This is Wayne Weber with the Vancouver Natural History Society's
Rare Bird Alert for Thursday, November 24, 2005, sponsored in part by
the Wild Birds Unlimited stores in Vancouver and North Vancouver.
This update was recorded at noon on November 25. The RBA phone
number is 604-737-3074.


There have been no local reports of SNOWY OWLS since November 18,
although they are showing up in many places to the south of us.
Please report all sightings of SNOWY OWLS to the Rare Bird Alert.


Sightings for Thursday, November 24

At Lighthouse Marine Park in Point Roberts, Washington, birds seen
offshore included 2 MARBLED MURRELETS, 5 PIGEON GUILLEMOTS,
and 25 COMMON MURRES.


Sightings for Wednesday, November 23

Two BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS were seen along the south side
of the Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta, as well as the WILLET near
the jetty base.


Sightings for Tuesday, November 22

A female ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD was reported from the foot of 25th
Street, near the Dundarave pier, in West Vancouver.


There were no sightings reported for Monday, November 21.


Sightings for Sunday, November 20

A GYRFALCON was seen along the Boundary Bay shoreline just east
of Beach Grove Park in Delta. It flew off toward the east.

At Blackie Spit in Surrey, sightings included 23 GREATER YELLOWLEGS,
2 EURASIAN WIGEON, 2 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS, and, on the east
side of Farm Slough, a tan-striped WHITE-THROATED SPARROW.


Sightings for Saturday, November 19

In Vancouver's Stanley Park, the second-year male KING EIDER was seen
in a SURF SCOTER flock just north of Ferguson Point. The last previous
report of this bird was at nearby Siwash Rock on November 12, so
Stanley Park seems like the best place to look for this bird.

In Port Moody, a late male WILSON'S WARBLER was seen in the 1000
block of Alderside Road.

On the south side of the Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta, a HORNED LARK, 4
SNOW BUNTINGS, 5 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS, and a WILLET were seen.
The lark and buntings were in one flock near the boat launch at the end of
the gravel road.

The ROCK WREN was still present near the end of the Iona Island
south jetty in Richmond.

Birds seen at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta included 4 BARN OWLS, a
GREAT HORNED OWL, a CACKLING GOOSE, and an immature REDHEAD.

In Pitt Meadows, a gray-phase GYRFALCON was seen along Connecting
Road between Sharpe and McKechnie Roads, north of the Dewdney
Trunk Road. A PEREGRINE FALCON was also seen nearby.


Sightings for Friday, November 18

One SNOWY OWL was still present on the Iona Island south jetty in
Richmond, as was a ROCK WREN. At the base of the jetty, two
blue-phase SNOW GEESE, one adult and one immature, were seen
at close range with about 100 white-phase birds, and a NORTHERN
SHRIKE was also seen on Iona

Six SNOW BUNTINGS and a HORNED LARK were seen on the Tsawwassen
ferry jetty in Delta, plus the resident WILLET near the jetty base on the
south side.


Sightings for Thursday, November 17

At Lighthouse Marine Park in Point Roberts, WA, 4 ANCIENT MURRELETS
were seen close to shore, as well as 3 PIGEON GUILLEMOTS and about
20 COMMON MURRES.

Two SNOWY OWLS were seen on the south jetty at Iona Island in Richmond,
And one SNOWY OWL was present for most of the day near the tip of the
Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta.

Sightings at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta included one each of BARN
OWL, LONG-EARED OWL, and NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL.

Birds seen in and near various potato fields in Delta included several
LAPLAND LONGSPURS, a BARN OWL, 4 MOURNING DOVES, 2
NORTHERN SHRIKES, and several ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS.

In Vancouver's Stanley Park, 3 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS were
seen flying past Third Beach, and a RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER
near Lost Lagoon.


Sightings for Wednesday, November 16

Three SNOWY OWLS, the first of the fall, were seen on the Iona Island
south jetty in Richmond.

An adult HARRIS'S SPARROW, the first one reported this fall, was seen in
a yard in the 4100 block of Lancelot Drive in Richmond.

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, sightings included a GOLDEN
EAGLE, an AMERICAN BITTERN, 3 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS
(including 1 adult and 2 immatures), 2 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE,
and a SWAMP SPARROW.


Sightings for Tuesday, November 15

The TEMMINCK'S STINT at Ocean Shores, Washington was last seen, but at
the Oyhut Wildlife Area, not at the sewage treatment plant where it had been
seen regularly for a week.

A WILLET was seen at Brunswick Point in Delta, flying east up Canoe Pass
along River Road.



If you have any questions about birds or birding in the Vancouver area,
please call Wayne at (604) 597-7201, Viveka at (604) 531-3401, or
Larry at (604) 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