This is the Vancouver Bird Alert for Thursday June 6th, evening update,
sponsored in part by the Wild Birds Unlimited stores in Vancouver and North
Vancouver.

Rare bird alert for a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT.

Species noted:

American Bittern [Pitt Meadows]
SNOWY EGRET [Victoria]
Green Heron [Pitt Meadows]
Turkey Vulture [Abbotsford, Pitt Meadows]
Osprey [Maplewood]
Virginia Rail [Maplewood]
Semipalmated Plover [Iona]
Black Oystercatcher [Tsawwassen Jetty]
Whimbrel [Tsawwassen Jetty]
Hudsonian Godwit [Roberts Bank]
Wilson's Phalarope [Iona]
Black Swift [Pitt Meadows]
Eastern Kingbird [Pitt Meadows]
Western Kingbird [Sea Island]
LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE [Iona]
Purple Martin [Maplewood, Blackie Spit]
Gray Catbird [Pitt Meadows, Grant Narrows]
YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT [Pitt Meadows]
Chipping Sparrow [Cecil Green, Iona]
Bullock's Oriole [Grant Narrows]

Sightings for June 6

A YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was observed and heard from the Pitt River dike
accessed from Neaves Rd. along the bend in the road south of Grant Narrows
RP. The bird was in bushes near the dike, opposite the 50km sign. This
bird was first reported on Tuesday at a location about 100m south of the
dike access point. Also here were a GRAY CATBIRD & an EASTERN KINGBIRD. A
kilometer south of this location on Neaves Rd. were 2 BLACK SWIFTS and an
AMERICAN BITTERN.

A total of 28 TURKEY VULTURES were seen in overflight of the 6900 block of
Bradner Rd. in Abbotsford.

At the Compensation Lagoon on the Tsawwassen Jetty were 7 WHIMBREL and 2
BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS.

June 7

A bird thought to be a HUDSONIAN GODWIT was seen in the NW portion of the
Coal Port.

A TURKEY VULTURE was seen in flight near 10th and Sasamat in Vancouver.

Tuesday, June 4

In a late report a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT was found in Pitt Meadows. The bird
was located in bushes from the Pitt Lake Dike south of the dike access point
at the bend in Neaves Rd. south of Grant Narrows RP. Also seen here were a
GREEN HERON, a GRAY CATBIRD, and an EASTERN KINGBIRD. Seen at Grant Narrows
were 2 GRAY CATBIRDS and a BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

A LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE was seen for over an hour in an off limits area at Iona.
The bird flew off in the direction Sea Island. Birders birding the Sea &
Iona Island areas should be on the lookout for this bird.

A WESTERN KINGBIRD was seen along the airport fenceline on Sea Island. At
the Iona Ponds were 5 WILSON'S PHALAROPE and 2 SEMIPALMATED PLOVER.

>From North Van's Maplewood CA came the report of 2 occupied OSPREY nests, 12
PURPLE MARTINS and a VIRGINIA RAIL.

Monday, June 3

There was a report of a SNOWY EGRET in the Victoria area. Please call the
Victoria Alert at 250-592-3381 for further details.

Two CHIPPING SPARROWS were reported. One was observed at Cecil Green Park
and the other at Iona. Also at Iona were 2 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS and 2
WILSON'S PHALAROPE.

A GRAY CATBIRD was seen in bushes south of a 50km traffic sign on Neaves Rd.
before the last bend in the road leading to Grant Narrows RP. A total of 16
TURKEY VULTURES were seen as a group on the ground on the west side of
Neaves Rd. They were on the north west side of the first farm buildings
north of McNeill Rd.

A female PURPLE MARTIN was observed perched on a nest box at Blackie Spit.

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

END TRANSCRIPT

For further information on birding in the Vancouver area log onto the
Vancouver Natural History Society's web site at www.naturalhistory.bc.ca