Subject: RBA Vancouver, BC. December 11/00
Date: Dec 12 18:46:30 2000
From: Larry Cowan - lawrencecowan at home.com


This is the Vancouver Bird Alert for Monday, Dec. 11, 2000: Evening Update.

Species mentioned:

Arctic Loon [Pt No Pt - Washington]
Eared Grebe [Iona Jetty, White Rock]
BEWICK'S SWAN [Kilby Park - Harrison]
Eurasian Wigeon [LaFarge Lake - Coquitlam]
SMEW (possible) [Stanley Park]
Rough-legged Hawk [Colony Farm]
Golden Eagle [Kilby PP]
Merlin [Vancouver]
Spotted Sandpiper [Port Moody, Maplewood CA]
Long-billed Curlew [Boundary Bay - USA, Blackie Spit]
Marbled Godwit [Boundary Bay - USA, Blackie Spit]
Black Turnstone [Stanley Park]
Rock Sandpiper [Stanley Park]
Glaucous Gull [Delta]
Western Gull [Delta]
Barn Owl [Colony Farm]
Short-eared Owl [Colony Farm]
Great Horned Owl [Stanley Park, LaFarge Lake]
Barred Owl [Stanley Park, West Vancouver]
Northern Saw-whet Owl [Stanley Park]
Western Screech-Owl [Stanley park]
Northern Pygmy-Owl [Cypress PP]
Anna's Hummingbird [Pitcairn Place - W/Vancouver]
Northern Shrike [Colony Farm]
Hutton's Vireo [Southlands - Vancouver]
PALM WARBLER [Southlands - Vancouver]
VESPER SPARROW [Harrison]
White-throated Sparrow [Everett Crowley Park - Vancouver]
Pine Grosbeak [Cypress PP]

The feature birds are ROCK SANDPIPER and EARED GREBE.

There is a late second hand report of a possible female SMEW.

Sightings for Monday, Dec. 11:

At Ferguson Point in Stanley Park the ROCK SANDPIPER was again seen
with a flock of BLACK TURNSTONES. Also in the general area of the park
were a GREAT HORNED OWL, BARRED OWL, NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL
and a WESTERN SCREECH-OWL.

Of interest comes a late second hand report of a female SMEW observed by
some travelling European birders last Thursday, Dec. 7th. The bird was
apparently
seen at Lost Lagoon. Confirmation is highly desired and requested!

An EARED GREBE was found off the tip of the South Jetty at Iona Island.

A BARRED OWL was reported from West Vancouver.

A MERLIN was seen at 7th and Ash Street in Vancouver.

Sunday, Dec. 10:

A trip up Cypress Bowl produced 2 PINE GROSBEAKS and a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL.

At Pitcairn Place in West Vancouver an ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD was seen.

In the "Gull Fields" in North Delta a first year GLAUCOUS GULL and an adult
WESTERN GULL were seen amongst many gull species at 88th St and Highway 10.

A SPOTTED SANDPIPER was reported from Port Moody.

Out of town the BEWICK'S SWAN was seen at Kilby Provincial Park along the
Harrison
River. An immature GOLDEN EAGLE was seen at this location on Saturday.
Nearby the VESPER SPARROW was again with a large flock of Juncos along
Kennedy Rd. near the Lougheed Highway.

Out of town south of the border 2 ARCTIC LOONS have been seen for the past
couple
of days in Washington State at Point No Point. For more information please
call the
Washington Bird Box at (425) 454-2662. Still in Washington but just south
of the border in Blaine 3 MARBLED GODWITS and 1 LONG-BILLED CURLEW were seen
on the American side of Boundary Bay.

Saturday, Dec. 9:

This morning 2 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS were discovered in Everett Crowley
Park in East Vancouver.

At Colony Farm the following birds were reported: 1 immature NORTHERN SHRIKE
1 immature ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, 1 BARN OWL, 3 SHORT-EARED OWLS

A SPOTTED SANDPIPER was reported from Maplewood Mudflats in North Vancouver.

Friday, Dec. 8:

The BEWICK'S SWAN was reported from Kilby Provincial Park along the Harrison
River. Nearby the VESPER SPARROW was relocated with a large flock of Juncos
along Kennedy Rd. near the Lougheed Highway.

A HUTTON'S VIREO was located amongst a large mixed flock of Kinglets at
Carrington St. and Celtic St. in the Southlands area of Vancouver.

In Port Coquitlam at LaFarge Park a GREAT HORNED OWL and 2 EURASIAN WIGEONS
were reported.

Thursday, Dec 7:

The BEWICK'S SWAN was reported from Kilby Provincial Park on the Harrison
River. Nearby at the corner of Lougheed Highway and Kennedy Rd. was a VESPER
SPARROW.

The PALM WARBLER was seen on Deering Island at the foot of Carrington St. in
the Southlands area of Vancouver.

2 EARED GREBES were reported from the end of the White Rock Pier. Nearby at
Blackie Spit the MARBLED GODWIT and the LONG-BILLED CURLEW were seen in the
morning.

END TRANSCRIPT

To report a sighting to the Bird Alert, call (604) 737-3074. Visit the
Vancouver Natural History Society's website at: www.naturalhistory.bc.ca.