Hi Tweets,

A short wander yesterday around Ambleside Park in the SE corner of West
Vancouver BC.

Two odd sights, both personally unprecedented: in a quiet tree-lined and
-overshadowed bend in the Capilano River almost half a kilometer (approx
0.25 mi) upstream from the tidal mouth were two adult and one juvenile
PELAGIC CORMORANTS Phalacrocorax pelagicus, calmly fishing as though they
travelled up freshwater rivers to forage and teach the kid how to fish all
the time--most likely they were following schools in the salt-wedge as the
tide flooded upriver, just never seen them do this before. The second
unusual observation was of an adult NORTHWESTERN CROW corvus caurinus
ground-foraging on the forest floor *inside* mature mixed forest, the last
place I'd expect to see one.

Loitering over the mouth of the river where it debouches into Burrard Inlet
were *two* OSPREYS Pandion haliaetus, one in intact plumage, the other
missing several inner primaries and at least two tail-feathers, all on the
left side. One TURKEY VULTURE Cathartes aura, maybe one of the Eagle Ridge
pair to the west, moseyed along behind them over Marine Drive, West Van's
main drag, probably driven down off the mountainside by the low cloud level.

The MUTE SWANS Cygnus olor in the display pond have a couple of
newly-hatched cygnets, very charming at this early stage.

Conditions: cool, wet, crummy.

Pelagic Cormorant 12 included 1 juv
Great Blue Heron 1
*Turkey Vulture* 1
Canada Goose 16
Mute Swan 3 1a 2y
Mallard ~50 many m's in Basic molt on display pond
Harlequin Duck 5 1m 1f, 3 unaged in distance
Common Merganser 2 Basic-molt males
*Osprey* 2
Bald Eagle 1
California Gull 14 Alts 1 & 2
Glaucous-winged Gull 35 all but 4 ad*
Caspian Tern 5 ads
Pigeon Guillemot 3 Def Alt ads
Rock Dove 24
Band-tailed Pigeon 2
Vaux's Swift 2
Belted Kingfisher 1 f carrying food, nest nearby
Northern Flicker 1
Northwestern Crow ~50
Violet-green Swallow 1 m
Barn Swallow ~20 incl 5 juvs
Black-capped Chickadee 4 2a 2 juvs
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 1
Bushtit 1
American Robin 6 all ads
European Starling ~50 ~25% juvs
Cedar Waxwing 4
Spotted Towhee 3 voice-only
Song Sparrow 5 4 singing males
White-crowned Sparrow 5 3 singing males
Red-winged Blackbird 2 2m
House Finch 14 5 singing males
Pine Siskin 2
American Goldfinch 1 m
House Sparrow 7 3m 4 f/juvs

*so where do the adolescent and subadult GWGU's go? 99% of the birds here in
summer are nearly all fully adult with some of their First-year young still
tagging.

Cheers

Michael Price
Vancouver BC Canada
mprice at mindlink.net