Subject: RBA Victoria, BC -- October 04, 1999
Date: Oct 6 07:22:05 1999
From: Kevin Slagboom - boom at islandnet.com





Victoria Rare Bird Alert for Monday, October 04, 1999 - 9:45 pm update.
Compiled by Bryan Gates. Transcribed by Ann Nightingale.

Feature Birds
--------------------

TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE
HORNED LARK

Monday, October 4
----------------------------

Twenty-two TURKEY VULTURES were seen passing over the Gorge Rd. Hospital.
Good numbers of TURKEY VULTURES and other raptors still remain on Southern
Vancouver Island waiting for those high thermals which will allow them to
glide south over Juan de Fuca Strait.

Sunday, October 3
----------------------------

The lookout at East Sooke Park entertained a Victoria Natural History group
with nine species of raptors including 500 TURKEY VULTURES, three NORTHERN
HARRIERS, an OSPREY, two AMERICAN KESTRELS, a MERLIN and other expected
species. Also in that area were two VAUX SWIFTS and eighteen BAND-TAILED
PIGEONS.

Thirty-five TURKEY VULTURES were over Mt. Tolmie in the afternoon.

Three late VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS were over Mt. Douglas.

A male and possibly a female BULLOCK'S ORIOLE were on Raleigh Rd. near
Goward House in Saanich.

Saturday, October 2
-----------------------------

A Victoria Natural History hike up Jocelyn Hill in the Highland District
found three TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES and a HORNED LARK .

A bird thought to be a VESPER SPARROW was at the small irrigation reservoir
just north of Martindale Rd. in Central Saanich. A VESPER SPARROW was near
the tall cottonwood tree north of Martindale Rd. on September 30.

Three GOLDEN EAGLES, two adults and one immature bird were over the
Goldstream River Estuary in Goldstream Provincial Par, which is off Highway 1.

Large numbers of THAYER'S GULLS appeared at Clover Point in Victoria.

Friday, October 1
-------------------------

Five WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were on Martindale Flats.

A LAPLAND LONGSPUR was at McAuley Point in Esquimalt.

Thursday, September 30
-----------------------------------

At Martindale Flats, a VESPER SPARROW and two MERLINS were near the big
cottonwood tree in the open fields just north of Martindale Rd. Eight
SKYLARKS and a number of AMERICAN PIPITS were in the field just north of
the model airplane field off Lochside Trail.

A NORTHERN SHRIKE was on Mt. Tolmie in Saanich.

--------------------------
HELP WANTED:
--------------------------

We are looking for additional volunteers to help transcribe the Victoria
Natural History Society's Victoria Rare Bird Alert and post the transcripts
to this system as well as other RBA systems.

Job Description: Each morning (or late evening) call the Victoria RBA
Hotline and listen for a new update. Type the new update into an email
message and send it to Birding in BC. That's it. (The only tricks are
catching the newest updates and recording/transcribing the phone
message---and we can provied tips on how to do both successfully.)

If you willing to help the Victoria Natural History Society and become a
RBA transcriber, please email: rba at birding.bc.ca

- -




Kevin Slagboom
Webmaster

Birding in BC
http://birding.bc.ca
Tel: (250) 658-0940