This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Saturday,
August 11th, 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.



We would like to welcome all those attending the 5th North American
Ornithological Conference in Vancouver, and we hope some of you will take
the opportunity to enjoy some local birding while you are here.







Sightings for Saturday, August 11th



Birds seen at the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver included a
GREEN HERON, 6 TURKEY VULTURES, 4 OSPREYS, 2 VIRGINIA RAILS, and at least 36
PURPLE MARTINS.



At Grant Narrows and vicinity, at the south end of Pitt Lake, 6 OSPREYS, 5
EASTERN KINGBIRDS, a GRAY CATBIRD, and a BULLOCK'S ORIOLE were reported.





Sightings for Thursday, August 9th



Four SURFBIRDS were seen and photographed at the tip of the Iona Island
south jetty in Richmond.





Sightings for Tuesday, August 7th



Birds of interest seen along the Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta included 70
BLACK TURNSTONES, one SURFBIRD, and one WHIMBREL. Birders should note that,
due to construction work along the jetty, the small parking area on the
north side near the "compensation lagoon" is closed at least temporarily.



Also of interest in Delta were a juvenile FRANKLIN'S GULL and 10 RED-NECKED
PHALAROPES in the Highway 17 ponds just north of Deltaport Way, and a
WILSON'S PHALAROPE, 2 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES, and 3 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS
at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary.





Sightings for Sunday, August 5th



A GRAY CATBIRD seen well at the pedestrian footbridge at the west end of
Lost Lagoon in Vancouver's Stanley Park was very unusual for that area.



Shorebirds of note seen near the foot of 104th Street on Boundary Bay in
Delta included 40 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, at least 2000 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS,
2 RUDDY TURNSTONES, 10 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, 3 BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS, a
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, and two out-of-season DUNLIN.



Birds seen at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta included 3 SANDHILL CRANES,
a WILSON'S PHALAROPE, and two summering CACKLING GEESE.





Sightings for Saturday, August 4th



An AMERICAN BITTERN in the marsh at Brunswick Point in Delta, near the west
end of River Road, was a rare sighting but somewhat expected in that area.





Sightings for Friday, August 3rd



Fourteen COMMON NIGHTHAWKS, a high number, were reported flying overhead
near 21st and Gordon in West Vancouver.



At Lighthouse Marine Park in Point Roberts, WA were 2 HEERMANN'S GULLS and
21 SANDERLINGS on the beach.



Shorebirds noted in the Roberts Bank area of Delta included a RED KNOT, a
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER, and 6 DUNLIN, unusual in July.





Sightings for Wednesday, August 1st



A large flock of 40 RED CROSSBILLS was seen at Woodhaven Swamp in the
Belcarra area.



Shorebirds seen near the foot of 96th Street on Boundary Bay in Delta
included 10 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, 10 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, and a BAIRD'S
SANDPIPER.





Sightings for Sunday, July 29th



The RED-NECKED STINT was seen for the third successive day near the foot of
96th Street on Boundary Bay in Delta.



Birds seen at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta included 3 SANDHILL CRANES,
a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, and a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE.





Sightings for Saturday, July 28th



The RED-NECKED STINT was seen again by numerous observers between 96th and
104th Streets on Boundary Bay, and was photographed, and the RUDDY
TURNSTONE, or another one, was found east of 112th Street. Three adult RED
KNOTS and 9 BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS were also near 104th Street.



At Roberts Creek on BC'S Sunshine Coast, a short ferry ride from Vancouver,
a winter-plumaged YELLOW-BILLED LOON was seen well by two observers near the
foot of Marlene Street.





Sightings for Friday, July 27th



An adult RED-NECKED STINT in fading breeding plumage, a species seen only a
few times per decade, was found near the foot of 96th Street on Boundary Bay
in Delta. Nearby were 7 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, 4 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES,
and many other shorebirds.





Sightings for Thursday, July 26th



The WANDERING TATTLER was seen again about halfway out the Iona Island South
Jetty in Richmond, as was a juvenile FRANKLIN'S GULL. Nearby, 2 RED-NECKED
PHALAROPES were in the "outer pond" at Iona (outside the sewage plant).





Sightings for Wednesday, July 25th



A WANDERLING TATTLER, a very rare migrant, was seen along the Iona Island
South Jetty in Richmond.





Sightings for Tuesday, July 24th



64 SANDERLINGS and at least 35 RHINOCEROS AUKLETS were seen near Lighthouse
Marine Park on Point Roberts, Washington.



In Vancouver, a CALIFORNIA QUAIL suddenly appeared in a backyard near 34th
Avenue and Pine Crescent, and is suspected of having been released from
captivity somewhere.



The COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD in Gibsons was still attending a feeder. It has been
well photographed.





Sightings for Sunday, July 22nd



The RUDDY TURNSTONE was seen again on Boundary Bay, as was an early
PARASITIC JAEGER.





Sightings for Saturday, July 21st



Many shorebirds were seen near the foot of 96th Street on Boundary Bay in
Delta, including 2500 WESTERN SANDPIPERS, 50 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, a
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE, and a RUDDY TURNSTONE.





Sightings for Friday, July 20th



Two adult HUDSONIAN GODWITS were found along the Boundary Bay shoreline in
Delta between 88th and 96th Streets. Also here were many other shorebirds
including 2 BAIRD'S and 6 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS.



A BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER was seen well near the intersection of Bridgeman
and Parker in Gibsons, just across Howe Sound from Vancouver. Also in
Gibsons, a male COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD was found and photographed at a feeder.





Sightings for Wednesday, July 18th



At Sandspit in BC's Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii), a COMMON
GREENSHANK, the first for BC, was reportedly well seen, but has not been
seen since this date.





Sightings for Sunday, July 15th



Four WHIMBRELS were reported from the north side of the Tsawwassen ferry
jetty in Delta.



In Surrey, 8 TURKEY VULTURES and 50 BLACK SWIFTS were seen over Barnston
Island in the Fraser River.





Sightings for Saturday, July 14th



About 500 CASPIAN TERNS, along with a PEREGRINE FALCON (rare in summer) and
200 WESTERN SANDPIPERS, were seen at Brunswick Point in Delta.







For a summary of extremely rare bird sightings throughout British Columbia,
check "British Columbia Bird Alert" by Russell Cannings at
<http://bcbirdalert.blogspot.com> http://bcbirdalert.blogspot.com .





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>
http://www.naturevancouver.ca/Birding_Birding_Sites





If you have any questions about birds or birding in the Vancouver area,
please call Larry Cowan at 604-465-1402, or Viveka Ohman at 604-531-3401.



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





Wayne C. Weber

Delta, BC

<mailto:contopus at telus.net> contopus at telus.net