This is the Vancouver Natural History Society?s Bird Alert for Sunday,
May 11th, sponsored in part by Wild Birds Unlimited, with stores in
Vancouver and North Vancouver.

The feature bird is PURPLE MARTIN.

Sightings for Sunday, May 11th

At Blackie Spit in Surrey, 5 PURPLE MARTINS were observed near the
nest boxes. Also seen here was one WHIMBREL.

A partial albino NORTHWESTERN CROW was seen near the corner of 180th
Street and 64th Avenue in Cloverdale (Surrey).

A PILEATED WOODPECKER was reported from Deas Island Park, Delta, and a
BARRED OWL from Golden Ears Park in Maple Ridge.


Sightings for Saturday, May 10th

At Blackie Spit in Surrey, five WHIMBREL and one MARBLED GODWIT were
reported.

At Campbell Valley Regional Park, Langley, the following birds were
reported: a RUFFED GROUSE, a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, a WESTERN TANAGER,
and a GREAT HORNED OWL.

A SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER was seen with a flock of about 200 WESTERN
SANDPIPERS along the Roberts Bank Coal Port jetty in Delta.

At the Iona Island sewage ponds, Richmond, a SPOTTED SANDPIPER was
again present. A flock of 4 TURKEY VULTURES was also seen here.

At the Cecil Green Park overlook on Point Grey (University of B.C.), a
PARASITIC JAEGER was observed harassing a flock of 30 COMMON TERNS. A
CHIPPING SPARROW was also seen here.


Sightings for Friday, May 9th

A CHIPPING SPARROW was reported from the Maplewood Conservation Area,
North Vancouver.


Sightings for Thursday, May 8th

A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was reported from the Grant Narrow ?nature
dyke? trail in Pitt Meadows.

At Tynehead Regional Park in Surrey, 24 BLACK SWIFTS were seen.

A male BULLOCK?S ORIOLE was reported again near the mouth of the
Coquitlam River, Coquitlam (near the north end of the Port Mann
bridge).

A NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL was heard calling during a hike up Black
Mountain, West Vancouver (in Cypress Provincial Park).


END TRANSCRIPT

For further information on birding in the Vancouver area, log onto the
Vancouver Natural History Society?s website at
http://www.naturalhistory.bc.ca/VNHS/index.htm .