Nanaimo bird report, January 119, 2014

NANAIMO BIRD REPORT
" EXPLORE NATURE---GO BIRDING"

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

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

Sunday, January 19, 2014:

The Sunday bird walk went to the Shelly road side of the Englishman River estuary in Parksville.. The morning was cloudy with calm winds. A  Greater White-fronted Goose flew low overhead with Canada Geese. We spotted a Northern Shrike perched on a short bush. A female Downy Woodpecker was spotted feeding on a bush close to the trail. Four Varied Thrush were resting on a cedar tree just off the trail.

                                          Downy Woodpecker: Ralph Hocken Photo. 

Sixteen birders saw and heard the following fifty species:

Brant, Canada Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, American Widgeon, Eurasian Widgeon,  Mallard, Northern Pintail, Greater Scaup, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Northern Shrike, Mew Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Thayer's Gull, Common Murre, Black-bellied Plover, Dunlin, Black Oystercatcher,  Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's Wren, Pacific Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Bushtit, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Brown Creeper, Belted Kingfisher, Anna’s Hummingbird, Varied Thrush, American Robin, Spotted Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco.  

Saturday, January 18:

An Orange-crowned Warbler is visiting a backyard feeder at Hillcrest Avenue and 4^th Avenue in Nanaimo. 

Friday, January 17:

.   An Orange-crowned Warbler is visiting suet feeders along Johnston Road in French Creek. 

 Tuesday, January 14:

The Tuesday bird walk went to Deep Bay the morning was very foggy making for a challenging morning of bird watching.  Hundreds of Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters and singing Black Scoters formed a large raft that lifted when Bald Eagles flew over. Two Long-tailed Ducks were close to shore diving occasionally and popping up again, giving us great views. Six Trumpeter Swans flew silently overhead.

                  Long-tailed Ducks and Surf Scoters: Ralph Hocken Photo.                                    

 Twenty-two birders including visiting birders from Michigan, Illinois and Nova Scotia saw and heard the following forty-four species:

Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, American Wigeon, Mallard, Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Brandt’s Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Black Oystercatcher, Black-bellied Plover, Black Turnstone, Mew Gull, Thayer's Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian-collared Dove, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Northern Flicker, American Robin, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Red-winged Blackbird, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Purple Finch and House Finch. 

Monday, January 13:

Two Townsend’s Solitaire, a courting Red-breasted Nuthatch singing from the top of a tall snag, and a flock of Red Crossbills were seen from the top of Little Mountain just outside of Parksville. 

A Greater White-fronted Goose and four Cackling Geese were seen at Brannan Lake off Eyelash Road in Nanaimo.

 

“Check the Christmas Bird Count website” … to look up CBC results—both current and historical. 

http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count    

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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 January 21,  will be going to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville.  Meet at the Parksville Community Park at the parking lot near the Lions Club playground at 9:00 am or at the end of Shelly Road (on the oceans side of highway 19a) at about 9:10 am.
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The Sunday Bird Walk on January 26 will be going to Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo.  Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 am or at the parking area at Buttertubs, off Bowen Road at about 9:20 am.
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British Columbia rare bird alert link---
 http://www.bcbirdalert.blogspot.ca/  
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WildResearch link---
http://www.wildresearch.ca/

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West coast environment link--

http://coastaltarsands.ca/w1/videos/ 

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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