This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Friday,
January 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.



This is an abbreviated RBA update; I will provide a more comprehensive
update after I return from a short trip next Tuesday.





RARE BIRD ALERT for up to 29 SNOWY OWLS at and near the foot of 64th and
72nd Streets on Boundary Bay in Delta, with scattered individuals elsewhere;
a BRAMBLING, present for at least 3 weeks in shrubbery at the back of 868
West 17th Avenue in Vancouver, and easily seen from the back lane; and a
BAIKAL TEAL, briefly seen on January 10th in fields near the base of the
Roberts Bank jetty in Delta (near Deltaport Way).





OUT-OF-TOWN RARE BIRD ALERT for a CITRINE WAGTAIL near Courtenay, BC, only
the second for North America, found on November 14th and still being seen
somewhat regularly through January 9th. For updates on this bird, please
check the Vancouver Island e-mail group at
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BCVIBIRDS>
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BCVIBIRDS . Also on Vancouver Island, near
Victoria, a BRAMBLING has been seen since January 10th near Foul Bay Road
and Forrester Street; a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER has been seen near Watson
Street and Dean Avenue, very close to where the BRAMBLING is; and a BROWN
PELICAN flew past McMicking Point on January 8th, although the 2-3 birds
that remained in Victoria Harbour until January 5th appear to be gone.





Sightings for Friday, January 11th



The continuing BRAMBLING was still present with House Sparrows in shrubbery
behind 868 West 17th Avenue in Vancouver.



Eight SNOWY OWLS and a GYRFALCON were reported near the base of the Roberts
Bank Jetty in Delta.





Sightings for Thursday, January 10th



A BAIKAL TEAL was reportedly seen with other ducks in fields near the base
of the Roberts Bank jetty in Delta, but could not be found the following
day.



One WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL and many RED CROSSBILLS were seen along the
Conifer Loop Trail on the north side of Burnaby Lake in Burnaby. Also of
interest was an AMERICAN DIPPER at the dam on the east end of Burnaby Lake.



Three EARED GREBES, along with 90 HORNED GREBES and a WESTERN GULL, were
seen near the White Rock pier in White Rock.



At Blackie Spit Park in Surrey, the LONG-BILLED CURLEW and 3 MARBLED
GODWITS, which have been present all winter, were seen again.



Along 40th Avenue (Mud Bay Road) in Surrey, birds seen included 13 GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED GEESE, a SNOWY OWL, 5 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, and 11
BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS.





Sightings for Wednesday, January 9th



A first-year GLAUCOUS GULL was seen in gull flocks along 72nd Street in
Delta, south of Highway 10.



5 PINE GROSBEAKS were still in Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver, and the
BRAMBLING was still easily seen behind 868 West 17th Avenue in Vancouver.



Twenty WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were in a Sitka spruce along the Conifer Loop
Trail at Burnaby Lake in Burnaby, and a EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL was among
many ducks at the foot of Piper Road on Burnaby Lake.



The CITRINE WAGTAIL, present since November, was seen again in fields north
of the Comox-Courtenay Road on Vancouver Island.





Sightings for Monday, January 7th



The BRAMBLING was seen and photographed by many observers from the laneway
behind 868 West 17th Avenue in Vancouver, and 5 PINE GROSBEAKS were feeding
on the south side of the pitch and putt golf course nearby in Queen
Elizabeth Park.





Sightings for Saturday, January 5th



A RUDDY TURNSTONE, very rare in winter, was with BLACK TURNSTONES at
Lighthouse Marine Park on Point Roberts, WA, and a TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE was
nearby near Gate G at the Point Roberts Marina.







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