British Columbia-Yukon Region MICHAEL G
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british columbia-yukon region MICHAEL G. SHEPARD 24 at VaseuxL. on 17 Jun,and 25 birds (the samegroup?) were reported from SwanL., Vernon,18 Jun (fide KMC). At leastthree ' dreary,hesummer and wet. canbeThe summed few hot up spellsasdull, that visited the Strait of Georgiaarea in the occurredonly lasteda few daysat a time-- springand earlysummer, ranging as far N :.B•I'rlSHCOLUMBIA exceptin the Yukon,which started out hot asCampbell R. wheretwo frequentedTyee but joinedthe damp party by the end of Spitand vicinity 4-7 Jul(KH et al.).A Red- June.It was not until the very end of the faced Cormorant in definitive alternate reportingperiod that warmer weather took plumage was well seen flying past the hold.One of the more salientrepercussions entranceto Dixon Entrance20 Jun (MF). A of a wet summer following last year's singleGreat Egret observed in the vicinity scorcherwas the triggeringof heavyconifer of CampbellCreek/Shumway L. 20-22 Jun conecrops in the borealforests of the cen- (KASet al.) wasunusual in interior British tral and northerninterion As happenedin Columbia.Snowy Egrets at SalmonArm the previous1992/1993 hot/cool-wet suc- 23-26 Jul (JM, HGo, RWy et al.) and cession,crossbills invaded in drovesto feast WilliamsL. 28 Julinto earlyAugust (SH et on the abundant seeds. The cool weather al.) were also rare interior occurrences. viouslyunreported colony (fide LGy) had at alsoresulted in a verygradual meltdown of Four Brant at JudasCr., YT, 7 Jun (CE, PS) least32 avocets1 Jun,including 12 sitting theheavy winter snowpacks through spring werelate springmigrants. Three Harlequin on nests.Although avocets have probably and summer;thus we avoidedwidespread Ducks along the upper BeaverR.--two bredin the Cariboo for many years.(Cooper flooding over the southernhalf of the males 18 Jun and a female 25 Jun--added 1983, Murrelet 64: 47-48), this was the first Region,but lake and riverlevels remained to the fewrecords of thisspecies for the s.e. documentationof a "large"colony in the veryhigh. Yukon(HGr, CO). Veryrare in the Yukon, region.The only othercurrently known in threeBlack Scoters (an ad.male, a first-year the province,at Alki L., had 14 nestsoccu- LOONS THROUGH HAWKS male,and a female)at JudasCr. 7 Junpro- pied as of 2 Jun (fideLGy), 4 of them on An apparentlate migration wave on 11 Jun vided the first documented Whitehorse- man-madefloating platforms. A Willet at at LarsenL., s.e.Yukon, produced an im- arearecord (CE, PS,HGr). Anotherspecies Alki L. 11 Jun(JW) addedto the handful of pressiveconcentration of breeding-plum- unusual in the Yukon was a male Hooded reportsof this speciesfrom the provincial agedloons, with 30 Pacific,15 Common, Merganserobserved at LarsenL. 13 Jun interior.An UplandSandpiper was seen on and a record-settingseven Yellow-billed (CE, MG). severaloccasions at the Ft. Nelsonairport, (CE, MG). Very rare in the Yukon,a Pied- The 9 Jun appearanceof a Broad- BC, 14 Jun-18 Jul (JCB,DGC); although billed Grebe was at LarsenL. 14 Jun (CE, wingedHawk at WillowbankMt. in the the speciesis rareduring the breedingsea- MG). A censusat Cecil L. in the PeaceR., BlaeberryValley (DL) wasunexpected. An sonin that area,nesting habitat for Uplands BC, 11 Jultallied an astounding2451 Eared adult at Mackenzie,BC, 27 Jul (LL, DB, SKi) is good at the airport. By mid-Junethe Grebes(DGC). The W. Grebebreeding sea- providedthe first documentedrecord for southward movement of shorebirds was son at SalmonArm and OkanaganL., BC, that area,but evenmore excitingwas the evidencedby scatteredreports from around was a total "washout:" no nests were suc- discoveryof an immatureat the sameloca- the province;by earlyJuly, shorebird migra- cessful(RJC). Predationand high water tion30 Jul(DB, LL, SKi)--considerably far- tion wasin full swing,with thousandsal- appearedto be the main causesof failure. thersouthwest than other suspected breed- readyat IonaI. by 2 Jul(RT). Semipalmated Clark's Grebes found in the interior at Sal- ing locations.The imm. Broad-wingedwas Sandpipersput in a strongshowing with mon Arm 16 Jun included a male (FK) as callingfrequently, as though begging. 250 at Iona I. 2 Jul,200 there 8 Jul (RT), and wellas an apparentfemale paired with a W. 80 at Robert L., Kelowna,16 Jul (CC). Grebe (RJC, KF); anothersingle Clark's PLOV[RS A Long-tailedJaeger at L. Laberge,YT, Grebewas at the n. end of OkanaganL. 29 THROUGH WOOD•CKERS 23 Jun was the first record for the White- Jul (RJC). A late migrantAm. Golden-Hoverwas at horsearea (MC, AM). Thisspring and sum- For the 2nd time this year, an imm. NanaimoR. EstuaryI Jun(GM). A single mer, Franklin'sGulls were reported in s. Short-tailedAlbatross was reported from SemipalmatedPlover at Alki L., Kelowna, British Columbia more frequently than the QueenCharlotte Is., this time e. of Cape BC, 20 Jun (JW) providedone of the very usual.One was at Iona I. 16 Jun (RT), and a St. James25 Jul (fideTG). Smallflocks of few June recordsof the speciesin the groupof ten wereat Alki L. 17 Jun--seven- Am. White Pelicans in the s. interior in OkanaganValley. In BritishColumbia, the eightadults in breedingplumage and two- mid-Junewere surprising: Feldman found numberof breedingAm. Avocetsappears to three in intermediate winter/summer 17 at Salmon Arm 14 Jun,Axhorn observed be on the rise.Northwest of Clinton,a pre- plumage(JW); sevenwere still there 29 Jun VOLUME53 (1999)• ISSUE4 423 (JW). A first-yearLittle Gull wasat Iona I. Jul (CE, MG). AlthoughE. Kingbirdsare made at treeline along Mt. Granger m 16 Jun-21Jul (TP); interestingly,there had regularvisitors to the e. sideof Vancouver Whitehorse 9-10 Jul (MG). Two Brewer's beenmany Little Gull observationsin the I., theyrarely make it overthe mountains to Sparrows,rarely reported from s.e.British w. statesin latewinter and spring.A first- the w. slopes;a singlebird at the SomassR. Columbia, were near the Duncan R, summerRing-billed Gull at Turner L., n.e. Estuary20 Jun (SMc) providedthe first KootenayL., 10 Jun (GS). The Okana- Yukon, 2-3 Jul was well outside its normal recordfor theAlberni Valley. gan/Similkameenwatershed rare bird sur- range(CE, MG). On 24 Jun,a pair of A singingBlue-headed Vireo alongthe veyon 21-22 Junproduced an amazing75 aggressivelyterritorial Glaucous-winged upperWhitefish R. 15 Jun (CE) provided Lark Sparrowsprobably representingat Gulls greetedCecile at the Grant I. gull s.e. Yukon's northernmost record, while least50 pairs (fide RJC).On 12 Jul Cecile colonyon OkanaganL., but no nestwas three countedon the RancheriaBBS 13 Jun madea highcount of eightNelson's Sharp- located.Although this species rarely breeds were at the w. limit of this species'Yukon tailed Sparrowsat BoundaryL., PeaceR awayfrom the coast,nesting was possible at range (HGr). A pair of Blue Jays,a rare area.A singleSwamp Sparrow seen and thislocale. Daily checksof a smallflock of breedingspecies w. of the Rockies,was dis- heard 6 Jul near Meadow Cr. in the Mew Gullsperched on the only rock in coverednesting in Kimberley,BC, 5 Jun Kootenays(GSD, GS, RWe) providedthe TabourL., n.e.Yukon, produced a crescen- (BA,HA). Rarelyreported from the Yukon, first summer record of the speciesfor s do of gull rarities,with a first-summer a Gray-headedChickadee along Thomas British Columbia. A male Rose-breasted Glaucous24 Jun, a first-summer Glaucous- Cr., n.w. of Old Crow Flats(Vuntut N.P.), 8 Grosbeak was at Willowbank Mt. in the winged25 Jun,and a breeding-plumaged Junwas an excellentfind (DH, RM). A con- BlaeberryValley 9 Jun(DL); althoughnor- Sabine's Gull 26 Jun (CE, MG). Eight fusedGray Catbird landed on the foc'sle mally rare w. of the Rockies,there were CaspianTerns at CottonwoodBeach, Stuart railingof a researchvessel 6 nauticalmi w. numerousreports of thesegrosbeaks from L. (Fort St. James),28 Jul (RRa) werenote- of TriangleI. 24 Jun(MF) and establisheda the w. United Statesthis springand sum- worthyin c. BritishColumbia, and two at surprisingouter coastal record for thisinte- mer. Unusual n. of s. British Columbia, a M'Clintock Bay 12 Jun provideda 4th rior species.Single Cedar Waxwings, rarely Lazuli Buntingwas at FrancoisL. 3 Jun Yukon record (JH). Nisutlin Delta, YT, reportedin s. Yukon,were at LarsenL. 14 (KW). Evenmore noteworthywere Lazulls hosted60 Arctic Terns (48 adults and 12 Jun (CE) and at the upperWhitefish R. 17 alongsidethe Hart Hwy 17 km w of juveniles)30 Jul (CE, PS).A Forster'sTern Jun (CE, MG). Chetwynd,BC, 30 Jun(MP, CA) and two at Iona I., BC, 17-18 Jun (MW) was at an A singing Nashville Warbler found individuals23 and 25 km w. of Chetwynd9 unusuallocation for this time of year. alongCopper Haul Rd.20-21 Jun(CE, PS, Jul (DGC). A putativehybrid Indigo x A 17 Jul aerialsurvey of 112-km2 m.ob.) establishedthe Yukon's first well- Lazulibunting was at Tranquille30 May-4 Herschel I. on the Yukon's n. coast tallied a documented record; close examination Jul (?RRi,?SR, ?WCW). Rareanywhere m stunning104 SnowyOwls, including35 indicatedthat it belongedto the e. sub- the north, a male Yellow-headedBlackbird pairs(with 4 confirmednests) and 34 sin- speciesruficapilla. Another individual well wasjust s. of theYukon border at the, end gles(DC, SKo,EJ, FE, LGo).Although we n. of itsnormal range was at Ft.Nelson, BC, of TeslinL., BC, in earlyJune (MC) Stx occasionallyfind largewintering concentra- in late June(fide JCB),and a singletonat Brewer'sBlackbirds were at UpperLlard 28 tions(e.g., 107 on the LadherCBC 22 Dec RalphRiver Campground, Buttle L., 12Jun Jun (MH, PH). In the breedingseason, 1973), this summer count at Herschelwas (JF) was noteworthy.Rare but regularin RustyBlackbird is rareand local in s.British unprecedented.A Red-naped Sapsucker British Columbia, a Chestnut-sided Warb- Columbia,so a pair takingfood to a neste photographedon Quadra I., BC, in June ler wasat Tranquille27 Jun(RRi, CR).