The Backyard's Weekly Bird Walk locations are found in the Backyard Bird Report at the very end of the most recent report. Any cancellations will be posted by 8am the day of the walk.

Sunday 24 February 2008

Sunday bird walk, February 24, 2008












Long-tailed Duck at Deep Bay: Ralph Hocken Photo.


To report your sightings
please phone the Store at 390-3669
or e-mail us at
thebackyard@shaw.ca
or call the Bird Alert at 390-3029

Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone
number, along with the date and location of your sighting.
Sunday February 24:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo. Among
the highlights were the sighting of three Red-tailed Hawks soaring in the sky. Three birders spotted and photographed a Northern Shrike perched on a bush. We saw several Rudy-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets hawking insects on low bushes.
Twenty-one birders found the following forty-three species:
Canada Goose, Great Blue Heron, Mallard, Pied-billed Grebe, Ring-necked Duck, American Wigeon, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, American Coots, California Quail, Ring-necked Pheasant, Glaucous-winged Gull, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Shrike, Rock Pigeon, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Common Raven, Northwestern Crow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Brown Creeper, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Bewick's Wren, Marsh Wren, American Robin, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Red-winged Blackbird, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, House Finch, Purple Finch, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin, Dark-eyed Junco, American Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Saturday February 23:
Two Rufous Hummingbirds have been visiting feeders since February 14th along Valleyview Drive off of Aulds Road in north Nanaimo.
Townsend's Solitaire was seen at Fairwinds in Nanoose Bay.
A Chipping Sparrow was visiting feeders along Honeysuckle Terrace in Nanaimo.
A Eurasian Widgeon and a Ring-billed Gull were spotted at the Little Qualicum River Estuary.
Friday February 22:
A gray phase Gyrfalcon was seen along Woodley Range in north Ladysmith.
Wednesday February 20:
The Wednesday Bird Walk went to Deep Bay. Among the highlights of the morning were the sightings of at least fifty Long-tailed Ducks--many as close as five feet from the shore. A large flock of Dunlin greeted us as we arrived, flying in a large cloud near a gravel bar. There were large flocks of Pacific Loons, White-winged Scoters, Surf Scoters, Horned and Red-necked Grebes further off shore. We stopped at Nile Creek on the way back and saw about three thousand Thayer’s Gulls along with two California Gulls and a few Mew Gulls roosting along the tide-line. There was a huge raft of an estimated ten thousand Western Grebes and at least two Clark’s Grebes a little further out on the Strait. Hugh rafts of Common Murres were seen bobbing further off shore.
Eight birders found the following forty-one species:
Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Mallard, Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Western Grebe, Clark's grebe, Brandt's Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Dunlin, Bald Eagle, Mew Gull, California Gull, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Common Murre, Rock Pigeon, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, American Robin, European Starling, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, House Finch and Red Crossbill

Tuesday February 19:
One of several Anna's Hummingbirds visiting feeders was seen gathering cattail fluff in the 5300 block of Hammond Bay Road in Nanaimo. At the same location eight to ten Pine Siskins are visiting feeders.
Monday February 18:
A Rufous Hummingbird is coming to feeders in the 100 block of Sandpiper Place in Nanaimo.
Sunday February 17:
A Pileated Woodpecker, Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, Dark-eyed Junco, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Northwestern Crow, Pine Siskin, Common and Barrows Goldeneye, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Common, Hooded and Red-breasted Mergansers, Red Necked Grebe, Common Loon, White-winged Scoter, Surf Scoter, Mallard, American Widgeon, Bufflehead, Belted Kingfisher, Harlequin, Spotted Towhee and Northern Flicker.
Surf Scoter, Glaucous Winged Gulls, Canada Geese, Dunlin, Black-bellied Plovers and Black Turnstones were seen at Parksville Bay in Parksville.
For further information on these sightings or for help in identifying a
bird please call The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
@ (250) 390-3669
Toll Free @ 1-888-249-4145
e-mail:
thebackyard@shaw.ca
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The Nanoose Naturalists
Monthly Meeting
Thursday March 13, 2008 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
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Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monthly Meeting,
Monday March 24, 2008@ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
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Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and
Wednesday mornings. We leave from the Store at 9 A.M. Sunday Mornings and go to a different location in and around Nanaimo and from the Parksville Visitor Centre in Parksville at 9 A.M. Wednesdays and go to different areas in and around the Oceanside area.
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The Wednesday Bird Walk on February 27, 2008 will be going to Rathtrevor Provincial Park in Parksville.
We will meet at the Parksville Visitor Centre at Highway 19A and Northwest Bay
Road, near Craig Bay in Parksville, at 9:00 A.M. or at the parking area at Rathtrevor Provincial Park at about 9:10 A.M.--- Please note that there is a parking charge at Rathtrevor.
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The Sunday Bird Walk on March 02, 2008 will be going to Nanoose Estuary
.
We will meet at the Bird Store at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking area behind the Church Camp on Nanoose Beach Road off Highway 19 and Arlington Road
at about 9:20 a.m.
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Good Birding!
Neil Robins
Nanaimo

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