Vancouver Bird Alert for Tuesday, October 0th, evening update.

The featured bird is: HUDSONIAN GODWIT

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A reminder that Birders Night will take place this
week on Thursday, November 1st at 7:30PM in the
auditorium at York House School, West 26 Ave &
Granville St in Vancouver. The hall is downstairs and
can be accessed across the basketball courts leading
from the small parking lot on 26 Ave. The keynote
speaker will be Christy Morrissey of Simon Fraser
University whose topic will be 'American Dippers:
Songbirds for Our Streams.'

Sightings for TUESDAY, October 30:

A HUDSONIAN GODWIT was observed with up to 900
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS and large numbers of DUNLIN in a
field along Hornby Drive, located between 104 St and
the railtracks in Delta. The flooded field just north
of 34B St along Highway 17 continues to contain many
shorebirds including good numbers of BLACK-BELLIED
PLOVERS, DUNLIN, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, LONG-BILLED
DOWITCHERS, COMMON SNIPE and a few WESTERN SANDPIPERS.

A huge flock of up to 1300 BONAPARTE's GULLS at the
tip of the South Jetty is well worth watching for
possible rarities.

MONDAY, October 29:

A first-winter FRANKLIN's GULL was discovered with MEW
GULLS in the Outer Pond at Iona. A NORTHERN GOSHAWK
was observed at Campbell Valley Regional Park; also
there, were 2 VIRGINIA RAILS and a partial-albino SONG
SPARROW. The SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was again seen at
Iona.

SUNDAY, October 28:

The old sub-division along Churchill St, bordering the
Boundary Bay Airport, was quite productive with the
sighting of a TOWNSEND'S WARBLER and 20 YELLOW-RUMPED
WARBLERS. Also present were 2 pure YELLOW-SHAFTED
FLICKERS in among high numbers of red-shafted NORTHERN
FLICKERS and AMERICAN ROBINS. 20 additional
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were tallied along the banks of
the Fraser River, just east of 264 St, Langley.

On Deltaport Way, just off the exit from Highway 17,
there were reports of a male AMERICAN KESTREL and up
to 45 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS. 3 more WESTERN MEADOWLARKS
were seen along the east fence at the Vancouver
Airport. The 2 SEMI-PALMATED PLOVERS were again in a
field at 27B Avenue, east of the Roberts Bank
Causeway.

The GREAT EGRET could still be found in the large
slough along Westham Island Rd, at the first bend in
the road past the bridge. In the same area, the 14
visiting SANDHILL CRANES were noted feeding in a
cornfield. At Reifel there were up to 30,000 SNOW
GEESE and a BARRED OWL.

The WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, first reported on October
25, was still in the backyard of a house at 1719 -
144St, South Surrey. Birders may access the yard on
the right side of the house; however, please be
considerate whilst on private property. The bird
usually feeds with juncos underneath a feeder and can
be viewed from the right rear corner of the house.

40 BLACK TURNSTONES and a WESTERN GULL were seen at
Point Roberts and a regular monthly survey turned up 2
COOPERS HAWKS and a MERLIN in migration over the
Ambleside seawall in West Vancouver. 11 RING-NECKED
DUCKS were counted in the Ambleside Ponds.

SATURDAY, October 27:

A BROWN PELICAN was seen at Wreck Beach at 5:30PM.
This is likely the same bird first discovered on
October 23 underneath the Burrard Bridge.

The following birds were observed in a field just off
27B Avenue and east of the Roberts Bank Causeway: 2
SEMI-PALMATED PLOVERS, 2 DUNLIN, 1 LEAST SANDPIPER, 5
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, 4 LAPLAND LONGSPURS, 50
AMERICAN PIPITS and a high total of up to 300
KILLDEER.

The SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was located again at Iona
in the NW corner of the NW Pond; also present was a
BARN SWALLOW. At the Mansion at the foot of 96 St
there was a family group of 2 TRUMPETER SWANS and five
young.

FRIDAY, October 26:

Birding the Roberts Bank Coalport jetty during a
rising tide produced a juvenile WILLET, up to 200
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, 2 RED KNOTS and large numbers
of DUNLIN. The flooded field on Highway 17, just
north of 34B St, again contained many shorebirds the
highlight being 2 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS. Further
north on Highway 17, in a potato field about one
kilometre south of the Highway 99 on-ramp, were a
juvenile HUDSONIAN GODWIT, a PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER, a
RED KNOT and up to 1000 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS.

The WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was still at 1719 - 144 St
in South Surrey.
The Spotted Sandpiper was again seen on rocks below
the Government Fishing Wharf in Crescent Beach and a
single WESTERN MEADOWLARK was located on the spit at
Blackie.

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PLEASE remember to report your sightings to the
Vancouver Bird Alert at (604)737-3074. Thank you and
good birding!

END TRANSCRIPT

Prue Spitmann
hawkowl2000 at yahoo.ca

Visit the Vancouver Natural History Society's website
at: www.naturalhistory.bc.ca

Larry Cowan
Port Coquitlam, BC
lawrencecowan at shaw.ca