This is Wayne Weber with the Vancouver Natural History Society's
Rare Bird Alert for Wednesday, February 20, 2006, sponsored in part by
the Wild Birds Unlimited stores in Vancouver and North Vancouver.
This update was recorded at 2 PM on February 21. The RBA phone
number is 604-737-3074.


RARE BIRD ALERT: The adult SLATY-BACKED GULL at Renton, WA,
just south of Seattle, was last reported on February 16. For further
information on this bird, please check messages on the TWEETERS
E-mail group.


Sightings for Monday, February 20, 2006

At Blackie Spit in Surrey, an AMERICAN AVOCET was seen . Along the
nearby Crescent Beach shoreline were 3 MARBLED GODWITS.

One EARED GREBE was seen off the White Rock town pier in
White Rock.


Sightings for Sunday, February 19

The long-staying ROCK WREN and one SNOW BUNTING were seen
beyond the second shelter on the Iona Island south jetty in Richmond.

Ten SNOWY OWLS were seen along the Boundary Bay dyke, east of
the foot of 72nd Street in Delta. In the same area were 2 SHORT-EARED
OWLS and 4 GREATER YELLOWLEGS. A third SHORT-EARED OWL
was seen on the north side of the Boundary Bay airport in Delta, east of
80th Street.

A NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL was reported from Minnekhada
Regional Park in Coquitlam.


Sightings for Saturday, February 18

Birds noted at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta included a GOLDEN
EAGLE, a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL, a BARN SWALLOW,
6 CEDAR WAXWINGS, and a HUTTON'S VIREO.

A ROCK SANDPIPER was seen with BLACK TURNSTONES along the
Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta, and the resident WILLET was seen
near the base of the jetty on the south side.

The ROCK WREN was still present on the Iona Island south jetty, and 12
RING-NECKED DUCKS were in the outer pond at Iona Island. Three
WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were also seen near the restrooms
on Iona Island.

At Brunswick Point, beyond the west end of River Road in Delta, were
7 SNOWY OWLS, 2 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, a LINCOLN'S
SPARROW, a NORTHERN SHRIKE, and a WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

The BEWICK'S SWAN was present again near the intersection of
60th Avenue and 68th Street in Delta.


Sightings for February 17, 2005

A RUSTY BLACKBIRD and a RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER were
seen near the east end of Dominion Avenue in Port Coquitlam.


Sightings for February 16, 2005

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary, birds seen included 4 BLACK-CROWNED
NIGHT-HERONS, 2 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, 10 BARN
SWALLOWS, and a HUTTON'S VIREO.


Sightings for Wednesday, February 15

Eight CEDAR WAXWINGS were seen at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary


Sightings for Tuesday, February 14

The TOWNSEND'S WARBLER in the 3000 block of Spuraway Avenue in
Coquitlam, present since early January, was seen again today.


Sightings for Monday, February 13

No sightings reported


Sightings for Sunday, February 12

The possible TUFTED DUCK was seen again off the Iona Island south
jetty in Richmond. However, this bird has been described by at least two
observers as having a dark gray back, not a black back, so it may be
a TUFTED DUCK x SCAUP hybrid, not a pure TUFTED DUCK.

A SNOW BUNTING was also seen on the Iona south jetty.

The BEWICK'S SWAN, a subspecies of TUNDRA SWAN, was seen
again near the intersection of 60th Avenue and 68th Street in Delta,
with 11 TUNDRA SWANS and many TRUMPETER SWANS.

At least 14 SNOWY OWLS were still present along the Boundary Bay
dyke near the foot of 72nd Street in Delta, as were 2 SHORT-EARED OWLS,
5 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS, and a NORTHERN SHRIKE.

Three BARN SWALLOWS were seen at the Squamish River estuary
in Squamish.


Sightings for Saturday, February 11, 2006

A possible TUFTED DUCK drake was seen in a flock of GREATER
SCAUP on the north side of the Iona Island south jetty, Richmond.

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 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

A TUFTED DUCK x GREATER SCAUP hybrid, likely the same bird
that was present last winter, was seen near the west end of Lost Lagoon
in Stanley Park, Vancouver.

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.

A TOWNSEND'S WARBLER was seen again in the 3000 block of Spuraway
Avenue in Coquitlam.


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