Hi Tweets,

Had a couple of downtown errands, so thought I'd cycle over to Stanley Park
and see if any passerine migrants were in: hot, clear and about mid-day--not
likely, then. Tried to stay in mature mixed forest (mature western hemlock,
western redcedar, 'coastal' douglas-fir, broadleaf maple, red alder) where
possible. Route was from the plantings around the tennis courts and pitch 'n
putt course up through the western side of the forest to Prospect Point and
then *howl* back along Park Drive, downhill with a tailwind. Yaheuuuu.

Highlight was a PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER Empidonax difficilis alternating
its conventional hey-you 'psiuweet!' call with a *clearly* CORDILLERAN
FLYCATCHER E. occidentalis two-note 'su-eeet!' call, with both notes clean
and well-separated. At first, I thought it might be a singing Hutton's Vireo
Vireo huttoni (and it was in a part of the park where they used to be easy
to find) but the call quality was too clear, the two notes too
well-separated and unslurred. I listened to this call for several minutes
before it gave the more conventional difficilis call. The bird was calling
frequently, about 8-10 calls/minute, and would mix the two (definitely the
same bird calling), there seemed to be no particular pattern of alternation,
the bird sometimes giving three or four typical difficilis calls then two or
three typical occidentalis calls, sometimes alternating them. The bird was
in tall cedars and alders at the edge of a clearing along the E side of
Tatlow Walk, about halfway between the intersections of Tatlow with the
Bridle Path and Lovers' Walk in the SW-Central park. What's interesting is
that there are no records for occidentalis for Vancouver BC, and I don't
think this bird makes one. So what's going on here?

Otherwise quiet. On Lost Lagoon, virtually no scaup (~20 left), but unusual
for the Lagoon were 2 drake BLUE-WINGED TEAL Anas discors at the E end,
closest to the causeway, and Week 1 or 2 May is about the only time you'll
ever see this species there.

Bald Eagle 1 ad on nest
Rock Dove 2
Red-breasted Sapsucker 1 m, territorial drumming
Hairy Woodpecker 1 m. territ. drumming, calling
Northern Flicker 1
Hammond's Flycatcher 2
'Western'-type Flycatcher 3 see 'highlight'.
Northwestern Crow 9 much scanning for nests
Violet-green Swallow 2
Barn Swallow 1
Black-capped Chickadee 4
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 15
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Brown Creeper 1 m, territorial song
Bewick's Wren 7 1 pair, 6m in song
Winter Wren 13 13 m in song
Golden-crowned Kinglet 5
American Robin 11 at least 3 pairs
European Starling 5 2 nests with y in deep forest
Orange-crowned Warbler 3 3m
Yellow-rumped Warbler 4 3m
Black-throated Gray Warbler 1 m
Townsend's Warbler 4 4m
Wilson's Warbler 1 m
Spotted Towhee 6 6m
Song Sparrow 2 2m in song
White-crowned Sparrow 1 m pugetensis
Dark-eyed Junco 1 m
Brown-headed Cowbird 1 m
House Finch 2 2m, territorial in deep forest clearing
Pine Siskin 1 nesting again near Pooh Corners Daycare
American Goldfinch 1 m

Cheers,

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)