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

Area: VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA (abbrev-VCR)
Period: MONDAY JUNE 05/95 TO SUNDAY 11/95, 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

For sick or injured birds please call:
Wildlife Rescue at 526-7275
Monika's Wildlife Shelter at 882-0908
Owl Rehabilitation Center at 946-3171


SPECIES MENTIONED:

BLACKPOLL WARBLER
COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD
Franklin's Gull
American Redstart (Arr.)
Gray Catbird
Northern Oriole
Eastern Kingbird
Ring-necked Duck
Bonaparte's Gull
Common Tern
Black Swift
PURPLE MARTIN
Pacific Loon
Lesser Yellowlegs
Dunlin
Western Kingbird
Lazuli Bunting
Lazuli X Indigo Bunting (poss.)
Wilson's Phalarope
Western Tanager
Pacific Golden Plover
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Osprey
Pileated Wooodpecker
Stilt Sandpiper
Caspian Tern
Chipping Sparrow
Long-billed Curlew
Whimbrel
Common Nighthawk
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE
Pine Grosbeak
Sandhill Crane
Green Heron
American Bittern
Turkey Vulture
Band-tailed Pigeon


VCR----Vancouver
RMD----Richmond
BBY----Burnaby
SRY----Surrey
WR-----White Rock
COQ----Coquitlam
POCO---Port Coquitlam


SUN JUN 11
RARE BIRD ALERT: A male *BLACKPOLL WARBLER* singing its characteristic
single-pitch song, only the second or third sighting of this species in the
Gr. VCR Checklist Area, was seen and heard at Pitt Meadows today in the
afternoon. The bird was along the Pitt Lake Nature Trail which begins at the
Grant Narrows boat launch at the N end of Rennie Rd., and was in a large
cottonwood just past a line of trees that intersects the dike about 0.5 km
NW of the Katzie Marsh observation tower. As this was a single-observer
sighting, it would be great to get a confirmation sighting.

After being absent for most of the day yesterday, Sat. June 10, this morning
the male *COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD*, present since May 02, has resumed its visits
on a 15 to 20 minute schedule to the feeders at 783 Dominion St. in Port
Coquitlam in the eastern part of Greater VCR.

At the outflow pond across the road from the Iona Is. Sewage Treatment Plant
in NW RMD today, there were 2 FRANKLIN'S GULLS, rare any other time but the
late summer and fall when a few juvenile or basic 1 birds make it out to the
coast; one was in definitive alternate plumage, the other in first alternate.

Two singing male AMERICAN REDSTARTS, both in first alternate plumage, were
along the Pitt Lake Nature Trail in the woodlot near the beginning of the
trail at theGrant Narrows boat launch area, and *3* GRAY CATBIRDS were in
the same area, as well as *5* NORTHERN ORIOLE pair, and a pair of EASTERN
KINGBIRDS. In nearby Katzie Marsh, there were 5 male RING-NECKED DUCKS and a
BONAPARTE'S GULL, while a single COMMON TERN was over Pitt Lake, and 17
BLACK SWIFTS were over Pitt Polder.

A female PURPLE MARTIN was near a nest box at Maplewood Flats in N VCR, and
offshore, there was an alternate-plumaged PACIFIC LOON. EASTERN KINGBIRDS
were also at Colony Farms in Port Coquitlam, where there is at least one
nesting pair, and a single bird was at the Reifel Refuge on Westham Is. in
Ladner. Also at Reifel were 1 LESSER YELLOWLEGS and 2 DUNLIN, likely
oversummering birds.

Other birds at Colony Farms today are the 2 nesting WESTERN KINGBIRDS on the
2nd large power pole to the W of Mary Hill Rd., at least 2 singing male
LAZULI BUNTINGS, and 3 BLACK SWIFTS. On the NW settling pond at Iona Is.,
there were 1 alternate-plumaged WILSON'S PHALAROPE with 3 basic- or first
alternate plumaged birds, and a male WESTERN TANAGER was in Coquitlam's
Mundy Pk.,


SAT JUN 10
The male COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD was at 783 Dominion St. in POCO, however was
not seen after 9.30 AM. We don't know yet whether this means the bird has
departed for its more usual territory in the southern California deserts.

An alternate-plumaged PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER was on the settling ponds at
Iona Is. in NW RMD along with a pair of WILSON'S PHALAROPES and at least 4
male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS. A further 3 males and 3 birds believed to be
fledged juveniles were on the Outer Pond just to the W of the
Plant.

At the Pitt L. Nature Trail in Pitt Meadows, there were 2 AMERICAN
REDSTARTS, a pair of NORTHERN ORIOLES, a pair of EASTERN KINGBIRDS, and a
GRAY CATBIRD.

Two male LAZULI BUNTINGS, one a POSSIBLE INDIGO X LAZULI BUNTING HYBRID,
were singing at Inter-River Pk., formerly the Premier St. Landfill site in N
VCR.

Bird species noted on the VNHS field trip to Colony Farms today included the
nesting WESTERN KINGBIRDS, a pair of EASTERN KINGBIRDS, at least 3 singing
male LAZULI BUNTINGS, an OSPREY, and a PILEATED WOODPECKER.



FRI JUN 09
There was no report received today of the male COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD at 783
Dominion St. in POCO.

The alternate-plumaged STILT SANDPIPER was again present on the NE corner of
the NE settling pond at the Iona Is. Treatment Plant in NW RMD. Up to 175
CASPIAN TERNS were along the causeway linking Sea & Iona Is.

A pair of possibly nesting WILSON'S PHALAROPES were near the Ecological
Reserve along Rennie Rd. in Pitt Meadows. A CHIPPING SPARROW, rare in the
GVCA, was at the W end of the W Pond at Jericho Pk. A single LONG-BILLED
CURLEW was with 4 WHIMBREL along the Mud Bay shoreline at the E end of
Boundary Bay in SRY; the birds were in the Serpentine R. outflow channel.

A flock of 3 COMMON NIGHTHAWKS at Fraser Foreshore Pk. in S BBY at the S end
of Byrne Rd., included at least one male in courtship flight; it's possible
that nighthawks nest in this area.



THU JUN 08
The male COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD was at 783 Dominion St. in POCO.

The alternate-plumaged STILT SANDPIPER was on the NE settling pond at Iona
Is. in company with a WILSON'S PHALAROPE.

A pair of EASTERN KINGBIRDS returned to Colony Farms in Port Coquitlam, and
were in the vicinity of the old bridge where there was also a male LAZULI
BUNTING, and the 2 WESTERN KINGBIRDS on the Port Coquitlam side of Colony
Farms are still constructing a nest on the 2nd large power pole to the W of
Mary Hill Rd.; also at the Farms was an OSPREY.

At Pitt Meadows a single NORTHERN ORIOLE was at the beginning of the Nature
Dike Trail near the boat-launch ramps on Pitt L. at the N end of
Rennie Rd. Finally, there was a report received today of a LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE
present in early May in Brackendale, just N of Squamish, at the N end of
Howe Sound. Other birds reported from this location included a male LAZULI
BUNTING present on Monday June 05 & Tuesday June 06, and a male PINE
GROSBEAK on Tuesday June 07.


WED JUN 07
The male COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD was at 783 Dominion St. in POCO.

A COMMON NIGHTHAWK was over Ferguson Pt. in Stanley Pk.

As many as 19 SANDHILL CRANES were in the Pitt Polder. GREEN HERONS were
reported from two locations: a single bird at Jericho Pk. and a pair over
the causeway linking Sea & Iona Is. in NW Richmond, and an unidentified
mid-sized heron seen over Jericho Pk. was believed to have been an AMERICAN
BITTERN.


TUE JUN 06
The male COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD was at 783 Dominion St. in POCO. An
alternate-plumaged STILT SANDPIPER, rare in the northbound migration, was
on the NE settling pond at Iona Is.

A GREEN HERON was at Cedar Dr., also in POCO. A single COMMON NIGHTHAWK was
over the 3700-block of W 7th Ave. in VCR's Point Grey district.


MON JUN 05
The male COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD, Vancouver's 3rd-ever, was at a feeder at 783
Dominion St.

The 2 WESTERN KINGBIRDS on the Port Coquitlam side of Colony Farms are
constructing a nest on the 2nd large power pole to the W of Mary Hill Rd.,
and a territorial pair of LAZULI BUNTINGS were in the NW section of the Farms.

In Pitt Meadows, a pair of EASTERN KINGBIRDS have returned to the Nature
Dike Trail near the Grant Narrows boat launch at the N end of Rennie Rd.,
and a single TURKEY VULTURE was over the Dewdney Trunk Rd. near 230th St.

Anybody wanting a close look at BAND-TAILED PIGEONS may want to head down to
Sea Island along Ferguson & MacDonald Rds. in RMD where a flock estimated at
35 is currently working over the roadside elderberry bushes.


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!