Hi Tweets,

Out early this AM to Iona Island in NW Richmond BC just S of Vancouver. Not
an offleash dog in sight for two hours. Heaven.

Highlights:

--all three usual loon species present; normally only COMMON LOON Gavia
immer easy to find in June;
--adult GREEN HERON Butorides virescens at N end of Iona Causeway at 0630,
in trees at S end at 1130;
--the male BLUE-WINGED X CINNAMON TEAL (Anas discors X A. cyanoptera) is
back for another summer, this time on the SW pond--first noted in 1993 at Iona;
--LONG-TAILED DUCKS Clangula hyemalis are a very tough find in June: their
usual avg departure date is May 05, so a Defintive Alternate plumaged male
with two subadult males NW of the tip of the Jetty is extremely late--they
may oversummer there in the plumage we hardly ever get to see;
--hasn't been much on Tweeters about this but there's been a major invasion
of WILSON'S PHALAROPES into Vancouver BC, with up to 25 at the Iona
Treatment Plant last week (Sharon Toochin), and 7 there this AM on the SW &
NW ponds;
--as subtly hinted at in previous post, --->!!!ohwow!!!***134 SABINE'S
GULLS***!!!ohwow!!!<--- is slightly noteworthy, being somewhat out of the
ordinary; '-)

Incidentally, there is a new lock on the Birders' Gate at Iona owing to
recent vandalism as well as a handwritten note saying if you want a key for
Iona access, to "get in touch with the local birding club."

winds SE 15-20 kph; temp: 10 C; low, broken stratocumulus overcast; tide
high, on ebb; sea: light southeasterly chop.

*Iona South Jetty
Iona Treatment Plant settling ponds: SE, SW, NE, NW

Red-throated Loon* 1 Def Alt
Pacific Loon* 3 2 def Alt, 1 Alt 1
Common Loon* 5 4 Def Alt, 1 Alt 1
Pied-billed Grebe 1 Outer Pond
Double-crested Cormorant 38 ~15 active nests on jetty-tip beacon
Great Blue Heron 32 incl. 9 juv
Green Heron 1 ad, Iona Causeway
Canada Goose ~75 7y on NW settling pond
Gadwall ~75 at least 3 broods
American Wigeon 2 2m, SW
Mallard ~35 at least one brood
Blue-winged Teal 119 107m 12f
Cinnamon Teal 7 5m 2f
*Blue-winged X Cinnamon Teal* 1 m, regular in summer there since 1993
Northern Shoveler 11 8m 3f
Northern Pintail 2 2m, SW
Green-winged Teal 1 m, SW
Canvasback* 4 3m 1f
Greater Scaup* 8
Lesser Scaup 5
Surf Scoter* ~250
White-winged Scoter* ~75
*Long-tailed Duck** 3 1m Def Alt, 2m subad
Bufflehead 1 m, Outer Pond
Ruddy Duck 4 4m, " "
Osprey 1 Sea Island
Bald Eagle* 4 ad pair, 2 jv
Northern Harrier 1 f, Sea Island
Red-tailed Hawk 2 ad, Sea Is.
Virginia Rail 2 Iona Causeway
Sora 1 SW
American Coot 9 7a 2y, Outer Pond
Killdeer 6 2 jetty, 4 NW
Spotted Sandpiper 1 NW
Wilson's Phalarope 7 4f Def Alt, 3 Alt m?/Alt 1f?
Parasitic Jaeger* 2 light-morph
Bonaparte's Gull 1 SW
Ring-billed Gull 1 Iona Causeway
California Gull* ~100 mostly Alt 2, some Alt 1
Glaucous-winged Gull* ~50 mostly ad, some Alt 1 & 2
SABINE'S GULL* *134* all Def Alt
Caspian Tern* 7 Def Alt
Common Tern* 1
Sterna sp.* 1
Pigeon Guillemot* 1 Def Alt
Rock Dove ~50 in plant
Vaux's Swift 1 over settling ponds
Western Wood-Pewee 1 SE
Northwestern Crow ~40
Tree Swallow ~8 incl. 3 jv
Violet-green Swallow 2 ad
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1 ad
Barn Swallow ~25 incl 5 jv
Cliff Swallow ~15
Black-capped Chickadee 2 plant
Bewick's Wren 3 Sea Island
Marsh Wren 11 singing m's
American Robin ~15
European Starling ~150 mostly juvs
Cedar Waxwing 2 Sea Island
Yellow Warbler 2 2m, SW
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 m, SW
Common Yellowthroat ~35 singing m's, Sea & Iona
Wilson's Warbler 2 2m, plant
Spotted Towhee 1 Sea Is.
Savannah Sparrow ~25 singing m's
Song Sparrow 2 singing m's
White-crowned Sparrow 2 singing m's
Black-headed Grosbeak 3 singing m's
Red-winged Blackbird ~15
Yellow-headed Blackbird 1 m
Brewer's Blackbird ~40 NE, Sea Is.
Brown-headed Cowbird ~8
House Finch ~30 ubiquitous
American Goldfinch 9 5m 4f
House Sparrow 2 plant

Michael Price A brave world, Sir,
Vancouver BC Canada full of religion, knavery and change;
mprice at mindlink.net we shall shortly see better days.
Aphra Behn (1640-1689)