This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Monday, May
23rd, 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 WANDERING TATTLER at the Tsawwassen ferry jetty and a
PALM WARBLER at Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver, both on May 21st; a BLACK
TERN at Iona Island on May 15th and 16th; a BAR-TAILED GODWIT at 96th Street
on Boundary Bay from May 8-12; and a BLACK PHOEBE at Everett Crowley Park in
Vancouver on May 8 and 9; and an out-of-town BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER seen and
photographed in Cawston on May 21st.





Sightings for Monday, May 23rd



There were no sightings of interest around Vancouver. However, a SABINE'S
GULL and a BLACK TERN were seen at the south end of Harrison Lake in
Harrison Hot Springs. Not far away, on Ferry Road near the south end of the
Agassiz- Rosedale Bridge, a singing LEAST FLYCATCHER was found, and an
AMERICAN REDSTART was near Kilby Provincial Park.





Sightings for Sunday, May 22nd



The only report of note was the FOY (first-of-year) PECTORAL SANDPIPER at
the Iona Island sewage ponds in Richmond, which was photographed.





Sightings for Saturday, May 21st



A WANDERING TATTLER on the north side of the Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta
was the FOY sighting for this very rare migrant.



A PALM WARBLER at Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver was even rarer; most
local sightings are in the fall.



A concentration of migrants near 5th Street and Mahon in North Vancouver
included 18 WESTERN TANAGERS, 15 WILSON'S WARBLERS, 12 VAUX'S SWIFTS, 8
WARBLING VIREOS, and a NASHVILLE WARBLER. At Ioco, near Port Moody, one
observer reported a NASHVILLE WARBLER and "hundreds" of WESTERN TANAGERS.



Grant Narrows Park and vicinity near Pitt Lake produced an AMERICAN REDSTART
and 2 EASTERN KINGBIRDS, both FOY sightings, plus a GRAY CATBIRD, 10
WARBLING VIREOS, and 50 VAUX'S SWIFTS.



Another VESPER SPARROW was seen at Harrison Hot Springs; it is now looking
like a regular migrant in this area, but barely meets that definition in
Vancouver. Nearby, in the vicinity of Kilby Park on the Harrison River,
sightings included 4 LAZULI BUNTINGS, several BULLOCK'S ORIOLES, and a
surprising BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD.





Sightings for Friday, May 20th



Five LONG-BILLED CURLEWS flying over Boundary Bay Regional Park in Delta
were quite unusual.



Two TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES at Camosun Bog in Pacific Spirit Park, Vancouver,
were quite late, and 3 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES there were the first for that
locality.



A GRAY CATBIRD along Rannie Road in Pitt Meadows, about 1 km west of the
Grant Narrows boat launch, was the FOY sighting.



Two female YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were seen at the Hope airport.





Sightings for Thursday, May 19th



A WESTERN KINGBIRD was noted in Colony Farm Park, Port Coquitlam, in an area
where the species has nested a couple of times in the past.



Birds seen along and near the Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta included 19
WHIMBRELS, 3 RED KNOTS, and 98 BRANT.



In Blaine, Washington, at least 100 COMMON TERNS and 80 CASPIAN TERNS were
seen at and near Semiahmoo Spit.





Sightings for Wednesday, May 18th



Birds of interest included a PARASITIC JAEGER off Iona Island and 2 more off
White Rock; a SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER at Iona, and another one near the foot
of 96th Street on Boundary Bay; 34 BRANT off the Tsawwassen Jetty in Delta,
and the 15 SNOW GEESE still along 34th Street in West Delta; a CACKLING
GOOSE and BANK SWALLOW at Iona Island; and 12 RED KNOTS at Blackie Spit in
Surrey.



At Hope, an adult FRANKLIN'S GULL along the Fraser River was highly unusual.





Sightings for Tuesday, May 17th



Two more DUSKY FLYCATCHERS were reported, one in North Burnaby and another
at Camosun Bog in Vancouver's Pacific Spirit Park.



Birds noted along the Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta included a RED KNOT,
16 BRANT, and 3 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS. Nearby, 17 late SNOW GEESE were near
34th Street in West Delta. Also in Delta, a PARASITIC JAEGER and 8 late
PACIFIC LOONS were observed from English Bluff Road in Tsawwassen.



Migrants noted at Grant Narrows Park in Pitt Meadows included 2
WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS and 6 TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES.





Sightings for Monday, May 16th



At Iona Island, the BLACK TERN and SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER seen on Sunday
were still present. Also there were a late CACKLING GOOSE, 2 REDHEADS, and
at least one BLACK SWIFT.



One PARASITIC JAEGER was still being seen off the White Rock pier in White
Rock.



At the Hope airport, 8 VESPER SPARROWS and 2 late MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were
still present.





Sightings for Sunday, May 15th



At Iona Island in Richmond, noteworthy birds included a BLACK TERN, 2
WILSON'S PHALAROPES, a VESPER SPARROW, and a SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER. Also of
interest were a NASHVILLE WARBLER and 4 BULLOCK'S ORIOLES at Grant Narrows
in Pitt Meadows, and 9 late GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE near Brunswick Point
in Delta.



At the Hope airport, intensive coverage produced a SWAINSON'S HAWK, a
RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, 3 LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS, 28 (!) VESPER SPARROWS, 30 BANK
SWALLOWS, and 60 AMERICAN PIPITS.



Near Harrison Hot Springs, 2 more LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS and an EASTERN
KINGBIRD were found. Nearby, a BLACK TERN was at Eagle Point in Harrison
Mills.





Sightings for Saturday, May 14th



Three PARASITIC JAEGERS off the White Rock pier were the FOY sighting. Also
of note were 25 WHIMBRELS at Blackie Spit and an AMERICAN BITTERN and 4
WILSON'S PHALAROPES at Serpentine Fen, both localities in Surrey.



A DUSKY FLYCATCHER and a NASHVILLE WARBLER, both rare migrants, were banded
at the Colony Farm banding station in Port Coquitlam.



An immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK seen flying over the intersection of Kingsway
and Griffiths in Burnaby and a BLUE-WINGED TEAL at Maplewood in North
Vancouver were both of interest.



The Hope airport continued to produce good birds, including a remarkable 6
LEWIS'S WOODPECKERS, a WESTERN KINGBIRD, 2 VESPER SPARROWS, and 6 NASHVILLE
WARBLERS. Two more VESPER SPARROWS were found at Harrison Hot Springs.





Sightings for Friday, May 13th



A BULLOCK'S ORIOLE just north of the Boundary Bay Airport in Delta was the
FOY (first of year) sighting. Not far away near Hornby Drive at 96th Street
were a PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER and 5 WHIMBRELS.



The FOY BLACK SWIFT was seen at Boundary Bay Regional Park in Delta, and a
LONG-BILLED CURLEW was reported from the Tsawwassen ferry jetty.



At the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver, noteworthy sightings
included the FOY WESTERN KINGBIRD, a DUSKY FLYCATCHER, and a WHITE-THROATED
SPARROW.



Three VESPER SPARROWS at Colony Farm Park in Coquitlam were surprising for
this rare spring migrant.



In the Fraser Valley, notable sightings included a WESTERN KINGBIRD just
east of Chilliwack; 2 VESPER SPARROWS, a BANK SWALLOW, and 2 WHITE-THROATED
SPARROWS at Harrison Hot Springs; and another WESTERN KINGBIRD, 4 LEWIS'S
WOODPECKERS, a DUSKY FLYCATCHER, and a VESPER SPARROW at the Hope airport.





Sightings for Thursday, May 12th



A GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCH was reported from Iona Island in Richmond; also
there was a SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, rare in spring.



The BAR-TAILED GODWIT, first found on May 8th, was still on Boundary Bay
near the foot of 96th Street. Nearby, 14 WHIMBRELS were in a field nearby,
at Hornby Drive and 96th Street. A GOLDEN EAGLE was seen near the Vancouver
landfill in Delta.



The FOY WARBLING VIREOS were reported from Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby,
Harbourside Park in North Vancouver, and Elgin Heritage Park in Surrey.



Two WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS were seen in Belcarra, and another one at the
Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver. A CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD was
also found in North Vancouver, and 2 CHIPPING SPARROWS were at 5th and Mahon
in North Vancouver.



Notable birds at the Hope airport included a LEWIS'S WOODPECKER and 3 DUSKY
FLYCATCHERS.





Sightings for Wednesday, May 11th



At Blaine, WA, at least 80 COMMON TERNS and 50 CASPIAN TERNS were seen
around the marina on Semiahmoo Spit.



In the Chilliwack area, 2 BLACK-NECKED STILTS and 2 AMERICAN AVOCETS, both
extremely rare migrants, and a PECTORAL SANDPIPER, not quite so rare, were
found along Gibson Road near Prairie Central Road. Not far away, along
Chilliwack Central Road near Annis Road, a WILSON'S PHALAROPE and a
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE were seen in wet fields, as were a SEMIPALMATED
SANDPIPER and a SOLITARY SANDPIPER.



The Hope Airport just west of Hope continued to produce rare birds,
including 3 VESPER SPARROWS, 8 DUSKY FLYCATCHERS, and a CALLIOPE
HUMMINGBIRD.





Sightings for Tuesday, May 10th



The BAR-TAILED GODWIT near the foot of 96th Street in Delta, first seen on
May 8th, was found again and photographed. One PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER was
still in a field on Westham Island in Delta.



The long-staying WESTERN SCRUB-JAY was reported for the first time in a
while from Terra Nova Park in Richmond.



Two female PURPLE MARTINS and two YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS were at Iona
Island in Richmond.





Sightings for Monday, May 9th



A GREEN HERON was seen at Jericho Park in Vancouver, and another one at the
Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver.



The BLACK PHOEBE was still present at Everett Crowley Park in Vancouver.



Two CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRDS were seen near the Hope Airport.





Sightings for Sunday, May 8th



A BLACK PHOEBE, the second one this spring, was seen and photographed near
Avalon Pond in Everett Crowley Park in Vancouver.



A BAR-TAILED GODWIT, almost unknown in spring, was reported from near the
foot of 96th Street in Delta.



Fourteen GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby were very
unusual, as were two more on Sheridan Hill in Pitt Meadows.



Fifty WHIMBREL from fields along 8th Avenue east of 176th Street in Surrey,
a regular spring location, were the first report from that spot this year.
Meanwhile, 2 LONG-BILLED CURLEWS appeared near the north end of Hale Road in
Pitt Meadows. A GREEN HERON was reported from Surrey Lake Park in Surrey.



This was the last day for the WHITE-THROATED SPARROW on Bowser Avenue in
North Vancouver.



At the Hope airport, a LEWIS'S WOODPECKER, 2 VESPER SPARROWS and 12
TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES were of interest.







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, Larry at 604-465-1402, 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