Subject: [Tweeters] Vancouver, BC RBA for June 4, 2009
Date: Jun 5 11:15:06 2009
From: Wayne Weber - contopus at telus.net


This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Thursday,
June 4th, 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.


RARE BIRD ALERT for a possible ALDER FLYCATCHER at Grant Narrows on June
2nd, and 3 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS in Vancouver on May 28th.


Sightings for Thursday, June 4th

A summering TRUMPETER SWAN and a male BULLOCK'S ORIOLE at Iona Island in
Richmond were noteworthy.

Three WILSON'S PHALAROPES in Ioco, in a marsh which is normally off-limits
to birders, were somewhat surprising.

The first COMMON NIGHTHAWK of the year was reported from the Pemberton
Heights area of North Vancouver.


Sightings for Wednesday, June 3rd

A GRAY CATBIRD at Ioco, west of Port Moody, was in an unusual locality.

At Point Roberts, Washington were 10 RHINOCEROS AUKLETS, 6 PIGEON
GUILLEMOTS, 2 COMMON MURRES, 100 late PACIFIC LOONS, 137 equally late BRANT,
and 6 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS.


Sightings for Tuesday, June 2nd

A bird believed to be an ALDER FLYCATCHER was reported singing from Grant
Narrows Park in Pitt Meadows, near the start of the nature dyke.
Confirmation of this report is requested, if at all possible by recording
the song of the bird. Although ALDER and WILLOW FLYCATCHERS have quite
different songs, many birders seem to have trouble distinguishing the two.


Sightings for Monday, June 1st

A RED-EYED VIREO, the first of the year, and a RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET
which apparently forgot to migrate and was still singing were at the
Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver.


Sightings for Sunday, May 31st

A CHIPPING SPARROW, rare in the Vancouver area, was seen near King Edward
Avenue and Carnarvon Street in Vancouver.


No sightings reported for Saturday, May 30th


Sightings for Friday, May 29th

Two BULLOCK'S ORIOLES and a WILLOW FLYCATCHER were at the Maplewood
Conservation Area.


Sightings for Thursday, May 28th

Several reports were received of a flock of 6 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS
in Vancouver, in the area between Tatlow Park and East Spanish Banks
along English Bay.

Four late WHIMBRELS were on the north side of the Tsawwassen ferry jetty.

Two WESTERN KINGBIRDS, 3 EASTERN KINGBIRDS, and an AMERICAN BITTERN
were seen on the Port Coquitlam side of Colony Farm Park.


Sightings for Wednesday, May 27th

Two EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were reported from 40th Avenue in Surrey
east of 152nd Street.

At Colony Farm Park, on the Coquitlam side, were at least 7 LAZULI BUNTINGS
and a few BULLOCK'S ORIOLES.


Sightings for Tuesday, May 26th

A HERMIT WARBLER x TOWNSEND'S WARBLER hybrid was found in Belcarra
Park near the "swamp" parking lot, and sang there for several hours. It was
first thought to be a pure HERMIT, but photos indicate that it is a hybrid.

Birds seen at the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver included
3 WESTERN KINGBIRDS, 30 EVENING GROSBEAKS, at least 20 WESTERN TANAGERS,
many WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES, 2 WILLOW FLYCATCHERS, and an OLIVE-SIDED
FLYCATCHER.


Sightings for Monday, May 25th

Noteworthy sightings from the Pitt Meadows area included a LAZULI BUNTING
near the Grant Narrows boat launch, 6 SANDHILL CRANES and 6 TURKEY
VULTURES along Hale Road, and the first GRAY CATBIRD of the spring near the
bend on Rannie Road.


Sightings for Sunday, May 24th

The immature YELLOW-BILLED LOON was reported again off West Beach in White
Rock.

At the Iona Island sewage ponds in Richmond were 5 WILSON'S PHALAROPES,
10 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, and 2 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS.

WHIMBRELS were noted in 3 places: 8 at Tower Beach on Point Grey, Vancouver:
4 at the base of the Roberts Bank coal port jetty in Delta; and perhaps the
same
4 at the nearby Tsawwassen ferry jetty. Also near the ferry jetty were 125
late
BRANT.


Sightings for Saturday, May 23rd

The YELLOW-BILLED LOON was seen again in Semiahmoo Bay off White Rock.

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta were 4 WILSON'S PHALAROPES and a
BULLOCK'S ORIOLE.

In the Boundary Bay area of Delta, a flock of 40 WHIMBRELS were seen along
36th Avenue near 72nd Street, and 2 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were seen along
96th Street south of Highway 99.

Two YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS and an OSPREY at Burnaby Lake in Burnaby were
noteworthy.


Sightings for Friday, May 22nd

The first WILLOW FLYCATCHER of the year was reported in the Pemberton
Heights area of North Vancouver.

Two WESTERN KINGBIRDS were still at Jericho Park in Vancouver.

The immature YELLOW-BILLED LOON was seen again off West Beach in
White Rock.

There were 6 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS and 2 WILSON'S PHALAROPES in the
Iona Island sewage ponds, Richmond. Nearby, along the North Arm jetty
at Iona, 2 PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVERS, 78 CASPIAN TERNS, and 14 SPOTTED
SANDPIPERS were seen.

An EASTERN KINGBIRD at the Fraserview Golf Course in Vancouver was the first
of the year.


Sightings for Thursday, May 21st

For the third time in 4 days, a PARASITIC JAEGER was seen by several birders
from the municipal pier in White Rock.

Birds noted at the Colony Farm Park banding station in Port Coquitlam
included
a DUSKY FLYCATCHER, 3 WESTERN KINGBIRDS, and a GREEN HERON.

A high count of 7 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS was noted at the Iona Island sewage
ponds in Richmond.

At Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver, 4 BLACK SWIFTS, the first of the year,
were seen. Also here were2 EVENING GROSBEAKS, 3 CASSIN'S VIREOS, and
many RED CROSSBILLS.


Sightings for Wednesday, May 20th

A male WESTERN BLUEBIRD at Iona Beach Regional Park in Richmond was the
first reported in years from the Vancouver area. Unfortunately, it stayed
only a few minutes.

An immature YELLOW-BILLED LOON seen off West Beach in White Rock was very
late,
and a species that is quite rare at any time of year.

An unconfirmed report of a possible LONG-TAILED JAEGER being chased by crows
was received from the Third Avenue and Bewicke area of North Vancouver.

The WESTERN KINGBIRD invasion of Jericho Park in Vancouver increased to a
surprising five birds.

The BULLOCK'S ORIOLE was seen again at Semiahmoo Park in White Rock.


Sightings for Tuesday, May 19th

The PARASITIC JAEGER was seen again off the White Rock pier.

At Colony Farm Park in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, 2 LAZULI BUNTINGS,
an AMERICAN BITTERN, and a flock of CEDAR WAXWINGS were observed.

A good fallout of warblers was noted at the Maplewood Conservation Area in
North Vancouver, including an OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE,
3 HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHERS, 6 WESTERN TANAGERS, and many warblers.


Sightings for Monday, May 18th

A PARASITIC JAEGER was seen off the municipal pier in White Rock, and
2 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were noted at 32nd Avenue and 192nd
Street in Surrey.

Three WESTERN KINGBIRDS were seen together at Jericho Park in Vancouver.


Sightings for Sunday, May 17th

At Colony Farm Park min Coquitlam, 3 EVENING GROSBEAKS were seen, as was
the first LAZULI BUNTING of the spring.

Along the nature dyke trail at Grant Narrows Park, at the south end of Pitt
Lake,
an impressive concentration of migrants included at least 100 WILSON'S
WARBLERS, 40 YELLOW WARBLERS, 12 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, 12
WARBLING VIREOS, 8 WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES, a DUSKY FLYCATCHER,
and 3 BULLOCK'S ORIOLES. Elsewhere in Pitt Meadows, bird seen included the
first 3 WESTERN KINGBIRDS of the spring, 2 AMERICAN BITTERNS, 4
VIRGINIA RAILS, 2 SANDHILL CRANES, a pair of MUTE SWANS, 2 TURKEY
VULTURES, 6 OSPREYS, and 2 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES along Sharpe Road.

Birds noted at Iona Island included 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, a WILSON'S
PHALAROPE, and 30 CASPIAN TERNS.


Sightings for Saturday, May 16th

A DUSKY FLYCATCHER was seen in Burnaby Mountain Park, Burnaby. It may be
that this species is not as rare a spring migrant as previously thought.

At least 200 COMMON TERNS were still at Blackie Spit in Surrey, but the
GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES were missing.

A high count of 14 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS were at Point Roberts,
Washington, as were 141 BRANT.

Migrants at Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver included a CASSIN'S VIREO,
several YELLOW WARBLERS, and numerous WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES and
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHERS.

A male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD at the railway yards in Port Coquitlam
was out of place.

The sewage ponds at Iona Island in Richmond produced numerous shorebirds
including 2 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, a WILSON'S PHALAROPE, and the
first PECTORAL SANDPIPER of the year.



A brief account of 31 of the best birding locations in the
Vancouver area can be found on the Nature Vancouver website at
http://www.naturevancouver.ca/Birding_Birding_Sites



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