This is the Vancouver Natural History Society's Rare Bird
Alert for Tuesday, April 12, sponsored in part by the Wild Birds Unlimited
stores in Vancouver and North Vancouver. This update was recorded at noon,
April 13. The RBA phone number is (604) 737-3074.

RARE BIRD ALERT: In Washington, a BAIKAL TEAL, an accidental
visitor from Asia, has been present from March 31 through April 12,
on 277th Street near the West Valley Highway in Kent, just SE of
Seattle. For further details, please phone the Washington State RBA at
(206) 281-9172, or check the TWEETERS E-mail group.

Local RARE BIRD ALERT: The BREWER'S SPARROW seen at the
Iona Island sewage ponds on April 9 has not been seen since.


Sightings for Tuesday, April 12

Near the foot of 96th Street on Boundary Bay in Delta, 30 SHORT-
BILLED DOWITCHERS and 400 WESTERN SANDPIPERS, the
first reported this spring, were seen. Also there were 50 GREATER
YELLOWLEGS, 1000 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, and thousands
of DUNLIN.

At the Tsawwassen jetty in Delta, 4 MARBLED GODWITS and a
WILLET were seen.
At Boundary Bay Regional Park in Delta were 600 BRANT and 31
GREATER YELLOWLEGS. An EARED GREBE was present in the
marina at Point Roberts, Washington.

At the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver were a
female MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD on the west side, and a TOWNSEND'S
SOLITAIRE.

A HERMIT THRUSH was seen in a garden near 41st and Dunbar, Vancouver.


Sightings for Monday, April 11

Two pairs of CINNAMON TEAL, the first reported this spring, were in
ditches on Sea Island, Richmond. At nearby Iona I. Were several
AMERICAN PIPITS.

A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was at Grant Narrows Regional Park at
the south end of Pitt Lake, and an AMERICAN KESTREL was still along
Thompson Road in Pitt Meadows.


Sightings for Sunday, April 10

Sightings at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta included 2 AMERICAN
BITTERNS, 3 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, and 3 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS. The
SANDHILL CRANES are now nesting at the
Sanctuary, as are GREAT HORNED OWLS.

A CHIPPING SPARROW at the University of BC Botanical Garden was
the first for the year, but the TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES there 2 days
earlier were gone. In Port Moody, however, 3 solitaires were still
present along the railway tracks west of Old Orchard Park.

In Vancouver's Stanley Park, the TUFTED DUCK x SCAUP hybrid was
still at Lost Lagoon, and 2 HUTTON'S VIREOS and several RED
CROSSBILLS were near Beaver Lake.

A MARBLED GODWIT was at the compensation lagoon on the north side
of the Tsawwassen jetty, and the wintering LONG-BILLED CURLEW was
still at Blackie Spit in Surrey, on the far side of the Nicomekl River.

A LAPLAND LONGSPUR was on the Iona Island south jetty, Richmond,
and 50 AMERICAN PIPITS were at the sewage ponds.

In Pitt Meadows, 18 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and 7
CACKLING GEESE were still present on the east side of Neaves Road,
south of the North Alouette River.

The monthly Squamish Estuary bird count at Squamish, north of Vancouver,
turned up some noteworthy birds including 2 GREATER WHITE-
FRONTED GEESE, a NORTHERN GOSHAWK, 3 TOWNSEND'S
SOLITAIRES, 12 RED CROSSBILLS, and 20 WHITE-WINGED
CROSSBILLS.


Sightings for Saturday, April 9

A BREWER'S SPARROW, subspecies undetermined, was seen
well about 11 AM on a dyke within the Iona Island sewage ponds,
Richmond. It was on the dyke between the NE and SE sewage
ponds, just east of where the two cross-dykes intersect. It
apparently could not be found during the afternoon, but may
still be in the area.

Two more TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES were reported, this time
from the northern side of Beach Grove Park, along 12th Avenue
near Boundary Bay in Delta

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, a GREATER WHITE-
FRONTED GOOSE, a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, and 3
GREAT HORNED OWLS were reported.


Sightings for Friday, April 8

A GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCH was seen on the south
side of the jetty at Garry Point, near Steveston in the SW
corner of Lulu Island, Richmond.

TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES were reported from several
localities, with 3, possibly 4 at the University of BC Botanical
Gardens, 2 or possibly 3 at and near Old Orchard Park in
Port Moody, one near the Bloedel Conservatory in Vancouver's
Queen Elizabeth Park, and one seen for a second day in the
4600 block of Bellevue in Vancouver.

At the Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta, the WILLET was
still present near the base on the south side, and a SNOW
BUNTING was seen about halfway out the jetty on the
south side.

At Colony Farm, on the Port Coquitlam side, a female
MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD was seen near the second
transmission tower. Nearby were a female AMERICAN
KESTREL and a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT.

In Coquitlam, a MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE was seen in
the 3000 block of Sperling.

At Grant Narrows Regional Park at the south end of Pitt
Lake were 5 TURKEY VULTURES. Another TURKEY
VULTURE was seen in North Langley near 208th Street
and 96th Avenue.

Two WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were seen in Boundary
Bay Regional Park, Delta, SE of the tower. At nearby Beach
Grove Park were two ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, a
probable YELLOW WARBLER, and a bizarre-looking
warbler which may have been a hybrid.


Sightings for Thursday, April 7

The first TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE reported this spring
was in the 4600 block of Bellevue Drive in Vancouver.

A male MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD was seen on the eastern
mudflats at the Maplewood Conservation Area, North
Vancouver.

Two SANDHILL CRANES were at the foot of Piper
Road on the north side of Burnaby Lake, Burnaby.

A count of 421 BRANT was made at Boundary Bay
Regional Park, Delta.

Single ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS were
reported from Port Moody and from the Maplewood
Conservation Area in North Vancouver.


Sightings for Wednesday, April 6

About 3600 BRANT were counted in the vicinity of the Tsawwassen
ferry jetty in Delta. Also in Delta, a WESTERN MEADOWLARK
was seen in Boundary Bay Regional Park, and an AMERICAN
KESTREL was present near the intersection of 28th Avenue and
56th Street



If you have any questions about birds or birding in the
Vancouver area, please call Wayne at (604) 597-7201,
Viveka at 531-3401, or Larry at 465-1402. Thank you for
calling the Vancouver Rare Bird Alert, and good birding.


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


This message was recorded, transcribed and distributed
by Wayne Weber.

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net