This is Wayne Weber with the Vancouver Natural History Society's
Rare Bird Alert for Saturday, February 11, 2006, sponsored in part by
the Wild Birds Unlimited stores in Vancouver and North Vancouver.
This update was recorded at 8 AM on February 12. The RBA phone
number is 604-737-3074.


Sightings for Saturday, February 11, 2006

A drake TUFTED DUCK was seen in a flock of GREATER SCAUP on the
north side of the Iona Island south jetty, Richmond. There is a slight
possibility that this bird is a TUFTED DUCK x GREATER SCAUP hybrid,
but the observer was about 90% sure that it was a pure TUFTED DUCK.

Also present on the Iona south jetty were the ROCK WREN and 2
SNOW BUNTINGS. Three WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were seen near
the restrooms at Iona, and 12 RING-NECKED DUCKS were in the Iona
outer pond.

The BEWICK'S SWAN (a subspecies of TUNDRA SWAN) was seen by
several observers with other swans near the intersection of 60th Avenue
and 68th Street in Delta, west of the Burns Bog landfill.

Along the Boundary Bay dyke near 72nd Street in Delta were 12 SNOWY
OWLS, one SHORT-EARED OWL, and a NORTHERN SHRIKE.

The AMERICAN AVOCET which has been wintering at the mouth of
the Serpentine River in Surrey was present today at the Beach Grove
lagoon on the west side of Boundary Bay, at the east foot of 12th Avenue
in Delta.

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, sightings included the GOLDEN
EAGLE, present now for 2 weeks; an AMERICAN BITTERN; 2
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE; 4 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-
HERONS; a SNOWY OWL; and 5 BARN SWALLOWS and a TREE
SWALLOW.

In the Tsawwassen area of Delta, near 6th Avenue at Stevens Drive, 3
CEDAR WAXWINGS and a HERMIT THRUSH were seen.


Sightings for Friday, February 10

At Elgin Heritage Park, off Crescent Road in Surrey, a EURASIAN
GREEN-WINGED TEAL and a RING-NECKED DUCK were seen.
At nearby Blackie Spit were one MARBLED GODWIT and 4 EURASIAN
WIGEON, plus 8 CEDAR WAXWINGS at the Dunsmuir community
gardens. Two HUTTON'S VIREOS were noted in Crescent Park,
plus another one near 6th Avenue at Stevens Drive in Delta.

At Brunswick Point, at the west end of River Road in Delta, were 6
SNOWY OWLS. Fifteen more SNOWY OWLS, plus 2 WESTERN
MEADOWLARKS and a NORTHERN SHRIKE, were seen along the
Boundary Bay dyke east of the foot of 72nd Street.

Five WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were at Iona Island in Richmond.


Sightings for Thursday, February 9

A PEREGRINE FALCON was seen perched on the Port Mann bridge in
Surrey, a frequent hunting perch for this species.


Sightings for Wednesday, February 8

At least 2000 PACIFIC LOONS were seen in a tight feeding flock off
Semiahmoo Spit, just across the border in Blaine, WA.


Sightings for Tuesday, February 7

At Iona Island, 9 RING-NECKED DUCKS were seen in the outer pond,
and 3 BARN SWALLOWS were also seen.

At the foot of 72nd Street in Delta, a NORTHERN SHRIKE was noted.

The out-of-season BONAPARTE'S GULL was still present at Jericho Park
in Vancouver.


Sightings for Monday, February 6

The BEWICK'S race TUNDRA SWAN continues to be seen near the
intersection of 60th Avenue and 68th Street in Delta, near the
Vancouver landfill, with about 12 TUNDRA SWANS and 60
TRUMPETER SWANS.

Birds seen at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal in Delta included a
ROCK SANDPIPER and a SURFBIRD with a flock of about 60
BLACK TURNSTONES, a BLACK OYSTERCATCHER, and about
70 BRANDT'S CORMORANTS.

Along the Boundary Bay dyke east of 72nd Street in Delta were
14 SNOWY OWLS, a NORTHERN SHRIKE, and 7 GREATER
YELLOWLEGS.

An AMERICAN KESTREL was seen near the intersection of 176th
Street and the Fraser Highway in Surrey, north of Cloverdale.

At the White Rock pier in White Rock, 2 EARED GREBES and a
WESTERN GULL were seen, and about 400 RUDDY DUCKS
were seen offshore in Semiahmoo Bay.


Sightings for Sunday, February 5

A BEWICK'S race TUNDRA SWAN was present in a flock of about
80 swans near the intersection of 60th Avenue and 68th Street in
Delta. It has apparently been here for about 10 days, although not
previously reported to the Rare Bird Alert.

Near the foot of 72nd Street in Delta were 17 SNOWY OWLS along
the Boundary Bay dyke, plus 4 SHORT-EARED OWLS.

Birds seen at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta included a GOLDEN EAGLE,
8 early TREE SWALLOWS, 2 HUTTON'S VIREOS, a HERMIT THRUSH along
the entrance road, a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, a BARN OWL, a
NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL, and 6 SANDHILL CRANES.

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

8 SAVANNAH SPARROWS were seen along the connecting road along
the railway tracks between 88th and 96th Streets in Delta. An AMERICAN
KESTREL was seen along 64th Street south of 34B Avenue.

Two BARN SWALLOWS were seen at Serpentine Fen in Surrey, and
another one at Colony Farm in Port Coquitlam.

Eight BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS were in a blackbird flock on 88th
Street south of Highway 10 in Delta.

The BONAPARTE'S GULL was seen again at Jericho Park in Vancouver.


Sightings for Saturday, February 4

Six LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS and two WESTERN MEADOWLARKS
were reported from Iona Island in Richmond.

A SNOWY OWL was seen briefly near the intersection of 10th Avenue
and Trimble Street in Vancouver.


No sightings for Friday, February 3


Sightings for Thursday, February 2

An unseasonable BONAPARTE'S GULL was reported feeding on the
lawn with other gulls near the west pond in Jericho Park, Vancouver.

Two AMERICAN KESTRELS were seen in Langley between the 1800
block and 2100 block of 224th Street.

A drake EURASIAN WIGEON was seen with many other ducks along
South Parallel Road in Abbotsford.

At Trout Lake in Vancouver's John Hendry Park, 11 RING-NECKED DUCKS
were seen, and at least 25 CALIFORNIA GULLS were feeding on the lawn.

Four WESTERN MEADOWLARKS, one of which was singing, were seen
along 112th Street south of Highway 99 in Delta.



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