british columbia-yukon region the CoastMts., was in LangleyJuly 23 (DN). Mourning Dovesare rare in the Yukon. YUKONTERRITORY'•'•• •ST LTERRITORIES The discoveryof a Double-crestedCor- A singlebird foragingon the La BicheR. morant nest June7 near Richthofen I. on L. airstripin extremes.e. Yukon June 14-15 Laberge(GW, MW) providedthe Yukon's (CE, MGi) had apparentlybeen in the area first and much anticipated confirmed for a few weeks.Another Mourning Dove breedingrecord for this species.Up to four frequenteda yard near JudasCr. at least ad. Double-cresteds were seen in the area throughthe last2 weeksof June(AH). BRITISHCOLUMBIA subsequently.Turkey Vultures are normally The Xantus's I-]'ummln•bird• first restrictedin rangeto the s. fringe of the reportedin November1997, was still at Gib- • • ', • '. . Region,therefore the extralimital record of a sonsthroughout the summer(m.ob.). At singlebird at Cedarvale,BC June9 (MH, leasttwo Rufous Hummingbirds (rare in the PH) wasextraordinary. Yukon) frequenteda Teslin L. yard July An EmperorGoose was at ReifelI. June 19-27(MGa), and at leastone was doing the 2 (JI) andanother at PorteauCove EE July rounds in downtown Whitehorse this sum- 19-31 (BP,m.ob.). There are no previous mer (JBa). A male PileatedWoodpecker, summerRegional records of this species. rarely reported in the Yukon, was near The observationof a maleEur. Wigeon at UpperLiard June 18 (AG). CootL., Yukon (RDM, WP), wasa veryrare summersighting. Rare at any season,a PASSERINES TuftedDuck wasat Iona I. July18-31 (RT, This summer, a number of Empidonax MICHAEL G. SHEPARD m.ob.).Six male Ruddy Ducks at LeeL. June specieswere observedwell outsidetheir 13 (CE, MGi) providedthe first document- usual ranges.A Yellow-belliedFlycatcher edsighting for the SEYukon. was at km 33 Dempster Hwy. June 11 vena long,with hot E1Nifio season onacrossthe wane,the thisRegion,was (RDM, WP); a Willow Flycatcherwas 70 km s.w.of DawsonCr. July 8 (RF,AF); and four with Yukonersbasking in oneof the sunni- RAPTORS TO WOODPECKERS est,most bug-free summers in recentmem- Dusky Flycatcherswere in the Kotaneelee ory. The first six weeksof the periodwere Extremelyrare was a Swainsons Hawk seen RangeJune 20 (CE, MGi). PurpleMartin warm but unsettled with the southernmost duringan alpinesurvey on McintyreMt., nestbox programswere quite successful. It parts of British Columbiareceiving the Yukon,in earlyJuly (MGi). Twoad. Sandhill appearsthat martinshave been dispersing most frequent rainfalls. High summer Craneswith a one-quartergrown young from VancouverI. and settingup house- were near the Mossvale Forest Service Rd., kickedin in the middleof Julyas a massive keepingin the Lower Mainland. Three ridgeof highpressure gained strength along approximately50 km n.w.of PrinceGeorge color-bandedmartins at BlackieSpit June the west coast,producing frequent and (TW). This wasthe first documentedbreed- 16-July31 (fideDT) apparentlyoriginated widespreadscorching weather. Predictably, ing recordfor the spedesin the Prince at VancouverI. colonies.At the Maplewood this causedforests to becometinder dry, Georgearea. FlatsConservation Area, 12 nestboxes pro- A Red-necked Stint (adult in alternate with numerouslarge forest fires scattered duced40 young(Roberts 1998). about.Woodpeckers should have a good plumage),a rarebut regularAsian visitor to Three Marsh Wrens were discovered at cropof beetlelarvae to pick throughin a the LowerMainland, was at Iona I. July2 LeeL. June14 (CE,MGi), providingjust the (RT, ST, KK, TP). coupleof years! 2rid recordfor theYukon. Three completed On July 28, a bird identified as a nestswere found there, but did not contain I•us•hlng Gull was discoveredat Iona I. eggsor youngand thereforefell shortof a GREBES TO WATERFOWl. (CN, JL, RT). If accepted,this will be the confirmedbreeding record. The N. Mock- A Pied-billedGrebe at Coot L. near Pelly first record for British Columbia. A first- ingbirdinvasion that beganin May contin- CrossingJun 17 (RDM, WP) andJuly 4 (CE, summerThayer's Gull at WhitehorseJune uedthrough the summer, with reportscom- PS)provided the first c. Yukon record of this 30 (CE) provided an unusual summer ing from asfar northas Prince George. Six species.The Eared Grebe, first found at record for that area. An unusual inshore YellowWagtails were at ShinglePoint on the SwanL. nearWhitehorse in May, waspre- gatheringof Sabine'sGulls was observed off Yukon Coast in mid-June (RDM, sentuntil at leastJuly i (HG). Therewere the Iona SouthJetty June 5 (MP). The first WP). ThreeCedar Waxwings seen June 27 at veryfew reports of pelagicbirds this season, British Columbia record of Least Tern was L. Labergewere the first reportedfrom the the highlightbeing a well-describedManx of an adultat the n. endof OsoyoosL. June Whitehorsearea since1995 (CE, PS). Shearwater at Laskeek Bank in Hecate Strait 6 & 7 (MT, KL,m.ob.). It wasphotographed A female Chestnut-sided Warbler, rare in Jun6 (MF).An Am. White Pelican,rare w. of June7 (JAM). BC, appearedat the CheamWetlands near

VOLUHE5Z (lggs)•ISSUE 4 493 RosedaleJuly 14 (SG).Just 99 yearsafter the White-throatedSparrow, White-crowned (MKM), MichaelPrice (MP), Mike Toochin firstYukon record of the species,a pair of Sparrow, and Golden-crownedSparrow, (MT), Mary Whitley (MW), Pam Sindair Towmend'sW•rblers feedingone depen- whichcould all be heardsinging on territo- (PS), Doug McRae(RDM), RogerFoxall dentyoung at theYukon R. Campgroundin ries from one location at treeline in the (RF), Rick Howie (RRH), Rick Toochin DawsonCity July7 providedthe Yukon's KotaneeleeRange June 20-21 (CE,MGi). (RT), Simon Gavin (SG), Sharon Toochin first confirmedbreeding record for this The summerof 1998produced a rashof (ST), TrevorGoward (TG), Tom Plath (TP), species (CE, PS). Other sightingsof maleIndigo Bunting reports in theVictoria TonyWaycheshen (TW), W. Peterson(WP). Townsend's Warbler included two at area,the first beingreported from Mary Literature Cited McintyreMt. June7 (CE) and oneat Jake's Hill, Metchosin,June 30 (MGS). Another Corner in late June (PS). BlackburnJan male was in the Upper ClearwaterValley Roberts,E. 1998.40Purple Martin youngband- ed.Wingspan, fall 1998:8. Wluøolersare vagrantsw. of the Rockies. nearWells Gray Park July 31 (TG). One wasfound dead at the ThujaLakes on Subregionalcompilers: Cameron Eckert the Carlboo Plateauin the 3rd week of June Michael G. Shepard, VGI VisionGroup (CE), Yukon; Danny Tyson (DT), (fide RRH). A single Palm Warbler at International,5325 CordovaBay Rd., Victoria, Vancouver;Helmut Grtinberg (HG), Yukon; VancouverInternational Airport July 18 BCV8Y 2L3, e-mail: [email protected]. Jack Bowling (JCB), Prince George and (MKM) providedan unusualcoastal sum- weather summaries; Peter Hamel (PH), mer record. QueenCharlotte Islands; Richard Cannings Rare on the coast,a VesperSparrow (RJC),Okanagan; Michael Shepard (MGS), turnedup at ColonyFarm, Coquitlam, June SouthernVancouver I.; SteveBaillie (SJB), 19 (JG). Unusuallydry conditionsin the Nanaimo. Other Cited Observers: Alex Placenames that are frequentlymen- extremes.e. Yukon may have been responsi- Gray (AG), A1 Hughes (AH), Bonnie tioned,but verylong, may be abbreviat- ble for the completelack of Le Conte's Plunkey(BP), ClaudeNadeau (CN), Dale ed in a form such as "C.B.B.T:' or Sparrowsat their usual location along the La North (DN), GerryWhitley (GW), JoAnn "W. EB.O? Such local abbreviations will BicheR. airstrip.However, one Le Conte's MacKenzie(JAM), Jeremy Baumbach (JBa), be explainedin a key at the beginning was heard at the BeaverR. wetland June 12 JudeGrass (JG), JohnIreland (JI), Jacques of the particular regional report in (MGi), and four weresinging at a higher Lachance(JL), Ken Klimko (KK), Kevin which they are used.Standard abbrevi- elevationwetland just w. of the La BicheR. Lydford (KL), Michael Force (MF), ations that are usedthroughout Field June17 (CE,MGi). Quiteextraordinary was MargaretGarolitz (MGa), Mike Gill (MGi), Notesare keyed on page428. the occurrenceof threeZonotrichia species: MargoHearne (MH), Martin K. McNicholl African Bird Club WORKING FOR BIRDS IN AFRICA - JOIN US!

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494 FIELD NOTES