british columbia-yukon region •luaneL. '•::•'"':?::' the Blue Rock in interior British YUKON Columbia,a potentialfirst for North Amer- NORTHWESTica awayfrom Alaska, was the farthestoff LTERRiTORiEcourse. Abbreviations:a.t. (audiotaped); BBS (Breeding iWhitehørsee TERR,TORY'•:;.":•...?•....?•...... Z•• BirdSurvey); B.C. (British Columbia); Delkatla .•..] •Atlin'i;?.;•! ß *Watson Lake (OelkatlaWildlife Sanctuary, Masset, O. CI.); ., . C•j..a..r .?::.. Iona(Iona L, n.w. Richmond,at the mouthof theFraser R.); Ok. L. (OkanaganL.); Ok. Vlly (OkanaganValley); NWT (Northwest Territories); RG.(Prince George); p.v. (pending verification by responsibleBird RecordsCommittee); STP (SewageTreatment Plant/Ponds); Van. (Vancou- ver);Van. I. (VancouverL); Vic. (Victoria);v.t. i (videotaped);Whse. (Whitehorse).

••,o ,• • ..-';:?;:::.:i:?'-•.':•..'"'?...."•?Z:.::?.-?.'.'-f-.:.i-i.:?;i{•{::-.'..'-::?-:•';. •,•;"•:•'":_ "-%::.?['"••?:""::'Fort StJohn •:'i LOONS TO RAILS • ?•...:i??.•.:•:;? :Z.-:•Z:."':: C.h,elwy nd. :c:..'.?.: ..... 7.'d.?.-.¾; z - Only a vagrantto insidewaters, a Sooty Rupertß '::::•;:-:--";."ii'..DawsonCreek ß • Shearwaterseen in GeorgiaStrait off the Smithers"':: \ .:•:.:. •,• Iona JettyJune 8 (RTo) was a surprise.A Buller's Shearwater 180 km w. of the mouth of Juande FucaStrait July 15 (BT) wasin •:•'d:'"?•"-i!"•-:-. PrinceGr -. B.C.waters early. Two locations along •he B.C./Alberta border recorded their first confirmed Am. White Pelicans. Six were seenin typical high circlingflight above Mt. Robson P.P.June 1 (NK, GR, MVB), anda flockof 10 appearedover Boundary L., e. of Fort St. John,July 2 (RRH. GSD, SyR,CS); likely wanderers from farthereast in both cases. The four or more Am. Bit- terns at Stone Cr. Marsh, w. of Vanderhoof, Kaiøø•monß c. B.C., June 19 (PH, MH) constituted a •. ßVancouvert,• .... ßPentict( goodfind of thisfurtive . Possiblythe southernmostTrumpeter Swanbreeding record for the Region,2 adults and two small cygnetswere on MuskegL., 40 km n.e. of TumblerRidge, lACK BOWLING heavierrains. Temperatures as a wholewere n.e.B.C.,July 10 (CH). TwoOldsquaw, usu- nearnormal or slightlyabove. ally noted only during migration in s. Whilesome may think that a rainysum- Yukon,were observed at the unlikelydate tColumbia wasanotheras a processionwetoneof for slow-mov- British mer hasonly negative impacts on ,the of July2 at SwanL. nearWhse. (JG, HG). ing and powerful"cold low" pressuresys- realstory may be morecomplex. Although The now famousyoung male Common tems moved in from the Pacific. The north- some first broods suffered from the cold Eider which overwintered in the Van. area east fared the worst, with Fort Nelson's and wet, the lush vegetationand higher reappearedoff the Iona Jettyin earlyJuly monthlyrainfall totaling 300% of normal watertables may have helped other species and was presentthrough month's end in June,and almost200% in July.Vancou- expandinto newterritory. Thanks to an in- (m.ob., tMPr). ver Airport recordedits wettestJuly ever. creasednumber of surveys,a few holesin Fifty-oneBald Eagles, six adultsand 46 Most of the Yukon, save for the extreme observercoverage were filled in this year, immatures, at Corkscrew Cr., s. of Vander- south,was far enoughnorth to escapethe with oftensurprising results. As for rarities, hoof, June 15 (BCFO) were feedingon

1040 FIELD NOTES britishcolumbia-yukon spawningsuckers. This is a largeinland con- at Swan.L. nearWhse. July 5 (CE,HG, BM, riphery of the main push.Consider the gregationfor any season.A Cooper'sand a LB, PS) constituted a rare summer record 5000tallied at YakounEstuary, Q.C.I., July Broad-wingedHawk were great finds in the for thes. Yukon. A Gyrfalconnest just n. of 9 (PH), thelargest number the observerhas P.G.area June 14 (BCFO).A Ministryof En- Windy Passalong the DempsterHwy con- everseen on theQueen Charlottes. Usually vironment census of N. Goshawks in the Ft. tainedtwo youngJune 13 (RDM); the male largeflocks of this peepmake landfall far- Nelson Lowlands of n.e.B.C. in lune found falconwas seen transferring a ptarmigan ther southalong the coast,as did the 7000- no activenests and had only 3 responsesto aeriallyto the female,who then carried it to 8000at Iona STPJuly 2 (MPr). tapeplayback (SNB, PSh, VP, JS).Whether the nest. A Red-necked Stint at Reifel June 19 thiswas a poorbreeding year or relatedto Researchersstumbled upon two-three (p.v.,tJI), the 3rd earliestfor the Region, timingwill hopefullybe clarifiedby further YellowRails 30 km e. of Chetwynd,n.e. wasin a flockof W. Sandpipers.An appar- research.The elusiveBroad-winged Hawks B.C.,during surveys for batsJune 3-July 13 entLong-toed Stint showed up at Sandspit, of BoundaryL., n.e.B.C., wereunusually (p.v., a.t. tMAS, AdV, SWG, CM, BH) in Q.C.I., July1 (p.v.,MH, tPH), a potential cooperative,revealing themselves several typicalwet grasshabitat. These are the west- first for the archipelago.The observersrec- times. Single birds were seen June 16 ernmostobservations yet in the Regionof ognizedthe difficultyof differentiatingthis (BCFO), July 2 (RRH, SyR), and July25 thisextremely local species. Perhaps it is re- speciesfrom LeastSandpiper in the de- (SGC,LRR). Also,Yukon's first-ever Broad- spondingpositively to the higherwater lev- tailed notes. wingedI-Iawk was observed along the La els of the pastcouple of summersin the The 1500 Franklin's Gulls, almost all BicheR. in the s.e.corner of the Territory northeast.A Virginia Rail was heard at adults,at the Fort St. JohnN. STP July6 June 15 ('•CE). A Swainson'sHawk on Sea MooseMarsh, Mt. RobsonEP., May 31 (SK, (GSD, RRH, SyR,CS) constitutedone of I., n. of Van.Airport, July 11 provided Van's LL, J&CMcGhee), the first for thepark. the largestflocks on recordfor summer. firstrecord and possibly the first in Julyfor Usuallythe big flocksin the Peacehave a coastalarea. It was last seendrifting E SHOREBIRDS TO WOODPECKERS thinnedout by then.One-two Little Gulls alongthe Fraser R. (MKM). Jason Weir of Kelowna made the local at Iona STPJune 1 (RTo,m.ob.) were possi- A GoldenEagle near Sechelt,Sunshine breedingAm. Avocetsat the Glenmore bly the onesseen earlier in the springin Coast,June 8 (DoB) provideda rare record Landfillhis pet project. He documentedthe GeorgiaStrait. The Whse. area experienced for the area.Two Peregrine Falcons flushed 19 nestsand 85-90 eggslaid in May, and several first larid records for the season: a from the undersideof the EagleR. Bridge the hatchingof the chicksthrough June. 2nd-summer California Gull June 23, and just n. of Eagle Plains,Dempster Hwy, This is the largestavocet breeding colony an ad.Ring-billed and a first-summerCali- Yukon,June 18 (RDM). An imm. Peregrine yet recordedin the Region.A late entry fornia June24 (CE). An ad. LesserBlack- from the previousseason, a pair of territo- backedGull firstdiscovered in Whse. July 2 rial GreaterYellowlegs frequented Delkatla (ph.tCE, tPS,ph. triG) wasrelocated July 23-25 (CE), perhaps the Yukon's first. $I•]'• cameHughupJennings •o Eliguk ofBellevue,L. alongWA, the through May (MH, PH, AD). Thereare no e. sideof B.C'sTweedsmuir P.P. in June breedingrecords for the Q.C.I., and no nest SlatT-backedGulls wandered E and S dur- was found in this instance. A Willet at Gis- to do a little fishing.What he learned ing the period,unusual in summer.An im- come, e. of P.G., June3 (DG, SK, LL, MPh, there is worth relating:"About 7-10 maculateadult was a surpriseat Inuvik, NWT, June 15 (RDM), while a 2nd-sum- daysbefore I arrivedat EligukL. on June SPh)was only the 2nd for the localcheck- 10,• piecgof grassymuskeg broke away listarea. An ad.Spotted Sandpiper with two met at Whse.July 30 (ph. tCE, tPS) fromthe shoreline on a windyday and chickson a gravelbar at theYakoun R. near established a first documented record for driftedonto the dock at thelodge. It was PortClements July 9 provideda rarebreed- theYukon. Perhaps part of the samemove- about 10 ft. sq.and had a nestwith two ing recordfor the Q.C.I. The sevenLong- mentwhich brought the bird to Whse.,an Corn.Loon . The adults were on the billed Curlews at Vanderhoof June 15 ad. Slaty-backedat RoseSpit on Aug. 1 lakea shortdistance away. A coupleof (BCFO) constitutedthe largestflock on (tPH, MH), provideda first recordfor the men hookedan anchorinto the way- recordfor the area,strong confirmation of Q.C.I. Two sub-ad. W. Gulls were on the e. side ward grassisland and tried to tow it up its recentsurge into c. B.C.A Surfbirdatop the shoreline.This didn't work very Mt. Goldenside,km 72 DempsterHwy, July of GwaiiHaanas N.P. ReserveMay 26-27 wellso they proceedeS to pushit in- 17 (LS)had the observer"cryingand jump- (AD). The onlyother sighting on recordfor stead. The loons swam a little distance ing;"any Yukon sighting of this speciesis MoresbyI., Q.C.I., is for the winter period. aheadof them.After pushingit about noteworthy, especially near potential Way n. of its establishedrange was a Glau- 200 yards,the loonsby their actionsof breedinggrounds. cous-wingedGull at Inuvik,NWT, June16 swimmingtoward the shoreindicated A beach shorebird census on the n.e. (RDM). Casual during summer in the thatthey seemed towant the nest left at Q.C.I. Aug. 1 (PH, MH) turnedup a high Whse. area, two first-summer Glaucous thebase of a largerock where protective 4899Sanderlings. Single juv. Semipalmated Gullswere present there through July (ph. treesprovided some shade. The grass is- Sandpiperswere at DelkatlaJuly 1 and at CE, HG). land was tethered to the trees to hold it SandspitAug. 1 (MH, PH), the first sight- The first-evernests of Black-legged in place.It tookonly about 20 minutes ingson the Q.C.I. in 3 years.The southern Kittiwake in B.C. were discovered on Hol- after'the •en backed off before one of sweepof W. Sandpipersappears to have land Rock in Chatham Sound off Prince the loonshopped back on the nest..:' been displacedsomewhat east this season. Rupert June 23 (DC, LG, '•PH, B. Hart, The eggs hatched June 25 and the Whilethe ad. male Western at BoundaryL., MH). Three nestswere there June 23, one nestlingswere still alivewhen Hugh left n.e.B.C.,July 8 (GSD,CS) provideda good containinga singleegg. That eggproduced June 29. record for a location well-removed from a chickby July22, at whichtime the other2 thecoast, it apparentlydefined only the pe- nestsheld one each. Lingering late was

WINTER1997 1041 a Sabine'sGull at Pitt L., n.e.of Van.,June 1 rarestempid, was singingat the BeaverR. (HNM, tJAM, Pap, BSp).Caspian Terns in the s.e.corner of the TerritoryJune 4 wereonce again widely reported. Some no- (CE). Providingan areafirst recordwas the S rsA ASpencesstop atBridge Goldpan in thePark dry sage-near table inland records included one at Nulki Yellow-belliedon the lowerslopes of Mt. brushcountry of B.C:sThompson R. L., Vanderhoof,lune 19 (CA, ABu, MBu, Spieker,w. of TumblerRidge, June 24 (CH). Plateau June 6 turned out to be momen- NK); two adults at Kelsall L., Haines Rd., Hammond'sFlycatchers may be more com- tousfor Ian Macdonald.There to greet n.w.B.C., June22 (ADM); and an adult at mon in the e. foothills of the Rockies in n.e. him in the surroundingrocks was a SwanL. July5 (tCE, tPS, HG, BM), Yukon's B.C. than previouslythought. Two were maleBlue Rock Thruah •f the chest- 2nd in as manyyears. On the coast,five near KinuseoFalls, Monkman P.P.,June 28 nut-belliedmigratory race Monticola were at Qualicum BeachJune 20 (DGC), (CH), and another two were in Tumbler solitariusphillipends, a denizen ofrocks two were at China Cr., s.w.of Port Albemi, RidgeJuly 27 (CH). Much the samecould and•iffs of southeastAsia and recorded July2 (DGC), and one adultwas observed be saidfor DuskyFlycatchers: One was de- only oncefrom Alaska.Photographs at SkonunPt., Masset, Q.C.I., luly 7 (MH, tectedon Mt. SpiekerJune 24 (CH). Pacif- were obtained and forwarded to author- PH).The core of theRegion's Caspian pop- ic-slopeFlycatchers, an irregularcompo- ities,leaving no doubtas to theidentifi- ulationremains concentrated along the nent of n.e.B.C:s Peace River district avi- cation.However, as with all suchstrays, Robert'sBank Jetty, s. of the mouthof the fauna,were found in 3 locationsJuly 3-9 the questionof originmust be consid- FraserR., where135 weretallied July5 (GSD,RRH, SyR, CS). A BlackPhoebe, the eredbefore the spedescan be addedto (DS). A PigeonGuillemot was observed at Regions3rd, surprised the observer at Iona the provincial and nationallists. To 48ø26'N,126ø04'W off s. Van. I., July16 July10 (tMPr). Thebird, apparently in ei- date,avian distributors have reported (BT), far offshorefor the season. ther juvenalor Basic1 plumage,stayed no knowledgeof outletswhich carry NorthernHawk Owls are rarely seen in throughthe nextday, allowing many peo- thisspecies for retail or captivebreeding summer in the N. Peacearea of n.e.B.C.; pleto seeand photograph it. Aftera couple programs(fide RWC). Ultimatedeter- mination awaits further information. noteworthywas the one at an old burn at of yearsof teasersightings, E. Phoebeswere km 213 of the AlaskaHwy July4 (GAD, finallyconfirmed as breeding in theYukon SyR).A surveyof theBoundary/Okanagan with the discoveryof a nest with four 1 (DoB) establisheda 2nd SunshineCoast /Nicola Forest Districts in the s. B.C. interi- youngat the La BicheR. BridgeJune 24 record.A Red-throatedPipit at IonaJune or turned up about50 HammulatedOwls (MGi). Anotherwas singing at midnight 12 (p.v.,tC. Klimko) wasthe first observed in 11 drainagesin June(RJC, BBo). The June21 near Watson L. (CE, PS), the first outsideof the fall migrationperiod on the OkanaganFalls EE campsitein theS. Ok. is localrecord. A Say'sPhoebe building a nest coast. famousfor itslarge Corn. Nighthawk con- at Tuktoyaktuk,NWT, June15 (RDM) pro- gregations;at least 100 were there hawking videdsome of thenorthernmost breeding VIREOS TO FRINGILLIDS low alongthe Ok. R. after10 p.m.July 6 evidencefor the spedes. Yukon E. Kingbird A latereport from the spring, a maleHut- (DS). Justbefore the nighthawksshowed sightingsincluded one well n. of itsnormal ton'aVireo was heard singing at•Armdy Bay, up, at least50 White-throatedSwifts fed on rangeat GravelL., KlondikeHwy, June 10 S.Moresby L, Q.C.I.,May 27 (AD), thefirst the risinginsects. Twelve Black Swifts were (RDM), and anotheralong the lower La vireo reportedfrom the archipelago.A at PerryCanyon near Tumbler Ridge June Biche R. June 12 (CE, PS). A Scissor-tailed PhiladelphiaVireo, the rarest of theYukon's 23-24 (CH) for the 3rd consecutiveyear; Flycatcherastounded a strolling birder out fourvireos, was on territory along the lower breedingis suspected. with the dogand the neighbour'skid at La BicheR., s.e.Yukon, June 13-15 (CE, Althoughlong suspected of beingthe McBride,c.e.B.C., July 13 (p.v.,tE. Stan- PS).Single Philadelphias at GunnL., 60 km birdbehind several of the"ruby-throated" ley).The bird was perched on a fenceline as s.e.of TumblerRidge, June 10 & 30, were hummingbirdsightings in s. B.C.over the usual,but wasgone by the time shere- the areasfirst and 2nd (JK). past few decades,it was not until a male turnedwith more people. There are now al- TennesseeWarblers show marked short- Broad-tailedHummingbird showed up at most20 recordsof thisbeautiful tyrannid term populationchanges in the N. Peace for theRegion. a Princetonfeeder July 10-11 (p.v.,tIH) areaof B.C.,being common some years and that one had ever been documented. The The PurpleMartins that moved into the almostabsent in others.From July 1-10, Secheltarea in May turned out to be call to observerswent out right awayin theywere found to be quitecommon and prospectors,with no evidenceof breeding hopesof independentconfirmation but, widespread(CS, SyR,RRH, GAD).Cape activitydetected (fide TG). A BlueJay at Ft. alas,the bird proved elusive. May Warblers,previously considered ex- Nelson,n.e.B.C., July 13 (JB)had appar- A maleRed-naped Sapsucker was feed- tremelyrare in theYukon, were relatively ently appearedthere for the first time the commonalong the BeaverR. in thes.e. cor- ing youngat a hemlocksnag nest at the previoussummer (fide P. Johnstone).The nerof theTerritory in earlyJune (CE, MGi, ChateauWhistler Golf Course July 16 (ph. Sunshine Coast's 3rd Rock Wren first seen PS).Bay-breasted Warblers were reported BMG),the closest to thecoast that breeding June 15 at Tetrahedron P.P., remained on ascommon in thelower La Bichedrainage activity has been observed.A Three-toed territoryfor a month(DoB). of s.e.Yukon during June (CE). This fol- Woodpeckerat TetrahedronP.P. June28 A surveyof the Oxbow L. area of the lows from last summer's censusof the ma- (DoB), although rare on the Sunshine Upper Pemberton Meadows on the w. ture spruceforests of the adjacent"Big Coast,was at a locationwhere this species slopesof theCoast Range June 7 (KB,DA, Bend" area of the Liard R. in n.e.B.C., hadbeen seen previously. BJ,BMG) talliedat least17 singingVeerys. wherethey were also found to be common A GrayCatbird was later seen by the same (SNB,PS, VP). A censusof theMcGregor FLYCATCHERS TO PIPITS observersat One Mile L., Pemberton. A Model Forest,50 km n.e. of P.G.,June 11 A singleYellow-bellied Flycatcher, Yukon's NorthernMockingbird at WilsonCr. June (SK, LL, DG) yielded 30 Blackpoll

1042 FIELDNOTES british columbia-yukon

cations around the Sunshine Coast, in ad- area record. Census work of marshes in n. C A Afallout ofeastern warblers oc• dition to the known breedingsite at the B.C.in June(RWC) found many dead Red- •.• CmXed/it'theUniversity of B.C. SecheltAirport (TG, m.ob.);it seemsthis wingedBlackbird broods due to the wet ='campus'b• •t•Grey, w.Van., during the buying is now firmly establishedon the weather,the 2nd consecutiveyear of first fi•sthalf of June. It beganJune 4 whena peninsula.A singingmale Lazuli was once brood failures.A fledglingPine Siskinin maleBlack-and-white Warbler and againfound on the McLeod L. BBS,140 km Whse.-HillcrestJune 9 (LC) providedper- maleHooded Warbler were spotted n. of EG., June23 (JB, CA), the 3rd year hapsthe Yukon's first confirmed breeding ' {p.v.,,UTo, T•). This was followed bya since1993 that this species has been found recordfor this commonand widespread maleChestnut-sided W•rtder and an- on this roYe. A Green-tailed Tow'nee was species. other -Blacksand-whiteWarbler June 8 reportedfrom the Glen Valley area, 50 km '(RTo,}JA•} mlob•),' and then a make e. of Van.,June 3 (fideC. Buis).A singing Initialled contributors& sub-regionaledi- . Termess•warbl•'•ind maleBlackI)oll maleClay-colored Sparrow, extremely rare tors (in boldface):David Aidcroft,Cathy Wl•ol• lune17 (RTo). These were ex- in the Yukon, was at Watson L. June 8 Antoniazzi, Helen Antoniazzi, B.C. Field ßcellent'gightings for•he •.w. coast •f (tPS);another was on the lower La Biche R. Ornithologists(BCFO), Kevin Bell, Ste- B.(• Somehave wondered if thesemay June15 (tPS, tCE). This species'status in phen N. Bennett (SNB), Barry Booth have been c•ifornig pverwintereys theYukon is not wellunderstood. A pair of (BBo), Lauren Bradley, Doug Brown •hiLfi'stuck to the Coast on their Way nestingClay-coloreds atWhite L., S. Ok., in (DoB),Andy Buhler (ABu), Marilyn Buhler :mrth. L' •iG'ly, with enoughresarch, June (fide RJC) provided the southernmost (MBu), Linda Cameron,R. WayneCamp- thi•question m,qbe answered, breedingrecord for the Regionand is in- bell (RWC), Richard J. Cannings(RJC), dicativeof thespecies' spread S through the SydneyG. Cannings(SGC), Don G. Cecile interiorover the past several years. (DGC), Harold Craven,Don Creighton, Warblers,a highconcentration for the area. A Brewer's"Timberline" Sparrow was Gary S. Davidson(GSD), A1 DeMartini Indeed,Blackpolls may have been more observedat MontanaMt., Whse.,July 13 (ADM), Denny Denison,Adrian Dorst, common than usual around the c. interior, (CE,YBC). In the HainesRoad area of n.w. Cameron Eckert, Mike Gill (MGi), Lewis sinceanother survey along a pipelinecut n. B.C., two Brewer'swere at Quill L. near Glentworth, B. Max Gotz (BMG), Dave of FraserL. June29 encounteredthe species HainesJunction June 22 (JW, MW); and Gravelie,Tony Greenfield,Jean Griffin, in goodnumbers (fide RTo, IR). Twomale another one-two, identified as "Timber- Scott W. Grindal (SWG), Helmut Grun- Am. Redstarts5 km s. of Whistler June 26 linesT were at Kelsall L. the same day berg,Peter Hamel, Bruce Harrison, Margo (BMG, N. Ricker)provided first summer (•ADM). TheYukon's 2nd Lark Sparrow, a Hearne, Gharles Helm, Jerry Herzig, Richard R. Howie (RRH), John Ireland, recordsfor the Whistler•trea; single males singingmale, was a pleasantsurprise at the werefound there June 30 andJuly 2-4. Lees'camp on the BeaverR. June6-7 (ph. Barry Janyk,Joan Kerr, SandraKinsey, Yukon'sfirst breeding record for Oven- CE, MGi, L. Lee,R. Lee).A Black-throated NancyKrueger, Laird Law, Maria Lederger- ber, Jo Ann Mackenzie(JAM), Hugh N. bird wasobtained with the discoveryof a Sparrowwas reported from the University Mackenzie(HNM), Martin K. McNicholl nestwith 4 eggsin matureaspen forest of B.C.campus June 1 (HC), perhapsa pre- alongthe lower La BicheR. June15 (CE). cursorto the warblerfallout. A singingLe (MKM), R. Doug McRae(RDM), Chris Maundrell, Bob Murkett, Mark Phinney ConnecticutWarblers are regular in appro- Conte'sSparrow near Boot L. June3 (JK) (MPh), StanPhippen (SPh), Tom Plath, priateaspen habitat in theS. Peace; howev- provideda first recordfor the Tumbler VaughnPrather, Michael Price (MPr), Leah er, one at Gunn L. 60 km s.e.of Tumbler Ridge checklistarea. Four singing Le R. Ramsay(LRR), Syd Roberts (SyR), Ian RidgeJune 10 (JK) provideda firstarea Conte'sSparrows at a largewetland along Robertson, Gail Ross, Lori Schroeder, record.Conversely, Connecticuts are rare n. the BeaverR. June6 wereat a newYukon lo- MichaelA. Setterington(MAS), Peter Sher- of the PeaceRiver in the N. Peace.One sang cationfor thiswet grass species (CE, MGi). brieflyfrom a youngaspen forest denuded Nelson'sSharp-tailed Sparrows can be rington,Chris Siddle,Pamela Sinclair, BernieSpitmann (BSp), Prue Spitmann bytent caterpillars near Boundary L., e. of found in the Peacedistrict of n.e.B.C. with (PSp),John Stamp, David Stirling, Mered- Fort St. John,July 8 (GSD,CS). While a a little work. One was heard, but not seen, ith ThorYon, Rick Toochin (RTo), Bill singingMourning Warbler was the only at McQueenSlough, Dawson Cr., June17 Tweit,Mark van Baekel(MVB), Andrewde one seenalong the BeaverR., s.e.Yukon, (BCFO), and three were there June 23 Vries (AdV), JerryWhitley, Mary Whitley, June7 (CE), the sameobserver found this (MPh, HA, SK, LL, MT). Farthernorth at Don Wilson (DnW), Yukon Bird Club spedesto beregular through June one wa- BoundaryL., a landsurvey July 2 followed (YBC). tershede. alongthe La BicheR. A Mourn- by a canoesurvey July 8 discoveredsix ingWarbler at GunnL. near Tumbler Ridge singingmales on the w. shoreline(GSD, June30 (JK) wasthe areasfirst. The known RRH, SyR, CS). A SwampSparrow nest BCV2N 2HB. K-mail: jcb0wlinõ@dimct.ca rangeof CanadaWarbler in theYukon was with 4 eggsfound along the BeaverR. June extended one watershed w. to the Beaver R. 6 (CE) confirmedthis species' breeding sta- drainage,where it wasfound to be fairly tus in the Yukon.Four Smith'sLongspurs, a common in mid-June (CE, PS). veryelusive species through most of its A male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was Canadianrange, were noted near km 421of heardsinging at Forestsfor the World, EG., theDempster Hwy June13 (RDM). June7 (CA, NK) and seenthe next day A Bobolink, rare on the coast,was ob- (CA, NK, JB); another (same one?) was servedin N. BurnabyJune 5 (tHC). A W. seennear Hixon, 60 km s. of RG., June 14 Meadowlark at Barbour Cr. near Tumbler (RWC).Lazuli Buntings were found at 3 lo- RidgeJune 28 (CH) providedthe first local

WINTER1997 1043