This is Wayne Weber with the Vancouver Natural History Society's
Rare Bird Alert for Tuesday, February 28, 2006, sponsored in part by
the Wild Birds Unlimited stores in Vancouver and North Vancouver.
This update was recorded at 2 PM on March 1. The RBA phone
number is 604-737-3074.


All birders are welcome to attend the Vancouver Natural History
Society Birder's Night, beginning at 7:30 PM on Thursday, March 2 at
St. Mary Anglican Church, 2490 West 37th Avenue (at Larch Street),
Vancouver. The featured speaker for this month's meeting will be
Dr. Kathy Martin of the Department of Forest Sciences at the University
of B.C., speaking about the ecology, life history, behaviour, and
conservation of birds in high elevation habitats.



Sightings for Tuesday, February 28, 2006

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, birds seen included one adult
and two immature BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS along Fuller
Slough, and 3 MUTE SWANS nearby at the Westham Island bridge.

Two LEAST SANDPIPERS were seen with a flock of 15 KILLDEER
near the foot of 34th Street in West Delta, SW of Ladner. An
AMERICAN KESTREL was seen along the road through the
Tsawwassen First Nation Reserve, and the WILLET was still present
near the base of the Tsawwassen ferry jetty.

Birders should note that, because of recent storm damage, the gravel
road along the south side of the Tsawwassen ferry jetty is now
impassable or nearly so, although parking is still available at the jetty
base on the south side.

At the Serpentine River mouth in Surrey, the wintering AMERICAN AVOCET
was seen, as were 11 GREATER YELLOWLEGS.


Sightings for Monday, February 27

The wintering ROCK WREN was seen again about 200 metres
beyond the second shelter on the Iona Island south jetty in
Richmond.


Sightings for Sunday, February 26

Birds seen at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary included 4 NORTHERN
SAW-WHET OWLS, 2 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, a
near-adult GOLDEN EAGLE, 5 CEDAR WAXWINGS, and a
HUTTON'S VIREO.

At nearby Brunswick Point, just beyond the end of River Road in
Delta, were 2 AMERICAN BITTERNS, an AMERICAN TREE
SPARROW, a LINCOLN'S SPARROW, and a NORTHERN SHRIKE.

The BEWICK'S SWAN (a subspecies of TUNDRA SWAN) was
seen again along 68th Street just north of 60th Avenue in
Delta, among a flock of about 15 TUNDRA SWANS and 170
TRUMPETER SWANS. Also, 4 MUTE SWANS were present near
the bridge onto Westham Island, west of Ladner.

An AMERICAN DIPPER was seen in Lynn Canyon Park in North
Vancouver.

At Blackie Spit in Surrey were 2 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS and at
least 4 EURASIAN WIGEON.


Sightings for Saturday, February 25

Sixteen SNOWY OWLS were still present along the Boundary Bay dyke
between 64th Street and 80th Street. Also seen nearby were 5
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and a WESTERN MEADOWLARK.
An AMERICAN KESTREL was seen along 64th Street.

One of four EURASIAN WIGEON seen near the foot of 112th Street
in Delta was killed by a BALD EAGLE, which was then chased briefly by
a GYRFALCON.

Four PILEATED WOODPECKERS were seen together along the south
side of Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby.

The AMERICAN AVOCET was seen at the mouth of the Serpentine
River in Surrey, just east of the railroad trestle near Mud Bay Park. Two
GREATER YELLOWLEGS and 4 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were
also seen there, plus 6 more GREATER YELLOWLEGS at nearby
Blackie Spit.

A SNOW BUNTING was seen on the Iona Island south jetty in Richmond,
plus 3 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS near the base of the jetty.

A HERMIT THRUSH was at the Maplewood Conservation Area in North
Vancouver.

A flock of 5 CEDAR WAXWINGS was seen near 47th Avenue and Vine Street
in Vancouver.


Sightings for Friday, February 24, 2006

A HUTTON'S VIREO was heard singing in Campbell Valley Park, Langley.

Five WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were seen at the Kings Landing landfill
on the North Vancouver waterfront.


Sightings for Thursday, February 23

Birds seen at Blackie Spit in Surrey included a male EURASIAN x AMERICAN
GREEN-WINGED TEAL hybrid, 4 GREATER YELLOWLEGS, 2 LONG-BILLED
DOWITCHERS, and 3 EURASIAN WIGEON.


Sightings for Wednesday, February 22

A HARLAN'S HAWK, a subspecies of RED-TAILED HAWK rare in this
area, was seen along Highway 17 in Delta, north of the Deltaport Way
turnoff.


Sightings for Tuesday, February 21

At the Blaine marina in Blaine, WA, a PEREGRINE FALCON and a flock of
35 CEDAR WAXWINGS were seen.

A flock of 26 MOURNING DOVES was reported in the 16100 block of 40th
Avenue in Surrey.


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.



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