This is Wayne Weber with the Vancouver Natural History Society's Rare
Bird Alert for Saturday, August 4th, sponsored in part by Wild Birds
Unlimited, with stores in Vancouver and North Vancouver. This update
was recorded at 11 AM on August 5th. The RBA telephone number is
(604) 737-3074.


RARE BIRD ALERT for a male INDIGO BUNTING at Colony Farm Regional Park, present there since late June.


No sightings reported for Saturday, August 4th


Sightings for Friday, August 3rd

At Grant Narrows Park at the south end of Pitt Lake, 2 EASTERN KINGBIRDS were seen.

A COMMON TERN, an early fall migrant, was seen over Lost Lagoon in Vancouver?s Stanley
Park.

At the Tsawwassen ferry terminal in Delta, 9 BRANT were still present. Nearby, an American Kestrel was seen along Highway 17 near Splashdown Park.


Sightings for Thursday, August 2nd

The male INDIGO BUNTING, present since late June, was still singing along the Mundy Creek Trail in Colony Farm Regional Park, Coquitlam. This is close to the park entrance off the Lougheed Highway, (Highway 7).

At Lighthouse Marine Park on Point Roberts, WA were 50 RHINOCEROS AUKLETS, 3 COMMON MURRES, a RED-NECKED GREBE, and 2 HEERMANN?S GULLS.

Two WHIMBRELS were seen at the lagoon near the Tsawwassen ferry terminal. Also in Delta, 400 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS were roosting at high tide in a field along 34th Street south of River Road. This seems to be a regular roosting location and would be worth checking for rare shorebirds.

Two AMERICAN KESTRELS were seen near the mansion west of the foot of 96th Street on
Boundary Bay in Delta.


Sightings for Wednesday, August 1st

The male INDIGO BUNTING was seen again along the Mundy Creek Trail in Colony Farm Park, Coquitlam. At least 2 male LAZULI BUNTINGS were also seen in the park.

At White Rock, a WILLET was seen on the beach, and 3 COMMON LOONS and 2 RED-NECKED GREBES were seen offshore.

Four BRANT were seen at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal in Delta.


No sightings reported for Tuesday, July 31st


Sightings for Monday, July 30th

Many RED CROSSBILLS were seen at the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver, and one AMERICAN KESTREL was seen on the west side of the area.


Sightings for Sunday, July 29th

A RUDDY TURNSTONE was seen on the Boundary Bay shoreline between 104th and 112th Streets in Delta.


Sightings for Saturday, July 28th

The male INDIGO BUNTING, present since late June, was seen again along the Mundy Creek trail at Colony Farm Regional Park in Coquitlam, close to the park entrance off the Lougheed Highway.

At Mount Cheam, east of Chilliwack, accessed only by a 4-wheel drive road and a long hike, birds seen included 5 WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN, including a female with 3 young, 20 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES, and a SOOTY GROUSE.

At the Tsawwassen ferry terminal in Delta, 9 summering BRANT and 4 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS were seen at the lagoon on the north side. A HEERMANN?S GULL, 80 BLACK TURNSTONES, and 25 HARLEQUIN DUCKS were also seen nearby. The WILLET was easily seen near the base of the ferry jetty on the south side.

At Lighthouse Marine Park on Point Roberts, Washington, birds seen included a HEERMANN?S GULL, 4 BONAPARTE?S GULLS, 100 RHINOCEROS AUKLETS, and 60 COMMON MURRES.


Sightings for Friday, July 27th

A PARASITIC JAEGER was seen from a ferry just off the Tsawwassen ferry terminal in Delta.
At the terminal itself, 2 WHIMBREL, 9 BRANT, and 4 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS were reported.


Sightings for Thursday, July 26th

An ARCTIC TERN, very rare in the area, was seen off the foot of 104th Street on Boundary Bay in Delta.


Sightings for Wednesday, July 25th

A WESTERN KINGBIRD was reported from the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver.

At the foot of 96th Street on Boundary Bay in Delta, noteworthy shorebirds included a summering DUNLIN, 10 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, and a juvenile BAIRD?S SANDPIPER. Also seen nearby were a WESTERN MEADOWLARK and two AMERICAN KESTRELS, both very rare in summer.

At Colony Farm Park in Coquitlam, 3 male LAZULI BUNTINGS and 2 BULLOCK?S ORIOLES were seen.


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Sightings for Tuesday, July 24th

A PECTORAL SANDPIPER was reported from the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver, and another from Iona Island in Richmond.

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta were 5 WILSON?S PHALAROPES and 570 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS.

Nine BRANT, 5 WHIMBREL, 2 BLACK TURNSTONES, and 4 RHINOCEROS AUKLETS were at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal in Delta, plus the WILLET near the base of the ferry jetty.

A RUDDY TURNSTONE and a BAIRD?S SANDPIPER were seen near the foot of 104th Street on Boundary Bay in Delta.

An AMERICAN KESTREL, rare in summer, was seen along Deltaport Way near 41B Street in Delta.

At least 25 BLACK SWIFTS were seen in North Burnaby near the Second Narrows Bridge.


Sightings for Monday, July 23rd

The INDIGO BUNTING was seen again at Colony Farm Park in Coquitlam, as was the NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD near the Forensic Institute there.

Two SOLITARY SANDPIPERS were seen at the Iona Island sewage ponds in Richmond.

At the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, 2 BRANT, 2 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS, 2 BLACK TURNSTONES, and 20 HARLEQUIN DUCKS were seen, plus the WILLET near the base of the ferry jetty. At Boundary Bay, near the foot of 96th and 104th Streets, 7 BRANT, 13 WHIMBREL, 25 SANDERLINGS, and 7 summering DUNLIN were seen, along with hordes of other shorebirds including up to 10,000 WESTERN SANDPIPERS.

At the base of the Roberts Bank coal port jetty in Delta were at least 150 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS and 2 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS with hundreds of WESTERN SANDPIPERS.


Sightings for Sunday, July 22nd

The juvenile FRANKLIN?S GULL which had been seen for several days along the Iona Island south jetty in Richmond was found dead.

The NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was seen again near the Forensic Institute buildings at Colony Farm Regional Park in Coquitlam.


Sightings for Saturday, July 21st

A loudly-singing NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was found in Colony Farm Regional Park in Coquitlam, near the Forensic Institute buildings on the west side of the park. Also seen in the park were at least 10 LAZULI BUNTINGS (7 males and 3 females), the male INDIGO BUNTING, 20 BLACK SWIFTS, and 2 BULLOCK?S ORIOLES.

A male LAZULI BUNTING was found at Inter-River Park, between the Seymour River and Lynn Creek in North Vancouver, a former breeding locality for this species.

The immature FRANKLIN?S GULL was seen again along the Iona Island south jetty in Richmond.

Eighteen HARLEQUIN DUCKS were seen at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, and 5 WILSON?S PHALAROPES at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta.

At Lighthouse Marine Park on Point Roberts, Washington were at least 200 RHINOCEROS AUKLETS and 50 COMMON MURRES.


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://naturevancouver.ca



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