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)