Wednesday Bird Walk, March 19, 2008

Pigeon Guillemot: Ralph Hocken Photo.

The Wednesday Bird Walk went to Columbia Beach near French Creek. Twelve birders found forty-three species of birds. The highlights of the morning included the sighting of two flocks of Trumpeter Swans flying up the Strait of Georgia and one Pigeon Guillemot with a small flock of Common Murres heading down the Strait. A large raft of Surf Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, Pacific Loons and Brandt’s, Pelagic and Double-crested Cormorants were seen in the choppy water not far from shore. We spotted several Western Gulls in with the thousands of gulls on the gravel bars near shore.

Twelve birders found the following forty-three species.

Canada Goose

Trumpeter Swan

Eurasian Wigeon

American Wigeon

Mallard

Harlequin Duck

Surf Scoter

White-winged Scoter

Long-tailed Duck

Common Goldeneye

Barrow's Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Pacific Loon

Common Loon

Horned Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Western Grebe

Brandt's Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorant

Bald Eagle

Black Oystercatcher

Dunlin

Bonaparte's Gull

Mew Gull

Ring-billed Gull

California Gull

Thayer's Gull

Western Gull

Common Murre

Pigeon Guillemot

Rock Pigeon

Northern Flicker

Northwestern Crow

American Robin

European Starling

White-crowned Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Purple Finch

House Finch

Pine Siskin

House Sparrow

The Backyard Wildbird & Nature Store's weekly bird walk in the Parksville/Qualicum Beach area is on Wednesday mornings at 9 a.m. Participants meet at the Parksville Visitor Centre at Highway 19A and Northwest Bay Road in Parksville at 9:00 A.M. Snow, rain and/or heavy winds will deter us--but we will plan a walk for every week. Everyone is welcome to bring their binoculars and join us for a morning of birding. For the weekly location of the birdwalk, please call Neil Robins at (250) 954-1928 or the Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store at (250) 390-3669.