 25 meadowlarks
being seen from the Boundary Bay dike to the W of the S end of 72nd St in S
Delta
on Monday, Sept 26.


FRI SEP 30 Up to 4 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were found in the Premier St
landfill site in N VCR as this species begins to migrate into the area. The
GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER was again present on Triangle Is to the N of the
northern tip of Vancouver Island.


THU SEP 29 There was no relocation of the basic 1-plumaged COMMON
BLACK-HEADED GULL seen with a basic 1 FRANKLIN'S GULL in a flock of
BONAPARTE'S GULLS at the fishing pier at the s end of 14th St in W VCR. A
WESTERN MEADOWLARK was found at the Reifel Refuge on Westham Is in Ladner.
Out of town, a *GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER*, B.C.'s first documented
occurrence of this eastern Myiarchus-genus flycatcher was caught, banded,
and photographed at the unlikely location of Triangle Is, in the Pacific
Ocean off the N end of Vancouver Island.

Victoria's first DUSKY FLYCATCHER was caught and banded at the Rocky Pt.
military reserve banding station; also in the area is a BLUE JAY; this area
is off-limits to the public. At the E Sooke Pk hawkwatch there has been at
least two BROAD-WINGED HAWKS in the migration there.


WED SEP 28 Despite searches of the area, there was no relocation of the
immature COMMON BLACK-HEADED GULL at the fishing pier at the S end of 14th
St in W VCR, however the basic 1-plumaged FRANKLIN'S GULL was again present
with BONAPARTE'S GULLS at that location.

A very late GRAY CATBIRD was skulking in shrubbery along 80th Ave in Ft.
Langeley. A bird believed to be a MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE was reported from the
104-thousand block of River Rd. in N Delta.

A male ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD figured it was safe to come out now that all
those belligerent RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS have gone south and fed on the
sweetpeas growing wild in the Premier St Landfill site in N VCR.

A PEREGRINE FALCON, MERLIN, and 2 SHORT-EARED OWLS were seen along 72nd St
in S Delta, and an AMERICAN KESTREL near the intersection of No. 10 Rd. and
the Annacis Hwy in E Richmond.


TUE SEP 27
RARE BIRD ALERT 1: A basic 1-plumaged *COMMON BLACK-HEADED GULL* was
seen tonight off the crab-fishing pier at the S end of 14th St in W VCR.
Look for a larger edition of a BONAPARTE'S GULL with a longer bill that's
primarily, to quote P.J. Grant's book on gulls, dull flesh or yellowish-
flesh with a darker tip. Also here was a FRANKLIN'S GULL in Basic 1
plumage.

RARE BIRD ALERT 2: The alternate-plumaged *CLARK'S GREBE* was again present
at W Spanish Banks in the early afternoon. It was initially relocated in a
small flock of WESTERN GREBES approximately 1 to 2 km offshore (and
someone's going to be writing a glowing testimonial to the company which
manufactures Questar telescopes) and identified by its bright schoolbus-
yellow bill. Later the bird came closer to shore and the white lores and
face were noted.

The first *EURASIAN WIGEON* of the southbound migration was in a large
mixed flock of AMERICAN WIGEON & NORTHERN PINTAIL at Beach Grove at the E
end of 12th Avenue in Tsawwassen.

Up to 20 TURKEY VULTURES were roosting in trees at the bayside camp in the
Semiahmoo Indian Reserve between White Rock and the US border.

An immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK was reported from S VCR in the vicinity of
Hudson St & Laurier Avenue in the Marpole area of S VCR.


MON SEP 26 RARE BIRD ALERT An alternate-plumaged CLARK'S GREBE was seen
this
afternoon with a small flock of WESTERN GREBES at W Spanish Banks along the
S side of Burrard Inlet in Vancouver. The bird was initially in the area of
Tower Beach and was last seen an hour later off W Spanish Banks in the
vicinity of the concrete sculpture at the W end of the sea walk along the
Spanish Banks shoreline. While separating Western & Clark's Grebes can be
tricky at times, look for a bird with a bright golden-orange bill and
a completely white face.

Up to 25 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were at the S end of 72nd St in S Delta.
A male REDHEAD was on the Outer Pond at Iona Is Regional Pk in NW Richmond,
and 2 SURFBIRD were on the rocky hook at the far end of the South Jetty at
Iona Is.
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!