This is Wayne Weber with the Vancouver Natural History Society's
Rare Bird Alert for Thursday, April 12th, sponsored in part by Wild
Birds Unlimited, with stores in Vancouver and North Vancouver.
The RBA telephone number is (604) 737-3074.


Out-of-town RARE BIRD ALERT for an ARCTIC LOON at Hansville and
Nearby Point No Point in Washington, and a COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD at
Jordan River on Vancouver Island.


Sightings for Thursday, April 12th

Numerous migrants were seen at the Alaksen Wildlife Area in Delta
including a CHIPPING SPARROW, a HERMIT THRUSH, 6 COMMON
YELLOWTHROATS, 20 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS including 3
MYRTLE WARBLERS, a TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, and hundreds of swallows. Nearby on
the Singh Farm were 120 AMERICAN PIPITS.

Two OSPREYS were at their nest site on Annacis Island in Delta.

A SOOTY GROUSE at the Maplewood Conservation Area in North
Vancouver was a bit out of place.

In Washington, the ARCTIC LOON was seen repeatedly at
Hansville and at nearby Point No Point, north of Bremerton.


Sightings for Wednesday, April 11th

In Port Moody, a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE and a HERMIT THRUSH were
seen along Alderside Road.

In Langley, in the 10300 block of 208th Street, sightings included 2
SANDHILL CRANES, a N. ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW, a BARN
SWALLOW, and a WESTERN MEADOWLARK.

At the Maplewood Conservation Area, the EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED
TEAL was seen again on the east side.


Sightings for Tuesday, April 10th

Spring arrivals included two LONG-BILLED CURLEWS in a field near the
foot of 112th Street, 3 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS near the foot of 96th
street and one more near the foot of 64th Street, and 300 WESTERN
SANDPIPERS at the foot of 96th, all in Delta. At least 50,000 DUNLIN
and 2000 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS were also seen in Boundary Bay.

Two male MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were seen on the Port Coquitlam side
of Colony Farm Regional Park.

A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was reported from the Dunbar district of
Vancouver.


Sightings for Monday, April 9th

At Deer Lake Park in Burnaby, birds noted included a female MOUNTAIN
BLUEBIRD, an OSPREY, and a HUTTON'S VIREO.

Another MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, this one a male, was seen at
Porteau Cove, on Highway 99 N of Horseshoe Bay.


Sightings for Sunday, April 8th

A late sighting of the GYRFALCON was made near the foot of 96th
Street on Boundary Bay.

A pair of CINNAMON TEAL was seen on the pond at Vanier Park in Vancouver.

The WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was still present near Nanaimo
and Hastings in Vancouver.

A well-marked ARCTIC LOON was studied at Point No Point, north of
Bremerton, WA.


Sightings for Saturday, April 7th

Out of town, a COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD was present all day and
was photographed at Jordan River, west of Sooke on Vancouver Island.

First-of-year sightings included an early CASSIN'S VIREO near the West
Vancouver works yard on the road up to Cypress Bowl and a CHIPPING
SPARROW at Brunswick Point in Delta. Other sightings of note
included a rare RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER at Deas Island Park in
Delta, a blue-morph SNOW GOOSE at Brunswick Point, 2 SORAS
at the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver, and 5
MARBLED MURRELETS off the Grebe Islets in West Vancouver,
seen from Klootchman Park.

At Roberts Bank in Delta were at least 1600 BRANT.

At Iona Island in Richmond, sightings included a YELLOW-HEADED
BLACKBIRD, 2 OSPREYS, a WESTERN MEADOWLARK, and 3
CASPIAN TERNS, the first for the year.

At Burnaby Mountain Park in Burnaby, migrants included 3 ORANGE-
CROWNED and 7 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and 6 RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS.


Sightings for Friday, April 6th

At Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver, sightings included a first-of-year
RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER which was photographed as well as seen,
a BARRED OWL, and a HERMIT THRUSH.

A NORTHERN GOSHAWK was seen near Main Street and King Edward
Avenue in Vancouver.

At the Maplewood Conservation Area, the SAGE THRASHER could not be
relocated, but a SORA and a VIRGINIA RAIL were at the West Pond, and
a SAY'S PHOEBE was seen briefly.


Sightings for Thursday, April 5th

A SAGE THRASHER was seen well in the morning in a brushy area
between the West Pond and the East Pond at the Maplewood
Conservation Area in North Vancouver. However, it could not be
relocated later in the day.

Also seen or heard at Maplewood were a SORA, a VIRGINIA RAIL, a flock
of 16 WILSON'S SNIPE, and on the pilings in Burrard Inlet, an OSPREY.

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, sightings included a NORTHERN
WATERTHRUSH, 2 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLERS, an AMERICAN
BITTERN, and 121 GREATER YELLOWLEGS.


Sightings for Wednesday, April 4th

The first TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE of the spring was seen at the Maplewood
Conservation Area, as was a male EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL. Also
new for the year was a CINNAMON TEAL at Serpentine Fen Wildlife Area
in Surrey.

An OSPREY was seen at the White Rock pier in White Rock.

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary, 2 MARBLED GODWITS were seen
with a flock of BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS.

At Point Roberts, Washington, birds seen included 11 WILSON'S
SNIPE, at least 30 SAVANNAH SPARROWS, 2 RHINOCEROS
AUKLETS, 120 COMMON MURRES, and 30 PACIFIC LOONS. The
waterbirds were all seen off Lighthouse Marine Park.


At Hi-Knoll Park, on Colebrook Road in Surrey near the Langley boundary, the
first ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER of the spring was reported, as were
3 RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS and at least 20 PINE SISKINS, hopefully
signalling an end to the near-absence of Pine Siskins in the area.


Sightings for Tuesday, April 3rd

A VIRGINIA RAIL and an OSPREY were seen at the Maplewood
Conservation Area in North Vancouver.

At Colony Farm Park, on the Port Coquitlam side, an AMERICAN
BITTERN was seen.

A white-striped WHITE-THROATED SPARROW appeared in a backyard
Near Nanaimo and Hastings in Vancouver.


Sightings for Monday, April 2nd

A male MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD was seen on the Port Coquitlam side
of Colony Farm Regional Park.

Several RHINOCEROS AUKLETS and large numbers of other waterbirds
were seen off Lighthouse Marine Park at Point Roberts, WA.

The GYRFALCON was seen again along 112th Street, and later along
96th Street, north of Boundary Bay in Delta.


Sightings for Sunday, April 1st

Raptors noted included 2 AMERICAN KESTRELS at Colony Farm Park in
Port Coquitlam, one AMERICAN KESTREL and a ROUGH-LEGGED
HAWK on Deltaport Way in Delta, and a TURKEY VULTURE near Redwood
Park in Surrey.

On Sea Island in Richmond, a WESTERN MEADOWLARK and a
NORTHERN SHRIKE were reported.

Outside the Vancouver area, 2 TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES were noted
at the Squamish River estuary in Squamish.



If you have any questions about birds or birding in the Vancouver
area, please call Peter at 604-736-0991, Wayne at 604-597-7201,
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, check
the Vancouver Natural History Society's website at
http://naturevancouver.ca .


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