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 18 October 2009

Nanaimo bird alert, October 18, 2009



Black Turnstone: Jack Lasure Photo.


The Backyard Wildbird and Nature store 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 October 18, 2009:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. The morning was cloudy but calm. The highlights included seeing a Sharp-shinned Hawk chasing a Northern Flicker and a Northern Shrike perched on a short bush near the estuary. Black Turnstones and Black-bellied Plovers flew past near the shoreline heading up the Strait of Georgia. We watched a Peregrine Falcon fly from one perch to another. He perched for a few seconds and then with powerful wind beats, he flew off towards the mainland. We soon lost sight of him over the Strait of Georgia.
Nineteen birders heard and saw the following fifty-two species of birds:
Canada Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, American Wigeon, Mallard, Harlequin Duck, Bufflehead, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Merganser, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Bonaparte's Gull, Mew Gull, California Gull, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Black-bellied Plover, Black Turnstone, Killdeer, California Quail, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Northern Shrike, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bushtit, Bewick's Wren, American Robin, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Brewer's Blackbird, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, Red Crossbill and House Sparrow.

Tuesday October 13:
The Tuesday Bird Walk went to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. The morning was cloudy and the winds were calm however a shower finished off the morning. The highlights included seeing Varied Thrush just ahead of us on the trail and in the trees along the trail. We came across about one thousand American Robins in the forest and estuary throughout the morning. There was a Hermit Thrush in the brushes near the trail. A Northern Shrike landed on a bush not thirty feet front us giving us incredible looks. We saw a Peregrine Falcon preening itself in a tall fir tree on the west side of the forest. The Falcon left the perch twice and flew towards the Straight of Georgia only to return to the perch. When he returned for the second time he perched and looked down at us as if he was people watching. We saw a Merlin chasing a Northern Flicker. We spotted a Fox Sparrow gleaning insects from the leaves on a small bush.
Ten birders saw and heard the following forty species of birds:
Canada Goose, American Wigeon, Mallard, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, Common Merganser, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Wilson's Snipe,Bonaparte's Gull, Mew Gull, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Northern Shrike, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Varied Thrush, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Spotted Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Purple Finch, House Finch and Red Crossbill.

Sunday October 11:
One hundred and fourteen Pacific Loons were seen off Yellow Point in Cedar.

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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Arrowsmith Naturalists
Guest speaker, Michele Deakin, local biologist, will give an update on eelgrass beds.
Monday October 26, 2009 @ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
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The Nanoose Naturalists
Thursday November 12, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
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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 October 20, 2009 will be going to Columbia Beach.
Meet at the Parksville Beach Community Park near the parking area at the Lion's Playground at 9:00 A.M. or the parking area off Admiral Tyron Boulevard
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The Sunday Bird Walk on October 25 will be going to the Nanaimo River Estuary.
Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 A.M. or the end of Raines Road at about 9:30A.M.
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Good birding
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD
Wildbird & Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, BC V9T 2L8
250.390.3669
250.390.1633 fax
thebackyard@shaw.ca
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG---> www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

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