This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Thursday,
December 31st, 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.

Happy New Year and good birding to everyone!


RARE BIRD ALERT for a WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, probably present since last May, in
the 21900 block of the Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge.

Another WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, the first for the Sunshine Coast region, was
present from mid-November at least through December 24th along Gower Point
Road near Kelly Road in Gibsons.

A GREAT GRAY OWL has reportedly been present for 2-3 weeks along the
northern edge of Colony Farm Regional Park in Port Coquitlam, and along the
Poco Trail north of there. Birders and photographers are requested to keep
their distance if they see it, and not harass this bird.


Sightings for Thursday, December 31st

In Delta, a first-year GLAUCOUS GULL was seen in a gull flock along Highway
10 near 88th Street, and several TUNDRA SWANS were along River Road near
Highway 99.

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, sightings included a BARRED OWL, 2
NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS, and 19 CEDAR WAXWINGS.


No sightings reported for Wednesday, December 30th


Sightings for Tuesday, December 29th

The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY was present with 4 STELLER'S JAYS in the 21900 block
of the Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge, and an AMERICAN DIPPER was along
Blaney Creek near the intersection of 144th Avenue and 224th Street in Maple
Ridge, a reliable spot for this locally-rare species.

Five RING-NECKED DUCKS were seen near the Captain's Cove Marina on Ferry
Road in Delta, where they have been for awhile.


Sightings for Monday, December 28th

A rare wintering SPOTTED SANDPIPER was seen again at the Maplewood
Conservation Area in North Vancouver.


Sightings for Sunday, December 27th

The Ladner Christmas Bird Count was held in good weather and posted a total
of 143 species, close to average. The highlights included 12 SANDHILL CRANES
(10 of them at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary); 6 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS,
also at Reifel; 3 GYRFALCONS along Boundary Bay; 19 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES;
a WILLET at the Tsawwassen ferry jetty; a LAPLAND LONGSPUR on Kirkland Road,
Westham Island; 3 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, 2 of them at Brunswick Point; 7
AMERICAN BITTERNS at Brunswick Point; an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER on southern
Lulu Island; 9 ANCIENT MURRELETS at Point Roberts, WA; and totals of at
least 68 RED CROSSBILLS, 16 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, and 16 BARN OWLS.

A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE in the 500 block of E 6th Avenue in Vancouver was a
rare find. So was a TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, which was seen along with 5
BAND-TAILED PIGEONS in the 2100 block of Bowser in North Vancouver.

The long-staying WESTERN SCRUB-JAY was still in the 21900 block of the
Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge.

Five GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were at Sunset Beach on English Bay in
Vancouver, where they have been for several weeks.


No sightings reported for Saturday, December 26th


Sightings for Friday, December 25th

Four MARBLED MURRELETS were seen from a ferry about 3 km off the Roberts
Bank coal port jetty in Delta. This species, once common locally, is
becoming harder and harder to find.


Sightings for Thursday, December 24th

A LINCOLN'S SPARROW, a CEDAR WAXWING, and 10 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were
seen near the foot of 64th Street in Delta, and 2 SAVANNAH SPARROWS along
64th near 34B Avenue.

The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY was still being seen along Gower Point Road in
Gibsons.


Sightings for Wednesday, December 23rd

The Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver produced a SNOW GOOSE and
a SPOTTED SANDPIPER, both unusual in that area.

In Langley, a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL was found at night along 208th Street
near 102B Avenue.


No sightings reported for December 21st or 22nd


Sightings for Sunday, December 20th

Foul weather resulted in a total of only 115 species on the Vancouver
Christmas Bird Count, the lowest in at least 30 years, with no unusual
species reported. The Squamish Christmas Bird Count on the same day tallied
58 species, also very low.


Sightings for Saturday, December 19th

A NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL was seen at the parking area for the Grouse Mountain
Skyride in North Vancouver, and a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was seen at an
undisclosed location in Burnaby.


Sightings for Friday, December 18th

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

An AMERICAN BITTERN was seen on the north side of Burnaby Lake in Burnaby.

A WESTERN SCREECH-OWL, increasingly rare in the Vancouver area, was reported
from Walnut Grove Park in Langley.


Sightings for Thursday, December 17th

The Christmas Bird Count at Pemberton recorded a respectable 55 species,
including 5 CLARK'S NUTCRACKERS and 2 BEWICK'S WRENS, both unusual in that
area.


Sightings for Wednesday, December 16th

The Christmas Bird Count at Whistler, north of Vancouver, tallied a very low
37 species, but 3 WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN seen right in town were unusual.


Sightings for Tuesday, December 15th

The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY was seen again on Gower Point Road in Gibsons


No sightings reported for December 13th or 14th


Sightings for Saturday, December 12th

The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY which has been present since May was still being seen
in the 21900 block of the Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge. Coincidentally,
another WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, reportedly present for up to a month, was
confirmed near the intersection of Gower Point Road and Kelly Road in
Gibsons, a first record for the Sunshine Coast.


No sightings reported for December 11th


Sightings for Thursday, December 10th

A GOLDEN EAGLE was seen and photographed along 112th Street south of Highway
99 in Delta. Nearby, on 88th Street, a GYRFALCON was observed.


Sightings for Wednesday, December 9th

An immature GYRFALCON was seen along 104th Street in Delta, near Boundary
Bay.

A TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, rare in winter, was seen in the 2100 block of 28th
Street in West Vancouver.


Sightings for Tuesday, December 8th

A SPOTTED SANDPIPER, rare in winter, was reported from the Maplewood
Conservation Area in North Vancouver.

Three different GYRFALCONS were seen along the north side of Boundary Bay in
Delta.


Sightings for Monday, December 7th

Two SANDHILL CRANES were seen on the airstrip north of the campground at
Lighthouse Marine Park in Point Roberts, Washington, a very unusual
location.

The BARN SWALLOW was seen again today at the Alaksen National Wildlife Area
in Delta.



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