Hi Tweeters

Before the Lost Lagoon data, I gotta relate that one of the coolest things
about living in Vancouver BC is that you get to see things you wouldn't
normally see in most other cities. This morning, while cycling to LL along
the S shore of Burrard Inlet, just off Bayswater Beach, I watched a pair of
Western Grebes belting across the water in that simultaneous sprint they do
as part of their courtship. While I was there, they did three sprints, each
sprint going apprx 75-100 meters and in the directions 1) SE--NW; 2)
NE--SW; 3)W--E. They settled down after the third observed sprint, calling
frequently.
Though I'm sure they were at the height of grebe passion, they looked like
experimental seaplanes trying to take off that were too poorly designed to
fly.

Lost Lagoon is almost completely out of the wintering waterfowl business.
There's a Corporal's Guard of Lesser Scaup, but the American Coot,
Canvasback, Common Goldeneyes, and Bufflehead are gone from the Lagoon.
Interesting that what's left is mostly males. Going on the pattern of
previous years before the insane permissiveness of our Vancouver Park Board
toward those people who feed raccoons--there should by now be a ton of
Mallard and Wood Duck ducklings and Canada Goose goslings, but this year
again there are none--I'm afraid that the raccoons have got the spring's
entire production again this year. Also, I *finally* (after eight or nine
years) think I've nailed a pair of Common Ravens as a nesting species in
Stanley Park: saw one of them carrying food into the forest just NE of the
Lagoon where they usually hang out, uttering what might have been
nest-approach calls. A few seconds later, while I'm still watching it, a
second one comes blasting straight up from the same part of the forest to
harass an adult Bald Eagle that had the poor luck to go too near the
(presumed) nest. Almost cartoon-like: crows diving on a raven diving on an
eagle.
Also of interest were 5 American Pipits on the grass of Devonian Park, just
across the road at the entrance to Stanley Pk.


Great Blue Heron 2
Canada Goose 37 7 pr
Wood Duck 10 9m 1f
Mallard 60 46m 14f, 14 pr
Gadwall 1 m
American Wigeon 5 3m 2f, 2 pr
Ring-necked Duck 2 1m subad, 1 ad
Greater Scaup 33 22m 11f, 4 pr
Lesser Scaup 142 122m 20f, 7 pr
Bald Eagle 1 ad
American Coot 3
Glaucous-winged Gull 6 4im, 2 ad
Western X Gl. winged 2 2 ad
Rock Dove 3
Violet-green Swallow 3 2m 1f
N. Rough-winged Swall. 1
Cliff Swallow 4
Barn Swallow 9
Northwestern Crow 14 carrying food or material
Common Raven 2 1 pr, 1 carrying food
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Chestnut-backed Chick. 1
Bushtit 2
Winter Wren 2 2m
Golden-crowned Kinglet 2
American Robin 3 2m 1f, 1m carrying food
European Starling 4 4a + (nest), carrying material
Orange-crowned Warbler 1 1m
Yellow-rumped Warbler 13
YRWA race unknown 8 5 call only, 3m
YRWA Aud 1 1m
YRWA Myrt 2 2m
YRWA Aud X Myrt 2 2m
Spotted Towhee 2 2m
Song Sparrow 3 3m
White-throated Sparrow 1 1m (pugetensis)
Red-winged Blackbird 13 7m 5f
House Finch 1 1m
Pine Siskin 3

Cheers,


Michael Price The only alien planet is Earth.
Vancouver BC Canada
mprice at mindlink.net - J. G. Ballard













Conditions: temp: 11 Celsius; wind: W 15 km/hr; barometer: high, falling as
Pacific Low from NW approaches and busts up the weak ridge; cloud: nil,
visibility unlimited. 0845-1045 PDT.