This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Tuesday,
October 27th, 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 BLACK PHOEBE in Richmond from September 7 to at least
October 26, which appears to be moving back and forth along the west dyke
between Scotch Pond in Steveston and Terra Nova Park, several km to the
north ; a WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, probably present since last May, in the 21900
block of the Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge; and an immature EMPEROR GOOSE
in the Steveston area of Richmond from October 19 to 21.

Out-of-town RARE BIRD ALERT for an adult BLACK-TAILED GULL in Commencement
Bay near Tacoma, WA, which has been seen almost daily since it appeared on
October 13th. The gull roosts on a log boom in the bay on most afternoons,
and can be viewed from pullouts near the 5000 block of Marine View Drive on
the east side of the bay.


Sightings for Tuesday, October 27th

At Blackie Spit in Surrey, a LONG-BILLED CURLEW and 9 MARBLED GODWITS were
present in the Nicomekl River estuary, and a WESTERN MEADOWLARK on the spit
itself.


Sightings for Monday, October 26th

The BLACK PHOEBE was back at its former location at 2500 River Road in Terra
Nova Park in Richmond. It is beginning to look like, some days at least,
this phoebe travels all the way down the Richmond west dyke from Terra Nova
to Steveston and back.

A WESTERN MEADOWLARK was seen at Porteau Cove Park on Highway 99 north of
Lions Bay, an odd locality.


Sightings for Sunday, October 25th

The AMERICAN AVOCET was seen once more at the Serpentine River mouth on Mud
Bay in Surrey.

At Iona Island in Richmond, 6 SNOW BUNTINGS were seen partway out the South
Jetty.


Sightings for Saturday, October 24th

The wintering AMERICAN AVOCET was reported again from the Serpentine River
mouth near Mud Bay Park in Surrey, and the long-staying WESTERN SCRUB-JAY
was still present in the 21900 block of the Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge.

A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and 4 NORTHERN SHRIKES were caught and banded at
the Colony Farm banding station in Port Coquitlam. This seems to be a good
year for shrikes. The SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was in its usual location at
the west foot of Steveston Highway in Richmond.


Sightings for Friday, October 23rd

The BLACK PHOEBE was seen again at the west end of Steveston Highway. Nearby
in
the cow paddock was the SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER, and 3 blue-phase SNOW GEESE
were seen along Gilbert Road.


Sightings for Thursday, October 22nd

The BLACK PHOEBE was seen at least twice during the day at the west end of
Steveston Highway in Richmond. The EMPEROR GOOSE could not be found,
but a blue-phase SNOW GOOSE, a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, and
about 12 CACKLING GEESE were seen nearby along Gilbert Road with a
SNOW GOOSE feeding flock.

Two blue-phase SNOW GEESE, an adult and an immature, were seen
with SNOW GEESE at Iona Island in Richmond.


Sightings for Wednesday, October 21st

The immature EMPEROR GOOSE was seen only once near the west foot of
Steveston Highway in Richmond, in overflight about 4 PM.

A BLACK PHOEBE was seen along the Richmond west dyke between Steveston
Highway
and the Fraser River, and appeared to be very mobile. This is believed to be
the same
BLACK PHOEBE seen earlier at Terra Nova Park, several km to the north.


Sightings for Tuesday, October 20th

The immature EMPEROR GOOSE was seen again with SNOW GEESE at the west
foot of Steveston Highway in Richmond, but was seen only at a distance. A
SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was seen nearby with other shorebirds in a marshy cow
paddock near the dyke.

A RUSTY BLACKBIRD was seen briefly in the salt marsh on the east side of the
Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver.


Sightings for Monday, October 19th

An immature EMPEROR GOOSE was seen and photographed in late afternoon with
a flock of SNOW GEESE along the Richmond west dyke at the west foot of
Steveston Highway, not Westminster Highway, as I mistakenly wrote last week.

The AMERICAN AVOCET was seen again at the Serpentine River mouth in Surrey,
as were 2 NORTHERN SHRIKES. This area can best be seen from the north
end of the BNSF railway trestle near Mud Bay Park, but be careful as the
railway line
is, strictly speaking, a no trespassing area.

Six SNOW BUNTINGS were seen on the Iona Island south jetty in Richmond.

Ten EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were seen at the foot of 88th Street in Delta.

Shorebirds seen between 104th Street and 96th Street on the Boundary Bay
dyke in
Delta included 6 juvenile AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS and 8 RED KNOTS with
hundreds of BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS.


Sightings for Sunday, October 18th

An AMERICAN AVOCET was seen at the mouth of the Serpentine River in Surrey,
near Mud Bay Park, where this species has wintered previously.

Four SNOW BUNTINGS and a LAPLAND LONGSPUR were seen along the Iona
Island south jetty in Richmond.

An adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK and at least 10 SOOTY GROUSE were seen by
a birder hiking around the summit of Mount Seymour in North Vancouver.

Birds seen along the north side of Boundary Bay in Delta included an
AMERICAN
GOLDEN-PLOVER and a SNOW BUNTING near the foot of 96th Street, and 4
NORTHERN SHRIKES, 2 of which were at the foot of 72nd Street.

Two EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were reported from the intersection of APA
Road and South Beach Road at Point Roberts, WA, the first report for that
area.


Sightings for Saturday, October 17th

The BLACK PHOEBE was seen again near the abandoned house at 2500 River
Road in Richmond, in Terra Nova Park. Three VIRGINIA RAILS and a SHORT-EARED
OWL were seen nearby along the Richmond west dyke.

The long-staying WESTERN SCRUB-JAY was still being seen regularly in
Maple Ridge.


Sightings for Friday, October 16th

A flock of 52 SURFBIRDS was seen, along with 2 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS
and 3 BLACK TURNSTONES, on the Grebe Islets, near Lighthouse Park
in West Vancouver.

Another BLUE JAY was reported from the vicinity of 34th Avenue and Camosun
Street in Vancouver.


No sightings reported for Thursday, October 15th


Sightings for Wednesday, October 14th

The MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR in Stanley Park was last reported on this date.


Sightings for Tuesday, October 13th

The MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR was present again for most of the day along the
Stanley Park seawall on the north side of Coal Harbour in Vancouver.

Three AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS were reported along the Nicomekl River
near Elgin Heritage Park in Surrey.

A flock of 25 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES was seen on a hiking trail near
Coliseum Mountain in North Vancouver.


Sightings for Monday, October 12th

The MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR was again present all day in Vancouver's Stanley Park.

The LARK BUNTING near the University of BC Museum of Anthropology was
seen briefly by 3 observers in the morning, but could not be found after
about
8:30 AM.

A BLUE JAY was seen with 3 STELLER'S JAYS in the 1200 block of Duchess
Avenue, West Vancouver, near Ambleside Park.


Sightings for Sunday, October 11th

The MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR was present all day on the Stanley Park seawall in
Vancouver and was seen and photographed by many.

A LARK BUNTING, extremely rare in BC, was found and photographed
near the University of BC Anthropology Museum in Vancouver.

A SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was seen with Pectoral Sandpipers at the
Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta.

Four late BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS were seen along the Roberts Bank coal port
Jetty in Delta, and 12 late BARN SWALLOWS were seen over fields nearby.


Sightings for Saturday, October 10th

A MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR was found along the Stanley Park seawall just east of
the Vancouver Yacht Club on this date. This is the first Vancouver record
and only
about the 4th for B.C.

The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY was seen and photographed again in the 21900 block
of the Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge.

Three SNOW BUNTINGS, the first of the fall, were seen on the Iona Island
south
jetty in Richmond, and another was seen on the Tsawwassen ferry jetty in
Delta.

Along the Boundary Bay dyke between 96th and 104th Streets in Delta, a
SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER, a MARBLED GODWIT, 3 AMERICAN GOLDEN-
PLOVERS, a late SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, and 7 SNOW BUNTINGS were seen.

A BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was seen at the usual location beside Fuller
Slough at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta.


Sightings for Friday, October 9th

A NORTHERN SHRIKE, the first of the fall, was reported from Colony Farm
Regional Park in Port Coquitlam.

An AMERICAN TREE SPARROW was seen again at the Dunsmuir Gardens in
Surrey, along with 2 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, 15 LINCOLN'S SPARROWS,
and 3 ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS.

A SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was seen along the Boundary Bay dyke in
Delta at two different spots between 96th and 104th Streets. Also here
were 5 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS.


Sightings for Thursday, October 8th

Two AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, the first of the fall, were seen along the
entrance road to the Dunsmuir Community Gardens at Blackie Spit in
Surrey.

A YELLOW-SHAFTED form of the NORTHERN FLICKER was seen near 2000
Brigantine Drive in Coquitlam.


Sightings for Wednesday, October 7th

The BLACK PHOEBE at Terra Nova Park in Richmond was seen again near the
abandoned house at 2500 River Road, and between there and the parking area
at the west end of River Road. It was very active and moving around a lot,
but
should be findable by birders willing to spend a bit of time to track it
down.

Seven BARN SWALLOWS and a SWAINSON'S THRUSH, both quite late, were
seen near 128th Street and 92nd Avenue in Surrey.

A BLACK OYSTERCATCHER and a BRANDT'S CORMORANT were seen at the end
of the Iona Island south jetty in Richmond.


Sightings for Tuesday, October 6th

Birds seen along the Boundary Bay dyke between 88th and 104th Streets in
Delta included a MARBLED GODWIT, 2 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS, and
a RED KNOT with about 800 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS. Also here were a late
BANK SWALLOW and 12 BARN SWALLOWS.

Seven MARBLED GODWITS and a LONG-BILLED CURLEW were seen again
at Blackie Spit in Surrey.

A bird thought at first to be a MURPHY'S PETREL, but later determined to be
a SOLANDER'S PETREL, a first for B.C., was seen and well photographed on a
pelagic
birding trip off Tofino on Vancouver Island.



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