This is Wayne Weber with the Vancouver Natural History Society's
Rare Bird Alert for Monday, May 8, 2006, sponsored in part by
the Wild Birds Unlimited stores in Vancouver and North Vancouver.
This update was recorded at 7 AM on May 9. The RBA phone
number is 604-737-3074.


Sightings for Monday, May 8

At the Iona Island sewage ponds in Richmond, birds seen included
a SOLITARY SANDPIPER, a SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, 3 LESSER
YELLOWLEGS, and a SEMIPALMATED PLOVER.


Sightings for Sunday, May 7

At Iona Island, sightings included a PECTORAL SANDPIPER, a
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, a SOLITARY SANDPIPER, two
RUDDY TURNSTONES, and many VAUX'S SWIFTS.

Twelve WHIMBRELS were present along the mouth of the
Nicomekl River in Blackie Spit Park, Surrey.

At the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver, the
SANDHILL CRANE was still present, and migrants included
a TURKEY VULTURE, a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, a PACIFIC-
SLOPE FLYCATCHER, a WARBLING VIREO, and many warblers.

A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW appeared in the Tsawwassen
area of Delta, and an AMERICAN BITTERN was seen at Blaney
Bog in Maple Ridge.


Sightings for Saturday, May 6

At the Maplewood Conservation area, the arrival BLUE-WINGED
TEAL was noted. Also seen were 2 CASPIAN TERNS, 60 VAUX'S
SWIFTS, a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE, and several WESTERN
TANAGERS.

At Iona Island, a SOLITARY SANDPIPER, 2 SEMIPALMATED
PLOVERS, and 2 LESSER YELLOWLEGS were seen in the
sewage ponds, and 9 YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were
in the north outer pond. Also seen were 40 VAUX'S SWIFTS,
and a RUDDY TURNSTONE and 67 CASPIAN TERNS along
the shoreline.

At Pitt Meadows, birds seen included 16 TURKEY VULTURES, 4 SANDHILL
CRANES, and a late PEREGRINE FALCON along Rannie Road, and a
NASHVILLE WARBLER and a CASSIN'S VIREO among many migrants
along the nature dyke at Grant Narrows. In the Katzie Marsh at Pitt Lake
were 11 RING-NECKED DUCKS and two late swans, believed to be
TRUMPETER SWANS.

In the Southlands area of Vancouver, 2 YELLOW WARBLERS and
a WARBLING VIREO were seen.


Sightings for Friday, May 5

The first WILSON'S PHALAROPES of the spring were 2 at Serpentine
Fen in Surrey. Also there was an AMERICAN BITTERN.

A late SNOWY OWL was seen along the Boundary Bay dyke east
of 72nd Street

A PARASITIC JAEGER was seen from the Mid-Island Express ferry
off the mouth of the Fraser River at Sandheads.

At Minnekhada Park in Coquitlam, sightings included a BARRED
OWL, 2 BLUE GROUSE, a HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER, and 2
VIRGINIA RAILS.


Sightings for Thursday, May 4

A PARASITIC JAEGER, the first of the spring, was seen from the
Mid-Island Express ferry off the mouth of the Fraser River at Sandheads.

At the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver, a SANDHILL
CRANE was present for at least the third consecutive day.

At Iona Island in Richmond, a CHIPPING SPARROW, a rare migrant
at Vancouver, was seen on the west dyke of the sewage ponds with
a flock of GOLDEN-CROWNED and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS.
Also seen at Iona were a LESSER YELLOWLEGS in the ponds and
3 YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS in the north outer pond.

At Jericho Park in Vancouver, a LESSER YELLOWLEGS and a
VIRGINIA RAIL were both present in the east pond.


Sightings for Wednesday, May 3, 2006

A SANDHILL CRANE was reported from Maplewood Flats in North Vancouver.

A roadkilled CHUKAR was found in the 4500 block of Bradner Road
in Langley. This is presumed to be from a recent release, as there
are no established populations of CHUKARS in the Vancouver area.


Sightings for Tuesday, May 2, 2006

A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and a late TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE
were both seen at Burnaby Mountain Park in Burnaby.

Two VIRGINIA RAILS were present at the West Pond in Jericho Park,
Vancouver.


Sightings for Monday, May 1, 2006

A SOLITARY SANDPIPER, rare in spring, was seen near the
intersection of 208th Street and 102B Avenue in Langley.

A SANDHILL CRANE was present at the Country Meadows Golf
Course at 8400 No. 6 Road in Richmond, in an area where cranes
may once have nested but are rarely seen now.

At Marine Park in Blaine, Washington, birds seen included 15 WHIMBRELS, 4
SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, and 18 CASPIAN TERNS as well as hundreds
of DUNLIN and WESTERN SANDPIPERS.

At Redwood Park on 20th Avenue in Surrey, migrants or newly-arrived
breeding birds included 2 WESTERN TANAGERS and singles of
HAMMOND'S and PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHERS and WILSON'S,
TOWNSEND'S, and BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLERS.


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