This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Wednesday,
July 30th, sponsored in part by Wild Birds Unlimited, with stores in
Vancouver and North Vancouver. The RBA telephone number is (604) 737-3074.


If you wish to leave a rare bird report, please press the star button at
the end of this message to go back to the menu, press "2" for the rare bird
reporting line, and follow the instructions given there.


Out-of-town RARE BIRD ALERT for a LESSER GOLDFINCH seen daily in
Abbotsford from July 18th to 29nd, an INDIGO BUNTING in Parksville from
July 24th to 26th, and an ELEGANT TERN at Ten Mile Point near Victoria
on July 20th.


Sightings for Wednesday, July 30th

Seven EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were present at 4655 96th Street
in Delta, not far south of Highway 99, and two of these were obviously
recently-fledged young. This is the first known breeding record of the
species in coastal BC.


Sightings for Tuesday, July 29th

The male LESSER GOLDFINCH at 2093 Topaz Street in Abbotsford is
still coming daily to the seed feeders.

Nine WHIMBRELS and 4 BLACK TURNSTONES were seen at the
Tsawwassen ferry terminal in Delta.


Sightings for Monday, July 28th

A BROWN PELICAN, perhaps the same one seen earlier in the same area,
was photographed on the breakwater south of the Tsawwassen ferry
terminal in Delta.


Sightings for Sunday, July 27th

A WANDERING TATTLER, a very rare migrant, was seen at the end of
the Iona Island south jetty in Richmond. Nearby were 15 SURF SCOTERS
and 2 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. Shorebirds in the Iona sewage ponds
included 3 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and 2 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS.

Large numbers of shorebirds near the foot of 96th Street on Boundary Bay
in Delta included 70 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, 3 RUDDY TURNSTONES,
2 RED KNOTS, 100 SANDERLINGS, and 10 DUNLIN, as well as large
numbers of peeps and BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS.

Four HEERMANN'S GULLS and two flyby WHIMBRELS were seen from
Point Roberts, Washington.

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, 2 each of STILT SANDPIPERS,
WILSON'S PHALAROPES, and RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were seen.


Sightings for Saturday, July 26th

There were lots of shorebirds in the West Field at the Reifel Bird
Sanctuary,
Delta, including 400 LONG-BILLED and 10 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS,
A STILT SANDPIPER, 20 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, 2 WILSON'S
PHALAROPES, and a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE.

Five BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS, including 2 adults and 3 non-flying
young, were seen near the Tsawwassen ferry terminal in Delta.

Four MERLINS, including 2 recently-fledged young, were seen in
North Burnaby.


No sightings reported for Friday, July 25th


Sightings for Thursday, July 24th

A male INDIGO BUNTING was discovered just off Renz Road in Parksville
on Vancouver Island.

Eight WHIMBRELS were seen along the Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta.

A STILT SANDPIPER and a SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER were seen
with other shorebirds in the West Field at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta.

Two MERLINS, an adult and an immature, were seen on Spuraway Road
in Coquitlam.


Sightings for Wednesday, July 23rd

Two BLACK TURNSTONES, the first of the fall migration, were reported from
the Tsawwassen ferry terminal in Delta.

Birds of note seen at the Iona Island sewage ponds in Richmond included
2 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, 10 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, and 2
early AMERICAN PIPITS.

A GREEN HERON was seen at Colony Farm Regional Park in Port
Coquitlam.


Sightings for Tuesday, July 22nd

The male LESSER GOLDFINCH which reappeared at 2093 Topaz Street in
Abbotsford, east of Vancouver, was seen daily through today.

At the Iona Island sewage ponds in Richmond, a BANK SWALLOW was reported,
as was a PECTORAL SANDPIPER among many shorebirds.

Four EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were seen along 96th Street in Delta south
of Highway 99, in an area where they have been present for months.

Large numbers of shorebirds were seen along the Boundary Bay shoreline near
the foot of 96th, including thousands of WESTERN SANDPIPERS and hundreds
of SANDERLINGS and BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS. Noteworthy species
included a RUDDY TURNSTONE, 4 DUNLIN, and 20 SEMIPALMATED
PLOVERS.


No sightings reported for Monday, July 21st


Sightings for Sunday, July 20th

Near Victoria, an ELEGANT TERN was seen flying past Ten Mile Point. This
species is seen in BC a few years in each decade, and more sightings can
be expected this summer.


Sightings for Saturday, July 19th

A Nature Vancouver field trip to Hollyburn Mountain in Cypress Provincial
Park
found two AMERICAN PIPITS, probably fledged somewhere in the North Shore
mountains, and a flock of about 12 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS.

A BLACK SWIFT and 2 MERLINS, rare in summer, were seen in North
Burnaby.


Sightings for Friday, July 18th

The male LESSER GOLDFINCH which was present at 2093 Topaz Street in
Abbotsford from June 11 to 28, reappeared after an absence of 3 weeks.


A PEREGRINE FALCON on the Port Mann Bridge in Surrey and a MERLIN
at Colony Farm Park in Port Coquitlam, both rather rare in summer, were
reported.

Out of town, a WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN, rare but regular in the area, was
seen atop the First Brother mountain in Manning Provincial Park.



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.



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