ROSS'S GULL just over the border!

[Photo: Ryan Shaw]

For anyone close to the Okanagan, you may want to grab your passports and head to Palmer Lake, Okanogan County, Washington! This bird has been present since the 15th.

Details from the Washington bird group:
"For those wishing to catch a glimpse of the gull, Palmer Lake is about 15 miles northwest of Tonasket, six miles south of the Canada border. Heinlen says there are two developed areas for public parking along the lake-the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Split Rock day-use site at the south end of the lake and a Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR)campground on the eastern shore. There are restroom facilities at each of these areas."

See video HERE.

For anyone planning on trying, please respect private property and do not block any driveways etc. Thus far, the bird has been frequenting a deer carcass left along the lakeshore near the south end.

Update: It has not been seen since the morning of the 27th

BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER in Penticton

(Dec 18)--Russell Cannings, Jack Somers, Evalyn Wood, Michelle Hamilton, and Grant Halm observed a hatch-year female BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER along the Okanagan River opposite the Penticton Golf & Country Club. It was foraging alone in the thick riparian area known as "Ecommunity Place" (No public access but the bird was viewed from the jogging/biking path adjacent to the woodland).

Directions for those trying for it:

Park along Riverside Drive just north of Hwy 97. Cross over the river on the hwy bridge, then walk south along the west dyke of the river. After passing the driving range--look along the riparian thickets on the west side. Listen for the junco-like call-note. In addition to the thick brush on the west side, the warbler has also been seen gleaning insects off the rocks along the side of the Okanagan River.

Dec 25--Still present in the same area [near the power pole with caution tape] (Doug Brown)

For more awesome shots of the bird from Laure, click HERE.

HOARY REDPOLL - SOUTHERN INTERIOR

Here is a picture of the 4th (presumed) Hoary Redpoll to turn up in the southern interior this winter. [Photo credit: Gail Spitler, Johnson's Landing] Be sure to check through your local redpoll and siskin flocks this winter! ID can be tricky, as there is a lot of plumage overlap between Common and Hoary. It is best to use a combination of fieldmarks to reach a decision.

Click HERE for a helpful character index for redpoll identification.

Dec 4-10: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in Victoria

Report from Steven Roias:

"I spotted the Gnatcatcher at 09:30 on Saturday (Dec 04) at the Cook street entrance to Beacon Hill park. It was foraging erratically at the tree tops usually alone, but was accompanied by a loose flock of Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglets. After half an hour or so, the Gnatcatcher and Kinglets moved on towards James Bay. I never did check for the bird again."

Dec 10 UPDATE: Still present in the AM-- in the same area (in between the tennis courts and the maintenance yard). Later on at 1030, it was near the totem pole, then around 1130 it was in the SE corner of the park.

--You can also track some of the previous sighting locations HERE.

Dec 2-7: CATTLE EGRET in Surrey

Dec 2-7: Michael Klotz found a CATTLE EGRET along 152 St, just north of the bridge over the Serpentine River. It is mostly foraging in the blueberry field on the east side of 152 St, about 50m north of the bridge.

Still present as of 1pm Dec 7th in the same general area.

Be wary of road construction crews that may be working in the area. There will probably be no where safe to park (close) once the work week starts.

UPDATE: The bird has been taken into the care of a rehab facility--the bird's health had deteriorated to the point that it could not fly.

(Photo: Michael Klotz)

Hoary Redpoll reported from Nelson!

Report from Nov 27--Nelson, BC

Field description from Paul Prappas:

" It was sitting directly above me on a bare branch and I was immediately struck by the clear breast. Next to no streaking on it. Pure snow white. I checked out the face from below and felt that the face profile and beak look stunted. Finally, I was struck by the shape of the bird. It seemed bigger than the other Redpolls, chunkier as it was. I've seen Hoary's up in Alaska and would be the first to admit that they can be easily mistaken for a Common and vice versa, so I am wary. I suppose considering their variation, I could have miscalled this one, but it was a very Hoary-looking Redpoll."

--This sighting, along with reports of large numbers from the Creston area, and frequent reports from the Okanagan and coast, seem to suggest that it is going to be a great year for redpolls! There are already large flocks of Pine Siskins patrolling Vancouver and the Island, so get out there and check through each flock closely!

RBA: SUMMER TANAGER

[Photo: Guy Monty (Nov 23)]

--Any comments on whether it is of western or eastern origin?

Nov 19-25: A female-type SUMMER TANAGER has been recently photographed at an undisclosed location near Parksville, BC. It has been visiting a suet feeder. At this time, the homeowners would prefer to keep their address private.

UPDATE (Nov 25): The bird has not been seen since the morning of Nov 25.

I believe this is the *3rd record all-time for BC (the first 2 both coming from 2009--1 in May near Blue River, and 1 in summer near Golden).

RBA: PAINTED BUNTING!

[Photo: Paul Kusmin]

NOV 17-23

---This bird showed up on the 17th, then was seen by about 15 birders on the 18th before it hit a window. Fortunately, the bird recovered and was able to fly away after some quiet time in a shoebox. This was around 2pm.

Ann will be keeping tabs on the bird so if it sticks around then it may be possible for more visitors to have a go of it. To arrange for a visit, call Ann @ 604-925-1690

I believe this is only the second record of PAINTED BUNTING in Vancouver, and *5th all-time for BC.

Nov 24 UPDATE: The bird was not seen between 730am-11am this morning (usually the best time). The poor weather might have been a factor. Stay tuned for more updates...

Nov 8--BLACK PHOEBE at Island 22, Chilliwack

Gord Gadsden found a Black Phoebe today around noon, at Island 22, Chilliwack. Apparently it was quite vocal, and was hanging out "south of the water jump."

More details and photos HERE

Nov 1--ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER in Revelstoke

Photographed today (NOV 1) by Don Manson at Machete Island, Revelstoke. A great find for the area!

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL in Penticton (Oct 22-23...)

[Photo: Laure Neish]
For nearly a decade, a single adult Lesser Black-backed Gull has called Kelowna and Vernon its winter home. This bird (assuming it's the same one each year) typically shows up in the first week of November and stays until late March before departing to an unknown breeding area. In addition to this bird, there have been at least 4 other individuals (if not a few more) that have shown up in the valley. The easiest way to know there are more than one individual is when birds of different ages pop up. In this case, Laure Neish found an adult-type on Oct 22 along the Okanagan Lakeshore in Penticton-- it's still a little early for the usual Kelowna bird but who knows?

It was seen again today by Laure so maybe it'll stick around a bit longer in case anyone wants to have a look at this sharp-lookin' creature.

Click HERE to see more of Laure's photos of the bird.

RBA: LARK BUNTING (Jordan River, Vancouver Island)

OCTOBER 16th/17th--

From Louis Havelind (Oct 16)--"It was about 50 m to the West of the main beach pull off area with the noticeboard, in the small pull off area at the start of the trial that leads through the forest toward the river. It stayed in the bushes around the concrete blocks that stop vehicles from going down the trail. This is not the beach side of the road and if you get to the camping area you have gone too far.

OCT 17--seen and photographed again along the beach and in the parking lot above the beach,
associating with Savannah Sparrows.

PROTHONOTARY WARBLER in Vernon, BC!

Oct 10---Chris Siddle really has something to be thankful for this evening! While casually checking out a chickadee in his backyard (on Silver Star Road), a PROTHONOTARY WARBLER glanced off his window and perched briefly in plain sight. Unfortunately it did not stick around, and has not been seen since.

Will post updates if subsequent sightings occur.

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL AND ANCIENT MURRELET IN KELOWNA AND PENTICTON

Oct 3--ANCIENT MURRELET delights locals in Penticton (while Russell is away of course).
[Photo below by Laure Neish]

First located by Laure Neish near the Penticton Yacht Club, it was last seeing flying toward Redwing Estates near the SW end of Okanagan Lake.

Same day: LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL at the Mouth of Mission Creek (Kelowna)
[Photo: Michael Force]

[2nd-cycle bird found by Chris Charlesworth and Michael Force]

Manx Shearwater off Vancouver Island

On Sep 18, Mike and Sharon Toochin observed a single MANX SHEARWATER 35 nautical miles west of Quatsino Sound (West cost of Vancouver Island)--this was from a cruise ship.

RBA: BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER (Okanagan)

10:15am--Chris Siddle and Michael Force just found a male BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER at Winfield Creek Preserve in Lake Country. Will post more details soon. I believe the park is located just south of Wood Lake---along the Bottom Wood Lake Road.

UPDATE (From Chris Charlesworth): "Chris Siddle first spotted the bird around 10:10 AM beside a small pond in the preserve. Chris & Mike then had it again about 10 minutes later in generally the same spot, near the little wooden viewing deck. I arrived just after they had seen it the second time. We waited around until just after 11:15 AM, joined by several other local birders and the bird reappeared! It was foraging mid-height in the trees." It showed briefly and then was not seen again (as of dusk).

----NOT SEEN Sep 26th

RBA: CHIMNEY SWIFTS near Tumbler Ridge!!!

Report from Guy Monty and Mike Toochin:

"Today, (9 September) while doing raptor migration monitoring, Mike Toochin and I had great looks at three CHIMNEY SWIFTS from a hill top app. 10 kms northeast of Tumbler Ridge. The birds were visible for app. 5 minutes, and then moved off to the southwest. Absolutely no doubts as to the identification. We also had 11 Broad-winged Hawks and two adult Parasitic Jaegers."

According to e-Fauna BC's "Rare Birds of British Columbia 2008" (Compiled by Jamie Fenneman and Rick Toochin), this is the third report of CHIMNEY SWIFTS in the province. Since there hasn't been a rare birds committee in BC for over a decade, none of these reports have been ruled on. Hopefully that situation will be remedied soon-- the "official" BC list needs an update!

Sep 8---3 Hudsonian Godwits at Boundary Bay!

[Photo: Mike Tabak]

--More details on Vancouver Page

RUFF (Juvenile) at Boundary Bay

Sept 2--John Ireland and Brian Self just picked out a juv. RUFF near the pilings in between 104th and 96th Street along Boundary Bay.

Also present was the juvenile HUDSONIAN GODWIT and at least 4 RED KNOT.

NORTHERN WHEATEAR at Iona Island!

[Photo: Mike Tabak]
This afternoon, a Northern Wheatear was found at Iona Island by Roger Foxall. The bird was located at the intersection of all four ponds, and was still present at dusk. Also nearby was a VESPER SPARROW (locally rare), and a STILT SANDPIPER (first of the season).

Iona Island is located just north of the Vancouver International Airport.

SEPT 1 UPDATE: Many birders turned out to try to re-locate the wheatear today but unfortunately they were unsuccessful. With all the habitat out there though, the bird could easily be foraging happy somewhere among the brambles to the north.

RED-NECKED STINT *and* RUFF near Victoria!

On August 26, a RED-NECKED STINT and a RUFF were found at the east corner of Witty's Lagoon in Metchosin by Nathan Hentze, Jamie Fenneman, Pierre-Paul Bitton, and Jeremy Gatten. The Ruff was present into the evening and seen by many observers, but the peep flock containing the Red-necked Stint was flushed out of the area by a Merlin before most observers arrived.

The Ruff was still present in the early afternoon on August 27 (Aziza Cooper).

---Follow the Vancouver Island Page for updates!

Indigo Bunting at Tatlayoko Lake Bird Observatory

First assumed to be a hybrid, this bird may in fact be a pure Indigo Bunting.

More details--
http://tatlayokobirds.wordpress.com/2011/08/18/17-aug-a-rare-return/

Aug 11--RUFF (French Creek, Vancouver Island)

From Guy Monty:

"There was a Ruff at the pond between the SE end of Admiral Tryon Blvd and French Creek this afternoon. It was there until at least about 2:45pm. I went back to try and get photos an hour later, and could not relocate it. I was on bike though, so did not have the range to check everywhere. It could certainly still be in the area, as there is lots of habitat to check in that area."

Aug 12 update-- still present in the AM (fide Guy Monty)

Short-tailed Albatross off Haida Gwaii

[Photo by Levy Boitor of the International Halibut Commission]
--Report via Tracee Geernaert and Dave Fraser

DATE/LOCATION: July 28 near Frederick Island off the west coast of Graham Island (Haida Gwaii/Queen Charlottes)

LITTLE STINT in Sandspit, Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands)

[Report--July 21]
Report on the "Central BC and North Coast" page. Also in the same flock was an adult SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER and over 300 RUDDY TURNSTONES.

July 16--*Black Phoebe (Richmond)

At the West end of Westminster Highway in Richmond in the Community Gardens which is just North of the road at 3:45 P.M. today, Saturday, July 16, I saw a Black Phoebe perched and actively chipping and fly catching. This is quite near the site where one was seen 2 years ago. With extreme drought conditions in Arizona and Texas you wonder if that is not part of the reason for the number of southern birds being seen this year in the lower mainland.

---Wayne Diakow

RBA: COMMON CRANE on Haida Gwaii!

Today Martin Williams found a COMMON CRANE at the Delkatla Estuary near Masset on the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii). Initially it was by itself but then it joined some Sandhill Cranes.

Rick Toochin: "The latest word, as of July 5, from Peter and Margo is the Common Crane and the Sandhill Cranes are gone despite a major search the past 2 days. It came in on bad weather and seems to have left on the bad weather. If I hear any update with good news I will pass it along."

CRESTED CARACARA seen over Revelstoke!!!

(No photos)
Around 11am this morning I spotted a CRESTED CARACARA flying north over the Revelstoke Airport. It didn't stop and continued a steady flight up the Illecillawaet Valley toward Rogers Pass. It was about 200m up and although I only saw it as it flew away, the flight style, overall shape, and wing-pattern were unmistakable. I doubt we'll be seeing this bird again but I'll certainly keep my eyes open! While trying to locate it later on I noted a good variety of soaring birds in the area including Bald Eagles, Osprey, many Turkey Vultures, 2 Merlin, and strangely-- a single American White-Pelican (flying west/north up the Columbia toward the Mica Dam).

The word "escapee" may come to mind although given its behavior and location (well away from any known captive-raptor collections) I would lean toward a wild bird. It has certainly been a strange spring both in BC and in the southern US.. definitely worth keeping an eye out throughout the summer and fall!

Russ Cannings
Revelstoke, BC

June 29-30: ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER

Location: MAPLEWOOD FLATS (Northshore)--"on the west trail, south of the main pond. The flycatcher was by the bench being repaired and then flew west behind the bench into alders. The bird was still present late in the evening June 29th.
--Found by Quentin Brown

Still present as of June 30 (morning)--fide Nathan Hentze

June 27 to Aug 11 (+?)--Yet another Barwit at Boundary Bay

Mike Tabak(photo and report)--
"About 3:30 pm on the rising tide I scoped a distant shorebird flock on the
tideline from the foot of 104 st. Even at 400 meters a godwit was visible among the black-bellies, and the rich orangy/chesnut colouring on the bird was distinctly different than the the paler cinnamon tones of the usual Marbled Godwits. This godwit was a male alternate Bar-tailed Godwit, the first I've ever seen at Boundary Bay ! This makes 3 different Bar-tailed Godwits since May 12 in the Vancouver area."

AUG 11 UPDATE-- Still present (Ilya Povalyaev et al.)

BLACK PHOEBE IN SIDNEY

On June 27, 2011, a BLACK PHOEBE was discovered by Kerry Finley on the beach at Roberts Bay, at the end of Third St in Sidney. The bird showed well all day. Updates would be appreciated.

June 25-July 6: Chestnut-sided Warbler (Vancouver)

[Photo: Peter Candido]

June 26 (second day)--There is a singing male Chestnut-sided Warbler at Camosun Bog, same location as
the one seen in June 2004. It is singing from the tops of the pines just up from the north entrance at 19th/Camosun. About 20 feet southward along the boardwalk. It's a tiny place so hard to miss if you start from Camosun/19th Ave, Vancouver (Dunbar area).

--Christine Adkins

JULY 6 Update: Still Present today (Christine Adkins)

RBA: CHESTNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR (Hope)

JUNE 16--

Details here on the Fraser Valley birding group:

http://bcbirding.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=rarebirds&action=display&thread=4396

JUNE 17/18 UPDATE-- Still present! This report from Rick Toochin:
"The field is located on Flood Hope Road (the exit road off Highway 1) about 1.5 km past the turn off for Floods Road (the road that goes over the train tracks to the airport). When you are heading east on Flood Hope Road, you travel past a house and an old barn. There is an opening that allows you to look in the field. Watch for a buffy-brown bird that is small and round in shape that likes to fly up in the air and do a large undulating circle or two. As it flies it has very obvious white tail feathers and a black tail tip in the center of the tail. This bird is not a Vesper Sparrow which would be the only other potential bird that has this kind of tail pattern that I can think of that might be in that habitat. It does sit in fence posts so you can get a look at it but to date it has been too far for a photograph. Hopefully this will change.

***PARKING is not permitted along most stretches of the road so PARK AT YOUR OWN RISK or find somewhere else, then walk

Good luck and be sure to report back to us!

June 14--ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER

From Rick Toochin:

"Hi Birders,
I got a call from Kevin Jones that he had found an Ash-throated Flycatcher in his yard. I went out and got to see it before sunset. The bird is hanging out inside his property but also can be seen at the corner of Cutler Road and Tuyttens Road. Kev also suggests checking down nearby Whorely Road. He had another bird in his yard in the fall of 2007 which stayed for many weeks. So hopefully this bird will hang around for awhile."

He got some nice pictures which can be seen here:

http://bcbirding.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=rarebirds&action=display&thread=4387

Another BAR-TAILED GODWIT @Boundary Bay

[Barwit on LEFT, with Marbled Godwit]

This report and pic from Mike Tabak (June 14th):

On the way home from work today I stopped off at Boundary Bay and found some late spring shorebird migrants, including two less than annual species in the Vancouver area. 13 Whimbrel, I BAR-TAILED GODWIT, 1 Marbled Godwit, and a SABINE'S GULL were in front of the mansion west of the foot of 96 st about 5:30 PM on the high tide. All birds flew west as the tide rolled in and could possibly be refound at Beach Grove or TF Jetty. Strong winds may have blown in other interesting birds.

June 15th UPDATE: All 3 birds (2 godwits and SAGU) still present as of June 15th (Roger Foxall)

June 16th UPDATE: Bar-tailed Godwitt STILL present near "The Mansion" west of the foot of 96th street (on the dyke). This was around 6pm on a rising tide. (Carlo Giovanella)

June 19 UPDATE: John Reynolds saw it again this evening.

June 5th--BROWN THRASHER in New Hazelton

Found by Ray Sturney--here's a photo!

Tufted Duck on Tatla Lake (West of Williams Lake)

This from Avery Bartels:

"Big news; on tuesday I found a male Tufted Duck on Tatla Lake in the Chilcotin. No way of knowing its origins but the owner of the store where I saw the bird from knew it was there although I am not sure he knew which bird I was talking about because originally he said 8 or 9 show up every year...and there were a number of both Scaup on the lake as well as a RNDU. The Tufted was courting the female Greater Scaup along with a number of GRSC males."

May 31--Cattle Egret in Kelowna

Yesterday (May 31) Pirmin Nietlisbach reports seeing a single CATTLE EGRET flying north over Robert Lake in Kelowna; it was being harrassed by a raven.

RBA: HERMIT WARBLER near Powell River (May 29th)

Doug Brown called to report that he heard and saw a pure-looking Hermit Warbler today along the Stillwater Main forest road near Powell River, just past the Lois Lake dam.

RBA: LESSER NIGHTHAWK IN SOOKE

At 5:45pm on Saturday, May 28, a Lesser Nighthawk was found at Whiffin Spit in Sooke (Jeremy Gatten/Jeremy Kimm). The bird was found halfway along the spit, at the open area near the washroom, flying from there to the ocean side of the spit, where it roosted on logs. The bird was still there as of 8pm (J. Gatten) but has not been relocated since, despite thorough searches.

A number of expert opinions have come back, confirming this species as a Lesser Nighthawk.

This is the 3rd BC record for this species, and only the second found alive.

Photos by Jeremy Gatten

-JK

RBA: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in Cawston

Details and PHOTOS here:

http://bcbirding.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=rarebirds&action=display&thread=4278&page=1

Was not re-found this PM.

Updates to follow-- but I'm doing a big day tomorrow!

RBA: SNOWY EGRET (May 19-22)

From Adrian Dorst(May19):

"I got a call from Ralph Crombie this evening who lives at the fish hatchery. He first told me about some of the birds he'd seen during the day, then about the wolves. He said he had several sightings today and saw one wolf attack an adult otter but the otter fought back and bit the wolf in the head causing the wolf to retreat and roll around on the ground in pain."Oh and by the way, there was a second egret there a while ago, small with nice plumes, a dark bill, dark legs and yellow feet. It flew towards Tofino." I rushed out to the botanical gardens but it was dusk and I failed to see it. I'll try again tomorrow. Ralph also saw the Great Egret today so he had two egrets in one day in BC." --This is BC's 24th record

MAY 20 UPDATE: Bird is still present (AD).

For anyone coming this way, best bet is end of Sharp Road (at Dolphin Motel).

Ross's Goose in Creston

MAY 12th--Linda Van Damme found and photographed this bird along Duck Creek near the south dyke of Duck Lake (Creston).

A nice find anywhere in the province--always a treat!

MAY 15th UPDATE-- Still present (Thor Manson)

Directions: From Wyndell, just north of Creston on highway 3A, take Lower Wyndell Rd/Duck Lake Rd to Channel Rd. Turn right, and proceed about 3.5 kms to a sharp 90 degree turn to the west. Stop here. Look across the channel to an open meadow to the East. The bird should be in here with a group of Canada's. The bird could also be found anywhere along this channel, but seems to prefer this location.

May 8,10--Bar-tailed Godwit at Boundary Bay

This from Mike Tabak:

"My brother John found a Bar-tailed Godwit on Sunday at Boundary Bay in front of the mansion, west of the foot of 96 St(South Delta). His description did not eliminate a plain Marbled Godwit , so I asked Pieter to check for this bird yesterday but no godwit was found.

This morning I relocated the Bar-tailed Godwit in the same location, associating with a flock of Black-bellies and assorted shorebirds."

--This is the second spring record for the Vancouver checklist area

May 8/9: Another BLACK PHOEBE (Vancouver)

Report and photo from Neil Hughes:

"There is a Black Phoebe at the Avalon pond in Everett Crowley Park off SW Marine drive at Kerr. The bird is feeding with some other flycatchers, dozens of yellow-rumps and many Wilson's warblers. I was watching it till about 1pm."

UPDATE: After a thorough search on May 10th, no sign of the phoebe

May 4--RBA: LITTLE STINT

Rick Toochin just sent me this photo of an odd peep in Chilliwack. He managed the shot just before the birds flew. So what do you think?
[In this cropped photo, the bird in question is on the right. The bird on the left is a Least Sandpiper. Both Little and Red-necked Stints are strikingly orange in spring--compared to our regular peeps. This bird certainly shows an orangey-red face and rusty-coloured back Separating Little from Red-necked is another issue that will have to be discussed; the warmer tones to the entirety of the upper-parts might point toward Little]
--CLICK ON THE PHOTO TO ENLARGE

[uncropped--bird is in high centre]

Here is what Rick had to say--
"This field is about .5 to 1km before Annis Road if you were heading east along Chilliwack Central. There were about 20+ or-so Least Sandpipers and a couple of Western Sandpipers in the mix. I got on the bird immediately as it is a rusty-orange color. The bird has a round ball body shape and round head shape. I have seen a few of these over the years. I quickly grabbed my camera and got a shot off. As I was going for better shots the flock flushed and flew out into the back area of the fields. All of this is private property so you need to ask before walking out there. I would have liked a longer look but I am confident."

LESSER GOLDFINCH in Shirley (Vancouver Island)

This is the first Vancouver Island record of this species! Photographs have been attained and the bird was still present as of May 1rst (afternoon). For more details check out the Vancouver Island page on the left!

Visitors are welcome but must call first--email Jeremy for details.

Location: Shirley, BC (just west of Sooke in southern Vancouver Island)

RBA: BLACK PHOEBE at Jericho Park (Vancouver)

[Photo by Pieter van Veelen]

On the morning of April 27th, Brian Stech and Rick Wright observed this bird hawking insects by the westernmost pond in the park (Jericho is located at 3941 Point Gray Road in Vancouver). The bird was still present as of 3pm April 28th.

There are less than 10 confirmed records of BLPH in Canada, all of which are from BC.

RBA: FERRUGINOUS HAWK (Chilliwack)

This from Rick Toochin: "Ferruginous Hawk tonight at the corner of Chilliwack Central and Gibson Road.

The bird flew into a tree and stayed in the treetop for about an hour! I
took loads of pictures. It is a nice light phased adult bird. It got dive bombed
by a Peregrine Falcon and Crows but didn't want to fly. The owner of the house
accidentally flushed it when he came out to ask what the heck I was looking at.
It didn't go far. The bird was visible from Gibson Road near Chilliwack
Central.Look west towards Chilliwack MT and you will see 2 fir trees in a field
with a silo to the right. The bird was happy in that tree near sunset. It might
well be in the area tomorrow as it is raining here and they don't migrate at
night."

I believe this would constitute the first coastal record for BC?

RBA: Lesser Goldfinch is still present as of April 10th!

It seems as if the Lesser Goldfinch is still in the same area! Check out the comments from "Steve" below the original post and photos. He saw the bird twice on APRIL 10th... not sure if it has been seen since? Sorry for the late report but I didn't notice the comments until today.

---Russ

RBA: LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (Creston)

March 17--Linda Van Damme was out birding today in the Creston area and managed to pull out an adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL feeding in a field with a "huge flock" of Ring-billed Gulls. This is the first record for the Creston Valley!

It was seen along Reclamation Road at one of the dairy farms (where the pavement ends). Migration is really kicking off in the valley, with hundreds of GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE already moving through along with 1000+ TUNDRA SWANS and good numbers of TRUMPETER SWANS passing through, not to mention the hundreds of CANADA GEESE, MALLARDS, GADWALL, NORTHERN PINTAIL, and AMERICAN WIGEON in the area. Linda also saw a EURASIAN WIGEON along Kootenay River Road.

RBA: LESSER GOLDFINCH (Vancouver-Point Grey)

March 11th--This male Lesser Goldfinch was photographed by Stephen Forgacs at his feeder near 8th Ave and Blanca Street (Point Grey)--in the area known as "Little Australia."

He will be updating us on whether or not the bird is sticking around. If you want to arrange a visit, his email is: stephen.forgacs@gmail.com

UPDATE-- The bird has not been re-sighted as of Sunday, March 13th

SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS photographed in BC waters

A good sighting anywhere in North American waters, this juvenile was photographed 20km off Vancouver Island near Ucluelet, BC (March 8). The large pink bill distinguishes it from the more common Black-footed Albatross. As they get older, STAL will gradually molt into their distinct white and black plumage.[Report and photo provided by Barie Hotchkiss]