This is the Vancouver, BC Bird Alert for Saturday October 09th 10:45 pm
edition.

Highlights Include:

GOLDEN EAGLE
LONG-TAILED JEAGER

Other Species Noted:

Rhinocerous Auklet
Black Oystercatcher
Little Stint
White-throated Sparrow
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Swamp Sparrow
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Boneparte's Gull
American White Pelican
Surfbird
Northwestern Crow (albino)
Sandhill Crane
Parasitic Jeager
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Northern Waterthrush
Harris' Sparrow
Northern Goshawk
American Golden Plovers
Heermann's Gull
Spotted Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Caspian Tern
Barn Owl
Pacific Golden Plover
Lapland Longspur
Semipalmated Plovers
Western Meadowlark
Long-eared Owl
Western Tanager
Red Crossbill
Townsend's Warbler
Black-bellied Plover
Baird's Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Osprey
Common Tern
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Long-billed Curlew
Turkey Vulture
==================================

Sightings for Saturday October 09th

There was no report of the Little Stint today. On a boat excursion off
Inona 25 PARASITIC LEAGERS a LONG-TAILED JEAGER and 14 RHINOCEROUS AUKLETS
were observed. From the Iona Jetty came a report of 200 SURFBIRDS and a
BLACK OYSTERCATCHER.

>From a boat trip to west Vancouver's Grebe Islands came the sighting of 200
SURFBIRDS and a BLACK OYSTERCATCHER.

A large migration of over 100 raptors made up of 11 different species was
observed looking north from west Vancouver's Fisherman's Cove towards
Cypress Bowl. Highlights were male NORTHERN GOSHAWK, a GOLDEN EAGLE and 10
TURKEY VULTURES.

Two LAPLAND LONGSPURS were reported at Jericho Park on the lawn near the
sailing dock.


October 08th

The juvenile LITTLE STINT was seen for the fourth consecutive day at Iona
Island. A visiting Oregon birder saw the bird between 7 and 9 in the
morning in the north east sewage pond. This difficult to identify species
has now been confirmed by a number of the top birders in the area. It also
appears that early in the morning is the best time to look for the bird
which then mysteriously dissapears. Also at Iona a BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER
again frequented the inner ponds and there were 15 PARASITIC JEAGERS seen
off the south jetty along with 38 COMMON TERNS and a cast of thousands of
BONEPARTE'S GULLS. Four LAPLAND LONGSPURS were in the jetty and 3
WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS and a SWAMP SPARROW were also found at Iona.


October 07th

The juvenile LITTLE STINT was seen for the third consectutive day at Iona
Island. The bird was seen at around 10:30 in the morning at the north east
sewage pond. Also at the ponds were a BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER and a
SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER. There was also a SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER at Reifel
in the west field.

Out of town 2 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS continue to be seen in Blaine
Washington at Peace Portal Drive. These birds were first reported on Sept.
13th

In a late report on Thurs., 2 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS were seen in Jericho
Park at the beginning of the pipleine trail and the west pond.


October 06th

The juvenile LITTLE STINT was again seen at the south jetty at Iona Island.
The bird was observed mid afternoon at high tide and briefly later in the
evening. Three hundred SURFBIRDS were also at the end of the jetty. Also
at Iona a BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER was seen from the north-east pond along
with a BAIRD'S and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER.

Elsewhere a WESTERN MEADOWLARK was seen on the strip of lawn bordering a
parking lot at Smyth and Expo Blvd. and a LAPLAND LONGSPUR was in the west
salt marsh at Maplewood Flats in north Vancouver.

Of interest, a completely albino NORTHWESTERN CROW was at 248th St and 64th
Ave in Langley.

Out of town 2 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS were at Drayton Harbour in Blaine
Washington. The birds have appearently been there since Sept. 15th.


October 05th

A juvenile LITTLE STINT was seen at Iona Island at the end of the south
jetty around sunset. The bird was in the company with WESTERN SANDPIPERS
that later flew towards the sewage ponds.


October 04th

Eighteen SANDHILL CRANES were seen circling over the intersection of 24th
Ave and the King George Hwy. The birds were very vocal and eventually
headed south.

A PARASITIC JEAGER was spotted at the foot of 22nd in west Vancouver.

In a late report for Sunday, a possible SPOTTED OWL was heard at Beaver Lake
in Stanley Park at about 7:30 in the evening. After calling three times the
bird flew away.

A NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL was seen on Burnaby Mountain during a bird survey by
the Stoney Creek Environmentalists.


October 03rd

A NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH was seen at the Reifel Refuge along the east dike
trail in the marsh area.

A HARRIS' SPARROW was in Point Robert's at Lighthouse Park. Also in the
area were 8 VAUX'S SWIFTS, 7 TURKEY VULTURES, and a PARASITIC JEAGER. A
HEERMANN'S GULL was off this point, and a late SPOTTED SANDPIPER was along
the beach at Lilly Point.

The SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was again seen at Iona Island in the north-east
sewage pond along with a BAIRD'S and a SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER. Two CASPIAN
TERNS were also in the area and a TURKEY VULTURE was over the causeway.

A NORTHERN GOSHAWK was at 96th st. off Ladner Trunk Rd in Delta. Also in
Delta a BARN OWL was in a Pacific crab apple tree west of the foot of 22nd
st.

Eighteen AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS were in a field south of 36th Ave. midway
between 64th and 22nd st. Another 5 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS flew over the
base of the Coal Port Jetty at Robert's Bank. Also in the area were 75
SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS.

An OSPREY was on the Arthur Laing Bridge and 19 SANDHILL CRANES flew over
24th Ave and the King George Highway in Surrey.

Out of town an AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN was on the flats of Peace Portal Drive
in Blaine (sp?) Washington.


October 02nd

One SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was seen at the base of the Coal Port Jetty along
with 6 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS.

Two AMERICAN and 1 PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER were with BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS
half way up the jetty on the north side.

WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS were seen on the Sasamot trail at Pacific Spirit
Park.

Two LAPLAND LONGSPURS were at Blackie Spit along with 1 WESTERN MEADOWLARK,
a LONG-EARED OWL and an OSPREY.

Highlights of the monthly bird survey at Maplewood Flats Sanctuary in north
Vancouver included: 147 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, one late WESTERN TANAGER, 4
TURKEY VULTURES and 25 RED CROSSBILLS. Most of these birds were easily seen
at the Sidalom (sp?) shoreline. Two OSPREYS were also in the area.

A late TOWNSEND'S WARBLER was at Jericho Park in trees just south of the
west pond.


END TRANSCRIPT

Visit the VNHS web site at www.naturalhistory.bc.ca/VNHS or call the
Vancouver hotline at (604) 737-3074