NANAIMO BIRD ALERT

To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@...
call the Bird Alert at 250-390-3029

Also check the birdstore blog for the latest bird alerts and updates:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Post your sightings on this site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbirdingvanisland/messages

Birds of British Columbia:
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/SpeciesChecklists.html

International Birdwatching Guides
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com

Birdwatching contacts and information find a local birder to go birdwatching
with:
http://www.birdingpal.org/

Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone
number, along with the date, name and location of your sighting.

Sunday December 20, 2009:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to the Neck Point Park in Nanaimo.
The morning was cloudy with a strong brisk wind off the water.
The highlights included seeing a  Bewick's Wren and a Varied Thrush feeding
along side the trail.  The Varied Thrush was tossing leaves, looking for bugs
and the Bewick's Wren was gleaning insects off the low bushes.  Pacific Loons
flew in long line just above the water, heading down the Strait of Georgia. 
Neck Point Park has expanded recently, with some great new View Points along the
water.
Five birders saw and hear the following thirty-four species of birds:
Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Mallard,
Common Goldeneye, Surf Scoter, Bufflehead, Harlequin Duck,  Common Merganser,
Red-breasted Merganser, Anna's Hummingbird,  Great Blue Heron, Black
Oystercatcher, California Quail, Bald Eagle, Mew Gull, Thayer's Gull, California
Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Northwestern
Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch,
Bewick's Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Varied Thrush, Spotted
Towhee, Dark-eyed Junco, Song Sparrow and Red Crossbill.

Saturday December 19:
Male and female Anna's Hummingbirds are visiting feeders in the 300 block of
Fourth Avenue in Ladysmith.

Thursday December 17:
A male Townsend's Warbler was seen in with a flock of Chestnut-backed Chickadees
at Roberts Memorial Park on Yellow Point Road in Cedar.

A Purple Finch, hundreds of Pine Siskins, two Townsend's Warblers, a murder of
Northwestern Crows, a Barred Owl, Varied Thrush and Anna's Hummingbirds are
visiting a backyard in the 1000 block of Stymie Close in the Eaglecrest area of
Qualicum Beach.

A Rufous Hummingbird was seen visiting feeders in the 4100 block of Gulfview
Drive in Nanaimo.

Tuesday December 15:
The Tuesday Birdwalk was cancelled because of the snowy weather and roads.

Sunday December 13:
356 Ancient Murrelets were seen heading down the Strait of Georgia from Roberts
Creek on the Sunshine Coast.

Monday December 07:
A Lewis Woodpecker was seen at Cathedral Grove near Highway 4.

Christmas Bird Counts, 2009:
Volunteers are needed to help with the Bird Studies Canada annual Christmas bird
count in all areas. Count birds at your home feeders or join a small team in the
field.  All levels of experience are welcome.

Sunday, December 27, 2009: Nanaimo CBC:
Contact Carlo Pavan--nanaimoite@...

For further information on these sightings or for help in identifying a
bird please call The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
@ 250-390-3669
Toll Free @ 1-888-249-4145
e-mail: thebackyard@...
**********************************
The Nanoose Naturalists
Thursday January 14, 2010 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monday January 25, 2010 @ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
**********************************
Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and
Tuesday mornings. We leave from the Store at 9 A.M. Sunday Mornings and go to a
different location in and around Nanaimo and from the Parksville Beach Community
Park at 9 A.M. on Tuesdays and go to different areas in and around
the Oceanside area.
**************************************************************
The Tuesday Bird Walk on December 22, 2009 will be going to the Little Qualicum
River Estuary in Qualicum Beach.
Meet at the Parksville Beach Community Park near the parking area at the Lion's
Playground at 9:00 A.M. or at the viewing platform at Highway 19A and Garnet
Road at about 9:20 A.M.
*********************
There will not be a Tuesday Bird Walk on December 29.
The Tuesday bird walks will resume on January 05, 2010.
*****************************************************
There will be no Sunday Bird Walk on December 27, 2009.
The Sunday Bird Walks will resume on January 03, 2010.
*******************************************************

                     Merry Christmas to all of you from all of us at
                        The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store...
        Colin, Carlo, Tyler, Neil, Carol, Jessica, Denise, Lexi and Marilynne

Good birding
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD
Wildbird & Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, BC   V9T 2L8
250.390.3669
250.390.1633 fax
thebackyard@...
  CHECK OUT OUR BLOG---> www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

A partial list:

The black oyster catchers are still by the mouth of Cypress Creek, mixed in with
a flock of couple of dozen gulls that looked to me like Californias and Mews
(I'm not sure of the ID).

Several large flocks of surf scoters with Barrow's Goldeneyes mixed.

2 Double crested cormorants
2 pelagic cormorants
a pair of Harlequin ducks
2 belted kingfishers

all in the area between the mouth of Cypress Creek and the municipal dock to the
west of it (Pilot House Road).


--
Karl

Scouting is a game. Go play outside!  >>>  http://www.bpsa-bc.org/
Historical Scouting Resources:  http://thedump.scoutscan.com/

Roger wrote:
> The bird is still hanging on although it's Steller's companions don't
> seem to be around as much. Between 11:00  AM and 1:00 PM seems to be a
> likely time to see it.

Where in Maple Ridge is that?

--
Karl

NANAIMO BIRD ALERT

To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@...
call the Bird Alert at 250-390-3029

Also check the birdstore blog for the latest bird alerts and updates:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Post your sightings on this site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbirdingvanisland/messages

Birds of British Columbia:
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/SpeciesChecklists.html

International Birdwatching Guides
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com

Birdwatching contacts and information find a local birder to go birdwatching
with:
http://www.birdingpal.org/

Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone number,
along with the date, name and location of your sighting.

Sunday December 13, 2009:
The Sunday bird walk went to the Nanoose Bay.
The morning was cloudy with snow flurries but the winds were calm.
The highlights included seeing a Greater White-fronted Goose in with a flock of
Canada Geese and an Eurasian Wigeon in with a flock of American Wigeons.  We
spotted a Red-tailed Hawk perched high in a snag.  There was a very large raft
of Northern Pintail in the estuary.  Five Trumpeter Swans put on a display as
they left the estuary heading up island.
Five birders saw and hear the following thirty-three species of birds:
Canada Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Trumpeter Swan, American Wigeon,
Eurasian Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Surf Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye,
Common Merganser, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Red-breasted Merganser, Killdeer,
Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic
Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk,  Mew Gull, Thayer's
Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven,
European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow and
Dark-eyed Junco.

Saturday December 12:
Five Trumpeter Swans were seen on the fields of the Ugly Dwarf Meadows in
Nanoose Bay.

Tuesday December 08:
The Tuesday Bird Walk went to Deep Bay.  The morning was sunny with calm winds
but it was a little nippy at -7c.  The sea was like glass, giving us ideal
conditions to observe the large rafts of seabirds that were out on the water.
The highlights of the morning included seeing and hearing a large raft of
singing Black Scoters near the shoreline.  One Dunlin and one Black-Bellied
Plover made an appearance not five feet from us along the shoreline.  There were
a large number of  White-winged Scoters and a smaller raft of Surf Scoters not
far from out on the water.  Four Trumpeter Swans flew up island near Denman
Island.  A Pigeon Guillemot, along with two Marbled Murrelets, stayed off the
point for the best part of the morning, giving us great long looks.  The
Long-tailed Ducks entertained us all morning with their singing as they swam
close to shoreline at the Point.
Thirteen birders saw and hear the following thirty-eight species of birds:
Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Trumpeter Swan, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal,
Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter,
Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Pacific
Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe,
Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Cooper's Hawk,
Black-bellied Plover, Black Turnstone, Dunlin, Glaucous-winged Gull, Pigeon
Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, Rock Pigeon, Northwestern Crow, Bushtit, American
Robin, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow,
House Finch, House Sparrow

Monday December 07:
A Flock of White-throated Sparrows was seen near the Viewing Platform at the
Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo.

Four Greater White-fronted Geese were seen at Quennell Lake in Cedar.

One Brant Goose, a Short-eared Owl and Northern shrike were seen at  the Nanaimo
River Estuary in south Nanaimo.

Sunday December 06:
Purple and House Finch, Spotted Towhees, Dark-eyed Juncos, White Crown Sparrows,
three Northern Flickers, twenty-four California Quail and a pair of Downy
Woodpeckers were seen in a backyard along Admiral Tyron Bld. in Columbia Beach.

Christmas Bird Counts, 2009:
Volunteers are needed to help with the Bird Studies Canada annual Christmas bird
count in all areas. Count birds at your home feeders or join a small team in the
field.
All levels of experience are welcome.

Friday,  December 18, 2009: Nanoose/Lantzville CBC
Contact Rhys Harrison--rhysharrison@... or (250) 468-5466.

Sunday, December 20, 2009: Parksville / Qualicum Beach CBC:
Contact Sandra Gray--saninerr@...

Sunday, December 27, 2009: Nanaimo CBC:
Contact Carlo Pavan--nanaimoite@...

For further information on these sightings or for help in identifying a
bird please call The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
@ 250-390-3669
Toll Free @ 1-888-249-4145
e-mail: thebackyard@...
**********************************
The Nanoose Naturalists
Thursday January 14, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monday January 25, 2010 @ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
**********************************
Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and
Tuesday mornings. We leave from the Store at 9 A.M. Sunday Mornings and go to a
different location in and around Nanaimo and from the Parksville Beach Community
Park at 9 A.M. on Tuesdays and go to different areas in and around
the Oceanside area.
**************************************************************
The Tuesday Bird Walk on December 15, 2009 will be going to the Little Qualicum
River Estuary in Qualicum Beach.
Meet at the Parksville Beach Community Park near the parking area at the Lion's
Playground at 9:00 A.M. or at the viewing platform at Highway 19A and Garnet
Road at about 9:20 A.M.
*****************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on December 20, 2009 will be going to the Neck Point Park
in Nanaimo.
Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 A.M. or at the parking lot at Neck Point Park off
Hammond Bay Road at about 9:20 A.M..
*******************************************************
Good birding
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD
Wildbird & Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, BC   V9T 2L8
250.390.3669
250.390.1633 fax
thebackyard@...
  CHECK OUT OUR BLOG---> www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

The bird is still hanging on although it's Steller's companions don't
seem to be around as much. Between 11:00  AM and 1:00 PM seems to be a
likely time to see it.

Roger Craik
Maple Ridge

HI all:

I just got the full list of participants in CBCs across Canada from last year,
and for fun I did a sort to find out who was on the most counts.  Surprisingly,
this category is owned by the Okanagan--four of the top six counters and 5 of
the top 11 were from Okanagan counts:

       Russell Cannings 8
       Doug R Brown 7
       Eva Durance 7
       Gus J. Yaki 7
       Karl Ricker 7
       Richard J Cannings 7
       Joseph W Johnson 6
       Laurie Rockwell 6
       Nick Saunders 6
       Phillip J. Cram 6
       Ryan Dudragne 6


Keep up the good work!

Dick

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Saturday,
December 5th, 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 press the star button at the
end of this message to go back to the menu, press "2" for the rare bird
reporting line, and follow the instructions given there.


RARE BIRD ALERT for a WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, probably present since last May, in
the 21900 block of the Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge, and a ROCK WREN on
December 5 at Point Roberts, WA.

Out-of-town RARE BIRD ALERT for an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL at Robert
Lake near Kelowna from  November 4 through at least December 4. For updates
on this bird, check the BCINTBIRD e-mail group.



Sightings for Saturday, December 5th

A ROCK WREN at Lighthouse Marine Park in Point Roberts, Washington was very
unusual and a first record for Point Roberts.


Sightings for Friday, December 4th

A flock of 16 SURFBIRDS and 40 BLACK TURNSTONES was seen on the east side of
Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver, and an AMERICAN DIPPER was in Capilano
Canyon there.

The 5 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were still present along the English Bay
shoreline north of the Burrard Bridge in Vancouver.


No sightings reported for Thursday, December 3rd


Sightings for Wednesday, December 2nd

Bird seen at Mount Seymour Provincial Park in North Vancouver included a
BOHEMIAN WAXWING, 6 PINE GROSBEAKS, 2 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS, 50 RED
CROSSBILLS, and an AMERICAN DIPPER (!) in a roadside ditch near the sand
shed.

A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE and 4 RED CROSSBILLS were reported from the Maplewood
Conservation Area in North Vancouver.

Twenty BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS on the beach near the mouth of Cypress Creek in
West Vancouver was a high number.


Sightings for Tuesday, December 1st

Four PINE GROSBEAKS were seen along the Hollyburn trail in Cypress
Provincial Park, West Vancouver.
Also, the PINE GROSBEAK in Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Park was seen for the
fourth time in five days.

A LONG-BILLED CURLEW and 9 MARBLED GODWITS were on the east side of Blackie
Spit in Surrey.

The GYRFALCON was again on the tower west of the foot of 96th Street in
Delta, where it has been quite regular since November 1.


Sightings for Monday, November 30th

The female PINE GROSBEAK was seen again next to the lawn bowling pitch at
Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver, and a BARRED OWL and 2 ANNA'S
HUMMINGBIRDS were seen nearby.

Three EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were seen along Sharpe Road in Pitt Meadows,
and 20 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were along Connecting Road nearby. In Maple
Ridge, 2 AMERICAN DIPPERS were along Blaney Creek at the east end of 144th
Avenue.


Sightings for Sunday, November 29th

A TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE, a BARRED OWL and an ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD were seen in
Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Park, but the PINE GROSBEAK was missed.

An AMERICAN DIPPER was seen near the Aquarium in Stanley Park, Vancouver.
This bird has apparently been in that area for awhile.


Sightings for Saturday, November 28th

The PINE GROSBEAK was reported again in Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver.


Sightings for Friday, November 27th

A GREAT GRAY OWL was seen and photographed by several observers cat the
Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver. However, the bird could not
be found again on later dates.

A female PINE GROSBEAK was seen near the lawn bowling pitch in Queen
Elizabeth Park, Vancouver.


No sightings reported for Thursday, November 26th


Sightings for Wednesday, November 25th

Five GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were seen along the English Bay shoreline
in Vancouver just north of the Burrard Street bridge.


Sightings for Tuesday, November 24th

The CATTLE EGRET was seen by one observer along Highway 10 east of 96th
Street by one observer, but could not be found by others. Nearby, the
GYRFALCON was seen again on the communications tower west of the foot of
96th Street, and 5 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were seen along 88th Street.

The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY was seen again in the 21900 block of the Lougheed
Highway in Maple Ridge, although it is being seen less often now.

At the mouth of Wilson Creek near Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast, 7 ROCK
SANDPIPERS, 7 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS, and 2 SURFBIRDS were seen with a flock
of 60 BLACK TURNSTONES.


Sightings for Monday, November 23rd

A CATTLE EGRET was seen along Highway 10 in Delta just east of 96th Street.
Nearby, two GYRFALCONS were seen at once along 88th Street near Boundary Bay
and about 1000 BRANT, a high number, were seen on the Boundary Bay shoreline
near 88th.

A GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, 300 SNOW GEESE (unusual location) and about
100 CACKLING GEESE, including 4 of the Aleutian subspecies, were seen along
40th Avenue west of Highway 99 in Surrey.


Sightings for Sunday, November 22nd

A total of 26 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were seen at 3 locations in Pitt
Meadows: 15 in the 13800 block of McKechnie Road, 5 in the 13400 block of
Sharpe Road, and 6 on 203rd Street near Dewdney Trunk Road.

Sightings at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta included 2 BLACK-CROWNED
NIGHT-HERONS, 6 SANDHILL CRANES, a SWAMP SPARROW, an AMERICAN BITTERN, and 2
NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS.


No sightings reported for Saturday, November 21st


Sightings for Friday, November 20th

Two EARED GREBES and a WESTERN GULL were seen at White Rock near the pier.


There were no sightings of interest reported from November 16th through
19th, perhaps because of the stormy weather all week which made birding
difficult.


Sightings for Sunday, November 15th

A large flock of 17 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS was seen at Ferguson Point on the
west side of Stanley Park in Vancouver.


Sightings for Saturday, November 14th

A male TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, perhaps a wintering bird, was reported from the
2100 block of Bowser in North Vancouver.



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 at 604-597-7201, Viveka at 604-531-3401, or Larry at
604-465-1402.

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

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus@...

NANAIMO BIRD ALERT

To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@...
call the Bird Alert at 250-390-3029

Also check the birdstore blog for the latest bird alerts and updates:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Post your sightings on this site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbirdingvanisland/messages

Birds of British Columbia:
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/SpeciesChecklists.html

International Birdwatching Guides
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com

Birdwatching contacts and information find a local birder to go birdwatching
with:
http://www.birdingpal.org/

Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone number,
along with the date, name and location of your sighting.

Sunday December 06, 2009:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to the Nanaimo River Estuary in Nanaimo.
The morning was sunny with a bit of wind near the water. The highlights included
seeing a Short-eared Owl and a Northern Harrier fly near the group, low over the
estuary.  We watched a Northern Shrike perch in a tall shrub and then move to
other shrubs nearby.  At least twelve Western Meadowlarks entertained us all
morning as they perched in trees and flew into the grass right in front of us.
Nine birders saw and heard the following twenty- seven species of birds:
Trumpeter Swan, Great Blue Heron, American Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Pintail,
Barrow's Goldeneye, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Bald Eagle,
Cooper's Hawk, Merlin, Short-eared Owl, Northern Shrike, Glaucous-winged Gull,
Belted Kingfisher,  Northern Flicker, Common Raven, American Robin, Western
Meadowlark, European Starling,  Bewick's Wren, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow,
Golden-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Junco and House Finch.

Friday December 04:
An Eurasian Collared-Dove has been visiting feeders along Dunster Road in
Nanaimo.

Thursday December 03:
A female Anna's Hummingbird was seen at feeders in the 1100 block of Pintail
Drive in French Creek.

A Townsend's Warbler, Varied Thrushes, Anna's Hummer, Bewick's Wrens,  Spotted
Towhees, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Dark-eyed Juncos,
American Robins, Northern Flickers, Downy and Pileated Woodpeckers, Song
Sparrows and flocks of Bushtits are visiting feeders in the 1100 block of Stymie
Close in the Eaglecrest area of Qualicum Beach.

Wednesday December 02:
A Great Horned Owl was seen near the Millstone River at Buttertubs Marsh in
Nanaimo.

Tuesday December 01:
The Tuesday Bird Walk went to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River
Estuary in Parksville. The morning was sunny and cool with calm winds--a great
day for birding.
The highlights of the morning included seeing and hearing the song of two
White-winged Crossbills that were in with a flock of Red Crossbills at the top
of a tall Fir Tree.  We saw a Red-breasted Sapsucker, two Downy Woodpeckers, a 
Hairy Woodpecker and several Northern Flickers feeding along tree trunks. We
looked in vain for a sighting of a Pileated Woodpecker to complete our
woodpecker species.  Two Eurasian Wigeons were in with a flock of American
Wigeons on the estuary.  One  Bonaparte's Gull was in with the many Mew Gulls
and we saw all three merganser species--Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser and
Red-breasted Mergansers.
Thirteen birders saw the following fifty-two species of birds:
Canada Goose, Eurasian Wigeon, American Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Pintail,
Green-winged Teal, Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, Bufflehead,
Common Goldeneye, Barrow's Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser,
Red-breasted Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Double-crested Cormorant,
Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Bonaparte's Gull, Mew Gull,
California Gull, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Belted Kingfisher,
Red-breasted Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker,
Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted
Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Fox
Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Brewer's
Blackbird, Purple Finch, Red Crossbill, White-winged Crossbill and Pine Siskin.

November 29:
Two Anna's Hummingbirds are visiting feeders along Patrick Drive in Parksville.

An Anna's Hummingbird is visiting feeders at the north end of Jinglepot Road,
off Mostar Road in Nanaimo.

November 22, 2009:
A Mountain Bluebird was seen along the shoreline, by the Kinsman hut at
Tsulquate Park in Port Hardy.

A Barred Owl was seen at the end of Douglas Avenue in Nanaimo.

Christmas Bird Counts, 2009:
Volunteers are needed to help with the Bird Studies Canada annual Christmas bird
count in
all areas. Count birds at your home feeders or join a small team in the field.
All levels of experience are welcome.


Friday,  December 18, 2009: Nanoose/Lantzville CBC
Contact Rhys Harrison--rhysharrison@... or (250) 468-5466.

Sunday, December 20, 2009: Parksville / Qualicum Beach CBC:
Contact Sandra Gray--saninerr@...

Sunday, December 27, 2009: Nanaimo CBC:
Contact Carlo Pavan--nanaimoite@...

For further information on these sightings or for help in identifying a
bird please call The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
@ 250-390-3669
Toll Free @ 1-888-249-4145
e-mail: thebackyard@...
**********************************
The Nanoose Naturalists
Thursday December 10, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monday January 25, 2010 @ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
**********************************
Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and
Tuesday mornings. We leave from the Store at 9 A.M. Sunday Mornings and go to a
different location in and around Nanaimo and from the Parksville Beach Community
Park at 9 A.M. on Tuesdays and go to different areas in and around
the Oceanside area.
**************************************************************
The Tuesday Bird Walk on December 08, 2009 will be going to the Deep Bay.
Meet at the Parksville Beach Community Park near the parking area at the Lion's
Playground at 9:00 A.M. or at the marina near the cafe at Deep Bay at about
9:30.
*****************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on November 29 will be going to the Nanoose Bay Estuary in
Nanoose Bay.
Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 A.M. or behind the Church Camp off highway 19 and
Arlington Road at about 9:10 A.M.
*******************************************************
Good birding
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD
Wildbird & Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, BC   V9T 2L8
250.390.3669
250.390.1633 fax
thebackyard@...
  CHECK OUT OUR BLOG---> www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Thanks Murray:  the mortality of swans in the lower mainland, Fraser Valley
and Washington state has been under study for some time now. The root cause
is ingesting lead pellets as you have mentioned. Even though lead shot has
been banned for some years now, the soil is filled with pellets and the
birds ingest them either accidently or on purpose as they seek grit for
their gizzards. They don't distinguish between a pellet and a small stone. I
am not up on what the possible solutions are, but the CWS have an active
monitoring program underway. But at some stage, we need to move from
watching a tragedy to trying to solve the problem.



Our media have been excellent here, with another brief story in the paper
today. Hopefully, someone will hear something and the goons will be nabbed,
but there has not been much to go on.



Rick Howie

-----Original Message-----
From: bcbirds@yahoogroups.com [mailto:bcbirds@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
chehalisboulders
Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 4:13 PM
To: bcbirds@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bcbirds] Senseless Slaughter





Rick, you have done the right thing by bringing this horrible episode to the
public's attention. Maybe someone will know the goons responsible and they
will be dealt with by the law.

Here in the upper Fraser Valley we have an equally distressing situation,
with swans dying a slow and painful death from another form of gun use.
Twice in the last two weeks I have seen a flock of swans where a single bird
is seen off by itself, lying down. When the rest of the flock leaves, this
bird stays and seems unable to stand.
In both cases, it has been an adult bird and I'm quite certain they have
ingested lead pellets while feeding in the marshes which are hunted over,
for ducks.

Murray Brown,
Agassiz





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Rick, you have done the right thing by bringing this horrible episode to the
public's attention. Maybe someone will know the goons responsible and they will
be dealt with by the law.

Here in the upper Fraser Valley we have an equally distressing situation, with
swans dying a slow and painful death from another form of gun use. Twice in the
last two weeks I have seen a flock of swans where a single bird is seen off by
itself, lying down. When the rest of the flock leaves, this bird stays and seems
unable to stand.
In both cases, it has been an adult bird and I'm quite certain they have
ingested lead pellets while feeding in the marshes which are hunted over, for
ducks.

Murray Brown,
Agassiz

On Wednesday morning, the Kamloops daily News will feature a front page
headline story with a colour picture of 3 Trumpeter Swans shot to death with
a small caliber rifle. An entire family of 2 adults and a juvenile were
slaughtered for some unfathomable reason by a person(s) unknown. The birds
were found by a friend of mine so we arranged with the media to cover the
story in hopes of flushing out information.



I share this tragedy as a reminder that we still have people with a sick
perspective on our wildlife and we need to maintain our vigilant efforts to
retain public support and pressure against these kinds of people. I know
that our city population will generally be saddened and angered by this
wanton act. But sadly, I have heard that there have been an increasing
number of animals killed in the southern interior recently by people who
just want to watch animals die. This has included domestic and wild animals
shot in such a way that they would die slowly. It is well beyond belief that
we have people of this mentality wandering out there with guns. I am not
anti-gun but it is just a bit much to comprehend.



Rick Howie

Kamloops





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

NANAIMO BIRD ALERT

To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@...
call the Bird Alert at 250-390-3029

Also check the birdstore blog for the latest bird alerts and updates:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Post your sightings on this site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbirdingvanisland/messages

Birds of British Columbia:
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/SpeciesChecklists.html

International Birdwatching Guides
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com

Birdwatching contacts and information find a local birder to go birdwatching
with:
http://www.birdingpal.org/

Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone number,
along with the date, name and location of your sighting.

Sunday November 29, 2009:
Three male Red-winged Blackbirds, Dark-eyed Juncos, Northern Flickers,
Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatch, California Quail and Anna's
Hummingbirds are visiting feeders in the 2500 block of Lyburn Crescent in
Nanaimo.

The Sunday Bird Walk went to Rathrevor Provincial Park in Parksville.
We had a morning with a stiff wind off the water but sunny periods making it
rather pleasant.
The big surprise of the morning was when we heard and saw an American Kestrel
fly from the top of a tall Fir tree.  It is unusual to see an American Kestrel
in forested areas.  We saw eight Brant Geese near the tideline and Black
Oystercatchers, Black-bellied Plovers and Black Turnstones on a narrow gravel
bar. There was a Red-throated Loon on the surf not far offshore. A flock of
Red-crossbills kept us looking upwards all morning.
Fourteen birders saw and heard the following thirty-two species of birds:
Brant, American Wigeon, Mallard, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, Bufflehead, Common
Merganser, Pacific Loon, Red-throated Loon, Horned Grebe,  Double-crested
Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Bald Eagle, American Kestrel, Black Oystercatcher,
Black-bellied Plover, Black Turnstones, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull,
Northern Flicker, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted
Nuthatch, Bewick's Wren, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned
Kinglet, Varied Thrush, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco and Red
Crossbill.

Thursday November 26:
A Nashville Warbler was seen in a backyard in Columbia Beach.

Hundreds of Barrow's Goldeneye were seen along  the Nanaimo River.
Four Short-eared Owls and several Western Meadowlarks were seen on the Nanaimo
River Estuary in south Nanaimo.

Wednesday November 25:
A Palm Warbler was seen with a Yellow-rumped Warbler at the Nanaimo River
Estuary in south Nanaimo. The Palm Warbler was seen along the long Hawthorn
hedgerow to the right of the tall Oak Tree.

Tuesday November 24:
The Tuesday Bird Walk went to Rathtrevor Provincial Park in Parksville. The
morning was cloudy and the winds off the water were brisk. The highlights of the
morning included watching three flocks of Greater White-fronted Geese and one
flock of Snow Geese as they flew high overhead heading down the Island.  We saw
one lone Brant Goose in with a flock of Mallards near the shoreline and two
other larger flocks over the water.  Bufflehead, Horned Grebes, Common
Goldeneye, Common Mergansers, Red-breasted Mergansers, Pacific Loons and Common
Loons were further offshore.  We watched as eight male and female Purple Finch
and three Varied Thrush ate the berries on a low bush near the marsh area.
Nine birders saw and head the following forty-three species of birds: Greater
White-fronted Goose, Snow Goose, Brant, American Wigeon, Mallard, Harlequin
Duck, Surf Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Red-breasted
Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe,
Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Black Oystercatcher,
Mew Gull, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Thayer's Gull, Western Gull,
Glaucous-winged Gull, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Northwestern Crow,
Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown
Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Varied Thrush, Spotted Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow,
Dark-eyed Junco, Purple Finch and Red Crossbill.

Christmas Bird Counts, 2009:

Volunteers are needed to help with the Bird Studies Canada annual Christmas bird
count in
all areas. Count birds at your home feeders or join a small team in the field.
All levels of experience are welcome.


Friday,  December 18, 2009: Nanoose/Lantzville CBC
Contact Rhys Harrison--rhysharrison@... or (250) 468-5466.

Sunday, December 20, 2009: Parksville / Qualicum Beach CBC:
Contact Sandra Gray--saninerr@...

Sunday, December 27, 2009: Nanaimo CBC:
Contact Carlo Pavan--nanaimoite@...

For further information on these sightings or for help in identifying a
bird please call The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
@ 250-390-3669
Toll Free @ 1-888-249-4145
e-mail: thebackyard@...

**********************************
The Nanoose Naturalists
Thursday December 10, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monday January 25, 2010 @ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
**********************************
Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and
Tuesday mornings. We leave from the Store at 9 A.M. Sunday Mornings and go to a
different location in and around Nanaimo and from the Parksville Beach Community
Park at 9 A.M. on Tuesdays and go to different areas in and around
the Oceanside area.
**************************************************************
The Tuesday Bird Walk on December 01, 2009 will be going to the Shelly Road side
of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville.
Meet at the Parksville Beach Community Park near the parking area at the Lion's
Playground at 9:00 A.M. or at the Oceanside end of Shelly Road at about 9:10
A.M.
*****************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on December 06 will be going to the Nanaimo River Estuary
in south Nanaimo.
Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 A.M. or at the end of Raines Road at about 9:30
A.M. .
*******************************************************
Good birding
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD
Wildbird & Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, BC   V9T 2L8
250.390.3669
250.390.1633 fax
thebackyard@...
  CHECK OUT OUR BLOG---> www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Finally found the Scrub-jay after not seeing it for 6 days. It was in
the top of some tall firs half way down the lane. I was walking along
Cliff Ave at the time. The bird is still hanging out with 2 Steller's
Jays which it likes to harass constantly.

Yesterday at the east end of 144th in Maple Ridge I watched a rather
large group of Varied Thrushes feeding on wild crab apple. There were at
least 30 birds +/-. This is the largest number I have seen at one time.

Roger Craik
Maple Ridge

Birders,

On November 20th, I spent about 1.5 hours birding at Point Roberts, hoping
to find some Ancient Murrelets off Lighthouse Marine Park. No luck with
murrelets or any other alcids. However, I did see a flock of 10 TUNDRA SWANS
flying past to the south, identified by their vocalizations. This is my
first record of Tundra Swan at Point Roberts in 40 years of frequent birding
there; even Trumpeter Swans are seen there rarely. I was just there at the
right time.

Also of interest were 20 CEDAR WAXWINGS, feeding on Pacific Crabapple fruit
along Edwards Drive just east of the marina with AMERICAN ROBINS and
EUROPEAN STARLINGS.

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus@...

Great report Wayne, I had heard about that bird when I was down in Olympia
Washington a few days ago. I was tempted to make the run south but just ran out
of time.
Now I'm all revved up and looking at the weather reports!
my last trip down that way was for the Falcated Duck but I missed it by one day.
It's a long drive for a single lifer, but it's a dirty job that may just have to
be done!

Murray Brown,
Agassiz

Birders,

As some of you may know, an adult BROWN BOOBY has been hanging out at Coos
Bay, Oregon since its discovery on October 26th, and has proved to be fairly
regular in its habits and easy to find. Having seen this species only once
previously, at the Dry Tortugas in Florida, I decided that I just had to see
this bird. There were only 3 previous Oregon records, and the species is
very rare anywhere north of Mexico on the Pacific coast. I suppose one
factor in my decision was my disappointment at missing the BROWN BOOBY seen
in late August near Victoria, BC, a bird that was only present for one day.

I set off in mid-morning on November 12th, and planned to stay at least one
or two nights in Coos Bay. Although the quickest route appeared to be down
Interstate 5 to Roseburg and then across to Coos Bay via Oregon State Route
42, I decided to make a side trip to Fort Stevens State Park, at the mouth
of the Columbia River near Astoria, to look for some RED PHALAROPES which
had been blown in on a storm a few days earlier. When I arrived at Parking
Area "C", at the base of the Columbia River South Jetty, I had less than an
hour of daylight left. However, I quickly found 7 Red Phalaropes in and next
to the "shorebird ponds" near the parking lot. (There had been up to 50 a
few days earlier.) The phalaropes were actively feeding and were almost
oblivious to me; I was able to walk to within less than 15 feet of them, and
got several good photos. Red Phalaropes migrate regularly off the Oregon
coast and winter in small numbers offshore, but are rarely seen onshore
except after big storms. I had somehow missed seeing them during 3 Oregon
pelagic trips I had been on.

I stayed overnight in Roseburg (it was midnight when I got there), and drove
across the Coast Range through rain squalls to Coos Bay the next morning.
Arriving in Coos Bay a bit after 10 AM, just as the rain was dissipating, I
could not see the booby from one of the two spots where it was usually seen,
an overlook on the Cape Arago Highway near Hedge Lane. I proceeded south to
the second viewpoint, called Fossil Point, where two birders from Eugene
(Dennis Arendt and Don Schrouder) already had the booby in their spotting
scopes. It was on one of its two favorite perches, a high channel marker on
the opposite (west) side of Coos Bay, nearly a mile away. Despite the
distance, the bird's main field marks could easily be seen, as it was
preening and was facing us for much of the time; the dark brown plumage,
contrasting white abdomen and lower breast, and yellowish bill and throat
pouch. I stayed and watched the bird for over an hour. During that time, a
vanload of birders from Corvallis, led by Rich Armstrong, arrived, and for
awhile the small parking area was quite crowded. Lower Coos Bay was loaded
with birds, including many BROWN PELICANS, rafts of AMERICAN WIGEON, SURF
SCOTERS, and GREATER SCAUP, and many loons, grebes, cormorants, and ducks.
Success!!

Having found my main target bird, I spent the afternoon along the coastline
just south of Coos Bay. The weather quickly cleared up and became sunny, and
I was able to get some nice photos of the coastal scenery, which I had not
expected given the dismal forecast. I visited Bastendorff Beach and the
south jetty of Coos Bay, and then three state parks south of there: Sunset
Bay, Shore Acres, and Cape Arago. One of the major attractions at Cape Arago
is Simpson Reef, a collection of islets and reefs just offshore which is one
of the best places on the Pacific Coast to see seals and sea lions. I
estimated that there were several hundred each of Harbor Seals and Steller's
Sea Lions, and perhaps 100 California Sea Lions. (Elephant Seals are seen
here too, but I could not spot one.) When I was at Cape Arago, a southward
movement of BROWN PELICANS began. In a little over an hour, at least 2000
pelicans flew south over the cape in groups of 50 to 100 at a time. I'm not
sure if this was a local movement or an actual southward migration, but it
was almost time for pelicans to leave the Oregon coast for the winter. I was
reminded that Brown Pelicans were finally removed from the U.S. endangered
species list only a few days earlier; it has taken them nearly 40 years to
recover since the banning of DDT in 1972.

Having driven more than 500 miles to see the booby, I was in no hurry to
leave one of the best birding areas in Oregon. Friday night was cold-- close
to freezing-- and Saturday dawned clear and calm, although with widespread
fog patches. I headed for Millicoma Marsh, near the head of Coos Bay, which
is renowned for large numbers of wintering sparrows and other songbirds, as
well as many birds of prey and waterfowl. Luckily, the fog patches
dissipated quickly. I was soon overtaken by a field trip from the Cape Arago
Audubon Society led by Russ Namitz, the Coos Bay birder who had provided
frequent updates on the Brown Booby since October-- so I decided to join
them. Millicoma provided an impressive list of 55 species including a
singing (!) BLACK PHOEBE, a WHITE-TAILED KITE, a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, two
PEREGRINE FALCONS, and hundreds of waterfowl and shorebirds including two
EURASIAN WIGEON. By the time I left, it was well after 11 AM.

On Saturday afternoon, I birded around Bandon, on the coast south of Coos
Bay, and then up the Coquille River valley. At Bandon, there were hundreds
of Brown Pelicans again and many waterfowl, but I could not find the ROCK
SANDPIPERS that I hoped to see. The Coquille Valley produced numerous birds
of prey, including another beautiful RED-SHOULDERED HAWK. A highlight of
sorts was seeing a total of 67 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES at 3 different
localities over 2 days: 37 at Fossil Point in Coos Bay, 15 in Bandon, and 15
more just across the river from the town of Coquille. Coos County must be
the headquarters in western Oregon for this rapidly-expanding species.

On Sunday, November 15, the weather was still good, although no longer
sunny. I tracked down an ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD in North Bend, then scanned Pony
Slough, seeing hundreds of waterfowl and a few GREAT EGRETS, but I could not
find any of the scarcer SNOWY EGRETS. I then decided to look for the BROWN
BOOBY again, and stopped at Fossil Point. The booby was not on either of its
preferred perches; it must be out feeding. After about 15 minutes, I spotted
a large bird flying directly toward me across the bay; it was the BROWN
BOOBY! It came within 300 feet of me, then turned parallel to the shore,
headed north, and appeared to be feeding not far from shore along the east
side of lower Coos Bay. Two ladies who had been on the Millicoma Marsh trip
the day before showed up, and we all relocated to the Hedge Lane viewpoint
farther north. The booby spent more than an hour beating back and forth over
the bay directly offshore, making spectacular dives after fish every few
minutes. These were much better and closer views of the bird than I had had
two days earlier!

Next on my agenda was a brief visit to Charleston, only about 3 miles to the
south and still on Coos Bay-- home of a major marina and of the Oregon
Institute of Marine Biology. Here, I hoped to find a LONG-TAILED DUCK, which
would be new for my Oregon list. No luck on the duck, but a short distance
offshore, I did see three RED PHALAROPES on the waters of Coos Bay, although
much farther off than the ones at Fort Stevens! Also new for my Coos County
list were two EARED GREBES and a couple of adult BALD EAGLES.

Now I had to start homeward, but I had also planned to do some birding
around Winchester Bay, on the estuary of the Umpqua River about 25 miles
farther north. This town, home of another major marina, is in Douglas
County, in the coastal part of which I had done very little birding. An hour
or so here produced lots of birds, including 6 more RED PHALAROPES swimming
about 300 feet offshore. A brief stop at nearby Umpqua Lighthouse State Park
yielded a couple of WRENTITS. After that, I had to head for home.

The net results of a four-day trip from Greater Vancouver to the southern
Oregon coast: 16 new species for my Coos County list, 8 for my Douglas
County list, two new for my Oregon list (bringing it to 340 species), and
unforgettable views of a BROWN BOOBY many hundreds of miles from its normal
range.

For anyone else who might want to look for the booby: it was still being
seen in lower Coos Bay as of yesterday, November 22, almost a month after it
first appeared there.

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus@...

NANAIMO BIRD ALERT

To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@...
call the Bird Alert at 250-390-3029

Also check the birdstore blog for the latest bird alerts and updates:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Post your sightings on this site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbirdingvanisland/messages

Birds of British Columbia:
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/SpeciesChecklists.html

International Birdwatching Guides
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com

Birdwatching contacts and information find a local birder to go birdwatching
with:
http://www.birdingpal.org/

Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone number,
along with the date, name and location of your sighting.

Sunday November 22, 2009:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to Neck Point in Nanaimo.  Check Shaw Cable channel
04, on Tuesday November 24, in the evening, for coverage of this birdwalk!
The morning was cloudy, the winds were calm and the tide was high. The
highlights of the morning included seeing three Pelagic Cormorants, a Great Blue
Heron, over thirty Surfbirds, a Dunlin, eight Black Turnstones and three Black
Oystercatchers on the rocks not far from the shoreline.  We watched several
Orcas feeding near the horizon as they moved down the Strait of Georgia.
Eight birders heard and saw the following thirty-seven species of birds:
Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Common
Goldeneye,
Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Harlequin Duck, Common
Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Dunlin, Black Turnstone,
Black Oystercatcher, Spotted Sandpiper,  Surfbird, Black-bellied Plover, Bald
Eagle, Mew Gull, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull,
Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, European Starling, Chestnut-backed
Chickadee,
Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet,
American Robin, Varied Thrush, Spotted Towhee, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch,
Song Sparrow, Red Crossbill.

Saturday November 21:
A Palm Warbler was seen with a Yellow-rumped Warbler at the Nanaimo River
Estuary in south Nanaimo. The Palm Warbler was seen along the long Hawthorn
Hedgerow on the right of the tall Oak Tree.

Eight Trumpeter Swans were seen flying over Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo.

Friday November 20
A  Sharp-shinned Hawk was seen on a fence post in the 100 block of Meridian Way
in Parksville.

Thursday November 19:
Steller's Jays,  California Quail, Spotted Towhees, Dark-eyed Juncos, House
Finches, Varied Thrush, Northern Flickers and an Anna's Hummingbird are visiting
feeders in along Cloke Road in Ladysmith.

Eight California Quail were seen in the 2500 block of Glenayr Drive in Nanaimo.

Tuesday November 17:
The Tuesday bird went to Columbia Beach. There were light rainshower's for most
of the morning, but we were fortunate enough to have a reprieve from them for an
hour.  The surf was up on Strait of Georgia and the seas were choppy.  The
highlights of the morning included seeing several flocks of  Black-bellied
Plovers, a Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstones and Dunlin heading to the
gravel bar at Pebble Beach.  Five flocks of over four hundred Bonaparte's Gulls
flew past us and a flock of about a hundred stopping at the gravel bar.  We saw
two Ancient Murrelets racing just above the water down the Strait.  Bonaparte's
Gulls, Mew Gulls, Ring-billed Gull, California Gulls Thayer's Gulls and
Glaucous-winged Gulls gave us good views as they roosted on the gravel bar.
Seven birders saw and heard the following forty species of birds.
American Wigeon, Mallard , Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, Black
Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Barrow's Goldeneye,
Common Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe,
Western Grebe, Brandt's Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant,
Bald Eagle, Black-bellied Plover, Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstone, Dunlin,
Bonaparte's Gull, Mew Gull, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Thayer's Gull,
Glaucous-winged Gull, Ancient Murrelet, Rock Pigeon, Northern Flicker,
Northwestern Crow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bewick's Wren, European Starling,
Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow and House Finch.

A large flock of Trumpeter Swans were seen in the fields off Cedar Road in
Cedar.

One Short-eared Owl,  one Northern Harrier, two Northern Shrikes, five Western
Meadowlarks, two Cackling Geese and a Lincoln's sparrow were seen at the Nanaimo
River Estuary in south Nanaimo.

Monday November 16:
A Trumpeter Swan was seen on the marsh at Hemer Provincial Park in Cedar.

A Sharp-shinned Hawk was seen in the 3000 block of Hammond Bay Road in Nanaimo.

Saturday November 14:
Two male Anna's Hummingbirds and a Townsend Solitaire were seen feeding in a
backyard along Drew Road in French Creek.

For further information on these sightings or for help in identifying a
bird please call The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
@ 250-390-3669
Toll Free @ 1-888-249-4145
e-mail: thebackyard@...
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Guest speaker, Haida Bolton will talk about "Camp Uganda, an educational camp in
the Wildlife Education Centre for underprivileged Uganda Children and their
parents."
Monday November 23, 2009 @ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
**********************************
The Nanoose Naturalists
Thursday December 10, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and
Tuesday mornings. We leave from the Store at 9 A.M. Sunday Mornings and go to a
different location in and around Nanaimo and from the Parksville Beach Community
Park at 9 A.M. on Tuesdays and go to different areas in and around
the Oceanside area.
**************************************************************
The Tuesday Bird Walk on November 24, 2009 will be going to Rathtrevor
Provincial Park in Parksville.
Meet at the Parksville Beach Community Park near the parking area at the Lion's
Playground at 9:00 A.M. or at the main parking lot in Rathtrevor Provincial Park
at about 9:15 A.M. Pleas note there is a parking fee at the park.
*****************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on November 29 will be going to Rathtrevor Provincial Park
in Parksville.
Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 A.M. or at the main parking lot in Rathtrevor
Provincial Park at about 9:30 A.M. Please note there is a parking fee at the
park.
.
*******************************************************
Good birding
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD
Wildbird & Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, BC   V9T 2L8
250.390.3669
250.390.1633 fax
thebackyard@...
  CHECK OUT OUR BLOG---> www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Thursday,
November 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 press the star button at the
end of this message to go back to the menu, press "2" for the rare bird
reporting line, and follow the instructions given there.


RARE BIRD ALERT for a WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, probably present since last May, in
the 21900 block of the Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge.

Out-of-town RARE BIRD ALERT for an adult BLACK-TAILED GULL at Clover Point
in Victoria on November 14th, which has not been seen since. This may be the
same bird which was present for nearly a month at Tacoma, WA, but has not
been seen there since the 14th.

Out-of-town RARE BIRD ALERTS also for an adult BLACK-HEADED GULL seen at and
near the mouth of the Big Qualicum River in Qualicum Beach on November 7 and
8; a BEAN GOOSE reported in flight at the Somass River mouth at Port Alberni
on November 13; and an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL at Robert Lake near
Kelowna From  November 4 through at least November 14. For updates on these
birds, check the BCVIBIRDS and BCINTBIRD e-mail groups, respectively.


There were no sightings of interest reported from November 16th through
19th, perhaps because of the stormy weather all week which has made birding
difficult.


Sightings for Sunday, November 15th

A large flock of 17 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS was seen at Ferguson Point on the
west side of Stanley Park in Vancouver.


Sightings for Saturday, November 14th

A male TOWNSEND'S WARBLER, perhaps a wintering bird, was reported from the
2100 block of Bowser in North Vancouver.


Sightings for Friday, November 13th

A NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL was seen at the Maplewood Conservation Area in North
Vancouver.


Sightings for Thursday, November 12th

A female MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD, very rare in fall, was seen at the foot of 88th
Street on Boundary Bay in Delta.  Nearby, a GYRFALCON was seen perched on
the tower near the foot of 96th Street, and 2 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS and a
SHORT-EARED OWL were seen along the Boundary Bay dyke.

The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY is being seen irregularly in the 21900 block of the
Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge.


Sightings for Wednesday, November 11th

A very late OSPREY was reported from the north end of the new Golden Ears
Bridge in Maple Ridge.

Two BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS were seen at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in
Delta, a usual wintering location for this species.


No sightings reported for November 9th or 10th


Sightings for Sunday, November 8th

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, 5 CLIFF SWALLOWS and a BARN SWALLOW
were extremely late.


Sightings for Saturday, November 7th

The wintering WILLET was seen again at the base of the Tsawwassen ferry
jetty in Delta. This bird and the one in White Rock are probably the only
WILLETS in B.C. at the moment.

An AMERICAN DIPPER at the beluga pool of the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley
Park was at an unusual location.


No sightings reported for November 5th or 6th


Sightings for Wednesday, November 4th

The WILLET was seen again on the beach at White Rock, and 6 EARED GREBES and
an immature SNOW GEESE were seen offshore there near the pier.


Sightings for Tuesday, November 3rd

A SNOWY OWL, the first of the fall, was seen and photographed on the Iona
Island south jetty. Also there was a single SNOW BUNTING.

The GYRFALCON was seen again near the foot of 96th Street in Delta, and the
LONG-BILLED CURLEW and several MARBLED GODWITS were at Blackie Spit in
Surrey.


Sightings for Monday, November 2nd

A late WILSON'S WARBLER on Iona Island in Richmond, near the sewage ponds,
was noteworthy.

At White Rock, the wintering WILLET was seen on the beach close to the white
Rock, and at least 6 EARED GREBES were seen offshore.

In Delta, 8 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were coming to a feeder in the 4100
block of River Road, west of Ladner.

Two TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS and 5 HERMIT THRUSHES at Queen Elizabeth Park in
Vancouver, both somewhat late, were noteworthy.


Sightings for Sunday, November 1st

An immature GYRFALCON, the first of the fall, was reported from near the
foot of 96th Street on Boundary Bay in Delta. Nearby, an AMERICAN
GOLDEN-PLOVER and a RED KNOT were seen with other shorebirds. A small flock
of TRUMPETER SWANS seen along 104th Street were the first ones reported this
fall.


Sightings for Saturday, October 31st

The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY is still being seen daily in the 21900 block of the
Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge.

A RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, very rare in fall, was reported from Queen Elizabeth
Park in Vancouver. Also here were 2 ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS and 2 late
TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS.

The AMERICAN AVOCET, previously seen at the Serpentine River mouth, was
observed at Blackie Spit in Surrey. Also here were the LONG-BILLED CURLEW
and several MARBLED GODWITS.

Two blue-phase SNOW GEESE, an adult and an immature, were seen in a large
flock of SNOW GEESE south of Steveston Highway near Southport Road in
Richmond.


Sightings for Friday, October 30th

An enormous flock of more than 700 SURFBIRDS was seen, along with 60 BLACK
TURNSTONES and 2 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS, was seen on the Grebe Islets off
Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver. The best viewing spot for the Grebe
Islets is Klootchman Park, just north of Lighthouse Park.

A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW appeared in a yard in the 4000 block of West 35th
Avenue in Vancouver.

A SNOW BUNTING at Rainbow Park in Alta Lake in Whistler, north of Vancouver,
was reportedly the first one seen there in 6 years. A SNOW GOOSE was also
seen in Whistler on the Nicklaus North golf course.




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 at 604-597-7201, Viveka at 604-531-3401, or Larry at
604-465-1402.

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


Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus@...

NANAIMO BIRD ALERT

To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@...
call the Bird Alert at 250-390-3029

Also check the birdstore blog for the latest bird alerts and updates:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Post your sightings on this site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbirdingvanisland/messages

Birds of British Columbia:
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/SpeciesChecklists.html

International Birdwatching Guides
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com

Birdwatching contacts and information find a local birder to go birdwatching
with:
http://www.birdingpal.org/

Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone number,
along with the date and location of your sighting.

Sunday November 15, 2009:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo.
The rain fell all morning and it was very windy. The highlights included seeing
a Barred Owl perched in full view on a branch.  A small flock of unidentified
Shorebird flew over us.  A Wilson's Snipe circled around us for several minutes.
Five birders heard and saw the following twenty-seven species of birds:
Canada Geese, Mallard, Hooded Merganser, American Wigeon, Gadwall, Wood Duck,
American Coot, Pied-billed Grebe, Wilson's Snipe, Great Blue Heron, Barred Owl,
Glaucous-winged Gull, Northern Flicker, Rock Pigeon, Varied Thrush, American
Robin, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Chestnut-backed Chickadee,
Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Pine
Siskin, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch and House Sparrows.

A first fall female Common Yellowthroat was seen in a backyard in Columbia
Beach.

Saturday November 14:
Three Trumpeter Swans were seen flying over a field off highway 19, between
Nanoose Bay and Parksville.

One Brant Goose was seen at the Parksville Beach Community Park in with a flock
of American Wigeon.

One Snow Goose was seen in with a flock of Canada Geese at Winchelsea School
Grounds along Renz Road in Parksville.

Steller's Jays and Anna's Hummingbirds are visiting feeders along Benson View
Road opposite Witchcraft Lake in Nanaimo.

An American Dipper was seen in a stream that runs into Witchcraft Lake in
Nanaimo.

A Chukar was seen alongside Church Road by the three-way stop in Parksville.

Four Steller's Jays and Anna's Hummingbirds are visiting feeders in the 4600
block of Lost Lake Road in Nanaimo.

An Anna's Hummingbird is visiting feeders along Valewood Drive in Deerwood
Estates in north Nanaimo.

Friday November 13:
One Snow Goose and three Cackling Geese were seen in with a large flock of
Canada Geese in the Winchelsea School grounds along Renz Road in Parksville.

A Sharp-shinned Hawk was seen scouting the feeders in a backyard along Meridian
Way in Parksville.

Thursday November 12:
Three Short-eared Owls, two Northern Harriers, two Eurasian Wigeon and a
Northern Shrike were seen at the Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo.

Four Brant Geese were seen offshore heading south from Yellowpoint in Cedar.

Tuesday November 10:
The Tuesday bird walk went to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River
Estuary in Parksville.  The morning was cloudy with showers but the sea was
calm.  A Varied Thrush greeted us as we started the walk.  The highlights
included the sighting of a Red-tailed Hawk perched high in a tall tree
overlooking
the estuary and the flooded mudflats.  Three Gadwall, four Northern Shovelers
and a flock of Dunlin shared the incoming tide on the mud flats.  A male and
female Long-tailed Duck, Surf, White-winged and Black Scoters, Harlequin Ducks,
Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Pacific
Loons, Common Loons, Horned Grebes, Double-crested Cormorant and Pelagic
Cormorant  were playing hide and seek with us by diving and popping up out of
the water.
Fifteen birders saw and heard the following fifty-one species of birds:
Canada Goose, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged
Teal, Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black
Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common
Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Pacific Loon ,
Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic
Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Killdeer, Dunlin,
Bonaparte's Gull, Mew Gull, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Ancient
Murrelet, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Northwestern
Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, American Robin, Varied Thrush,
European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow,
Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Purple Finch, House
Finch and Pine Siskin.

Sunday November 08:
Three Rufous Hummingbirds were seen visiting feeders along Cosgrove Crescent in
Nanaimo.

Three Greater White-fronted Geese. three Cackling Geese and two Gadwall were
seen at Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo.

For further information on these sightings or for help in identifying a
bird please call The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
@ 250-390-3669
Toll Free @ 1-888-249-4145
e-mail: thebackyard@...
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Guest speaker, Haida Bolton will talk about "Camp Uganda, an educational camp in
the Wildlife Education Centre for underprivileged Uganda Children and their
parents."
Monday November 23, 2009 @ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
**********************************
The Nanoose Naturalists
Thursday December 10, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and
Tuesday mornings. We leave from the Store at 9 A.M. Sunday Mornings and go to a
different location in and around Nanaimo and from the Parksville Beach Community
Park at 9 A.M. on Tuesdays and go to different areas in and around
the Oceanside area.
**************************************************************
The Tuesday Bird Walk on November 17, 2009 will be going to Columbia Beach.
Meet at the Parksville Beach Community Park near the parking area at the Lion's
Playground at 9:00 A.M. or at the parking area off Admiral Tyron Bld. at about
9: 15 A.M.
*****************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on November 22, 2009 will be going to Neck Point Park in
Nanaimo.
Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 A.M. or at the parking lot of Hammond Bay Road at
about 9:20 A.M.
*******************************************************
Good birding
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD
Wildbird & Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, BC   V9T 2L8
250.390.3669
250.390.1633 fax
thebackyard@...
  CHECK OUT OUR BLOG---> www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Birders,

The following item from Yahoo News is a welcome one indeed: the Brown
Pelican has recovered to the extent that it has now been officially removed
from the U.S. Endangered Species list.

Anyone who has visited the coasts of Oregon or Washington in recent years
knows that pelicans are now abundant there during the summer and fall.
During a recent trip (late August) to Grays Harbor in Washington, I saw at
least 400 Brown Pelicans at Westport and 120 at Hoquiam-- places where I
would have been unable to find a single pelican in the 1970s. Pelicans are
being seen more and more often and in larger numbers on the west coast of
Vancouver Island and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca as well. This is all a
result of vastly improved breeding success off western Mexico, and
ultimately of the elimination of DDT residues from the environment.

Amid all the messages of doom and gloom affecting many other bird species,
this is a hopeful sign.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091111/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_brown_pelicans_back


Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus@...

This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Monday,
November 9th,  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 press the star button at the
end of this message to go back to the menu, press "2" for the rare bird
reporting line, and follow the instructions given there.


RARE BIRD ALERT for a BLACK PHOEBE in Richmond from September 7 to at least
October 26, which appears to be moving back and forth along the west dyke
between Scotch Pond in Steveston and Terra Nova Park, several km to the
north ; and a WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, probably present since last May, in the
21900 block of the Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge. Both birds are likely
still present although not reported in the last week.

Out-of-town RARE BIRD ALERT for an adult BLACK-TAILED GULL in Commencement
Bay near Tacoma, WA, which has been seen almost daily since it appeared on
October 13th. The gull roosts on a log boom in the bay on most afternoons,
and can be viewed from pullouts near the 5000 block of Marine View Drive.

Out-of-town RARE BIRD ALERTS also for an adult BLACK-HEADED GULL seen at and
near the mouth of the Big Qualicum River in Qualicum Beach on November 7 and
8, and an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL at Robert Lake near Kelowna from
November 4 through 9. For updates on these birds, check the BCVIBIRDS and
BCINTBIRD e-mail groups, respectively.


No sightings reported for November 9th


Sightings for Sunday, November 8th

At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, 5 CLIFF SWALLOWS and a BARN SWALLOW
were extremely late.


Sightings for Saturday, November 7th

The wintering WILLET was seen again at the base of the Tsawwassen ferry
jetty in Delta. This bird and the one in White Rock are probably the only
WILLETS in B.C. at the moment.

An AMERICAN DIPPER at the beluga pool of the Vancouver Aquarium in Stanley
Park was at an unusual location.


No sightings reported for November 5th or 6th


Sightings for Wednesday, November 4th

The WILLET was seen again on the beach at White Rock, and 6 EARED GREBES and
an immature SNOW GEESE were seen offshore there near the pier.


Sightings for Tuesday, November 3rd

A SNOWY OWL, the first of the fall, was seen and photographed on the Iona
Island south jetty. Also there was a single SNOW BUNTING.

The GYRFALCON was seen again near the foot of 96th Street in Delta, and the
LONG-BILLED CURLEW and several MARBLED GODWITS were at Blackie Spit in
Surrey.


Sightings for Monday, November 2nd

A late WILSON'S WARBLER on Iona Island in Richmond, near the sewage ponds,
was noteworthy.

At White Rock, the wintering WILLET was seen on the beach close to the white
Rock, and at least 6 EARED GREBES were seen offshore.

In Delta, 8 EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were coming to a feeder in the 4100
block of River Road, west of Ladner.

Two TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS and 5 HERMIT THRUSHES at Queen Elizabeth Park in
Vancouver, both somewhat late, were noteworthy.


Sightings for Sunday, November 1st

An immature GYRFALCON, the first of the fall, was reported from near the
foot of 96th Street on Boundary Bay in Delta. Nearby, an AMERICAN
GOLDEN-PLOVER and a RED KNOT were seen with other shorebirds. A small flock
of TRUMPETER SWANS seen along 104th Street were the first ones reported this
fall.


Sightings for Saturday, October 31st

The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY is still being seen daily in the 21900 block of the
Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge.

A RED-NAPED SAPSUCKER, very rare in fall, was reported from Queen Elizabeth
Park in Vancouver. Also here were 2 ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS and 2 late
TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS.

The AMERICAN AVOCET, previously seen at the Serpentine River mouth, was
observed at Blackie Spit in Surrey. Also here were the LONG-BILLED CURLEW
and several MARBLED GODWITS.

Two blue-phase SNOW GEESE, an adult and an immature, were seen in a large
flock of SNOW GEESE south of Steveston Highway near Southport Road in
Richmond.


Sightings for Friday, October 30th

An enormous flock of more than 700 SURFBIRDS was seen, along with 60 BLACK
TURNSTONES and 2 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS, was seen on the Grebe Islets off
Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver. The best viewing spot for the Grebe
Islets is Klootchman Park, just north of Lighthouse Park.

A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW appeared in a yard in the 4000 block of West 35th
Avenue in Vancouver.

A SNOW BUNTING at Rainbow Park in Alta Lake in Whistler, north of Vancouver,
was reportedly the first one seen there in 6 years. A SNOW GOOSE was also
seen in Whistler on the Nicklaus North golf course.


Sightings for Thursday, October 29th

An adult blue-phase SNOW GOOSE was seen with SNOW GEESE in Delta near the
intersection of Highway 17 and 52nd Street.


Sightings for Tuesday, October 27th

At Blackie Spit in Surrey, a LONG-BILLED CURLEW and 9 MARBLED GODWITS were
present in the Nicomekl River estuary, and a WESTERN MEADOWLARK on the spit
itself.


Sightings for Monday, October 26th

The BLACK PHOEBE was back at its former location at 2500 River Road in Terra
Nova Park in Richmond. It is beginning to look like, some days at least,
this phoebe travels all the way down the Richmond west dyke from Terra Nova
to Steveston and back.

A WESTERN MEADOWLARK was seen at Porteau Cove Park on Highway 99 north of
Lions Bay, an odd locality.


Sightings for Sunday, October 25th

The AMERICAN AVOCET was seen once more at the Serpentine River mouth on Mud
Bay in Surrey.

At Iona Island in Richmond, 6 SNOW BUNTINGS were seen partway out the South
Jetty.


Sightings for Saturday, October 24th

The wintering AMERICAN AVOCET was reported again from the Serpentine River
mouth near Mud Bay Park in Surrey, and the long-staying WESTERN SCRUB-JAY
was still present in the 21900 block of the Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge.

A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and 4 NORTHERN SHRIKES were caught and banded at
the Colony Farm banding station in Port Coquitlam. This seems to be a good
year for shrikes. The SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was in its usual location at
the west foot of Steveston Highway in Richmond.


Sightings for Friday, October 23rd

The BLACK PHOEBE was seen again at the west end of Steveston Highway. Nearby
in
  the cow paddock was the SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER, and 3 blue-phase SNOW GEESE
were seen along Gilbert Road.


Sightings for Thursday, October 22nd

The BLACK PHOEBE was seen at least twice during the day at the west end of
Steveston Highway in Richmond. The EMPEROR GOOSE could not be found,
but a blue-phase SNOW GOOSE, a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, and
about 12 CACKLING GEESE were seen nearby along Gilbert Road with a
SNOW GOOSE feeding flock.

Two blue-phase SNOW GEESE, an adult and an immature, were seen
with SNOW GEESE at Iona Island in Richmond.


Sightings for Wednesday, October 21st

The immature EMPEROR GOOSE was seen only once near the west foot of
Steveston Highway in Richmond, in overflight about 4 PM.

A BLACK PHOEBE was seen along the Richmond west dyke between Steveston
Highway
and the Fraser River, and appeared to be very mobile. This is believed to be
the same
BLACK PHOEBE seen earlier at Terra Nova Park, several km to the north.


Sightings for Tuesday, October 20th

The immature EMPEROR GOOSE was seen again with SNOW GEESE at the west
foot of Steveston Highway in Richmond, but was seen only at a distance. A
SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was seen nearby with other shorebirds in a marshy cow
paddock near the dyke.

A RUSTY BLACKBIRD was seen briefly in the salt marsh on the east side of the
Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver.


Sightings for Monday, October 19th

An immature EMPEROR GOOSE was seen and photographed in late afternoon with
a flock of SNOW GEESE along the Richmond west dyke at the west foot of
Steveston Highway, not Westminster Highway, as I mistakenly wrote last week.

The AMERICAN AVOCET was seen again at the Serpentine River mouth in Surrey,
as were 2 NORTHERN SHRIKES. This area can best be seen from the north
end of the BNSF railway trestle near Mud Bay Park, but be careful as the
railway line
is, strictly speaking, a no trespassing area.

Six SNOW BUNTINGS were seen on the Iona Island south jetty in Richmond.

Ten EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were seen at the foot of 88th Street in Delta.

Shorebirds seen between 104th Street and 96th Street on the Boundary Bay
dyke in
Delta included 6 juvenile AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS and 8 RED KNOTS with
hundreds of BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS.



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 at 604-597-7201, Viveka at 604-531-3401, or
Larry at 604-465-1402.

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


Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus@...

NANAIMO BIRD ALERT

To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@...
call the Bird Alert at 250-390-3029

Also check the birdstore blog for the latest bird alerts and updates:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Post your sightings on this site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbirdingvanisland/messages

Birds of British Columbia:
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/SpeciesChecklists.html

International Birdwatching Guides
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com

Birdwatching contacts and information find a local birder to go birdwatching
with:
http://www.birdingpal.org/

Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone number,
along with the date, name and location of your sighting.

Sunday November 08, 2009:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum
Beach.  The morning started with light showers but the rain stopped and it was a
pleasant morning for birding. The highlights included seeing a constant stream
of thousands upon thousands of Bonaparte's Gulls flying into the mouth of the
Little Qualicum River Estuary.  We could see huge feeding frenzies of seabirds
and gulls stretching along the horizon through the scopes.  A flock of thirty
Black Turnstones flew past low over the water.  There were a large number of
Bald Eagles were perched on the high Fir Trees along the river.  At least ten
Great Blue Herons were roosting on the estuary.
Nine birders heard and saw the following forty-three species of birds:
Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, American Wigeon, Mallard, Green-winged Teal,
Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Bufflehead,
Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common
Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic
Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Merlin, Black Oystercatcher, Black
Turnstone, Bonaparte's Gull, Mew Gull, Thayer's Gull, California Gull, 
Glaucous-winged Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow,
Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, European Starling, White-crowned
Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged
Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Purple Finch and House Finch.

Saturday November 07:
"Rare bird alert-Black-headed Gull"
A winter plumaged Black-headed Gull was seen roosting with Glaucous-winged and
Mew Gulls south of Qualicum Bay. The Black-headed gull is normally found in
Europe, but is fairly common in Newfoundland and is found along the west coast
of North America where it joins Bonaparte's Gull flocks.

Four Cackling Canada Geese and three White-fronted Geese were seen again today
at  Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo.

Friday November 06:
A pair of Great Horned Owls were seen in Millstone Valley in East Wellington.

Four Cackling Canada Geese and three White-fronted Geese were seen in with about
two hundred Canada Geese at  Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo.

Wednesday November 04:
A Spotted Sandpiper, a Sharp-shinned Hawk and Common Mergangers were seen from
Sebastion Road in Lantzville.

A Clark's Nutcracker was seen feeding among the drift logs high on the beach at
Carmanah Point on the west side of Vancouver Island.

Tuesday November 03:
The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum
Beach. The morning was cloudy and very windy at times with an occasional glimpse
of the sun. The highlights of the morning included seeing thirteen Great Blue
Herons resting among the tall grass on the estuary across from the houses at the
start of the walk.  We spotted twenty Bald Eagles perching on the tall fir trees
along the river. There was a very large flock of Bonaparte's Gulls near the
estuary.  We watched as the gulls lifted from the water to put on their tern
like show--moving in a cloud, dipping and diving as they flew.  Dunlin and Black
Turnstones moved along the gravel bars throughout the morning.  There were
several Sea Lions and Seals off shore along with Harlequin Ducks, Surf Scoters,
White-winged Scoters, Black Scoters, Bufflehead and Common Goldeneye.
Twenty-one birders saw and heard the following forty-three species of birds:
Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, American Wigeon, Mallard, Green-winged Teal,
Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Long-tailed
Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common Loon,
Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant,
Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstone,
Dunlin, Bonaparte's Gull, Mew Gull, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Western
Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Pigeon Guillemot, Belted Kingfisher, Northern
Flicker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, American
Robin, European Starling, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird,
Brewer's Blackbird and House Finch.

Sunday November 01:
A Northern Pygmy Owl was seen in a backyard along Garry Oak Drive in Nanoose
Bay.

For further information on these sightings or for help in identifying a
bird please call The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
@ 250-390-3669
Toll Free @ 1-888-249-4145
e-mail: thebackyard@...
**********************************
The Nanoose Naturalists
Guest Speaker Entemologist Evelyn Stokkink will talk about the life of the
Ambrosia Beetle.
Thursday November 12, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monday November 23, 2009 @ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
**********************************
Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and
Tuesday mornings. We leave from the Store at 9 A.M. Sunday Mornings and go to a
different location in and around Nanaimo and from the Parksville Beach Community
Park at 9 A.M. on Tuesdays and go to different areas in and around
the Oceanside area.
**************************************************************
The Tuesday Bird Walk on November 10, 2009 will be going to the Plummer Road
side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville.
Meet at the Parksville Beach Community Park near the parking area at the Lion's
Playground at 9:00 A.M. or at the corner of Plummer Road and Shorewood Drive in
Parksville at about 9:10 A.M.
*****************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on November 15 will be going to Buttertubs Marsh.
Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 A.M. or at the parking area at Buttertubs Marsh
off
Bowen at about 9:20 A.M.
*******************************************************
Good birding
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD
Wildbird & Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, BC   V9T 2L8
250.390.3669
250.390.1633 fax
thebackyard@...
  CHECK OUT OUR BLOG---> www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Hi Birders and Banders,



We completed our last banding session of the season at Colony Farm on
Sunday and I have posted the results in a 4 page document in the files
section of the site called `Colony Farm Banding Results'



Our final total was 3,176 new birds banded of 63 species with 236
retrapped birds which was amazing both in terms of abundance and species
diversity especially considering our banding effort is all volunteer and
therefore restricted to mostly weekends.



We have drawn some important initial conclusions from the data we have
been able to collect which includes the significance of the habitat at
Colony Farm for both migratory and breeding birds and the importance of
the site for dispersing juvenile (hatch year) birds. The data is being
presented to MetroVancouver this week and will be considered as part of
the draft Colony Farm sustainability plan report for the park.



We were surprised at the species diversity which included a number of
rare and `specialty' birds including: Brown Thrasher,
Ash-throated Flycatcher, Dusky Flycatcher, Gray Catbird, Eastern
Kingbird, Western Kingbird, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Shrike &
Lazuli Bunting. We all wondered what might have shown up had we been
able to band every day during spring and fall migration!



We have some very exciting plans to expand the banding program for 2010
and to move towards our vision of creating one of the largest, year
round, professional banding operations in Canada.



I would like to specially acknowledge the efforts of Dev Manky and Mike
Boyd our two expert banders for their knowledge, skill, enthusiasm and
support – we could not have done it without you guys!



Also to Les Lee for his help with inputting all the data and for always
being available for any task which showed up – we'll make a
bander of you yet!



And finally I want to say a huge thank you to everybody who helped make
2009 and our first season at Colony Farm such a success – Between
our banding efforts and the Banding and ID Workshops 2009 was an amazing
year for us.



Thanks again.



Derek Matthews

Vancouver Avian Research Centre

www.birdvancouver.com <http://www.birdvancouver.com/>





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Birders,

In the last few days, I have posted a number of bird photos taken during the
last month on my FLICKR page. Included are shots of some regional rarities
including the MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR at Vancouver; the BLACK PHOEBE at Richmond,
BC; the CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR and TROPICAL KINGBIRD at Hoquiam, WA; and
a WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL from near Mount Hardy on the North Cascades
Highway, WA, as well as some commoner species. Not all these photos are
portraits; some, like the crossbill, are somewhat distant views. I hope you
enjoy them anyway. They can be seen at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wcweber  .

Good luck and good birding,

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus@...

Birders,

Several observers have commented recently on TWEETERS about the relative
scarcity of Common Terns during fall migration in western Washington,
compared with the numbers seen 20 or 30 years ago.  For the record, the same
trend has been obvious in and around Vancouver, BC, where Common Terns
probably were and still are more numerous than almost anywhere in western
Washington.

From the 1960s through the 1980s, Common Terns were considered to be a
fairly common fall transient, being seen frequently from late July and early
August through late October, and sometimes even early November. It was
normal to see groups of dozens, and occasionally even into the hundreds, at
places such as Iona Island, White Rock, and Point Roberts-- often together
with Bonaparte's Gulls, and often pursued by one or two Parasitic Jaegers.
In the last few years, I would estimate that tern numbers, on the average,
are only 10% or 20% of what they were, and they seem to occur less often
early and late in the season.

On the other hand, numbers of Common Terns seen in spring, although they
vary greatly from year to year, have NOT declined markedly. In spring, they
are often seen only in a couple of places (especially Drayton Harbor and
Iona Island), and often for only a few days. However, they occur then in
larger flocks than in the fall. This spring (2009) produced some of the
largest numbers of Common Terns ever reported around Vancouver, with up to
2000 birds in a day at Iona Island, and 900 at Blackie Spit on Mud Bay in
Surrey.

It should be noted that Common Terns nest entirely east of the Rocky
Mountains, and winter mainly from Mexico south to Peru and Argentina. They
seem to be much scarcer as migrants (spring and fall) in Oregon and
California than in Washington and B.C.
Perhaps, for some reason, a smaller percentage are migrating along the
Pacific Coast in the fall than in the past, although it doesn't seem to have
affected the spring movement.

Franklin's Gulls have also become much scarcer fall migrants around
Vancouver, declining from "uncommon to rare" status to "extremely rare" in
the last few years (one or two sightings a year). However, this trend may or
may not be related to the Common Tern trend.

Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus@...

The bird is still present and forages quite often in my back yard. It
still has the odd scrap with the Steller's Jays and seems to have
survived a visit from a male Coopers or female Sharp-shinned hawk.
Didn't quite quite get a good enough look. It is still quite vocal when
present.

Roger Craik
Maple Ridge

Birders,

A BROWN BOOBY has been present from October 26th through today, October 30,
at Coos Bay on the southern Oregon coast. Along with the one seen earlier
this year near Sooke, this adds to the very few records of this species in
the Pacific Northwest. There are only 3 previous confirmed records for
Oregon, plus 2 more unconfirmed records--  all of them since 1998.

For details, check recent messages from the OBOL e-mail group at Jack
Siler's webpage (http://www.birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/OBOL.html  ).
Unfortunately, OBOL has been down most of today, but hopefully it will be
running again soon.


Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus@...

This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Tuesday,
October 27th,  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 press the star button at the
end of this message to go back to the menu, press "2" for the rare bird
reporting line, and follow the instructions given there.


RARE BIRD ALERT for a BLACK PHOEBE in Richmond from September 7 to at least
October 26, which appears to be moving back and forth along the west dyke
between Scotch Pond in Steveston and Terra Nova Park, several km to the
north ; a WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, probably present since last May, in the 21900
block of the Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge; and an immature EMPEROR GOOSE
in the Steveston area of Richmond from October 19 to 21.

Out-of-town RARE BIRD ALERT for an adult BLACK-TAILED GULL in Commencement
Bay near Tacoma, WA, which has been seen almost daily since it appeared on
October 13th. The gull roosts on a log boom in the bay on most afternoons,
and can be viewed from pullouts near the 5000 block of Marine View Drive on
the east side of the bay.


Sightings for Tuesday, October 27th

At Blackie Spit in Surrey, a LONG-BILLED CURLEW and 9 MARBLED GODWITS were
present in the Nicomekl River estuary, and a WESTERN MEADOWLARK on the spit
itself.


Sightings for Monday, October 26th

The BLACK PHOEBE was back at its former location at 2500 River Road in Terra
Nova Park in Richmond. It is beginning to look like, some days at least,
this phoebe travels all the way down the Richmond west dyke from Terra Nova
to Steveston and back.

A WESTERN MEADOWLARK was seen at Porteau Cove Park on Highway 99 north of
Lions Bay, an odd locality.


Sightings for Sunday, October 25th

The AMERICAN AVOCET was seen once more at the Serpentine River mouth on Mud
Bay in Surrey.

At Iona Island in Richmond, 6 SNOW BUNTINGS were seen partway out the South
Jetty.


Sightings for Saturday, October 24th

The wintering AMERICAN AVOCET was reported again from the Serpentine River
mouth near Mud Bay Park in Surrey, and the long-staying WESTERN SCRUB-JAY
was still present in the 21900 block of the Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge.

A WHITE-THROATED SPARROW and 4 NORTHERN SHRIKES were caught and banded at
the Colony Farm banding station in Port Coquitlam. This seems to be a good
year for shrikes. The SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was in its usual location at
the west foot of Steveston Highway in Richmond.


Sightings for Friday, October 23rd

The BLACK PHOEBE was seen again at the west end of Steveston Highway. Nearby
in
  the cow paddock was the SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER, and 3 blue-phase SNOW GEESE
were seen along Gilbert Road.


Sightings for Thursday, October 22nd

The BLACK PHOEBE was seen at least twice during the day at the west end of
Steveston Highway in Richmond. The EMPEROR GOOSE could not be found,
but a blue-phase SNOW GOOSE, a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE, and
about 12 CACKLING GEESE were seen nearby along Gilbert Road with a
SNOW GOOSE feeding flock.

Two blue-phase SNOW GEESE, an adult and an immature, were seen
with SNOW GEESE at Iona Island in Richmond.


Sightings for Wednesday, October 21st

The immature EMPEROR GOOSE was seen only once near the west foot of
Steveston Highway in Richmond, in overflight about 4 PM.

A BLACK PHOEBE was seen along the Richmond west dyke between Steveston
Highway
and the Fraser River, and appeared to be very mobile. This is believed to be
the same
BLACK PHOEBE seen earlier at Terra Nova Park, several km to the north.


Sightings for Tuesday, October 20th

The immature EMPEROR GOOSE was seen again with SNOW GEESE at the west
foot of Steveston Highway in Richmond, but was seen only at a distance. A
SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was seen nearby with other shorebirds in a marshy cow
paddock near the dyke.

A RUSTY BLACKBIRD was seen briefly in the salt marsh on the east side of the
Maplewood Conservation Area in North Vancouver.


Sightings for Monday, October 19th

An immature EMPEROR GOOSE was seen and photographed in late afternoon with
a flock of SNOW GEESE along the Richmond west dyke at the west foot of
Steveston Highway, not Westminster Highway, as I mistakenly wrote last week.

The AMERICAN AVOCET was seen again at the Serpentine River mouth in Surrey,
as were 2 NORTHERN SHRIKES. This area can best be seen from the north
end of the BNSF railway trestle near Mud Bay Park, but be careful as the
railway line
is, strictly speaking, a no trespassing area.

Six SNOW BUNTINGS were seen on the Iona Island south jetty in Richmond.

Ten EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were seen at the foot of 88th Street in Delta.

Shorebirds seen between 104th Street and 96th Street on the Boundary Bay
dyke in
Delta included 6 juvenile AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS and 8 RED KNOTS with
hundreds of BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS.


Sightings for Sunday, October 18th

An AMERICAN AVOCET was seen at the mouth of the Serpentine River in Surrey,
near Mud Bay Park, where this species has wintered previously.

Four SNOW BUNTINGS and a LAPLAND LONGSPUR were seen along the Iona
Island south jetty in Richmond.

An adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK and at least 10 SOOTY GROUSE were seen by
a birder hiking around the summit of Mount Seymour in North Vancouver.

Birds seen along the north side of Boundary Bay in Delta included an
AMERICAN
GOLDEN-PLOVER and a SNOW BUNTING near the foot of 96th Street, and 4
NORTHERN SHRIKES, 2 of which were at the foot of 72nd Street.

Two EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were reported from the intersection of APA
Road and South Beach Road at Point Roberts, WA, the first report for that
area.


Sightings for Saturday, October 17th

The BLACK PHOEBE was seen again near the abandoned house at 2500 River
Road in Richmond, in Terra Nova Park. Three VIRGINIA RAILS and a SHORT-EARED
OWL were seen nearby along the Richmond west dyke.

The long-staying WESTERN SCRUB-JAY was still being seen regularly in
Maple Ridge.


Sightings for Friday, October 16th

A flock of 52 SURFBIRDS was seen, along with 2 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS
and 3 BLACK TURNSTONES, on the Grebe Islets, near Lighthouse Park
in West Vancouver.

Another BLUE JAY was reported from the vicinity of 34th Avenue and Camosun
Street in Vancouver.


No sightings reported for Thursday, October 15th


Sightings for Wednesday, October 14th

The MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR in Stanley Park was last reported on this date.


Sightings for Tuesday, October 13th

The MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR was present again for most of the day along the
Stanley Park seawall on the north side of Coal Harbour in Vancouver.

Three AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS were reported along the Nicomekl River
near Elgin Heritage Park in Surrey.

A flock of 25 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES was seen on a hiking trail near
Coliseum Mountain in North Vancouver.


Sightings for Monday, October 12th

The MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR was again present all day in Vancouver's Stanley Park.

The LARK BUNTING near the University of BC Museum of Anthropology was
seen briefly by 3 observers in the morning, but could not be found after
about
8:30 AM.

A BLUE JAY was seen with 3 STELLER'S JAYS in the 1200 block of Duchess
Avenue, West Vancouver, near Ambleside Park.


Sightings for Sunday, October 11th

The MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR was present all day on the Stanley Park seawall in
Vancouver and was seen and photographed by many.

A LARK BUNTING, extremely rare in BC, was found and photographed
near the University of BC Anthropology Museum in Vancouver.

A SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was seen with Pectoral Sandpipers at the
Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta.

Four late BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS were seen along the Roberts Bank coal port
Jetty in Delta, and 12 late BARN SWALLOWS were seen over fields nearby.


Sightings for Saturday, October 10th

A MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR was found along the Stanley Park seawall just east of
the Vancouver Yacht Club on this date. This is the first Vancouver record
and only
about the 4th for B.C.

The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY was seen and photographed again in the 21900 block
of the Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge.

Three SNOW BUNTINGS, the first of the fall, were seen on the Iona Island
south
jetty in Richmond, and another was seen on the Tsawwassen ferry jetty in
Delta.

Along the Boundary Bay dyke between 96th and 104th Streets in Delta, a
SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER, a MARBLED GODWIT, 3 AMERICAN GOLDEN-
PLOVERS, a late SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, and 7 SNOW BUNTINGS were seen.

A BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was seen at the usual location beside Fuller
Slough at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta.


Sightings for Friday, October 9th

A NORTHERN SHRIKE, the first of the fall, was reported from Colony Farm
Regional Park in Port Coquitlam.

An AMERICAN TREE SPARROW was seen again at the Dunsmuir Gardens in
Surrey, along with 2 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, 15 LINCOLN'S SPARROWS,
and 3 ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRDS.

A SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was seen along the Boundary Bay dyke in
Delta at two different spots between 96th and 104th Streets. Also here
were 5 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS.


Sightings for Thursday, October 8th

Two AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, the first of the fall, were seen along the
entrance road to the Dunsmuir Community Gardens at Blackie Spit in
Surrey.

A YELLOW-SHAFTED form of the NORTHERN FLICKER was seen near 2000
Brigantine Drive in Coquitlam.


Sightings for Wednesday, October 7th

The BLACK PHOEBE at Terra Nova Park in Richmond was seen again near the
abandoned house at 2500 River Road, and between there and the parking area
at the west end of River Road. It was very active and moving around a lot,
but
should be findable by birders willing to spend a bit of time to track it
down.

Seven BARN SWALLOWS and a SWAINSON'S THRUSH, both quite late, were
seen near 128th Street and 92nd Avenue in Surrey.

A BLACK OYSTERCATCHER and a BRANDT'S CORMORANT were seen at the end
of the Iona Island south jetty in Richmond.


Sightings for Tuesday, October 6th

Birds seen along the Boundary Bay dyke between 88th and 104th Streets in
Delta included a MARBLED GODWIT, 2 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS, and
a RED KNOT with about 800 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS. Also here were a late
BANK SWALLOW and 12 BARN SWALLOWS.

Seven MARBLED GODWITS and a LONG-BILLED CURLEW were seen again
at Blackie Spit in Surrey.

A bird thought at first to be a MURPHY'S PETREL, but later determined to be
a SOLANDER'S PETREL, a first for B.C., was seen and well photographed on a
pelagic
birding trip off Tofino on Vancouver Island.



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 at 604-597-7201, Viveka at 604-531-3401, or
Larry at 604-465-1402.

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



Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus@...

Nanaimo bird alert
To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@...
call the Bird Alert at 250-390-3029

Also check the birdstore blog for the latest bird alerts and updates:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Post your sightings on this site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbirdingvanisland/messages

Birds of British Columbia:
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/SpeciesChecklists.html

International Birdwatching Guides
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com

Birdwatching contacts and information find a local birder to go birdwatching
with:
http://www.birdingpal.org/

Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone number,
along with the date, name and location of your sighting.

Sunday October 25, 2009:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to the Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo. The
morning was cloudy but the winds were calm.  It did start to rain at the end of
the morning. The highlights included seeing a Northern Shrike pursuing a
Northern Flicker. There were at least two Northern Shrikes perched on a snag,
giving us good views.  We were fascinated as we observed Shrike chasing prey
unsuccessfully three times. We watched a Juvenile Northern Harrier hunting as it
flew low over the estuary.  A Common Raven gave chase to the Harrier and the
Harrier went right back after the Raven until the Raven flew away. The Northern
Harrier perched for a long time giving us great views.  We could see his mostly
rufous coloured body with black wings and disc like face of a owl.  There were
at least ten Western Meadowlarks perched on trees and flying overhead all
through the morning.
Fourteen birders heard and saw the following thirty-two species of birds:
Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Great Blue Heron, Mallard,  Northern Pintail, 
American Wigeon,  Barrow's Goldeneye, Common Merganser,  Bald
Eagle,Sharp-shinned Hawk,  Northern Harrier, Northern Shrike, California Gull, 
Thayer's Gull,  Glaucous-winged Gull, Belted Kingfisher,  Northern Flicker, 
Steller's Jay,  Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Western Meadowlark,  Red-winged
Blackbird, Eurasian Starling, American Robin, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, 
Golden-crowned Sparrow, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's Wren,  Purple Finch, 
House Finch and Red Crossbills.

Twelve Long-billed Dowitchers were seen at Holden Creek in south Nanaimo.

A Varied Thrush was seen visiting feeders along Boundary Crescent in Nanaimo.

Saturday October 24:
Twenty-two Pacific Loons were seen off shore off Yellowpoint Road in Cedar.

Friday October 23:A Short-eared Owl was seen near the Point at Neck Point Park
in Nanaimo.

Tuesday October 20:
The Tuesday Bird Walk went to Columbia Beach. The morning was cloudy but the
wind was calm and the water on the Strait of Georgia was like a mirror.
Among the highlights of the morning was a very large feeding ball of gulls and
seabirds near the horizon.  A raft of Greater Scaup, Surf Scoters and
White-winged Scoters were seen not far from shore.  Three flocks of Northern
Pintail flew high overhead heading down the Strait.  A large mixed flock of
Gulls
including Bonaparte's, Mew, a Ring-billed, California, a Herring, Thayer's and
Glaucous-winged Gulls, along with Black Turnstones and Black-bellied Plovers
were on the gravel bar near the Pebble Beach Townhouses. Four small noisy flocks
of Black Oystercatchers flew past us just above the water.
Eighteen birders saw and heard the following forty-six species of birds:
Canada Goose, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Surf
Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Common Goldeneye, Common
Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe,
Red-necked Grebe, Western Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant,
Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Merlin, Black-bellied Plover,
Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstone, Bonaparte's Gull, Mew Gull, Ring-billed
Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Pigeon
Guillemot, Rock Pigeon, Belted Kingfisher,
Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Common Raven, European Starling, Spotted
Towhee, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed
Junco, House Finch and Red Crossbill.

Sunday October 18:
Two Anna's Hummingbirds are visiting feeders near Cathers Lake in Nanaimo.

A Peregrine Falcon, an American Kestrel and a Bald Eagle were seen at the Shelly
Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville.

Male and female King Parrots and a family of Grey Butcherbirds have been
visiting backyard feeders for the past week, along Edith Street North Haven in
New South Wales, Australia.

For further information on these sightings or for help in identifying a
bird please call The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
@ 250-390-3669
Toll Free @ 1-888-249-4145
e-mail: thebackyard@...
**********************************
Arrowsmith Naturalists
Guest speaker, Michele Deakin, local biologist, will give an update on eelgrass
beds.
Monday October 26, 2009 @ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
**********************************
The Nanoose Naturalists
Guest Speaker Entemologist Evelyn Stokkink will talk about the life of the
Ambrosia Beetle.
Thursday November 12, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
**********************************
Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and
Tuesday mornings. We leave from the Store at 9 A.M. Sunday Mornings and go to a
different location in and around Nanaimo and from the Parksville Beach Community
Park at 9 A.M. on Tuesdays and go to different areas in and around
the Oceanside area.
**************************************************************
The Tuesday Bird Walk on October 27, 2009 will be going to Rathtrevor Provincial
Park in Parksville.
Meet at the Parksville Beach Community Park near the parking area at the Lion's
Playground at 9:00 A.M. or the main parking area at Rathtrevor Provincial Park.
Please note--there is a parking fee at the Park.
*****************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on November 01 will be going to the Nanoose Estuary in
Nanoose Bay.
Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 A.M. or behind the Church Camp off Arlington Road
and highway 19, at about 9:15A.M.
Please note--daylight savings time ends on November 01 and the clock falls back
one hour.
*******************************************************
Good birding
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD
Wildbird & Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, BC   V9T 2L8
250.390.3669
250.390.1633 fax
thebackyard@...
  CHECK OUT OUR BLOG---> www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

This is Wayne Weber with Nature Vancouver's Rare Bird Alert for Monday,
October 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 press the star button at the
end of this message to go back to the menu, press "2" for the rare bird
reporting line, and follow the instructions given there.


RARE BIRD ALERT for a WESTERN SCRUB-JAY, probably present since last May, on
the Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge;  a BLACK PHOEBE at Terra Nova Park in
Richmond from September 7 to at least October 17; an EMPEROR GOOSE found in
Richmond on October 19; a MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR in Stanley Park, Vancouver from
October 10 to 14; and a LARK BUNTING on the University of BC campus on
October 11 and 12.


Sightings for Monday, October 19th

An immature EMPEROR GOOSE was seen and photographed in late afternoon with a
flock of SNOW GEESE along the Richmond west dyke at the west foot of
Westminster Highway.

The AMERICAN AVOCET was seen again at the Serpentine River mouth in Surrey,
as were 2 NORTHERN SHRIKES. This area can best be seen from the north end of
the BNSF railway trestle near Mud Bay Park, but be careful as the railway
line is, strictly speaking, a no trespassing area.

Six SNOW BUNTINGS were seen on the Iona Island south jetty in Richmond.

Ten EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were seen at the foot of 88th Street in Delta.


Sightings for Sunday, October 18th

An AMERICAN AVOCET was seen at the mouth of the Serpentine River in Surrey,
near Mud Bay Park, where this species has wintered previously.

Four SNOW BUNTINGS and a LAPLAND LONGSPUR were seen along the Iona Island
south jetty in Richmond.

An adult NORTHERN GOSHAWK and at least 10 SOOTY GROUSE were seen by a birder
hiking around the summit of Mount Seymour in North Vancouver.

Birds seen along the north side of Boundary Bay in Delta included an
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER and a SNOW BUNTING near the foot of 96th Street, and
4 NORTHERN SHRIKES, 2 of which were at the foot of 72nd Street.

Two EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVES were reported from the intersection of APA Road
and South Beach Road at Point Roberts, WA, the first report for that area.


Sightings for Saturday, October 17th

The BLACK PHOEBE was seen again near the abandoned house at 2500 River Road
in Richmond, in Terra Nova Park. Three VIRGINIA RAILS and a SHORT-EARED OWL
were seen nearby along the Richmond west dyke.

The long-staying WESTERN SCRUB-JAY was still being seen regularly in Maple
Ridge.


Sightings for Friday, October 16th

A flock of 52 SURFBIRDS was seen, along with 2 BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS and 3
BLACK TURNSTONES, on the Grebe Islets, near Lighthouse Park in West
Vancouver.

Another BLUE JAY was reported from the vicinity of 34th Avenue and Camosun
Street in Vancouver.


No sightings reported for Thursday, October 15th


Sightings for Wednesday, October 14

The MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR in Stanley Park was last reported on this date.


Sightings for Tuesday, October 13th

The MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR was present again for most of the day along the
Stanley Park seawall on the north side of Coal Harbour in Vancouver.

Three AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS were reported along the Nicomekl River near
Elgin Heritage Park in Surrey.

A flock of 25 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY FINCHES was seen on a hiking trail near
Coliseum Mountain in North Vancouver.


Sightings for Monday, October 12th

The MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR was again present all day in Vancouver's Stanley Park.

The LARK BUNTING near the University of BC Museum of Anthropology was seen
briefly by 3 observers in the morning, but could not be found after about
8:30 AM.

A BLUE JAY was seen with 3 STELLER'S JAYS in the 1200 block of Duchess
Avenue, West Vancouver, near Ambleside Park.


Sightings for Sunday, October 11th

The MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR was present all day on the Stanley Park seawall in
Vancouver and was seen and photographed by many.

A LARK BUNTING, extremely rare in BC, was found and photographed near the
University of BC Anthropology Museum in Vancouver.

A SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was seen with Pectoral Sandpipers at the Reifel
Bird Sanctuary in Delta.

Four late BAIRD'S SANDPIPERS were seen along the Roberts Bank coal port
Jetty in Delta, and 12 late BARN SWALLOWS were seen over fields nearby.


Sightings for Saturday, October 10th

A MCCOWN'S LONGSPUR was found along the Stanley Park seawall just east of
the Vancouver Yacht Club on this date. This is the first Vancouver record
and only about the 4th for B.C.

The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY was seen and photographed again in the 21900 block of
the Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge.

Three SNOW BUNTINGS, the first of the fall, were seen on the Iona Island
south jetty in Richmond, and another was seen on the Tsawwassen ferry jetty
in Delta.

Along the Boundary Bay dyke between 96th and 104th Streets in Delta, a
SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER, a MARBLED GODWIT, 3 AMERICAN GOLDEN- PLOVERS, a late
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, and 7 SNOW BUNTINGS were seen.

A BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was seen at the usual location beside Fuller
Slough at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta.


Sightings for Friday, October 9th

A NORTHERN SHRIKE, the first of the fall, was reported from Colony Farm
Regional Park in Port Coquitlam.

An AMERICAN TREE SPARROW was seen again at the Dunsmuir Gardens in Surrey,
along with 2 WHITE-THROATED SPARROWS, 15 LINCOLN'S SPARROWS, and 3 ANNA'S
HUMMINGBIRDS.

A SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER was seen along the Boundary Bay dyke in Delta at
two different spots between 96th and 104th Streets. Also here were 5
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS.


Sightings for Thursday, October 8th

Two AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, the first of the fall, were seen along the
entrance road to the Dunsmuir Community Gardens at Blackie Spit in Surrey.

A YELLOW-SHAFTED form of the NORTHERN FLICKER was seen near 2000 Brigantine
Drive in Coquitlam.


Sightings for Wednesday, October 7th

The BLACK PHOEBE at Terra Nova Park in Richmond was seen again near the
abandoned house at 2500 River Road, and between there and the parking area
at the west end of River Road. It was very active and moving around a lot,
but should be findable by birders willing to spend a bit of time to track it
down.

Seven BARN SWALLOWS and a SWAINSON'S THRUSH, both quite late, were seen near
128th Street and 92nd Avenue in Surrey.

A BLACK OYSTERCATCHER and a BRANDT'S CORMORANT were seen at the end of the
Iona Island south jetty in Richmond.


Sightings for Tuesday, October 6th

Birds seen along the Boundary Bay dyke between 88th and 104th Streets in
Delta included a MARBLED GODWIT, 2 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS, and a RED KNOT
with about 800 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS. Also here were a late BANK SWALLOW and
12 BARN SWALLOWS.

Seven MARBLED GODWITS and a LONG-BILLED CURLEW were seen again at Blackie
Spit in Surrey.

A bird thought at first to be a MURPHY'S PETREL, but later determined to be
a SOLANDER'S PETREL, a first for B.C., was seen and well photographed on a
pelagic birding trip off Tofino on Vancouver Island.


Sightings for Monday, October 5th

A flock of 30 CLARK'S NUTCRACKERS was reported flying over the ski area at
Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver, then heading toward Mount Seymour.
This is the first report of this species in several years in the Vancouver
area. A late OSPREY was also seen over Grouse Mountain.

In Vancouver's Stanley Park, a white-striped WHITE-THROATED SPARROW
was seen near Lost Lagoon.

In Pitt Meadows, 15 HORNED LARKS were seen along Thompson Road.


Sightings for Sunday, October 4th

The BLACK PHOEBE in Terra Nova Park, Richmond, was seen again, but this time
it
was seen mainly around a house at 2380 Westminster Highway and the nearby
community gardens.


Sightings for Saturday, October 3rd

A WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL was present with about 10 RED CROSSBILLS
near the parking area at the Mount Seymour ski area in North Vancouver.

Blackie Spit in Surrey produced a LONG-BILLED CURLEW, 7 MARBLED GODWITS,
3 RED KNOTS, and a PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVER.


Sightings for Friday, October 2nd

A CLARK'S GREBE was seen just off Blackie Spit in Surrey.

The WESTERN SCRUB-JAY was seen again in the 21900 block of the Lougheed
Highway in Maple Ridge.

Eleven late CASPIAN TERNS were at Brunswick Point, near the west end of
River Road in Delta. Also here were 12 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS and 3
SANDHILL CRANES.

Twelve GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were at Serpentine Fen on the
King George Highway in Surrey.


Sightings for Thursday, October 1st

The wintering LONG-BILLED CURLEW and 8 MARBLED GODWITS were at
Blackie Spit in Surrey.


Sightings for Wednesday, September 30th

Ten BLACK OYSTERCATCHERS and a HEERMANN'S GULL were near the
Tsawwassen ferry jetty in Delta, and two HORNED LARKS and a LONG-BILLED
CURLEW were at Blackie Spit in Surrey.

On Vancouver Island, a PRAIRIE WARBLER was reported for the third day in a
row in Tofino. This is only the third well-documented record for B.C.


Sightings for Tuesday, September 29th

Twenty LAPLAND LONGSPURS and a HORNED LARK were on the Iona Island south
jetty in Richmond, and 6 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were seen from
Ferguson Road on Sea Island, Richmond.

A MARBLED GODWIT, a LONG-BILLED CURLEW, and 3 late CASPIAN TERNS were at
Blackie Spit in Surrey.




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 at 604-597-7201, Viveka at 604-531-3401, or
Larry at 604-465-1402.

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


Wayne C. Weber
Delta, BC
contopus@...