This is the Vancouver Natural History Society's Rare Bird Alert for
Wednesday, February 2, 2005, sponsored in part by the Wild
Birds Unlimited stores in Vancouver and North Vancouver. The
RBA phone number is (604) 737-3074.

In Olympia, Washington the REDWING was seen on Tuesday,
February 1, and the BAIKAL TEAL was seen on the same day
at the Kent Ponds in Kent, near Seattle. For further updates on
these 2 birds in Washington State, phone the Washington RBA at (206)
281-9172, or check the TWEETERS E-mail group.

The Vancouver Natural History Society Birder's Night is on Thursday,
February 3 at 7:30 PM at St. Mary's Anglican Church, 37th Avenue at
Larch Street in Vancouver. The featured speaker is Paulo Boute,
talking about "The Brazilian Pantanal: the bird paradise". Don't miss
this special program about the birds of a unique part of the world.


Sightings for Wednesday, February 2

An AMERICAN AVOCET was at the mouth of the Serpentine River on
Mud Bay in Surrey.

3 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES and 2 SNOW BUNTINGS
were on the south jetty of Iona Island in Richmond, and 18 BARN
SWALLOWS were feeding over MacDonald Slough on Sea Island.

2 COMMON REDPOLLS were at 102B Avenue and 208th Street
in North Langley and an AMERICAN KESTREL was at Pitt Meadows
along Rannie Road and Ladner Road.

16 CALIFORNIA GULLS were seen at Trout Lake in Vancouver.


Sightings for Tuesday, February 1

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, the immature GOLDEN EAGLE
was at the entrance gate and 3 MUTE SWANS were at the Westham
Island Bridge nearby. An AMERICAN KESTREL was along 64th Street
at 34B Avenue in Delta.

2 BONAPARTE'S GULLS were off West Spanish Banks in Vancouver.

An EARED GREBE was off White Rock Pier along with one WESTERN
SANDPIPER on the shoreline.

2 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were seen feeding in an alder tree
around Ferguson Point along the seawall in Stanley Park, Vancouver.

17 COMMON REDPOLLS were on the perimeter of the Fraserview
Golf Course in Vancouver, along Rosemount Avenue at the 12th tee.


Sightings for Monday, January 31

The Reifel Bird Sanctuary had 4 BARN SWALLOWS, 1 BLACK-
CROWNED NIGHT HERON, 1 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED
GOOSE, an AMERICAN BITTERN and a female REDHEAD
in the centre of the viewing tower pond.

The LONG-BILLED CURLEW was again seen at Blackie Spit in
Surrey along with 20 GREATER YELLOWLEGS.

A NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL was seen at Lynn Canyon in North
Vancouver, 50 meters south of the tall staircase at the Thirty Foot
Pool on the east side of the canyon.


Sightings for Sunday, January 30

At the mouth of the Serpentine River on Mud Bay in Surrey, an
AMERICAN AVOCET and two GREATER YELLOWLEGS were seen.
At the foot of 112th Street in Delta were 8 more GREATER
YELLOWLEGS and one SAVANNAH SPARROW. The GYRFALCON
was perched on the microwave tower west of the foot of 96th Street.
One SNOWY OWL was seen at the foot of 72nd Street, and at least 4
AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS were along the Boundary Bay dyke
east of the foot of 72nd. On 72nd Street near the BC Railway
crossing, a YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was seen with other blackbirds.

Two SNOWY OWLS were at Brunswick Point in Delta, and the resident
WILLET was present at the base of the Tsawwassen ferry jetty. At the
Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, two BARN SWALLOWS were seen, the
immature GOLDEN EAGLE was near the refuge entrance, and 6 CEDAR
WAXWINGS were eating berries along the entrance road.

At Iona Island in Richmond, 3 BARN SWALLOWS were seen flying
over the outer pond.

Two WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were again seen in
Coquitlam River Park on Oxford off Lincoln Avenue, Port Coquitlam.


Sightings for Saturday, January 29

Three GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES were present at the
end of the Iona Island south jetty in Richmond.

On the Grebe Islets in West Vancouver, seen from Klootchman Park,
were 200 SURFBIRDS, 50 BLACK TURNSTONES, one BLACK
OYSTERCATCHER, and two BRANDT'S CORMORANTS. Two
more BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS were seen at the mouth of
Cypress Creek in West Vancouver.

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, birds seen included an
AMERICAN BITTERN, a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE,
and an immature GOLDEN EAGLE near the refuge entrance. At the
Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta were 6 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS,
and the WILLET near the base of the jetty.

A GLAUCOUS GULL was seen in Delta near the intersection of
96th Street and Burns Drive.

At Blackie Spit in Surrey, a LONG-BILLED CURLEW, a LONG-BILLED
DOWITCHER, and 11 GREATER YELLOWLEGS were seen. At
nearby Elgin Heritage Park were a drake EURASIAN GREEN-
WINGED TEAL and 4 drake EURASIAN WIGEON. At the mouth
of the Serpentine River was an AMERICAN AVOCET.

In Pitt Meadows, along the southern boundary of the Pitt WMA, 6
AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS and 9 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were reported.

Finally, a possible PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER was reported for the
third time in a week in the lane between the 6300 block of Vine and
Yew Streets in Vancouver. Confirmation of this sighting in the form of
a photograph or detailed field notes is requested.


Sightings for Friday, January 28

Six PINE GROSBEAKS were seen in Pitt Meadows, along
Rannie Road about 1 km south of the bend where it hits the
Pitt River dyke. Pine Grosbeaks have been seen in this general
area for the last 2-3 weeks.

A NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL was seen again at the Maplewood
Conservation Area in North Vancouver.

The hybrid male TUFTED DUCK x SCAUP was still present in
Vancouver's Stanley Park, near the stone bridge at the west end
of Lost Lagoon.

At Blackie Spit in Surrey, a LONG-BILLED CURLEW and a
MARBLED GODWIT were present along the Nicomekl River.
On 40th Avenue, also called Mud Bay Road, west of Highway 99,
an immature GYRFALCON was perched in a large cottonwood
late in the afternoon. At least 7 BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS
were seen in a flock of about 5000 STARLINGS along 140th
Street just north of Mud Bay Road. This has been a consistent
wintering area for cowbirds over the last few years.

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, one adult BLACK-CROWNED
NIGHT-HERON was seen, as were 30 COMMON REDPOLLS. The
immature GOLDEN EAGLE, present since October, was at the refuge
entrance. A first-year GLAUCOUS GULL was in fields along Westham
Island Road near Tamboline Road, and two MUTE SWANS were in the
river near the Westham Island bridge.


Sightings for Thursday, January 27

An adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK was perched in a tree in Beach
Grove Park on 17A Avenue in Delta.

An EARED GREBE, rare in winter, was at the White Rock town pier.
A LONG-BILLED CURLEW and a PEREGRINE FALCON were at
Blackie Spit in Surrey. A MYRTLE form of the YELLOW-RUMPED
WARBLER was at Serpentine Fen in Surrey, and a group of 40
MOURNING DOVES was along 40th Avenue near 160th Street.

One SNOWY OWL was seen at the foot of 72nd Street in Delta,
and two more were at Brunswick Point. An AMERICAN KESTREL
was seen along 64th Street in Delta

In North Vancouver, a NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL was reported from the
Maplewood Conservation Area.

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/


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