This is the Vancouver Bird Alert for Tuesday, May 8th, evening update.

The Rare Bird Alert is reinstated for the BLACK-NECKED STILT.

Other featured birds are RED-NECKED & WILSON'S PHALAROPES & WESTERN
KINGBIRD.

Species mentioned:

Greater White-fronted Goose [Reifel, Serpentine Fen]
ROSS'S GOOSE [Surrey]
Blue-winged Teal [Iona]
BROAD-WINGED HAWK [Mt. Seymour]
Osprey [Elgin Heritage Park]
American Kestrel [Pitt Meadows, Surrey]
Virginia Rail [Elgin Heritage Park]
Sora [Elgin Heritage Park, Colony Farm, Maplewood CA, Surrey]
Sandhill Crane [Pitt Meadows, Reifel]
BLACK-NECKED STILT [152 & 40 - Surrey]
Whimbrel [Blackie Spit]
Marbled Godwit [Blackie Spit]
Red Knot [Blackie Spit]
Semipalmated Sandpiper [Iona Jetty]
Wilson's Phalarope [152 & 40 - Surrey]
Red-necked Phalarope [Iona Jetty]
Parasitic Jaeger [Iona Jetty, Cecil Green Park]
Common Tern [Iona Jetty, Spanish Banks, Cecil Green Park]
Vaux's Swift [Vancouver]
Olive-sided Flycatcher [QE Park]
Western Wood-Pewee [North Vancouver, Grant Narrows RP, Stanley Park]
Pacific-slope Flycatcher [Pacific Spirit Park]
Western Kingbird [Maplewood CA]
Warbling Vireo [Trout Lake]
Purple Martin [Blackie Spit]
Townsend's Solitaire [Grant Narrows RP]
Nashville Warbler [Cecil Green Park, Stanley Park]
Wilson's Warbler [Grant Narrows RP, Surrey, Pacific Spirit Park]
Western Tanager [many locations]
Black-headed Grosbeak [many locations]
White-throated Sparrow [Cecil Green Park]
CASSIN'S FINCH [Chilliwack]

Sightings for Tuesday, May 8th

A single BLACK-NECKED STILT was seen in the same location that was
frequented by a pair of Stilts last week. This is the pond on the east side
of 152nd and north of 40th Ave. in Surrey. This is roughly the 4200 block.
Also at this location was a WILSON'S PHALAROPE.

A RED-NECKED PHALAROPE in basis plumage was seen for a brief time near the
1st shelter on the Iona Jetty. At the tip were 2 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS.
>From the ponds amongst a group of CINNAMON & BLUE-WINGED TEAL was a male
CINNAMON/BLUE-WINGED hybrid.

An arrival OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER was observed at QE Park.

The first report this spring of a WESTERN KINGBIRD was made from the
Maplewood CA. WESTERN TANAGERS & BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS were reported from
many locations in the Lower Mainland. A WARBLING VIREO was seen at Trout
Lake and a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE in North Vancouver.

Monday, May 7th

Large numbers of COMMON TERNS were reported with 3 to 400 at Spanish Banks
and 1,000 + from the Iona Jetty. Also from the Jetty came the sighting of 3
adult PARASITIC JAEGERS.

100+ of what are assumed to be VAUX'S SWIFTS were observed flying into the
chimney of an apartment building at Chilko & Alberni in Vancouver.

At Heritage Park in Surrey were a SORA and a VIRGINIA RAIL.

Sunday, May 6th

A BROAD-WINGED HAWK was seen rising on thermals from Mt. Seymour. 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 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 futile hunt for the ROSS'S GOOSE did turn up an AMERICAN KESTREL & several
WILSON'S WARBLERS 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.

Two SORAS were reported from wetland area at Colony Farm.

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 2 chicks.
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.

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