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)