Nanaimo bird report, January 08, 2016

                                       “ 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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January 08, 2017 Sunday bird walk went to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo,

  The morning was clear and mostly calm and quite cool. We saw a large raft of a Bald Eagle, Gulls, Pacific and Common Loons off shore in a feeding frenzy. We spotted a Common Murre and a Pigeon Guillemot on the Strait of Georgia. A large flock of Black Turnstones landed on the rocks close to shore. We had the good fortune to see two Golden-crowned Kinglets feeding on short bushes next to the trail.

Ten birders including visiting birders from Yukon, California and Manitoba saw and heard the following thirty-four species:

Bufflehead

Surf Scoter

Black Scoter

Common Goldeneye

Harlequin Duck

Horned Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Red-breasted Merganser

Common Merganser

Common Loon

Pacific Loon

Double-crested Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorant

Brandt’s Cormorant

Common Murre

Pigeon Guillemot

Black Oystercatcher

Black Turnstone

Bald Eagle

Mew Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Great Blue Heron

Northern Flicker

Anna’s Hummingbird

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Brown Creeper

Bewick’s Wren

Pacific Wren

Spotted Towhee

European Starling

Dark-eyed Junco

House Finch

Song Sparrow

Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday Bird Walk, January 03, 2017

The Tuesday bird walk went to Columbia Beach.  The morning was cool but sunny with calm winds.  The water looked like a sheet of glass.  A flock of six Brant flew past heading up the Strait of Georgia.  Harlequin Ducks, Surf Scoters and White-winged Scoter were not far from shore.  Ancient Murrelet, Western Grebes and Common Murre were seen further offshore.  A very large flock of Killdeer, Black-bellied Plovers, a Black Oystercatcher, a Greater Yellowlegs, over twenty Black Turnstone and a large number of Dunlin were seen on the gravel bar.  A Ruby-crowned Kinglet was feeding on a low bush next to the road, giving us great views as he flashed his ruby crown.  A female Ruby-crowned Kinglet was seen moving around in another low bush a little further up the road. We spotted a Cooper’s Hawk perched in a tall tree looking down at us next to the road.

Eleven birders saw and heard the following forty-four species:

Canada Geese

Cackling Goose

Brant
Mallard

Ring-necked Duck
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Pacific Loon
Common Loon

Western Grebe

Red-necked Grebe
Horned Grebe
Pelagic Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant
Brandt’s Cormorant

Ancient Murrelet

Bald Eagle

Cooper’s Hawk

Killdeer
Black-bellied Plover
Black Oystercatcher
Greater Yellowlegs
Black Turnstone
Dunlin
Mew Gull
Herring Gull
Thayer's Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Common Murre
Eurasian-collared Dove
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven

European Starling
Anna’s Hummingbird

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Pacific Wren

Chestnut-backed Chickadee
American Robin
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow 

The Tuesday bird walk on January 10, 2017 will be going to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in north Qualicum Beach. Meet at the Parksville Community Park at the parking lot near the Lions Club Kids Playground at 9:00 a.m. or at the Brant viewing Platform in north Qualicum Beach at about 9:15 am.The Sunday bird walk on January 15, 2017 will be going to Nanoose Bay, Meet at the Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store at 9:00 a.m. or at the beach behind the Church off highway 19 and Arlington Road at about 9:15 a.m.

Good birding

Neil Robins

Parksville 

 http://thebirdstore.blogspot.ca/

       thebackyard@shaw.ca