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 2 October 2011

Nanaimo bird report, October 02, 2011




























Northern Fulmar: Ralph Hocken Photo.

NANAIMO BIRD REPORT

“GO BIRDING--EXPLORE NATURE”

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

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

Sunday October 02, 2011:
The Sunday bird walk went to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. The morning was cloudy but with no winds, giving us a very pleasant walk. The Strait of Georgia is beginning to come alive with sea birds for the winter. Pacific Loons, in breeding plumage, along with Surf Scoters, Common Mergansers, Red-necked Grebes, Common Loons, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Rhinoceros Auklets, Marbled Murrelets, Pigeon Guillemots and Common Murre were seen on the Strait of Georgia. A Harlequin Duck, Pelagic Cormorants, Great Blue Heron and the resident Spotted Sandpiper were seen just off shore.
Twenty-three birders saw and heard the following forty-four species:
Mallard, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, Common Mergansers, Red-necked Grebe, Common Loon, Pacific Loon, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Spotted Sandpiper, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Merlin, Surfbirds, Mew Gull, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Western Gull, Bonaparte's Gull, Rhinoceros Auklet, Marbled Murrelet, Pigeon Guillemot, Common Murre, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northwestern Crow, European Starling, Anna’s Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow Warbler, Hutton’s Vireo, Bewick's Wren, Brown Creeper, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Spotted Towhee, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, House Finch and Dark-eyed Junco.

A Sooty Grouse was seen along the top of Westwood’s Ridge Trail behind Westwood Lake in Nanaimo.

Saturday October 01:
Twenty-six American Goldfinch, twelve House Finch, one Bewick's Wren, two Anna's Hummingbirds and a Dark-eyed Junco were seen visiting feeders along Lancashire Avenue in Nanaimo.

Friday September 30:
A Savannah’s Sparrow, Western Gull and Thayer’s Gulls were seen at Piper’s Lagoon in Nanaimo.

Wednesday September 28:
A Hump-back Whale was seen off Neck Point Park in Nanaimo.

Tuesday September 27:
The Tuesday Birdwalk went to Columbia Beach. The morning was mostly cloudy with a little rain and the winds were mostly calm. The highlight of the morning was the sighting of three flocks of Greater White-fronted Geese. Three of the Greater White-fronted Geese flew so low over us that we could see their speckled bellies. They circled around us as if they were going to land but they changed their minds and continued to fly into the eastern sky. A flock of forty Greater White-fronted Geese flew past high overhead heading straight south. We spotted a Common Murre, two Pigeon Guillemots and a Marbled Murrelet riding the waves on the water.
Twenty-five birders saw and heard the following forty-seven species:
Greater White-fronted Goose, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Western Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle,Cooper's Hawk, Merlin, Black-bellied Plover, Killdeer, Black Oystercatcher,Spotted Sandpiper, Black Turnstone, Bonaparte's Gull, Mew Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Thayer's Gull, Western Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, Eurasian collared-Dove, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, American Robin, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow and Golden-crowned Sparrow.

A small flock of Sandhill Cranes seen were feeding in a field in Errington.

Sunday September 25:
A flock of Sandhill Cranes were spotted flying over Qualicum Beach.

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Nanoose Naturalists Meeting
Thursday, October 13 at 7 pm.
Guest Speaker, Bill Merrilees, will give a slide presentation about Buttertubs Marsh.
@ The Library Centre along Northwest Bay Road, Nanoose Bay.

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Arrowsmith Naturalist Meeting
Monday, October 24 at 7:30 pm.
General Meeting @ Springwood Middle School, Parksville.

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Everyone is invited 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 04 will be going to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach.. We will meet at Parksville Community Park at the parking lot near the Lions Playground at 9:00 A.M. or at the viewing platform near Garrett Road and Highway 19A at about 9:20 A.M.
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The Sunday Bird Walk on October 09 will be going to the Nanaimo River Estuary in Nanaimo. We will meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 A.M. or at 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
thebackyard@shaw.ca
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG---> www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

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