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.

Wednesday 22 October 2008

Tuesday bird walk, Parksville/Qualicum Beach














Short-eared Owl: Ralph Hocken Photo.




The Tuesday Bird Walk went to the Englishman River Estuary, Shelly Road side in Parksville. Eleven birders saw and heard fifty-four species of birds during a sunny fall morning. It turned out to be a great morning to observe raptors in the area. We saw
a Short-eared Owl flying east high over the estuary. There was a Peregrine Falcon perched in a conifer tree and we watched it through the spotting scopes for about five minutes. As we were watching some Northern Pintails fly over the Estuary another Short-eared Owl flew in low to the ground and began hunting over the fields. A Red-tailed Hawk flew over us. A Sharp-shinned Hawk flew out and quickly back into the bushes along the trail. A Wilson's Snipe made a quick appearance and disappeared into the bushes. There were big flocks of Bushtits and Pine Siskins flying about though out the walk. Pacific Loons, Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters and Black Scoters were bobbing in the water.

Twelve birders found the following fifty four species of birds on October 21, 2008:
Canada Goose
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Pacific Loon
Horned Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
Wilson's Snipe
Mew Gull
California Gull
Thayer's Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Short-eared Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Steller's Jay
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bushtit
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Bewick's Wren
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Varied Thrush
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch

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