Subject: Cecil Green Park/Anthrop Museum, Sep 19-20 1998
Date: Sep 20 23:26:08 1998
From: Michael Price - mprice at mindlink.bc.ca


Hi Tweets,

Lots of migrant activity at Point Grey. Comparatively large migration of
CEDAR WAXWING Bombycilla cedrorum; they're ubiquitous, with the juvs
outnumbering the adults about 4-to-1. STELLER'S JAYS Cyanocitta stelleri are
also moving south in good numbers, all observed birds showing either pale
blue loral stripes or none at all--no white-faced Interior 'annectens' in
the ones I've seen so far. There's a small feeding area at the W entrance to
Cecil Green Mansion grounds below a large Cedar-of-Lebanon. *many* incoming
DARK-EYED JUNCO Junco hyemalis, mostly 'oreganus', one or two still
juv-streaked; a few oreganus X hyemalis 'cismontanus' intergrades; several
FOX SPARROWS Passeralla iliaca, but here's a small mystery: the local (North
Shore Mountains, Gulf Islands) nesting race is thought to be an intergrade
form between the 'Sooty' fuliginosa race and 'Slate-colored'
schistacea/altigavens, but the first southbound birds are invariably full
'Sooty' type birds, and very few of the wintering birds are of the
'Slate-colored' type. So where are the locals?

Also there are many Basic 1 and a few adult WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS
Zonotrichia leucophrys, mostly race 'gambeli', with a few 'pugentensis'
Basic 1's; some GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROWS Z. atricapilla, most Basic adults,
several Basic 1's; and a WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW Z. albicollis, intermediate
between the classic 'black-and-white' and 'tan-striped', located yesterday
by Karen Irving and friend Duncan MacLelland, and also there today in brief
appearances. Today, two RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKERS Sphyrapicus ruber showed
differences, one with a conventionally mostly black back, one with very
extensive white spotting on the back and nape, perhaps indicating a bird
from a northern Interior population or a bird with some genes from another
sapsucker species mixed in. Also present at Cecil Green was a migrant VARIED
THRUSH Ixoreus naevius.

On the water today, there were many arriving RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS Mergus
serrator, AMERICAN WIGEON Anas americana and SURF SCOTERS, all including
juveniles, indicating arriving migrants, many COMMON TERNS Sterna Hirundo
and only one light-morph PARASITIC JAEGER Stercorarius parasiticus. A
BRANDT'S CORMORANT Phalacrocorax penicillatus may have been an early arrival.

Yesterday, Sep 19 1998:

Northern Flicker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Steller's Jay 8 all coastal race
Northwestern Crow 20
Barn Swallow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 6
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 2
Bushtit 6
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Winter Wren 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin ~50
European Starling 15
American Pipit 2
Cedar Waxwing ~150
Orange-crowned Warbler 3
Western Tanager 2
Spotted Towhee 2
Fox Sparrow 4
Song Sparrow 2
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW 1 intermed. ad.
White-crowned Sparrow 6 mostly 'gambelli' basic 1
Golden-crowned Sparrow 3 2a 1jv
Dark-eyed Junco 15 3 'cismontanus'
House Finch 6
Pine Siskin 12
American Goldfinch 2


Today (including Acadia Beach):

Red-necked Grebe 1 jv
Western Grebe 3 ads
CLARK'S GREBE 1 ad
Double-crested Cormorant ~30 ads and juvs
Brandt's Cormorant 1 ad
Pelagic Cormorant 3 ads
American Wigeon ~150 many juvs
Surf Scoter ~50 many juvs
Red-breasted Merganser 21
Common Merganser 17
Parasitic Jaeger 1 light-morph
Bonaparte's Gull ~150 most ads, some Basic 1
Mew Gull 1 ad
Ring-billed Gull 12
California Gull 10 ads offshore, juvs in close
Herring Gull 1 jv
Glaucous-winged Gull ~30 incl. ~5 jv
Common Tern ~200 ~90% Basic 1, 10% Alt ad, no juvs
Sterna sp. ~100 prob Commons at distance
Band-tailed Pigeon 1
Red-breasted Sapsucker 2 both ad
Northern Flicker 3
Steller's Jay 5 all coastal race
Northwestern Crow 15
Black-capped Chickadee ~20
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 3
Bushtit 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Bewick's Wren 2
Winter Wren 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin ~30
Varied Thrush 1
European Starling 15
American Pipit 2
Cedar Waxwing ~200
Orange-crowned Warbler 5
Spotted Towhee 3
Savannah Sparrow 4 along beach
Fox Sparrow 4 all 'Sooty' type
Song Sparrow 4
White-throated Sparrow 1 intermed. ad
White-crowned Sparrow 9 3 ad, 6 Basic 1, gambeli
Golden-crowned Sparrow 6 2 ad Basic, 4 basic 1
Dark-eyed Junco ~60 incl 3 'cismontanus'
House Finch ~10
Pine Siskin 15
American Goldfinch 1


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)