Hello Tweeters,

Somebody down shore should start noticing more grebes - I finally got out
to Boundary Bay again today and the grebes are really starting to thin out
now, like they did last year at this time. Counts were:

Crescent Beach
RNGR - 152 (down from a high count of 1,481 on 9/23)
HOGR - 27
WEGR - 31
also saw 118 Common Loons

1001 Steps (Surrey)
RNGR - 47 (down from 283 of 9/23)
HOGR - 71
WEGR - 55
Common Loon - 20
Oldsquaw - 4
Band-tailed Pigeon - 1

Lilly Pt. (Pt. Roberts, WA)
RNGR - 134 (down from a high count of 812 on 9/23)
HOGR - 89
WEGR - 30
COLO - 42
Pacific Loon - 130 + in loose rafts a fair distance from shore
OLDSQUAW - 8
Turkey Vulture - 1
Golden-crowned Sparrow - 6+
Fox Sparrow
Varied Thrush
Winter Wren
GC Kinglet
CB Chickadee

Note that the big Western Grebe flocks (especially those off 1001 Steps)
have left their molt/moult sites as well. In September there were about
3,000 WEGR in Boundary Bay. The lingering RNGR were all in basic or nearly
full basic plumage, and HOGR were all basic (as usual). I also saw all 3
spp of scoters, RB Merganser (about 80), Bonaparte's Gulls (about 15), and
some very sharp-looking Harlequins.

Have fun!

Bonnie Stout
SFU, Burnaby, BC



Bonnie Stout
Department of Biological Sciences
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 Canada
ph:(604)-294-9355
bestout at sfu.ca