Hi Tweeters

There's a confirmed *WHITE-WINGED DOVE* at a feeder at 346 HOLLY CRSC in
Ucluelet on the W coast of Vancouver Island. It's been there since Sunday,
Oct 23. Should you want to twitch this bird, please call the CHRISTIANSENS
at (604) 726-2713. They have graciously said birders are *welcome* to see
this bird. This species is accidental or very rare *anywhere* in Canada.

Inevitably, the question arises: is it a wild bird? Well, it does like to
cut loose a little on Saturday nights--no, no, I mean, its appearance does
follow the known pattern of vagrancy along the Pacific Coast (July--Feb)
according to Don Roberson in his Rare Birds of the West Coast.

Also, to piggyback a query, does anyone have a relatively foolproof way of
separating female Garganey from female Green-winged Teal with sometimes
equally-strong facial markings? And what's with these female Mallards with
whitish heads and grey stripes identical to female Garganey? Is this
pattern of head striping generic to female 'Anas' ducks?


Still with ducks, Vancouver BC got its first Tufted Duck (an adult female)
on Tues. Oct 25, about a week-plus-change after California, Oregon, and
Washington got their first birds. Is this a regular phenom. of timing?
Locally, it's often that way with the first arriving southbound passerines
such as Fox, Lincoln's, and Golden-crowned Sparrows, that they show up at
coastal locations sometimes a week or two before sites even just a few
kilometers inland start getting them.


Michael Price
Vancouver BC Canada
michael_price at mindlinl.bc.ca