This is the Vancouver Natural History Society's Rare
Bird Alert for Friday, May 6, sponsored in part by the Wild
Birds Unlimited stores in Vancouver and North Vancouver. The
RBA phone number is (604) 737-3074.

The featured bird is DUSKY FLYCATCHER.


Sightings for Friday, May 6:

2 SWAINSON'S THRUSHES and 6 YELLOW WARBLERS were
at Campbell Valley Park in Langley.

17 WHIMBREL could still be found in the polo field at the 17900 block
of 8th Avenue in South Surrey.


Sightings for Thursday, May 5:

Blackie Spit had a number of WHIMBREL and 4 or 5 BLACK-HEADED
GROSBEAKS.

Another BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK was at Burnaby Lake, along with 3
YELLOW WARBLERS.

About 250 WHIMBREL were seen near the border in a field off Highway
15 on the east side between a truck weigh station and the Canada
Customs building.

In Cypress Provincial Park, West Vancouver, there were 8 BLUE
GROUSE, 2 RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKERS and 2 TURKEY VULTURES.


Sightings for Wednesday, May 4:

There were 200 to 300 PACIFIC LOONS at Lighthouse Marine Park
in Point Roberts, Washington, along with 6 RHINOCEROS AUKLETS
and 50 COMMON MURRES


Sightings for Tuesday, May 3:

The Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta had 1 SANDHILL CRANE and 1
CACKLING GOOSE, while 12 BLACK TURNSTONES were on the
south side of the Tsawwassen Jetty, and a GREEN HERON was
at Beach Grove in Delta.


Sightings for Monday, May 2:

A DUSKY FLYCATCHER was at Redwood Park on 20th Avenue in South
Surrey, while the polo field at the 17900 block of 8th Avenue had 60
WHIMBRELS .


Sightings for Sunday, May 1, 2005

At Grant Narrows Regional Park on Pitt Lake, a PALM WARBLER was
seen feeding with other warblers in trees along the "nature dyke",
about 100 metres from the start of the trail. Also seen or heard along
this dyke were 3 BULLOCK'S ORIOLES, a WESTERN TANAGER, 2
WARBLING VIREOS, 57 RING-NECKED DUCKS, an AMERICAN
BITTERN, and 2 BLUE GROUSE heard hooting in the distance.

Also at Grant Narrows, a LONG-BILLED CURLEW was seen at the
edge of the marsh, near the viewing tower just east of the boat launch.
Elsewhere in Pitt Meadows, a fourth BULLOCK'S ORIOLE was at the
parking lot for the Swan-e-set Golf Course, and two TRUMPETER
SWANS were in a field east of Neaves Road and south of the North
Alouette River.

A male CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD was seen at close range feeding from
an apple tree along one of the internal trails at the Reifel Bird
Sanctuary in Delta.

Burnaby Mountain Park in Burnaby had a significant fallout of migrants
including 20 TOWNSEND'S and 10 WILSON'S WARBLERS, single
WARBLING and CASSIN'S VIREOS, a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE,
and 2 HAMMOND'S and 4 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS.

Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver also had lots of
migrants including a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE and 3 WESTERN
TANAGERS.

On the north side of Burnaby Lake in Burnaby, around and near the
Nature House, a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, two first-of-year BLACK-
HEADED GROSBEAKS, and a YELLOW WARBLER were reported.

Eight PURPLE MARTINS and 5 WHIMBRELS were at Blackie Spit in
Surrey.

At Iona Island in Richmond, the VESPER SPARROW did not reappear.
However, sightings there included 9 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED
GEESE, 3 male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS, an OSPREY,
a SPOTTED SANDPIPER, a SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, and 4
BLUE-WINGED TEAL.

Finally, 4 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS were at the Tsawwassen ferry jetty
In Delta.


Sightings for Saturday, April 30

At the Iona Island sewage ponds in Richmond, a VESPER SPARROW was
present for several hours on the roadway between the NW and SW sewage
ponds, and was photographed. Also here were the first SPOTTED
SANDPIPER of the spring, 2 male BLUE-WINGED TEAL, at least 20
CINNAMON TEAL, and an OSPREY. An AMERICAN BITTERN was
seen in the marsh at the west end of Ferguson Road on Sea Island,
where it turns north toward Iona.

In Pitt Meadows, at the "Nature Dyke" leading SE from Grant Narrows
Regional Park, birds seen included a first-of-year BULLOCK'S ORIOLE,
a singing WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, a MACGILLIVRAY'S
WARBLER, and 2 SANDHILL CRANES. Also in the Pitt Meadows area
were 3 VAUX'S SWIFTS along Koerner Road (an unsigned, gated road
leading W from Rannie Road, S of the Ecological Reserve); 2 TURKEY
VULTURES along McNeil Road near Rannie Road, and a late TRUMPETER
SWAN E of Neaves Road and S of the North Alouette River.

Two more SANDHILL CRANES were at Derby Reach Regional Park in
Langley. At Campbell Valley Regional Park in Langley, birds included
5 first-of-year YELLOW WARBLERS, 3 WARBLING VIREOS, and a
CASSIN'S VIREO.

At Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver were 3 VAUX'S
SWIFTS, a WARBLING VIREO, and many warblers.

Three WHIMBRELS were at Blackie Spit in Surrey, and 26 RED CROSSBILLS
were reported from North Delta. 50 more WHIMBRELS and 4 MARBLED
GODWITS were on the polo field at 17948 8th Avenue in Surrey.

In the Brunswick Point area of Delta were a BULLOCK'S ORIOLE, a LONG-
BILLED CURLEW, 4 CASPIAN TERNS, and 12 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED
GEESE. Not far away at the Tsawwassen ferry jetty, 2 BLACK OYSTER-
CATCHERS were seen on the north side.

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 and transcribed by John Kalman, and forwarded
by Wayne Weber.


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