Ken wrote -

> Tweets,
<...cut...>

> Now, as common as these birds might be south of us, this is certainly a
> great bird to see here. I don't know the frequency of such a sighting,
> (Michael can you help out here), but it is listed as accidental in the
> Vancouver lower mainland area checklist.
>
> We often discuss the effect of El Nino on Tweeter's, and I think it
> would be remiss to discount this sighting when considering El Nino's
> effect upon us.

Ken - Brown Pelicans are usually first seen in the Victoria area in the 3rd
week of August, and usually young birds. In El Nino years, they do so with
more regularity since there are more drawn northward by the warm currents.
The Vancouver area is outside the main vagrancy window and thus the
"accidental" label. I would feel better with "casual", though, since
sightings have been piling up the past few years. Actually it is a good
sign that it was a young one since it indicates that at least one species
was able to get some young off this year despite the calamitous drop in
food fish species.

> Also of note, we had a termite hatch in our yard in the afternoon, and I
> watched European Starlings and House Sparrows picking them off high in
> the skies overhead. When we were out at Iona later in the day, we saw
> the same feeding frenzy involving Ring-billed Gulls and Common Terns,
> along with 2 or 3 Orange-crowned warblers, at the base of the Iona
> Jetty.

Yes, termites are tasty critters apparently.

- Jack

Jack Bowling
Prince George, BC
jcbowling at mindlink.bc.ca