This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Monday,
March 19th, 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.





This is a major SNOWY OWL flight year, with recent reports of up to 20 birds
near the foot of 72nd Street on Boundary Bay, plus 5 or 6 more in the
Brunswick Point area of Delta. Birders and photographers are asked to
observe SNOWY OWLS from a respectful distance, and to make every effort not
to flush or frighten off the owls. At least some of these owls are expected
to remain until the end of March or early April.



RARE BIRD ALERT for SNOWY OWLS at numerous localities, especially along
Boundary Bay and at Brunswick Point in Delta.



Out-of-town RARE BIRD ALERT for a HOARY REDEPOLL seen at the Hope Airport,
just west of Hope, with 52 COMMON REDPOLLS on March 17th.





Sightings for Monday, March 19th



Thirty EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES, a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, and the continuing
pair of CINNAMON TEAL were at Serpentine Fen WMA.



In Delta, the winter-resident WILLET was noted again near the base of the
Tsawwassen ferry jetty.



In Burnaby, the SAY'S PHOEBE was seen for a surprising fourth day in a row
in Deer Lake Park near the Shadbolt Centre.





Sightings for Sunday, March 18th



At the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver were an adult NORTHERN
GOSHAWK and 2 COMMON REDPOLLS.



Another 14 COMMON REDPOLLS were still at Deas Island Park in Delta.



The SAY'S PHOEBE was still present at the Shadbolt Centre in Deer Lake Park,
Burnaby, where it was flycatching from the building itself. At Piper Road on
nearby Burnaby Lake, the male EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL was still there.





Sightings for Saturday, March 17th



The SAY'S PHOEBE was seen again at the Shadbolt Centre and at nearby Deer
Lake in Burnaby's Deer Lake Park.



Twenty COMMON REDPOLLS were seen at Terra Nova Park in Richmond, and another
10 were at Deas Island Park in Delta. Also at Deas Island Park was a RUFOUS
HUMMINGBIRD, and 17 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were in nearby fields.



Four RED CROSSBILLS were at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, and 8 more
were with 500 PINE SISKINS along Millstream Road in the British Properties
area of West Vancouver.



Four BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS and 3 SANDHILL CRANES were still present at
the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta.



At Serpentine Fen WMA in Surrey, a pair of CINNAMON TEAL had arrived, and a
BARRED OWL (!) was seen in the small barn there.



A HOARY REDPOLL was reported with 52 COMMON REDPOLLS at the Hope Airport
just west of Hope, BC, where a HOARY REDPOLL was also noted on February
28th.



Twenty SNOWY OWLS were still present near the foot of 72nd Street on
Boundary Bay, where they have been ever since last November.





Sightings for Friday, March 16th



A SAY'S PHOEBE, the second one of the spring, was seen by two observers
along the north side of Deer Lake in Burnaby.





Sightings for Thursday, March 15th



Eighteen SNOWY OWLS and 2 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were seen near the foot of
72nd Street on Boundary Bay in Delta.





Sightings for Wednesday, March 14th



A flock of 35 COMMON REDPOLLS was seen at the Alaksen National Wildlife Area
in Delta, and another one was seen with PINE SISKINS in the 3600 block of
Shaughnessy Street in Port Coquitlam.





Sightings for Tuesday, March 13th



Two PINE GROSBEAKS were seen in North Vancouver near the Larson Elementary
School.



The male EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL, present for weeks, was reported again
from the Beach Grove Lagoon on Boundary Bay Regional Park, Delta.





Sightings for Monday, March 12th



The first RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD of the spring was reported in North Burnaby.





Sightings for Sunday, March 11th



The SAY'S PHOEBE was seen again at the Maplewood Conservation Area in North
Vancouver, as was a wintering SPOTTED SANDPIPER.



A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was reported from the intersection of 4th Avenue and
Victoria Street in Squamish, where it has been present for several weeks.



At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta were 2 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS, 3
SANDHILL CRANES, and at least 40 swallows, all of which appeared to be
VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS. Nearby were 5 MUTE SWANS near the Canoe Pass bridge
onto Westham Island (on the way to Reifel), plus at least 40 male EURASIAN
WIGEON in a small wigeon flock at Deltaport Way and 41B Street.





Sightings for Saturday, March 10th



A SAY'S PHOEBE was seen and photographed at the Maplewood Conservation Area
in North Vancouver, and an adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK was also there.



Three TURKEY VULTURES were reported along 72nd Street in Delta, south of
Highway 10.





Sightings for Thursday, March 8th



In Richmond, 4 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were still at Terra Nova Park
where they have been for several weeks.



The drake EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL was still at Piper Road on Burnaby Lake
in Burnaby, as were 9 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS and 16 TREE SWALLOWS.



A flock of 15 RED CROSSBILLS was seen in North Vancouver along Mt. Seymour
Parkway near the intersection with Berkley Road.





Sightings for Wednesday, March 7th



There were 19 SNOWY OWLS still present near the foot of 72nd Street on
Boundary Bay in Delta. At the Alaksen National Wildlife Area, also in
Delta, were 15 VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS and one BARN SWALLOW.





Sightings for Tuesday, March 6th



A drake EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL, as well as an intergrade EURASIAN x
AMERICAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL, was photographed near the foot of Piper Road on
the north side of Burnaby Lake in Burnaby.





Sightings for Sunday, March 4th



A YELLOW-BILLED LOON was reported from Oliver's Landing near the mouth of
Furry Creek, south of Britannia Beach on Highway 99.



The two HORNED LARKS were still present near the metal sculpture in Garry
Point Park in the Steveston area of Richmond.



A CLAY-COLOURED SPARROW was still coming to a feeder in the 1900 block of
Fulton in West Vancouver, where it has been present regularly since
December.





Sightings for Saturday, March 3rd



An immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK was seen in the northeastern part of Queen
Elizabeth Park, Vancouver





Sightings for Friday, March 2nd



On the southeast corner of Deltaport Way and 41B Street in Delta, at least
37 male EURASIAN WIGEON were seen in a relatively small flock of AMERICAN
WIGEON.



At Blaine, WA, at least 300 PACIFIC LOONS could be seen from the end of the
fishing pier on Marine Drive. This large flock of loons has been noted by a
number of observers over the previous 2-3 weeks.





Sightings for Thursday, March 1st



In Delta, an immature GYRFALCON was seen and photographed along Deltaport
Way.



Thirty COMMON REDPOLLS were seen at Brydon Lagoon in Langley, and 3 more at
the nearby Hi-Knoll Park in Surrey.



A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW was seen at 6905 Bradner Road in Abbotsford.







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 Wayne Weber at 604-597-7201, 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