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.

Monday 11 May 2009

Nanaimo bird alert, May 10, 2009





MacGillivray's Warbler: Ralph Hocken Photo.

The Backyard Wildbird & Nature Store
Nanaimo Bird Alert

To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@shaw.ca
call the Bird Alert at 250-390-3029

Also check the birdstore blog for the latest bird alerts and updates:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Post your sightings on this site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbirdingvanisland/messages

Birds of British Columbia:
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/SpeciesChecklists.html

International Birdwatching Guides
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com

Birdwatching contacts and information find a local birder to go birdwatching with:
http://www.birdingpal.org/

Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone number, along with the date, name and location of your sighting.

Sunday May 10, 2009:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to Legacy Marsh in upper Lantzville. The morning was sunny and warm. Twenty-two birders saw and heard fifty species of birds.
Highlights of the morning included the sighting of a Barn Swallow, Warbling Vireo, Orange-crown Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Hammond's Flycatcher and Pacific-slope Flycatchers.
Twenty-two birders heard and saw the following fifty-one species of birds: Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Canada Goose, Mallard, Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, Band-tailed Pigeon, Rufous Hummingbird, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, Common Raven, Northwestern Crow, Bewick's Wren, Winter Wren, Marsh Wren, Violet-green Swallow, Barn Swallow, Vaux's Swift, Bushtit, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Nuthatch, California Quail, Varied Thrush, American Robin, European Starling, Warbling Vireo, Orange-crown Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Hammond's Flycatcher, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, White-crowned Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Western Tanager, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Black-headed Grosbeak, House Finch, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, Purple Finch and House Sparrow.

Saturday May 09:
Several Whimbrel were spotted at the tideline, feeding as the tide was coming in, at Nanoose Bay.

Red Crossbills were seen at garden feeders just north of the Little Qualicum River north of Qualicum Beach.

Thursday May 07:
Two Caspian Terns were spotted flying over Cowichan Bay.

A pair of Mallards are visiting feeders in the 5500 block of Ventura Drive in Nanaimo.

Wednesday May 06:
A Varied Thrush was spotted at the Pryde Vista Golf Course in Nanaimo.

A Hermit Thrush was seen forging around a backyard along Honeysuckle Terrace near the Hospital in Nanaimo.

A Ruddy Turnstone and three Semipalmated Plovers were seen at Columbia Beach, on the gravel bar across from the Pebble Beach townhouses.


Tuesday May 05:
The Tuesday bird walk went to Springwood Park in Parksville. The morning started out with rain and actually turned quite nice about half way through the morning. The highlights included the sighting of a Black-throated Gray Warbler. We had followed the singing of it for about an hour until we were rewarded with the sight of it quite low in the
bushes for us to have some great looks. A Purple Finch put on a spectacular courting display for us as he tried to impress a female Purple Finch at the top of a snag. His wings quickly fluttering and the feathers on his head were all puffed out. Obviously he was impressive to her--at the end of the display they went beak to beak, hovering above the snag! He certainly impressed us, as well, with his display.
Six birders saw and heard the following twenty-eight species of birds:
Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Mallard, California Quail, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Rufous Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, Hutton's Vireo, Northwestern Crow,
Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, European Starling, Orange-crowned Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Purple Finch, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin and American Goldfinch.

Two Caspian Terns were seen roosting on a gravel bar along with eleven Black Oystercatchers, eight California Gulls, four Mew Gulls and a Ring-billed Gull at Columbia Beach.

Over 200 Bonaparte's Gulls were seen in the small bay to the right of the parking
area at the marina at French Creek.

Monday May 04:
Fifteen America Goldfinch, twelve Pine Siskins, one Mourning Dove, eight Band-tailed Pigeons, one Lincoln's Sparrow, one Gold-crowned Sparrow, one White-crowned Sparrow, one Spotted Towhee, two Northern Flickers, two Pileated Woodpecker, one Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Brewer's Blackbirds and a Sharp-shinned Hawk were seen in a yard in the 100 block of Meridian Way in Parksville.

Sunday May 03:
Two male Blue-winged Teal were seen on the mud flats at San Pareil side of the Englishman Estuary 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
Thursday May 14, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Guest speaker Tony Ransom will give a slide presentation of his recent trip
to the Galapagos Islands.
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
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Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monday May 25, 2009 @ 7:30 pm.
Guest Speaker Cam Finlay, biologist, coordinator of humming bird banders, will share his research into Rufous and Anna's Hummingbirds of Vancouver Island.
Springwood School
Parksville
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Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and
Tuesday 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 Beach
Community Park at 9 A.M. on Tuesdays and go to different areas in and around
the Oceanside area.
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The Tuesday Bird Walk on May 12, 2009 will be going to the Beaver Ponds in Nanoose Bay.
Meet at the Parksville Beach Community Park near the parking area at the Lion's
Playground at 9:00 A.M. or at the parking area about 100 meters past the fourway stop along Powerpoint Road in Nanoose Bay ( From highway 19 turn onto Northwest Bay Road at the Petro Canada Gas Station. Turn right onto Powerpoint Road--the first right turn after crossing the second set of railway tracks on Northwest Bay Road) Follow Powerpoint Road to the four way stop. Proceed about 100 meters and turn left into the parking area at the spit rail fence. We will meet there at about 9:20 a.m.

Please call the store at 250-390-3669 for the location of the Tuesday Birdwalk on May 19.

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There will be no Sunday Bird Walk on May 17.

Call the store at 250-390-3669 re the May 24 Sunday bird walk.

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Good birding
Neil Robins
Nanaimo,
British Columbia.

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