Vancouver Rare Bird Alert Transcript

This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Saturday,
April 28th, 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 Great Egret seen along the Fraser River at Terra Nova
Park in Richmond, near the west end of River Road, on April 28th.

Out-of-town RARE BIRD ALERT for 4 Black-necked Stilt seen near Victoria, on
April 24th at Panama Flats and from April 25th to 28th at Maber Flats, off
Wallace Drive.

Bird activity has been very hectic over the last few days, and my apologies
if I've overlooked any important sightings!

Sightings for Saturday, April 28th

A Great Egret was reported from the edge of the Fraser River (Middle Arm) at
Terra Nova Park in Richmond, at the very west end of River Road.

An astounding 2000 Yellow-rumped Warbler (about 50% AUDUBON'S and 50%
MYRTLE) were reported from Iona Island. Also there were 38 GREATER
WHITE-FRONTED goose, 2 drake Wood Duck, and 4 Cinnamon Teal, and the Vesper
Sparrow was seen again just north of the washrooms among beach logs. In the
morning, a House Wren was singing from the fence on the west side of the
sewage ponds.

At Grant Narrows, at the south end of Pitt Lake, birds noted included 5
Townsend's Solitaire, the largest number so far this spring, and the first
Chipping Sparrow of the season.

Two Nashville Warbler and an Olive-sided Flycatcher were seen at Queen
Elizabeth Park in Vancouver.

A Sooty Grouse was hooting in Burnaby Mountain Park in Burnaby, and a female
was also seen there for awhile.

Sightings for Friday, April 27th

Another male Calliope Hummingbird was reported, this one from Braemar Road
in the Upper Lonsdale area of North Vancouver.

At Blaine, WA, 57 Whimbrel could be seen to the north from Marine Drive in
Semiahmoo Bay, and there were 12 more south of the marina. Later, about 60
were feeding in a grass field on the south side of 8th Avenue, 0.4 km east
of Highway 15 in Surrey, BC.

Sightings for Thursday, April 26th

Another Nashville Warbler turned up in Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver.

At Iona Island, 10 Common Tern and 900 Bonaparte's Gull were reported
along the spit leading to the North Jetty.

A Townsend's Solitaire was seen along the Eagle Lake road in West Vancouver,
off the Cypress Bowl road, where solitaires reportedly nested last year.

Sightings for Wednesday, April 25th

A Vesper Sparrow, a very rare migrant, was seen inside the Iona Island
sewage ponds, as was the first Solitary Sandpiper of the year. Impressive
numbers of gulls and terns at Iona included about 20 Common Tern and an
estimated 350 Caspian Tern.

At the Beach Grove lagoon in Delta (east foot of 12th Avenue), the
long-staying drake EURASIAN Green-winged Teal was still there.

Sightings for Tuesday, April 24th

A major fallout of Yellow-rumped Warbler occurred, with 200 estimated at
the Maplewood Conservation Area, and a mind-boggling 1400 at the Iona Island
banding station. Small numbers of other warblers included one Nashville
Warbler caught and banded at Iona, one seen at Maplewood, and a
MacGillivray's Warbler seen again at Iona.

A male Calliope Hummingbird (first of the year for this rare migrant) was
photographed at Maplewood, and 20 Vaux's Swift there were also the first of
the year.

Meanwhile at Iona, a Horned Lark was seen, and 150 Cackling Goose flew over.
Also at Iona, 5 Common Tern (FOY) were photographed with Caspian Tern and
gulls, and 152 Greater White-fronted Goose landed on the North Arm of the
Fraser River next to Iona.

Sightings for Monday, April 23rd

At the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver were a BLUE-WINGED
TEAL, 4 Cinnamon Teal, 4 Osprey, 2 Black Oystercatcher, a Purple Martin,
and 22 Red Crossbill.

Three Wilson's Warbler at Blackie Spit in Surrey were the first of the
year, as was a MacGillivray's Warbler at Iona Island.

In Pitt Meadows, a Long-billed Curlew in a field near the north end of Hale
Road was noteworthy

Sightings for Sunday, April 22nd

Noteworthy birds reported from Iona Island in Richmond included 4 PURPLE
MARTINS, a male Yellow-headed Blackbird, a Sora, and a Blue-winged Teal, all
of which were first records for the spring; a late Rough-legged Hawk, 75
Bonaparte's Gull, and a Long-billed Curlew.

Elsewhere, single Hammond's Flycatcher at the Maplewood Conservation Area
(North Vancouver) and at Colony Farm Park (Port Coquitlam) were also the
first for the year, as was a Nashville Warbler at Colony Farm.

Sightings for Saturday, April 21st

A late American Tree Sparrow was caught and banded at the Colony Farm
banding station in Port Coquitlam.

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, 17 Greater White-fronted Goose were
seen. Not far away, one Snowy Owl was still present near the foot of 72nd
Street on Boundary Bay.

Sightings for Thursday, April 19th

Five lingering Snowy Owl were still present along the Boundary Bay dyke
west of 72nd Street in Delta.

Sightings for Tuesday, April 17th

Four Lesser Yellowlegs were seen at Elgin Heritage Park in Surrey.

Sightings for Monday, April 16th

A Townsend's Warbler along the Camosun Trail in Vancouver's Pacific Spirit
Park was the first of the season.

37 Caspian Tern and 41 Bonaparte's Gull at Iona Island in Richmond were
noteworthy.

Sightings for Sunday, April 15th

Five Lesser Yellowlegs, the first of the spring, and 4 Marbled Godwit were
seen in the Centennial Beach area of Boundary Bay Regional Park in Delta.

Sightings for Saturday, April 14th

The drake EURASIAN Green-winged Teal was seen again in the Beach Grove
lagoon at the north end of Boundary Bay Regional Park in Delta. Nearby on
the shoreline were a Marbled Godwit and 2 Whimbrel.

Two more TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRES were seen at Burnaby Mountain Park in Burnaby.

Sightings for Friday, April 13th

The MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD was still present along Ferguson Road near the NW corner of Sea Island. Nearby on Iona Island, a SANDHILL CRANE flew over from the Musqueam flats.

A TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE, relatively scarce this spring, appeared in the 1900 block of Berkley in North Vancouver.

At Lighthouse Marine Park in Point Roberts, WA, 3 SURFBIRDS were seen on the beach among 20 BLACK TURNSTONES, and 10 RHINOCEROS AUKLETS were offshore.

Sightings for Thursday, April 12th

A HERMIT THRUSH at the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver was the first of the spring; also there was a BONAPARTE’S GULL and 3 OSPREYS.

A male MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD was seen on the Vancouver Airport fence along Ferguson Road on Sea Island, Richmond.

At Drayton Harbor in Blaine, WA, just south of the marina, were 14 WHIMBRELS and a MARBLED GODWIT on the mudflats.

Outside our area, a SAGE SPARROW seen and photographed at Munson Pond in Kelowna was a very rare bird for B.C.

Sightings for Wednesday, April 11th

Large flocks of shorebirds at high tide near the foot of 96th Street in Delta included a SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER and 300 WESTERN SANDPIPERS, both new species for the year; also there were 2 MARBLED GODWITS.  Farther east along Mud Bay Road (40th Avenue) in Surrey, shorebirds feeding in fields at high tide included 2 early BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS, 6 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, and 200 WESTERN SANDPIPERS.  An immature HARLAN’S RED-TAILED HAWK was seen along Highway 99 near Mud Bay Park in Surrey, where it was also reported several weeks ago.

A NORTHERN GOSHAWK and a NORTHERN SHRIKE at the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver were both somewhat late.

Sightings for Tuesday, April 10th

Noteworthy birds at the Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver included 75 RED CROSSBILLS, a TURKEY VULTURE, 6 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, and 8 RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS.  At Burnaby Lake in Burnaby, 4 COMMON YELLOWTHROATS were singing.

At Iona Island in Richmond were 2 REDHEADS,  2 AMERICAN BITTERNS, the male WOOD DUCK, 6 RING-NECKED DUCKS, 4 CASPIAN TERNS, and 3 NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS.

Sightings for Monday, April 9th

A BONAPARTE’S GULL at Jericho Park in Vancouver was the first reported this spring, although the species appears weeks earlier in the Gulf Islands.

Four SNOWY OWLS were still lingering at Brunswick Point in Delta, out of the 6 that spent the winter there.

Another TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE showed up at Ioco; also there were a TURKEY VULTURE and an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER.

A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and a PINE GROSBEAK, both in the 6900 block of Bradner Road in Abbotsford, were noteworthy.

Sightings for Sunday, April 8th

A LONG-BILLED CURLEW at the Beach Grove Lagoon in Boundary Bay Regional Park, Delta, was the first for the spring migration. Also there was the long-staying drake EURASIAN GREEN-WINGED TEAL and a MARBLED GODWIT. Nearby in Boundary Bay Regional Park were 9 MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRDS.

Sightings for Saturday, April 7th

Two CASPIAN TERNS at Iona Island were the first of the spring, and much earlier than usual for that species.  SAVANNAH SPARROWS had arrived in good numbers, with 14 at Blackie Spit in Surrey.

A SPOTTED SANDPIPER along the Port Moody waterfront was undoubtedly an overwintering bird.

In the Pitt Meadows and Grant Narrows area were a MUTE SWAN, 15 RING-NECKED DUCKS, and at least 4 SANDHILL CRANES.

Two WHIMBRELS, the first of the spring, were photographed as they flew into Drayton Harbor at Blaine, WA.

For a summary of extremely rare bird sightings throughout British Columbia, check “British Columbia Bird Alert” by Russell Cannings at 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

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
contopus@telus.net