Subject: Vancouver BC Alert 9.18.94
Date: Sep 19 01:58:41 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 SEP 12 1994 to SUN 18 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, in date order, are:

THAYER'S GULL
YELLOW-BILLED LOON
AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER
PARASITIC JAEGER
HEERMANN'S GULL
BROWN PELICAN
PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER

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 SEP 18
RARE BIRD ALERT: A *BROWN PELICAN*, probably the same bird seen initially
on Tesday Sept 13, was again at Blackie Spit in Crescent Beach. The bird,
which is in juv. plumage, was roosting with gulls on pilings at the mouth
of Farm Slough, the large tidal lagoon between the Spit and the Burlington
Northern railway tracks to the E. Also here were the Three Amigos, that
resident group of shorebirds comprised of a MARBLED GODWIT, LONG-BILLED
CURLEW, and WHIMBREL.

On the Boundary Bay foreshore at the S end of 88th St in S Delta, a flock
of up to 2300 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS contained 1 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, 2
PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERS, 3 GOLDEN PLOVERS of indeterminate species and 1 RED
KNOT; also here was a juvenile MERLIN and a PEREGRINE FALCON.

1 PARASITIC JAEGER was at Pt. Roberts.

SAT SEP 17
There was no relocation on a VNHS field trip to seawatch at Pt. Roberts,
Washington of the adult alternate-plumaged YELLOW-BILLED LOON present along
the Pt. Roberts shoreline since at least Sunday, Sept. 11; however, 2
PARASITIC JAEGERS and small numbers of COMMON TERNS were present.

A flock of 284 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER at Brunswick Pt. in Ladner contained 1
GOLDEN PLOVER of undetermined species.

The first THAYER'S GULLS of the southbound migration were along the South
Jetty at Iona is. Regional Pk. in NW Richmond; 1 male REDHEAD was on the
Outer Pond just W of the Iona Is Sewage Treatment Plant.

An adult PEREGRINE FALCON was along 72nd St in S Delta, along with a large,
dark unidentified falcon thought to be either a dark-morph GYRFALCON or a
escaped falconer's hybrid. The difficulty with out-of-season raptors in the
Boundary Bay area is determining whether they are wild birds or falconers'
escapes.

At Pitt Meadows in the vicinity of Grant Narrows where Pitt L joins the
Pitt R, there were 2 SANDHILL CRANES and 1 CASPIAN TERN.

RING-NECKED DUCKS continue to arrive in the Greater Vancouver Checklist
Area, at the following locations: Ambleside Pk in W VCR, Lost Lagoon in
Stanley PK, and the Outer Pond at Iona Is. Regional Pk.


FRI SEP 16
2 *BLUE JAYS* have been present for several days visiting a feeder in
Colwood on Vancouver Island just N of Victoria. For updates on these birds,
please call the Victoria Rare Bird Alert at area code 604-592-3381.

In the local checklist area, an adult *YELLOW-BILLED LOON*, still in its
alternate plumage, continues to frequent the waters off Point Roberts,
Washington. A light-morph PARASITIC JAEGER, a RHINOCEROS AUKLET, and a
SURFBIRD were seen from Lighthouse Marine Pk. at Point Roberts.

An AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER in juvenal plumage was with BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS
on Boundary Bay at 112th St in S Delta.


THU SEP 15
The following birds were seen at Point Roberts: 2 juvenile dark-morph
PARASITIC JAEGERS, 2 HEERMANN'S GULL, and an adult ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK.

In VCR, there were 2 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS at W Spanish Banks on the S side
of Burrard Inlet. A PARASITIC JAEGER was at the W entrance to Active Pass
between Mayne & Galiano Islands in the Gulf Islands.


WED SEP 14
There was no relocation of the BROWN PELICAN last seen Tuesday, Sept. 13 at
Blackie Spit.
A single COMMON NIGHTHAWK was over the 3600-bl of W 1st Ave in the
Kitsilano area on the W side of VCR.


TUE SEP 13
RARE BIRD ALERT A *BROWN PELICAN* was seen this afternoon at Crescent
Beach
at the E end of Boundary Bay just N of White Rock. The bird was associating
with COMMON LOONS about 600 to 700 meters offshore. A flock of 5 juvenile
AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS and 2 basic-plumaged adult RED KNOTS were in the
large flock of BLACK- BELLIED PLOVERS on the Boundary Bay foreshore at 96th
St. in S Delta.

1 OSPREY & 1 BANK SWALLOW was over the Iona settling ponds in NW Richmond.
Up to 20 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were with CANADA GEESE in W Ladner in
a stubble field near the intersection of 34th St. & 33A Ave with 51 more in
the Reifel Refuge on Westham Is. in Ladner. MON SEP 12
An unidentified GODWIT, possibly the HUDSONIAN GODWIT seen a day previous
at 112th St., was seen today at distance on Boundary Bay at 88th St. Also
here was an unaged RED KNOT and a classic juvenile PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER in
a ditch beside yet another house under construction on the edge of Boundary
Bay. Some protected area, hey? Oh, well, we knew it when, didn't we?

In another sighting, 2 southbound COMMON NIGHTHAWKS were hawking insects
over the 2700-block of 148th St in S Surrey.

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!