Subject: Fw: VGI Vision Foundation newsletter Vol.1 No.1
Date: Jan 11 19:53:23 1998
From: "B. Max Gotz" - bmgotz at direct.ca


B.Max Gotz
Box 291
Whistler, BC
V0N 1B0

vx (604) 932-7247
fx (604) 938-2925

email- bmgotz at direct.ca

Hi Tweets!
Just thought I'd pass this along. I hope this is the
kind of stuff that tweeters like to see. If so, I can forward
this newsletter and the Rocky Point newsletter as the come out.
Let me know! Cheers, Max


> Following below is some information on some new initiatives
regarding bird
> studies. This will all be posted on our web page. Your feedback
would be
> appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> MGS
>
>
**********************************************************************

******
> ************
> VGI VISION FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER, VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1
> 9 JANUARY 1998
>
> Produced by: VGI Vision Foundation
> 4781 Timber Place
> Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8Y 2L6
>
> Editor: Michael G. Shepard
> e-mail mgs at islandnet.com
> telephone (250) 380-9195
>
> THE NEWSLETTER
> Introducing the newsletter of the VGI VISION FOUNDATION,
highlighting
> projects of the Foundation, and reporting on current topics of
interest to
> amateur and professional field biologist/naturalists.
>
> This newsletter is currently distributed only by e-mail. If you
have
> received this communication and do not wish to be on our general
> distribution list, please let us know. And, certainly if you know
of others
> who would like to receive the newsletter, feel free to pass it
along, and
> have them contact us to get on the list.
>
> Original material produced in this newsletter is copyright 1998 by
the VGI
> Vision Foundation. Unless otherwise noted, the material may be
reproduced,
> provided that the VGI Vision Foundation is fully acknowledged.
>
> WEB PAGE
> Our new web page will soon be open. We'll let you know as soon as
it is.
>
> COMMUNICATION
> One of the objectives of the Foundation is to provide a forum for
> communication for field biologists and naturalists. If you are
involved in
> a field project that you would like to report on, or to solicit
information,
> please send in a concise blurb about the project and also some
project
> results. We will include your info in the newsletter at our
discretion.
>
> VGIVF BRITISH COLUMBIA BIRD CATALOGUE
> We are currently developing species accounts to provide updates to
the
> information produced in major references on British Columbia birds.
A few
> accounts are nearly completed and will soon be posted on our web
page. This
> catalogue is a community project. Therefore, if you wish to create
a new
> account, or update an existing one, please let us know. We want to
use the
> power of the web to have up to date, dynamic dissemination of
information.
>
> CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT RESULTS
> We would appreciate receiving summaries of your Christmas Bird
Count
> Results. These will be posted on our web page. The minimum data
we need is
> the date, place and highlights. However, if you wish to send in
more
> complete summaries, including species totals, survey details,
observers and
> analysis, please do so.
>
> CURRENT AND UPCOMING PROJECTS
> If you wish more information on the projects listed below, or are
interested
> in volunteering, please contact Michael Shepard at (250) 380-9195
or
> mgs at islandnet.com.
>
> VICTORIA AND ESQUIMALT HARBOURS BIRD SURVEY
> A three year bi-monthly survey of birds inhabiting the Victoria and
> Esquimalt Harbours area has been commissioned by the Victoria and
Esquimalt
> Harbours Action Program. Four surveys have been completed and the
next is
> scheduled for January 16-19, 1998. If you are available to
volunteer for a
> few hours of counting on any of those days, please let MGS know.
>
> ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD CENSUS
> We are organizing a census of Anna's Hummingbirds in the Victoria
area the
> month of February. We hope to be able to map the distribution of
this
> species and get a sense of what the population is. We expect to
have media
> support to advertise the project, then have residents communicate
to us
> where the birds are being seen. If you live outside Greater
Victoria and
> would like to coordinate a census in your area, we would be pleased
to share
> our survey methods and include your results in our summary report.
>
> ROCKY POINT MIGRATION MONITORING STATION
> Volunteers are being sought to conduct occasional censuses at Rocky
Point
> through the winter. We are interested in getting a sense of what
winter
> bird populations are like to compare with the spring.
>
> WESTERN SCREECH-OWL INVENTORY AND HABITAT ASSESSMENT PROJECT
> There is strong suspicion that the subspecies of Western
Screech-Owl (Otus
> kennicottii saturatus) occurring in the dry forests of the Georgia
Basin is
> declining rapidly. The B.C. Wildlife Branch will be conducting
inventories
> and habitat assessments beginning in early February. Contributing
to the
> project, the Foundation is collecting information on recent
observations.
> If you have seen or heard any screech-owls in the past two months,
please
> contact MGS. For more information on the whole project, contact
Laura
> Darling, B.C. Wildlife Branch at ldarling at fwhdept.env.gov.bc.ca.
>
> QUESTIONS, NOTES, COMMENTS???
> Please send them along to the editor. Thank you!
>
> VGI Vision Foundation, 4781 Timber Place, Victoria, British
Columbia, Canada
> V8Y 2L6
>
**********************************************************************

******
> ************
>
> *** The following is a sample species account ***
>
> VGIVF BRITISH COLUMBIA BIRD CATALOGUE
> Volume 1, Number 2 (first edition) 7 January 1998
>
> Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura (Linnaeus)
>
> Sources of Background Information
> The primary source for British Columbia Turkey Vulture information
is
> Campbell et al. (1990). This species appears on the B.C. Blue List
(Harper
> 1996) and is tracked by the B.C. Conservation Data Centre
(contacts: web
> page: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wld/cdc; e-mail:
cdcdata at fwhdept.env.gov.
> bc.ca; telephone: (250) 356-0928; fax (250) 387-2733).
>
> Recent Information
> New information on the Turkey Vulture in British Columbia has come
mainly
> from migration watches at the southern tip of Vancouver Island
(Shepard
> 1992, 1997). The numbers of vultures reported are far higher than
those in
> Campbell et al. (1990). Fall maximums are now in the 400-1000 bird
range,
> compared to the 50-250 range previously reported. It is suspected
that the
> population may have increased in the past 20 years, but early data
are
> lacking for comparison. Small numbers of vultures now winter each
year in
> southern B.C., mainly at the southern tip of Vancouver Island.
>
> Recent Noteworthy Records
> Date No. Location Observers
Source
> 4 October 1997 480 Rocky Point, Metchosin Mitch Meredith et
al.
> Shepard (1997)
> 27 December 1997 2 Rocky Point, Metchosin Alan MacLeod et
al.
> Sooke CBC
>
> Literature Cited
> Campbell, R.W., N.K. Dawe, I. McTaggart-Cowan, J.M. Cooper, G.W.
Kaiser, and
> M.C.E. McNall. 1990. The birds of British Columbia - Diurnal birds
of prey
> through woodpeckers. Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria and
Canadian
> Wildlife Service, Delta. 636 pp.
>
> Harper, B. 1996. 1996 Red and Blue lists for terrestrial
vertebrates. B.C.
> Environment. 5 pp.
>
> Shepard, M.G. 1992. Fall Raptor Migration. Victoria Naturalist
48(4): 13.
>
> Shepard, M.G.,ed. 1997. Rocky Point Notes, Vol. 1, No. 6 (6
October 1997).
> Rocky Point Migration Monitoring Station, Victoria, B.C. 1p.
>
> Species account prepared by Michael G. Shepard copyright 1998 VGI
Vision
> Foundation. First edition 7 January 1998.
>
> Citation: Shepard, M.G. 1998. Turkey Vulture. In: Shepard,
M.G., ed.
> VGIVF British Columbia Bird Catalogue Volume 1, Number 2 (first
edition) . 1 p.
>
>
**********************************************************************

******
> ************
>
> The following is a sample of up to date bird reporting that will be
posted
> on the web
>
> BRITISH COLUMBIA BIRD HIGHLIGHTS - NOVEMBER 1997 TO JANUARY 1998
>
> We appreciate receiving details of your observations. This web
page is
> updated frequently and contains a selection of noteworthy records.
Some of
> this information will be forwarded to Jack Bowling, the B.C.
regional editor
> for "Field Notes" (published by the American Birding Association).
For
> reports of rare birds (including out of season sightings), please
include
> full documentation such as field descriptions, photographs, audio
> recordings. Thank you. To contribute, please contact Michael
Shepard at
> mgs at islandnet.com or (250) 380-9195.
>
> Yellow-billed Loon
> An immature Yellow-billed Loon was at Crescent Beach on 2 January
(fide
> Vancouver Rare Bird Alert).
>
> Brown Pelican
> Numbers of pelicans dropped off rapidly in October, after an
unprecedented
> invasion of the B.C. coast. The last report was of 2 birds at Race
Rocks on
> 1 November (ADM).
>
> Cattle Egret
> Cattle Egrets made their usual fall appearance along the B.C.
coast, with
> individuals reported from the Duncan area, 8-12 November (DM) and
the Somass
> River, 11 November (SM). A single bird in the Fairfield district
of
> Victoria on 4-8 January (MEG, JEVG et al.) was the latest report
this winter.
>
> Turkey Vulture
> As usual, a few vultures wintered on southern Vancouver Island.
Two were
> seen at Rocky Point, Metchosin during the Sooke Christmas Bird
Count on 27
> December (ALM et al.).
>
> Emperor Goose
> Very few Emperor Geese have been sighted in British Columbia in
recent
> years. One was at the Chain Islets off Oak Bay on 21 December
(fide
> Victoria Rare Bird Alert)
>
> Common Eider
> A Common Eider remains in the Vancouver area, last reported on 1
January
> (fide Vancouver RBA).
>
> King Eider
> A male King Eider was off Gartley Road in Royston from 21 December
to 1
> January (fide Victoria RBA).
>
> Bald Eagle
> Numbers of Bald Eagles using the Goldstream estuary near Victoria
have
> increased dramatically in the past few years. At least 161 were
counted
> there on 29 November (BRG).
>
> Gyrfalcon
> A Gyrfalcon was in the Martindale Valley from 31 December through 2
January
> (fide Victoria RBA).
>
> Sandhill Crane
> Two Sandhill Cranes, associating with Trumpeter Swans, were found
along Boys
> Road (south of Duncan) during the Duncan CBC on 3 January (fide
Victoria
> RBA). They were last reported on 8 January.
>
> Willet
> Willets are rare in British Columbia at any season. The only areas
they
> regularly frequent are the foreshore of the Fraser River Delta.
One has
> been wintering at the base of the Tsawwassen Jetty, last reported
on 2
> January (fide Vancouver RBA).
>
> Least Sandpiper
> A Least Sandpiper was seen at Crofton during the Duncan CBC on 3
January
> (fide Victoria RBA). There have been very few winter reports of
this
> species in recent years.
>
> Sabine's Gull
> A very late Sabine's Gull was at Rocky Point, Metchosin on 30
November (ALM,
> RGS).
>
> Little Gull
> A single Little Gull was in Active Pass on 7 November (BD).
>
> Ancient Murrelet
> The waters of Juan de Fuca Strait between Victoria and Race Rocks
often host
> large numbers of seabirds. Of particular note this fall were 5000+
Ancient
> Murrelets observed on 21 November (BRG).
>
> Cassin's Auklet
> Usually uncommon in inside waters on the south B.C. coast, this
species was
> observed frequently during the fall. Numbers had tapered off by
October,
> but 2 were west of Race Rocks on 1 November (ADM), and one was off
Ten Mile
> Point on 31 December (fide Victoria RBA).
>
> White-winged Dove
> A White-winged Dove visited Tofino from 17 November (AD) at least
to 30
> November (GA).
>
> Xantus's Hummingbird
> An immature male Xantus's Hummingbird, the first record for Canada,
was at a
> feeder in Gibsons from 15 November to 2 January (GP, LP et al.,
fide
> Vancouver RBA).
>
> Tropical Kingbird
> Tropical Kingbirds appear to enjoy the city lights of downtown
Tofino. At
> least 3 visited this metropolis during the fall of 1997. One bird
was still
> there on 29 November (GA,RP).
>
> Blue Jay
> Blue Jays were scarce this fall and winter in southern British
Columbia.
> One frequented North Saanich, near the corner of Norris and Madrona
Roads
> (10 November RK), and another was on the Vaseux Lake CBC, 28
December (fide
> RJC).
>
> Gray Catbird
> A Gray Catbird (first for the Victoria Checklist area) was found at
Rithet's
> Bog on 9 November (SE) and subsequently seen by many observers.
The bird
> remained there until at least 12 November.
>
> Palm Warbler
> Palm Warblers were reported more frequently this winter than usual,
with two
> observered at Camel Point, Victoria (30 November, fide Victoria
RBA), and
> individuals at Store Street, Victoria (23 December, fide Victoria
RBA),
> Cowichan Bay (xx - xx December, fide Victoria RBA), Martindale
Valley (30
> December, fide Victoria RBA), Iona Island (21 - 31 December, fide
Vancouver
> RBA).
>
> Western Tanager
> A Western Tanager lingered on as late as 11 November in the Palmer
Road area
> of Saanich (COB). Another one wintered in North Burnaby, last
reported on 1
> January (fide Vancouver RBA).
>
> Vesper Sparrow
> A Vesper Sparrow, rare at anytime of year on Vancouver Island was
seen near
> the foot of Government Street and Dallas Road in Victoria on 15
(AC) and 16
> November.
>
> Swamp Sparrow
> Formerly virtually non-existant on the B.C. coast, Swamp Sparrows
are now
> seen every fall and winter. Two were in Duncan on 7 November (DM).
DFF
> reported one in full song at Viaduct Flats on 10 November.
>
> Hooded Oriole
> This species has crept north into B.C. over the past few years. A
single
> bird in Terrace on 23-28 November (CT) was the third record for the
province
> this year!
>
> Brambling
> A female Brambling was found on the Port Alberni CBC near Stamp
Falls on 3
> January (fide Victoria RBA).
>
> Cited Observers
> AC Aziza Cooper, AD Adrian Dorst, ADM Andrew MacDonald, ALM Alan
MacLeod, BD
> Brent Diakow, BRG Bryan Gates, COB Colleen O'Brien, CT Cheryl
Thomas, DFF
> David Fraser, DM Derrick Marven, GA Gerry Ansell, GP Gerrie
Patterson, JEVG
> Vic Goodwill, LP Lloyd Patterson, MEG Peggy Goodwill, RGS Ron
Satterfield,
> RJC Richard Cannings, RK Ruth Keogh, RP Rory Patterson, SE Sue
Ennis, SM
> Sandy McRuer.
>
>
> VGI Vision Foundation, 4781 Timber Place, Victoria, British
Columbia, Canada
> V8Y 2L6
>