Subject: RBA Vancouver, BC -- May 06/01
Date: May 6 23:21:54 2001
From: Larry Cowan - lawrencecowan at home.com


This is the Vancouver Bird Alert for Sunday, May 6th, evening update.

Featured birds are BROAD-WINGED HAWK, PARASITIC JAEGER, PURPLE MARTIN & RED
KNOT.

Species mentioned:

Eared Grebe [Iona Jetty]
Trumpeter Swan [Reifel]
Brant [Roberts Bank Jetty]
Greater White-fronted Goose [Reifel, Serpentine Fen]
ROSS'S GOOSE [Surrey]
Snow Goose [Surrey, Reifel]
Blue-winged Teal [Surrey]
BROAD-WINGED HAWK [Mt. Seymour]
Osprey [Elgin Heritage Park]
American Kestrel [Pitt Meadows, Surrey, Sea Island]
Sora [Maplewood CA, Surrey]
Sandhill Crane [Pitt Meadows, Reifel]
Black Oystercatcher [Roberts Bank Jetty]
Whimbrel [Blackie Spit, Blackie Spit, Richmond]
Marbled Godwit [Blackie Spit]
Red Knot [Blackie Spit]
Parasitic Jaeger [Cecil Green Park]
Common Tern [Cecil Green Park]
Vaux's Swift [Chilliwack]
Western Wood-Pewee [Grant Narrows RP, Stanley Park]
Pacific-slope Flycatcher [Pacific Spirit Park]
Hammond's Flycatcher [QE Park]
DUSKY FLYCATCHER [QE Park]
Horned Lark [Iona Jetty]
Purple Martin [Blackie Spit]
Townsend's Solitaire [Grant Narrows RP, North Vancouver]
NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD [Hawthorne Park]
Nashville Warbler [Cecil Green Park, Stanley Park]
Yellow Warbler [Chilliwack]
Wilson's Warbler [Grant Narrows RP, Surrey, Pacific Spirit Park]
Western Tanager [Campbell Valley Park, Cloverdale, Stanley Park]
Black-headed Grosbeak [Chilliwack]
White-throated Sparrow [Cecil Green Park, Reifel]
CASSIN'S FINCH [Chilliwack]

Sightings for Sunday, May 6th

A BROAD-WINGED HAWK was seen rising on thermals from Mt. Seymour today. The
bird rose in altitude and disappeared out of sight.

A PARASITIC JAEGER was observed off shore from the cliffs of Cecil Green
Park. Also seen off shore were 24 COMMON TERNS. Seen in the park were a
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW & a NASHVILLE WARBLER.

Blackie Spit was a good spot to be birding today with 8 WHIMBREL, a MARBLED
GODWIT, 5 PURPLE MARTINS and a RED KNOT present.

>From Pitt Meadows came the report of a SANDHILL CRANE feeding in a field NW
of Rennie Rd. & McNeil. Further along Rennie Rd. was an AMERICAN KESTREL.
Seen in the parking lot at Grant Narrows RP were 2 TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES.
Along the Nature dike were up to 5 WILSON'S WARBLERS & 2 WESTERN
WOOD-PEWEES.

A hunt for the ROSS'S GOOSE turned out futile but an AMERICAN KESTREL &
several WILSON'S WARBLERS were seen in the area of 152nd & 40th in Surrey.

A WESTERN TANAGER was reported from Campbell Valley Park.

On Elkview Rd. in the Chilliwack area came the report of a CASSIN'S FINCH.

Saturday, May 5th

The ROSS'S GOOSE was seen in a field on 40th NE of the Nicomecl River
Bridge.

WESTERN TANAGERS were reported from Cloverdale and in Stanley Park seen on a
VNHS Field Trip. Also seen during the outing were a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE & a
NASHVILLE WARBLER.

On another VNHS Field Trip to Pacific Spirit Park were 8 WILSON'S WARBLERS &
a PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER.

The resident SANDHILL CRANES at Reifel have successfully hatched a chick.
Seven GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were also reported.

Another 55 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were seen at Serpentine Fen.

At Blackie Spit were 11 WHIMBREL and close by at Elgin Heritage Park was an
OSPREY.

A SORA was reported from Maplewood CA in North Vancouver.

Friday, May 4th

The ROSS'S GOOSE was seen along 40th Ave. east of 152nd in Surrey. It has
been seen in the company of several SNOW GEESE and a CANADA GOOSE. Seen in
the same location was a SORA and the arrival BLUE-WINGED TEAL.

Seen at QE Park along with the usual assortment of migrant warblers were a
DUSKY and HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS.

Two HORNED LARKS & an EARED GREBE were observed from the Iona Jetty. An
AMERICAN KESTREL was seen on the Airport fence on Sea Island.

Reifel reported in with 7 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, 360 SNOW GEESE, 5
TRUMPETER SWANS, and a WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.

400 BRANT & 2 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS were seen from the Robert's Bank Jetty.

Thursday, May 3rd

A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was seen in Hawthorne Park between 144th & 105 Ave.
in Surrey.

The arrival BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK was seen for the second day at the
Chilliwack Heron Reserve. A YELLOW WARBLER was also observed. Still in the
Chilliwack area were 5 VAUX'S SWIFT over the Veeder Canal.

A TOWNEND'S SOLITAIRE was reported from 1961 Berkley in North Van which is
the same yard that played host to the BRAMBLING for the first part of this
year.

On the shores of the South Arm of the Fraser River between #2 Rd. & Gilbert
were 22 WHIMBREL.

Thank you for calling the Vancouver Bird Alert & good birding.

END TRANSCRIPT

For more information on Vancouver Birding visit the Vancouver Naturalist
History Society's web site at www.naturalhistory.bc.ca/VNHS

Larry Cowan
Port Coquitlam, BC
lawrencecowan at home.com