This is Wayne Weber with the Vancouver Natural History Society's
Rare Bird Alert for Wednesday, November 15, sponsored in part by
Wild Birds Unlimited, with stores in Vancouver and North Vancouver.
This message was updated at 2 PM on November 16.

The RBA telephone number is (604) 737-3074.

Out-of-town RARE BIRD ALERTS for a BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER
at Nakusp in the BC Interior, and for a FALCATED DUCK near Eugene,
Oregon.


Sightings for Wednesday, November 15

A BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER was seen for the second day in
a row at Nakusp, BC.


Sightings for Tuesday, November 14

A BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER was seen and photographed with
a feeding flock of chickadees and kinglets in the town of Nakusp,
BC. This appears to be the first record for the BC Interior.

Although it's some distance from BC, a FALCATED DUCK
which was found today at the Coburg exit (exit 199) of Interstate
Highway 5 just north of Eugene, OR may be of interest. This will be the
fourth winter in a row for this bird, which has already been accepted as a
wild bird by the Oregon Bird Records Committee. It is being seen in
two ponds next to a Good Sam RV Park, just off the freeway.
For further details on this bird, phone the Oregon RBA at (503)
292-0661, or check the OBOL E-mail group.

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, 3 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-
HERONS and 6 SANDHILL CRANES were seen. In the trees along the
Reifel entrance road, not far from the parking lot, a BARRED OWL and
a GREAT HORNED OWL were seen not far from each other.

A BARN OWL was seen at 8:30 PM hunting near the intersection of
Highway 10 and 152nd Street in Surrey.


Sightings for Monday, November 13

An AMERICAN DIPPER was seen along the shoreline in the
western part of the Maplewood Conservation Area in North
Vancouver, and was quite unusual for that locality.

A TOWNSEND'S WARBLER was seen near the Wildlife Rescue
Association facilities on the south side of Burnaby Lake in
Burnaby.

A NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL was seen in Lions Bay, and killed
a small songbird which could not be identified.

A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was seen on the lawn at
Jericho Park in Vancouver.


Sightings for Sunday, November 12

Two SNOW BUNTINGS were seen on the Roberts Bank coal port
jetty in Delta, and a MARBLED GODWIT was seen near the base
of the jetty. Also seen in the vicinity were 3 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS,
a PEREGRINE FALCON, and 14 BLACK TURNSTONES, as well as
2 SHORT-EARED OWLS along 27B Avenue.


Sightings for Saturday, November 11

10 SNOW BUNTINGS were seen along the gravel road on the south
side of the Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta. Also here were 14
BLACK TURNSTONES and 2 EURASIAN WIGEON.

At Blackie Spit Park in Surrey were another 5 EURASIAN WIGEON
and a WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

Six YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, a NORTHERN SHRIKE, and
2 SHORT-EARED OWLS were seen in Delta along the Boundary Bay
dyke west of the foot of 72nd Street. Farther east on the dyke, about
where 80th would be if it reached the dyke, were 2 SAVANNAH
SPARROWS, 50 AMERICAN PIPITS, and another NORTHERN SHRIKE.

A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was reported from Deer Lake in
Burnaby.


No sightings reported for Friday, November 10


Sightings for Thursday, November 9

At the foot of 104th Street on Boundary Bay in Delta, a GYRFALCON
was reported, as were 2 SNOW BUNTINGS and an estimated 70,000
DUNLIN.

At Brunswick Point, near the west end of River Road in Delta, were
2 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, a NORTHERN SHRIKE, and
20 AMERICAN PIPITS.

At Lighthouse Marine Park in Point Roberts, Washington, were
4 MARBLED MURRELETS, 70 LONG-TAILED DUCKS, and
100 BRANDT'S CORMORANTS.

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, 4 BLACK-CROWNED
NIGHT-HERONS and 150 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were seen.

Four LONG-TAILED DUCKS were seen along the Stanley Park seawall
in Vancouver, east of Siwash Rock.


Sightings for Wednesday, November 8

3 SNOW BUNTINGS were seen and photographed along the
South Jetty at Iona Island in Richmond.

At the foot of 72nd Street in Delta, 4 SHORT-EARED OWLS and a
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER were seen.


Sightings for Tuesday, November 7

A GREAT HORNED OWL was seen in the abandoned residential area just
north of the Boundary Bay Airport in Delta.


No sightings for Monday, November 6


Sightings for Sunday, November 5

In with a flock of 650 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS along Hornby
Drive in Delta between 104th and 112th Streets (just S of Hwy 99)
were a SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER (juvenile), an AMERICAN
GOLDEN-PLOVER (juvenile), a SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, and 3
RED KNOTS. Nearby, at the foot of 72nd Street, were 2 SHORT-EARED
OWLS and a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK.

The wintering WILLET was seen again along the south side of the
Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta, and 100 BRANT were seen off the
north side of the jetty.

At Boundary Bay Regional Park, on the west side of Boundary
Bay in Delta, birds seen included 2 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED
GEESE, 60 BRANT, and 2 NORTHERN SHRIKES.

Another GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE was seen at
the Jericho Park ponds in Vancouver.

Two MUTE SWANS were seen in Canoe Pass, Delta, just S
of the Westham Island bridge.


If you have any questions about birds or birding in the Vancouver
area, please call Peter at 604-736-0991, 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
www.naturalhistory.bc.ca/VNHS/


Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus at telus.net