British Columbia

ugust was mostly hot and dry over the southern half of the province, while more showery weather dominated in the north.September precipitation was more hit-or-miss in many areas, with coastal sections in particular feeling the change at the equinox to a more stormy pattern, which continued through October.Meanwhile, after the first light snowfall the first week of October across the interior, northeastern British Columbia enjoyed a dry and warm October, so much so that the local elk populations were coaxed into a second rutting season there.The weather became much more active in November, with an Arctic air mass sweeping in from Nuna,cut across the interior and coastward.Coastal sections dosed the season under their first snowfall as the Arctic and Padtic streams collided.Stunning rarities included a Pine Warbler, a Sedge Wren, a Northern Wheatear, and a Bairdg Sparrow.WATERFOWL THROUGH CRANE A subad.male King Eider drew much attention when it showed up 30 Oct-3 Dec in Vancouver (BiB et al.), where there are a dozen previous records.Finding all four regularly occurring species of loons at a single location is quite noteworthy along the coast but unheard of in the interior, yet amazingly this happened on Charlie L. 25 Sep (MP).Migrating Pacific Loons have been noted along the Pine Pass corridor in early Oct in the past, but little is known about the reg-ularity of this occurrence.Some 141 Pacific Loons, which may have been forced down by strong headwinds, came to rest on Boundary L. 25 Sep 0J); such numbers have never been reported elsewhere in the Region's interior.Careful examination of a large staging flock of Western Grebes produced a Clarkg Grebe at Union Bay, Courtney 23-30 Oct (ph., TJF, TGLM et al.).This represents the first Clark's Grebe for the Comox checklist area and the first confirmed sighting for Vancouver 1. in over 10 years.Always an exciting find, a Laysan Albatross was observed from a cruise ship in Queen Charlotte Sound 10 Sep (RF).Two imm.American White Pelicans were discovered at Esquireair Lagoon near Victoria 22-23 Aug (ph., *MOS, m.ob.).This species has remained unrecorded in Victoria for at least a decade.Brown Pelicans were prevalent along the coast during summer, so it was not surprising that a few were found into the fall, with single irares.at Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary 3 Sep (tJ1) and at lona 29-30 Oct (ph.WA et aL).Single Great Egrets were in Uduelet 1 Sep (BS1; and later relocated along the Lower Kennedy R. 13 Sep by GB et al.), at Grand Forks 12 Oct (ph.BB), and at Wardnet 18 Sep (DN).Although a single Cattle Egret arrived very early at Fauquier 19 Sep (GSD), this did not translate into a good showing this fall.An ad.gray-morph Gyrlalcon returned to Kelowna for its 6th consecutive year 12 Nov+ (CC et al.).Sandhill Cranes exhibited a more propacted mi-SA There were several indications that Arctic breeders had a productive summer.Across /-! the province, shorebirds in particular were found in larger-than-usual numbers, although weather may have also influenced this perception.Strong winds through the Yukon off the Beaufort Sea 9 Aug may have shifted the migratory movements of otherwise southeastbound shorebirds to a more westerly track.This "eastern invasion" involved mainly Baird's,

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