This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Wednesday,
April 17th, 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 male BRAMBLING, present for more than 2 months and
seen at least through April 9th at a feeder at the rear of 868 West 17th
Avenue in Vancouver. The RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL, present in Queen's Park in
New Westminster since January 13th, was last reported on March 26th and has
almost certainly departed. The last SNOWY OWLS from the winter's invasion
were reported on April 5th.







Sightings for Tuesday, April 16th



The first BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER of the spring was noted at the
Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver, as were an AMERICAN PIPIT
and 24 EVENING GROSBEAKS.



A soaring GOLDEN EAGLE was watched by two observers near the Swan-e-set golf
course in Pitt Meadows.



At least 3 HERMIT THRUSHES were at Iona Island in Richmond along with a
number of other migrants.





Sightings for Monday, April 15th



Another TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was seen, this one near Kaslo and Oxford on the
east side of Vancouver.



A huge flock of at least 4000 BONAPARTE'S GULLS was milling on the waters of
Semiahmoo Bay, a short distance west of the White Rock Pier in White Rock.





Sightings for Sunday, April 14th



Two SORAS were still at the pond on the Port Coquitlam side of Colony Farm
Park, and a migrant HERMIT THRUSH was noted nearby.



Seven GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were at the west end of Burnaby Lake in
Burnaby, where they have been for a while.



At least 2500 BRANT were in a couple of large flocks on Roberts Bank in
Delta, between the ferry jetty and the coal port jetty.





Sightings for Saturday, April 13th



A GYRFALCON was seen in flight near the Burrard Street bridge in Vancouver.



Four AMERICAN PIPITS, the first migrants of the spring, were reported from
Ambleside Park in West Vancouver.



Three MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were seen along Thompson Road in Pitt Meadows.





Sightings for Friday, April 12th



A late PINE GROSBEAK was seen along the Grant Narrows "nature dyke" at the
south end of Pitt Lake, and single TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES were reported from
two localities in North Vancouver.





Sightings for Thursday, April 11th



Five MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS and two continuing SORAS were seen on the Port
Coquitlam side of Colony Farm Regional Park near Shaughnessy Avenue.



At White Rock, an estimated 1250 BONAPARTE'S GULLS were at the mouth of the
Little Campbell River.





Sightings for Wednesday, April 10th



A LONG-BILLED CURLEW at the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver
was a rare spring migrant.





Sightings for Tuesday, April 9th



The male BRAMBLING was reported again from the feeder in the lane behind 868
West 17th Avenue in Vancouver, where it has been since at least January 5th.





Sightings for Monday, April 8th



Five MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS and many singing COMMON YELLOWTHROATS were at Colony
Farm Regional Park in Port Coquitlam.





Sightings for Saturday, April 6th



Birds seen at and near Grant Narrows, at the south end of Pitt Lake,
included 3 TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRES, a drake CINNAMON TEAL, 2 SANDHILL CRANES,
an OSPREY, and a late PINE GROSBEAK. Not far away at Colony Farm (Port
Coquitlam) were a TURKEY VULTURE and another CINNAMON TEAL, plus the SORA in
the small marsh.





Sightings for Friday, April 5th



A RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, a rare spring migrant, was seen and photographed in
the 7800 block of Vivian Drive in Vancouver, next to the Fraserview Golf
Course.



Five TURKEY VULTURES near Brydon Lagoon in Langley were noteworthy. Another
one was at the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver.



Three SNOWY OWLS were still present near the foot of 64th Street on Boundary
Bay in Delta.



In Blaine, Washington, a flock of 500 BONAPARTE'S GULLS, plus a WHIMBREL,
were observed with other gulls on the intertidal flats north of Marine
Drive.





Sightings for Thursday, April 4th



A PINE GROSBEAK was seen in Burnaby Mountain Park, Burnaby (near the
Horizons Restaurant), where up to 5 have been seen over the last 2 weeks.





Sightings for Wednesday, April 3rd



Three MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS were reported from Colony Farm Regional Park, Port
Coquitlam.



Two SORAS found at the Maplewood Conservation Area were apparently early
arrivals.





Sightings for Tuesday, April 2nd



Two PINE GROSBEAKS and a hooting SOOTY GROUSE were at Burnaby Mountain Park
in Burnaby.



A MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE at the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver
was quite unusual.



Three GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were seen on the lawn near Lost Lagoon in
Vancouver's Stanley Park.



COMMON YELLOWTHROATS, the first of the year, were recorded at both Campbell
Valley Regional Park in Langley (3 birds) and at Colony Farm Regional Park,
Port Coquitlam.





Sightings for Monday, April 1st



The wintering CLAY-COLOURED SPARROW was still present at 1947 Fulton Avenue
in West Vancouver.



Two SORAS and a SANDHILL CRANE were seen on the Port Coquitlam side of
Colony Farm Regional Park. Not far away, the Pitt Meadows area produced an
OSPREY, 2 SANDHILL CRANES, and a TURKEY VULTURE.





For a summary of extremely rare bird sightings throughout British Columbia,
check "British Columbia Bird Alert" 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