This is Wayne Weber with the Vancouver Natural History Society's Rare
Bird Alert for Saturday, July 14th, sponsored in part by Wild Birds
Unlimited, with stores in Vancouver and North Vancouver. This update
was recorded at 1:00 PM on July 14th. The RBA telephone number is
(604) 737-3074.


RARE BIRD ALERT for a LESSER SAND-PLOVER and a TENNESSEE WARBLER. The INDIGO BUNTING and ALDER FLYCATCHER were both last reported on July 9, but may still be present.


We have received a report of disturbance around the nest of a LAZULI BUNTING on Colony Farm, near the location of the INDIGO BUNTING, and apparently caused by a photographer. All birders and especially photographers are asked to avoid unnecessary disturbance to birds and bird nests, and to report illegal or suspicious activities in the field.


Sightings for Saturday, July 14th

The adult LESSER SAND-PLOVER (formerly called MONGOLIAN PLOVER) was
seen for the third successive day near the foot of 104th Street, on the north side of Boundary Bay in Delta, from about 6:45 to 8:30 AM. At 8:30,
it flew off to the SE, but hopefully it will be back for the evening
high tide.

The TENNESSEE WARBLER was present again at the Maplewood Conservation
Area in North Vancouver, north of the two ponds, and was singing almost
non-stop.


Sightings for Friday, July 13th

The LESSER SAND-PLOVER was seen again between about 6:45 and 7:30 AM on the Boundary Bay shoreline between 104th and 112th Streets in Delta, and photos were obtained. The bird could not be found in the area during the evening high tide.

At the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver, a TENNESSEE WARBLER, which was singing constantly, was found along the road north of the ponds on the west side of the sanctuary.


Sightings for Thursday, July 12th

An adult LESSER SAND-PLOVER?either a female or a male in faded
breeding plumage-- was seen at about 4:15 PM on the shoreline of
Boundary Bay, between the foot of 104th and 112th Streets, but
closer to 112th. The bird was seen very briefly in a large flock of shorebirds consisting mainly of WESTERN and LEAST SANDPIPERS, but
also including SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS, and other species. The flock flew westward along the Boundary Bay shoreline and
was not seen again.

In my last message, the date of discovery of the plover was incorrectly reported as July 11th-- sorry for the error!

At Lighthouse Marine Park in Point Roberts, Washington, at least 60 RHINOCEROS AUKLETS were feeding with gulls on small fish just off the
tip of the point.

Eight COMMON TERNS were seen on a sandbar off Boundary Bay Regional Park, on the west side of Boundary Bay in Delta, and two WHIMBREL were seen near the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, also in Delta.


No sightings reported for July 10th or 11th

?
Sightings for Monday, July 9th

At Colony Farm Regional Park in Coquitlam, the territorial male INDIGO BUNTING was still present and singing frequently. To find this bird, turn off Highway 7 (the Lougheed Highway) in Coquitlam) onto Colony Farm Road, and park in the small parking lot on your left just past the railroad crossing. The bunting was about 200 metres along the trail (Mundy Creek Trail) which leads NE from this parking area.

In Surrey, the singing ALDER FLYCATCHER found on June 28 was still present at Surrey Lake Park on the east side of 152nd Street. From the parking area, walk east over a bridge and along the north side of the lake to the third bench, past the end of the lake, which overlooks a cattail marsh. The flycatcher was singing from a group of willows and alders in the middle of the marsh.

The LONG-BILLED CURLEW was seen again at Blackie Spit in Surrey.

A PEREGRINE FALCON, rare in summer, was seen at Pacific and Jervis in the West End district of Vancouver.


Sightings for Sunday, July 8th

At Blackie Spit in Surrey, shorebirds reported included a LONG-BILLED CURLEW, 9 WHIMBREL, and 3 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS.


Sightings for Saturday, July 7th

A RUFF was seen with a MARBLED GODWIT in the West Field at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in
Delta, but has not been reported since.

At Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver, reached by the SkyRide, at least 30 BAND-TAILED PIGEONS were seen, as well as a good variety of warblers and other breeding songbirds.


Sightings for Friday, July 6th

At Christie Islet in Howe Sound, north of Horseshoe Bay, birds seen included a HARLEQUIN DUCK, 2 MARBLED MURRELETS, 4 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS, a CASPIAN TERN, and 100 SURF SCOTERS, as well as nesting GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULLS, PELAGIC CORMORANTS, and PIGEON GUILLEMOTS.


Sightings for Thursday, July 5th

An out-of-season SNOW GOOSE was seen at the lagoon on the north side of the Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta.


Sightings for Wednesday, July 4th

At the Tsawwassen ferry terminal in Delta, birds seen included a MARBLED GODWIT, a female BLACK SCOTER, 2 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, 16 SURF SCOTERS, and 11 HARLEQUIN DUCKS.


?
Sightings for Tuesday, July 3rd

At Colony Farm Regional Park in Coquitlam, the territorial male INDIGO BUNTING was still present and singing frequently. To find this bird, turn off Highway 7 (the Lougheed Highway) in Coquitlam) onto Colony Farm Road, and park in the small parking lot on your left just past the railroad crossing. The bunting was about 200 metres along the trail (Mundy Creek Trail) which leads NE from this parking area.

At least 3 male LAZULI BUNTINGS were also present nearby.

In Surrey, the singing ALDER FLYCATCHER found on June 28 was still present at Surrey Lake Park on the east side of 152nd Street. From the parking area, walk east over a bridge and along the north side of the lake to the third bench, past the end of the lake, which overlooks a cattail marsh. The flycatcher was singing from a group of willows and alders in the middle of the marsh.

At Iona Island, Richmond, 10 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS were seen in the sewage ponds along with 200 WESTERN SANDPIPERS and 7 LEAST SANDPIPERS. 9 PURPLE MARTINS were also seen around the nearby nest boxes.

Three WHIMBRELS were seen along the Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta. Also in Delta, at the Beach Grove lagoon, 3 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS were seen along with about 100 each of WESTERN SANDPIPERS and LEAST SANDPIPERS.


Sightings for Monday, July 2nd

The INDIGO BUNTING was seen again at Colony Farm Park.

A MARBLED GODWIT was seen along the Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta, and another (or perhaps the same one?) was in the ?West Field? at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary.

A high count of 271 CASPIAN TERNS was made near the Roberts Bank container terminal in Delta.


Sightings for Sunday, July 1st

The INDIGO BUNTING was seen again by many observers on the Mundy Creek trail at Colony Farm Park in Coquitlam.

At Surrey Lake Park in Surrey, the ALDER FLYCATCHER was still singing in the marsh just beyond the lake, and two GREEN HERONS were also seen.

Noteworthy sightings in North Delta, near the intersection of 96th Avenue and 112th Street, included 2 BLACK SWIFTS, a TURKEY VULTURE, and 2 RED CROSSBILLS.

A MARBLED GODWIT and a MERLIN were seen at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary 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://naturevancouver.ca .




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