Subject: [Tweeters] Vancouver, BC RBA for April 13, 2010
Date: Apr 15 07:56:21 2010
From: Wayne Weber - contopus at telus.net


This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Tuesday,
April 13th, 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 WESTERN SCRUB-JAY in the 21900 block of the Lougheed
Highway in Maple Ridge, which has been present for at least 9 months.


Sightings for Tuesday, April 13th

A female MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD and 3 AMERICAN BITTERNS were seen at the Reifel
Bird Sanctuary in Delta.

A YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD and a late AMERICAN TREE SPARROW were at Iona
Beach Regional Park in Richmond.


Sightings for Monday, April 12th

Nine SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS at Beach Grove in Delta were the first of the
spring. Nearby, two MUTE SWANS were present near the Westham Island bridge
in Delta, and a late NORTHERN SHRIKE was along Westham Island Road.

Two BONAPARTE'S GULLS, a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, and several MOUNTAIN
BLUEBIRDS were noteworthy at Green Lake in Whistler, north of Vancouver.

Nine GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were still on Neaves Road in Pitt Meadows.


Sightings for Sunday, April 11th

Two YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS, the first of the spring, appeared in the north
outer pond at Iona Island, Richmond. An AMERICAN TREE SPARROW and a GADWALL
x MALLARD hybrid were also seen at Iona. Two CASPIAN TERNS at Iona were also
the first of the spring.

Four MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS, 2 males and 2 females, were present in Boundary Bay
Regional Park at the same location as the single bird the previous day.
Three MARBLED GODWITS were also seen at the Beach Grove lagoon in this park.

A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was seen briefly in the 3700 block of West 23rd
Avenue in Vancouver.

A flock of 9 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE was seen in a field in Pitt
Meadows, east of Neaves Road and south of Thompson Road.

Two BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS were seen along the Tsawwassen ferry jetty in
Delta.


Sightings for Saturday, April 10th

A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE appeared at Burnaby Mountain Park in Burnaby.

Another MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD was found near the observation tower at Boundary
Bay Regional Park in Delta. A TURKEY VULTURE was also seen nearby.

Noteworthy birds from Iona Beach Regional Park in Richmond included a
NORTHERN SHRIKE and an AMERICAN TREE SPARROW, both rather late. Another
NORTHERN SHRIKE was seen on 88th Avenue west of 176th Street in Surrey.


Sightings for Friday, April 9th

Birds reported from the Beach Grove area of Delta (in Boundary Bay Regional
Park) included two MARBLED GODWITS, a EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL, a VIRGINIA
RAIL, and 2 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS.

An AMERICAN BITTERN was seen in Richmond in the SW corner of Terra Nova
Park.

Three SANDHILL CRANES seen flying over the Maplewood Conservation Area in
North Vancouver were quite unusual.

A migrating TURKEY VULTURE was seen over the Alaksen National Wildlife Area
in Delta.


Sightings for Thursday, April 8th

A GOLDEN EAGLE was seen in flight over Burnaby Mountain Park in Burnaby.

An immature GYRFALCON along 40th Avenue near 140th Street in Surrey was
quite late for this species.


Sightings for Wednesday, April 7th

Three SAGE SPARROWS, a rare species anywhere in BC, were seen well in
Whistler at the Nicklaus North Golf Course. However, they could not be found
again the next day.

An early COMMON YELLOWTHROAT was seen at Surrey Lake Park on 152nd Street in
Surrey.


Sightings for Tuesday, April 6th

The SAY'S PHOEBE was reported by multiple observers at Iona Beach Regional
Park in Richmond, and was photographed as well. Also there were a NORTHERN
SHRIKE, a LAPLAND LONGSPUR, two AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, and a LONG-BILLED
CURLEW.

The first OSPREY of the spring was seen at the VanDusen Gardens in
Vancouver, and caught a fish from one of the ponds there.

A NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW was seen in the Beach Grove area of Delta,
and a NORTHERN SHRIKE was near the foot of 64th Street.


Sightings for Monday, April 5th

The first COMMON YELLOWTHROAT of the spring was noted at the Alaksen
National Wildlife Area in Delta.

A TURKEY VULTURE was reported from the 22nd Street SkyTrain station in New
Westminster.

A SAY'S PHOEBE, the third one reported this spring, was seen near the
restrooms at Iona Beach Regional Park in Richmond.

A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was observed in the Murrayville district of
Langley.


Sightings for Sunday, April 4th

Two GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were seen at the foot of Piper Road on the
north side of Burnaby Lake in Burnaby.


Sightings for Saturday, April 3rd

The monthly bird count at the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver
reported a EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL, 2 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS, and 7 RED
CROSSBILLS. Another BLACK OYSTERCATCHER was seen on the beach near Point
Grey in Vancouver.


Sightings for Monday, March 29th

Seven AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS were still present near the restrooms at Iona
Beach Regional Park in Richmond, and a female REDHEAD and an AMERICAN
BITTERN were at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta.

An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, the first of the spring, was reported from Queen
Elizabeth Park in Vancouver.


Sightings for Sunday, March 28th

Three MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS, a male and two females, were seen along Ferguson
Road on Sea Island, where two had been the day before.

A TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, likely a wintering bird, was seen on Bowser Avenue in
North Vancouver, and 3 RED CROSSBILLS were at the nearby Maplewood
Conservation Area.

The wintering WILLET was seen again at the base of the Tsawwassen ferry
jetty in Delta, and an AMERICAN KESTREL was seen nearby.


Sightings for Saturday, March 27th

A SAY'S PHOEBE, the second one of the spring, was seen just north of
Lighthouse Marine Park at Point Roberts, WA.

The two MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were observed again along Ferguson Road on Sea
Island, Richmond.

The first CINNAMON TEAL of the year was seen in Pitt Meadows at McKechnie
Road and Old Dewdney Trunk Road. Nearby, the first NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED
SWALLOW of the year, plus an AMERICAN BITTERN, were seen in the Blaney Bog
area along 224th Street in Maple Ridge.


Sightings for Friday, March 26th

Two MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were seen along Ferguson Road on Sea Island in
Richmond, and two WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were on nearby Iona Island.

Eight BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS were at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver.


Sightings for Thursday, March 25th

Birds seen at the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver included 2
BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS, 4 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, and a high count of at least
50 CALIFORNIA GULLS.

Numerous spring migrants including 250 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS, 50 TREE
SWALLOWS, 9 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, and 5 RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS were seen at
the Alaksen NWA in Delta. An AMERICAN BITTERN was seen nearby along Canoe
Pass on Westham Island.


Sightings for Wednesday, March 24th

A flock of 40 AMERICAN PIPITS was seen near the entrance to the Alaksen NWA
in Delta, and at least 20 SAVANNAH SPARROWS were seen along roads near the
base of the Roberts Bank jetty, also in Delta.

Five RING-NECKED DUCKS were seen on a pond at Green Timbers Park in Surrey.


Sightings for Monday, March 22nd

A TURKEY VULTURE was noted in North Vancouver near Capilano Road at the
Upper Levels Highway, and another one in Burnaby over the Simon Fraser
University campus.


Sightings for Sunday, March 21st

The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY was seen again in the 21900 block of the Lougheed
Highway in Maple Ridge, where it has been since June 2009. However, it is
being seen there less and less often.



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