This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Thursday,
February 10th, 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 phone the main number again
at (604) 737-3074, press "2" for the rare bird reporting line, and follow
the instructions given there.





RARE BIRD ALERT for a NORTHERN HAWK OWL on Westham Island in Delta, present
daily since December 2nd; an ACORN WOODPECKER at a filbert orchard on Fore
Road just west of Highway 11 in Matsqui (Abbotsford), present since December
27th, but often elusive; a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD at 5744 River Road in Delta,
just east of Ladner; and a WESTERN SCRUB-JAY at Strathcona Park in
Vancouver, plus another one in Maple Ridge on Cliff Avenue, and one more at
Terra Nova Park in Richmond.





Sightings for Thursday, February 10th



The long-staying NORTHERN HAWK OWL was still easily seen and photographed
near the right-angle turn on Westham Island Road, on the way to the Reifel
Bird Sanctuary in Delta. Birds noted at the Reifel Sanctuary included 2
NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS, 2 adult BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, 8 SANDHILL
CRANES, and a NORTHERN GOSHAWK, and 3 MUTE SWANS were close to the Westham
Island swing bridge.





There were no sightings reported for Wednesday, February 9th





Sightings for Tuesday, February 8th



A WESTERN SCRUB-JAY was well seen at the community gardens just west of
Strathcona Park in Vancouver, where one or two have been seen since October.
Also here was a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER.



The elusive GYRFALCON was rediscovered, this time on a fence post on the
turf farm just west of 72nd Street in Delta.



Two MARBLED MURRELETS and 60 COMMON MURRES were seen from Lighthouse Marine
Park in Point Roberts, WA.





There were no sightings reported for February 6th or 7th





Sightings for Saturday, February 5th



The ACORN WOODPECKER was seen again by two observers at the filbert orchard
on Fore Road in Matsqui, just west of Highway 11.



Four BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS were noted again at the Maplewood Conservation Area
in North Vancouver.



In Surrey, a surprising flock of 25 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, along with one
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, were seen at a manure pile along 140th Street just
north of 40th Avenue.



A "big bike day" in Delta produced 101 species, including a BARN SWALLOW
along 96th Street; the immature HARRIS'S SPARROW in the 5200 block of 96th
Street; two GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE at Beach Grove; 4 BAND-TAILED
PIGEONS along Enderby Avenue in the Beach Grove area; 3 EARED GREBES and a
SNOW BUNTING along the Tsawwassen Jetty; the NORTHERN HAWK-OWL on Westham
Island; 2 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS and 2 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS at the
Reifel Bird Sanctuary, and an immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK at the Alaksen
National Wildlife Area.





Sightings for Friday, February 4th



Six GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and 7 EURASIAN WIGEON were seen with almost
600 TRUMPETER SANS and other geese and ducks from John Oliver Park in Delta.
Nearby, 6 MUTE SWANS were near the Westham Island bridge.



Along Sylvester Road NE of Mission in the Fraser Valley were a surprisingly
large flock of 750 CACKLING GEESE, along with one SNOW GOOSE and one GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. A GYRFALCON was also seen chasing the geese.





Sightings for Thursday, February 3rd



The immature HARRIS'S SPARROW, present since December, was seen again in the
5200 block of 96th Street in Delta, and 5 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were
with the swan and goose flock just west of John Oliver Park on Highway 10 in
Delta.



A HARLAN'S RED-TAILED HAWK was seen at Marion and Campbell Roads in
Abbotsford, and another in the Greendale area of Chilliwack.





Sightings for Wednesday, February 2nd



The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY at Cliff Avenue and Cliff Place in Maple Ridge,
present since June of 2009, was reported again.



The NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was still present at 5744 River Road in Delta, just
east of Ladner, Nearby, 15 MOURNING DOVES were at Ladner Harbour Park. Also
in Delta, a EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL and a BARN SWALLOW were at Beach
Grove on the west side of Boundary Bay.



In North Vancouver, 5 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS and 9 GREATER YELLOWLEGS were
observed at the Maplewood Conservation Area.



The TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was still present at the lawn bowling pitch in
Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver.





Sightings for Tuesday, February 1st



The NORTHERN HAWK-OWL was still being seen along Westham Island Road in
Delta.



Six BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS were seen in the West End of Vancouver, near the
intersection of Bute and Barclay Streets.



A NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL was found in West Vancouver at about the 1 km mark on
the Eagle Lake Road, which can be accessed by walking in from the Cypress
Bowl Road.



Along the shoreline in White Rock, 200 PACIFIC LOONS and at least 12 EARED
GREBES were seen.



The wintering LONG-BILLED CURLEW and 3 MARBLED GODWITS were noted again at
Blackie Spit in Surrey. Also there was a bird which was either a EURASIAN
GREEN-WINGED TEAL or an intergrade between this form and an AMERICAN
GREEN-WINGED TEAL.





Sightings for Monday, January 31st



At Blackie Spit in Surrey, the wintering LONG-BILLED CURLEW and 5 MARBLED
GODWITS were still present.



The NORTHERN HAWK OWL was seen as usual near the 90-degree bend on Westham
Island Road, and an adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK was photographed at the Reifel
Bird Sanctuary in Delta.



One BARN SWALLOW was still at the Beach Grove Lagoon in Delta, where 2 were
seen on the 29th.



The Boundary Bay GYRFALCON was seen today on 112th Street in Delta, near the
railway crossing.



The adult HARRIS'S SPARROW was still at the end of Lakemount Road along the
Sumas River in Abbotsford.





Sightings for Sunday, January 30th



The ACORN WOODPECKER was well observed at and near the filbert orchard on
Fore Road in Matsqui (Abbotsford), just west of Highway 11.



Another EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL was found at the Beach Grove lagoon in
Delta (east foot of 12th Avenue).



A RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER was noted at the Maplewood Conservation Area in
North Vancouver.





Sightings for Saturday, January 29th



The ACORN WOODPECKER on Fore Road in Matsqui was reported for the first time
in more than a week. It has been there since December 27th.



More BARN SWALLOWS were reported-- two at the Beach Grove lagoon, at the
east foot of 12th Avenue on Boundary Bay in Delta.



The 6 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and 25 CACKLING GEESE were still with the
swans near John Oliver Park on Highway 10 in Delta.





Sightings for Friday, January 28th



At Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, 6 BONAPARTE'S GULLS and 2 BARN
SWALLOWS, both highly unusual in January, were seen offshore.



In Delta, 7 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were near the foot of 72nd Street, and the
NORTHERN HAWK OWL was still on Westham Island.





Sightings for Thursday, January 27th



Five BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS were seen near the entrance to the Maplewood
Conservation Area in North Vancouver.



The adult GYRFALCON was seen again at the foot of 96th Street in Delta.

Nearby, 6 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE and at least 20 CACKLING GEESE were
with 500 TRUMPETER SWANS in a field south of Highway 10 and east of 112th
Street. The NORTHERN HAWK OWL was still on Westham Island Road, and 2
NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS and an AMERICAN BITTERN were at the Reifel Bird
Sanctuary.



In the Chilliwack area, a first-year GLAUCOUS GULL was near Maguire Road at
Banford, and a HARLAN'S RED-TAILED HAWK was along Prairie Central Road near
Gibsons Road.



Two YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were still at the Iona Island sewage ponds in
Richmond.





Sightings for Wednesday, January 26th



The NORTHERN HAWK OWL was still being seen at the bend on Westham Island
Road in Delta, and a NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL was at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary.
Nearby, a EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL was at the Westham Island bridge.



Just east of Ladner, the NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was still at 5744 River Road
in Delta. West of Ladner, 11 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were seen along 33A Avenue
east of 34th Street.



The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY in Maple Ridge was noted again near Cliff Avenue and
Carshill Street, close to where it has been since June 2009.



A TOWNSEND'S WARBLER was seen near the Nature House at Burnaby Lake in
Burnaby.



In the Abbotsford area east of Vancouver, the adult HARRIS'S SPARROW was
still with other sparrows near the end of Lakemount Drive. In Sumas Prairie,
2 GYRFALCONS were still present, the immature at McDermott and Campbell
Roads, and the adult at Bowman and Wells Line Roads. Also of interest were
75 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES near McDermott and Wells Line Roads, and 12
TUNDRA SWANS with TRUMPETER SWANS near No. 3 Road and Tolmie Road.





Sightings for Tuesday, January 25th



The long-staying WESTERN SCRUB-JAY at Terra Nova Park in Richmond was seen
and photographed.



A RHINOCEROS AUKLET at Klootchman Park in West Vancouver was a rare winter
sighting.





Sightings for Sunday, January 23rd



The NORTHERN HAWK OWL was still being seen near the 90-degree bend on
Westham Island Road in Delta, as was one NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL at the Reifel
Bird Sanctuary.



At least 6 SHORT-EARED OWLS were seen at and near the foot of 72nd Street in
Delta, and nearby were 9 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES.



Three RHINOCEROS AUKLETS were seen with 2 COMMON MURRES off Acadia Beach at
Point Grey in Vancouver.





Sightings for Saturday, January 22nd



In Vancouver, the 2 WESTERN SCRUB-JAYS were still near the community gardens
in Strathcona Park.



In Delta, 2 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS and a VIRGINIA RAIL were at the Reifel
Bird Sanctuary, and the NORTHERN HAWK OWL was along the Westham Island Road.



At Iona Island in Richmond were an adult WESTERN GULL, 5 WESTERN
MEADOWLARKS, a SHORT-EARED OWL, and an AMERICAN BITTERN.





Sightings for Friday, January 21st



Three GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES were seen in Harrison Hot Springs, near the
boat launch parking area on the lake. Apparently they have been there for
several weeks.



At Iona Island in Richmond were an adult WESTERN GULL, 2 WESTERN
MEADOWLARKS, and 2 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS.











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 or Viveka at 604-531-3401.



Thank you for calling the Vancouver Rare Bird Alert, and good birding.





Wayne C. Weber

Delta, BC

contopus at telus.net