Nanaimo bird report, August 26, 2012

Sandhill Crane: 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 August 26, 2012:
The Sunday bird walk went to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. The morning was mostly sunny and warm with a breeze off the Strait of Georgia. The highlights included seeing large numbers of Pelagic and Double-crested Cormorants throughout the morning.  There were several Red-breasted Nuthatch and Chestnut-backed Chickadees high in the trees along the trails.
Sixteen birders saw and heard the following twenty-three species:
Canada Geese, Harlequin Duck, Double-crested Cormorant,  Pelagic Cormorant,  Spotted Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Black Turnstone, Turkey Vulture,  Great Blue Heron,  Mew Gull, California Gull,  Glaucous-winged Gull, Eurasian-collared Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker,  Chestnut-backed Chickadee,  Red-breasted Nuthatch,   Brown Creeper,  Bewick's Wren, American Robin, Northwestern Crow and  Pine Siskin.
Saturday, August 25:
A Sandhill Crane was seen and photographed  along the mouth of the Little Qualicum River north of Qualicum Beach.
There was a possible sighting of a Red Knot across the Little Qualicum River in front of the two large driftwood trees.
 Bonaparte’s Gulls, Glaucous-wing Gulls, Least Sandpipers, Western Sandpipers were seen on a gravel bar at the Little Qualicum River Estuary.
 Large numbers of Barn Swallows and Northern Rough-winged Swallows, were seen hawking insects over the Little Qualicum River Estuary.

Six Warbling Vireos and a Yellow-rumped Warbler were spotted along Reed Road in French Creek.
 A female Black-headed Grosbeak is visiting feeders in the 500 block of Louise Road in Ladysmith.
 A Northern Goshawk was seen and photographed at Stephenson Point in Nanaimo.
Monday, August 20:
Canada Geese, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, Common Merganser, Common Loon, Red-necked Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Killdeer, Black Oystercatcher, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Mew Gull, California Gull, Glaucous-winged, Marbled Murrelet, Eurasian-collared Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Bard Swallow, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Sparrow were seen at the Little Qualicum River Estuary.
Saturday, August 18:
A Lewis Woodpecker was seen in a backyard along Telescope Terrace in Nanaimo.
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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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Tuesday bird walks have stopped for the summer season. We will resume the Tuesday bird walks on September 04, 2012. Have a great summer.
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The Sunday Bird Walk on Sunday September 02, 2012 will be going to Bowen Park in Nanaimo. We will meet at the bird store at 9:00 a.m. or the parking lot near the Lawn Bowling green at Bowen Park off Bowen Road at about 9:15 A.M.
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Good birding
Neil Robins
THE BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE
6314 Metral Drive
Nanaimo B.C.
V9T-2L8
Phone: 250-390-3669
Fax: 250-390-1633
Email: thebackyard@shaw.ca
Blog: www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com
*************************************************************************************””Nature by the Salish Sea"

"Nature By The Salish Sea" is the title of BC Nature's Fall General Meeting which will be held at the Quality Resort Bayside from Sept 27th -30th. The meeting, organized by Arrowsmith and Nanoose Naturalists, includes field trips, presentations, a banquet and a barbecue. For more information go to www.arrowsmithnats.org or phone 250-468-7475
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WANTED
Have you seen these birds? Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) have been released in Maple Bay as part of a species recovery program.
These rare native songbirds may be foraging and nesting in your area!
We need your help to find them so that we can record their nesting locations and habitat use, and monitor and care for them.
General Identification Tips
Smaller than a robin, about 5.5 inches, with a thin bill. Found in open habitat, pastureland, Garry Oak meadows; perched on fence lines or low branches.
Some of the birds are wearing coloured leg bands—please note the colours if you can! To learn more about the Bring Back the Bluebirds Project, see www.goert.ca/bluebird.
Please help us watch for Western Bluebirds and contact us immediately if you think you see them: bluebird@goert.ca; 250-383-3427.