Nanaimo bird report, April 26, 2015

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.

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Sunday, April 26, 2015:

The Sunday bird walk went to West Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo.. The morning was cloudy with a breeze. The highlights included seeing many flocks of Northern Rough-wing Swallows, Violet-green Swallows and Tree Swallows flying low over the meadows, giving us close views. We heard Yellow Warblers and Pacific-slope Flycatchers singing during the morning. 

 

Yellow Warbler: Ralph Hocken Photo.

Eleven birders saw and heard the following forty species:

Canada Geese,

 Mallard

   Great Blue Heron

Turkey Vulture

 Bald Eagle

Red-tail Hawk

Virginia Rail

California Quail

Eurasian-collared Dove

 Rufous Hummingbird

Anna’s Hummingbird

Northern Flicker

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Northwestern Crow

 Common Raven

 Bewick's Wren

Marsh Wren

American Robin

Northern Rough-wing Swallow

Violet-green Swallow

Tree Swallow

Bushtit

Brown Creeper

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Pacific-slope Flycatcher

Orange-crowned Warbler

 Common Yellowthroat

 Black-throated Grey Warbler

 Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow Warbler

 Spotted Towhee

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Red-winged Blackbird

European Starling

Brown-headed Cowbird

Purple Finch

House Finch

Pine Siskin 

Thursday, April 23.

An American Avocet was seen on the mud flats on the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River in Parksville.

American Avocet: John Purves Photo. 

Tuesday, April 21:

The Tuesday bird walk went to Moorcroft Regional Park in Nanoose Bay. The morning was cloudy and cool with a strong wind off the Strait of Georgia.  A Red-throated Loon flew up the strait—a very unusual sighting for this area. Two Marbled Murrelet were seen just offshore giving us great looks.  A very fast Parasitic Jaeger flew up the Strait just above the water.  A Common Murre and a Pigeon Guillemot were spotted further offshore. We heard Pacific-slope Flycatchers singing during the walk. We saw and heard many Orange-crowned Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Townsend’s Warblers and  Black-throated Grey Warblers throughout the morning.

 

                                                                                        

                                    Pacific-slope Flycatcher: Ralph Hocken Photo. 

Twenty-two birders saw and heard the following fifty-two species:

 Mallard

Bufflehead

Harlequin Duck

Surf Scoter

White-wing Scoter

Red-breasted Merganser

Common Merganser

 Common Loon

 Pacific Loon

Red-throated Loon

 Pelagic Cormorant

 Marbled Murrelet

Common Murre

Pigeon Guillemot

Parasitic Jaeger

Turkey Vulture

 Bald Eagle

Cooper’s Hawk

Mew Gull

California Gull

 Glaucous-winged Gull

Band-tail Pigeon

 Northern Flicker

Downy Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Tree Swallow

Violet-green Swallow

 Rufous Hummingbird

 Anna’s Hummingbird

Pacific-slope Flycatcher

 Orange-crowned Warbler

 Yellow-rumped Warbler

Townsend’s Warbler

 Black-throated Grey Warbler

Northwestern Crow

 Common Raven

 Chestnut-backed Chickadee

 Red-breasted Nuthatch

 Pacific Wren

Brown Creeper

Golden-crowned Kinglet

 Ruby-crowned Kinglet

 American Robin

 European Starling

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

 Dark-eyed Junco

Purple Finch

 Red-winged Blackbird

American Goldfinch

Pine Siskin

                                                                  

                                            Parasitic Jaeger: Ralph Hocken Photo.

 

The Tuesday bird walk on April 28, 2015 will be going to the Top Bridge Trail in Parksville.

 

 

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Monday, April 27:

Arrowsmith Naturalists meet at Knox United Church in Parksville. 

Doors open at 7 pm.  Presentation on Ecological Reserves by Erica McClaren from BC Parks at 7.30.

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Tofino-Shorebird –Festival
18th Annual May 1-3, 2015
For  information please contact---- 
http://raincoasteducation.org/events/tofino-shorebird-festival

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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. on 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 April 28, 2015 will be going to The top Bridge Trail in Parksville. Meet at the Parksville Community Park playground parking lot at 9 a.m. or at the parking alone Indrustrial Way in Parksville at about 9:10 a.m.

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The Sunday bird walk on Sunday, May 03 will be going to the Bowen park in Nanaimo. Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 a.m. or at the main parking lot near the Bowing Green at Bowen Park at about 9:15 a.m.  

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British Columbia Rare Bird Alert link--- http://www.bcbirdalert.blogspot.ca/

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A must read for those of us who live along the Strait of Georgia.

THE SEA AMONG US
THE AMAZING STRAIT OF GEORGIA
RICHARD BEAMISH AND GORDON McFARLANE
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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