This is Wayne Weber with the Vancouver Natural History Society?s Rare
Bird Alert for Sunday, January 30, 2005, sponsored in part by the Wild
Birds Unlimited stores in Vancouver and North Vancouver. This update
was recorded at 9:30 AM, January 31. The RBA phone number is (604)
737-3074.

In Olympia, Washington, the REDWING, which had been absent for
8 days, was seen again by one observer on January 29, but could
not be relocated on January 30. For further updates on this bird or
other birds in Washington State, phone the Washington RBA at
(206) 281-9172, or check the TWEETERS E-mail group.

Local highlights include an AMERICAN AVOCET at the Serpentine
River mouth in Surrey, GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES on
the Iona Island south jetty, PINE GROSBEAKS in Pitt Meadows,
and a TUFTED DUCK x SCAUP hybrid in Stanley Park.

The Vancouver Natural History Society Birder?s Night is on Thursday,
February 3 at 7:30 PM at St. Mary?s Anglican Church, 2490 West
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 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.


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.


No sightings for Wednesday, January 26


Sightings for Tuesday, January 25

A flock of 30 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS was seen for the
second day in a row in hemlocks near the corner of Lincoln and
Shaughnessy in Port Coquitlam.

A bird answering the description of a PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER
was seen along the lane in the 6300 block between Vine and Yew
Streets in Vancouver. This bird was also reported on the 22nd.
This would be a very unusual winter sighting, and confirmation
from other observers is requested.

The male TUFTED DUCK x SCAUP hybrid was present again at
Stanley Park in Vancouver. The bird was seen near the stone bridge
at the west end of Lost Lagoon. Elsewhere in Stanley Park, a
BONAPARTE?S GULL and 8 MARBLED MURRELETS were
seen off Ferguson Point, and 5 PIGEON GUILLEMOTS were
off Brockton Point.

The immature GOLDEN EAGLE was seen near the entrance
to the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, and just south of there, a
GYRFALCON along Westham Island Road.

At Blackie Spit in Surrey, an AMERICAN AVOCET and a
LONG-BILLED CURLEW were seen on the far side of the
Nicomekl River.


Sightings for Wednesday, January 24

Three GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES but no buntings
were at the end of the Iona I. South jetty.

Thirty WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were seen in hemlocks
near the corner of Lincoln and Shaughnessy in Port Coquitlam.

A male ANNA?S HUMMINGBIRD was displaying at the University
of BC Botanical Gardens, far from the nearest known feeder.

In Delta, the GYRFALCON was seen on the microwave tower near
the foot of 96th Street, and two SNOWY OWLS were seen near
the foot of 72nd Street, Three AMERICAN KESTRELS, a MERLIN,
and 3 PEREGRINE FALCONS were also seen along roads north of
Boundary Bay. Two unidentified swallows were seen on the west
side of Boundary Bay, near the pumphouse at the E end of 12th Avenue.


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