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.

Tuesday 17 October 2017

Parksville/Qualicum beach Tuesday bird walk, October 17, 2017


The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach. The morning was cloudy and with rain for the first half of the walk but it turned clear and sunny later on---making for a pleasant bird walk.  We spotted an American Kestrel high up in a tall conifer tree.  A Brandt’s Cormorant and a Long-tailed Duck was seen just off shore heading up the Strait of Georgia. Twenty-five Bald Eagles were seen during the walk, many right along the shore line.  A Ring-billed Gull, two Herring Gulls and a Glaucous Gull were seen during the morning.  A large flock of Red-breasted Mergansers  flew low over the water heading down the Strait. 



Bald Eagle: Ralph Hocken Photo.

Eleven birders saw and heard the following forty-two species:
Canada Goose
 American Wigeon
 Mallard
Northern Pintail
Green-wing Teal
 Harlequin Duck
 Surf Scoter
 White-winged Scoter
 Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
 Red-breasted Merganser
 Common Merganser
 Pacific Loon
 Common Loon
 Horned Grebe
 Red-necked Grebe
  Brandt’s Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
American Kestrel
Merlin
Black Oystercatcher
Bonaparte's Gull
 Mew Gull
 California Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Iceland Gull
 Glaucous Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Belted Kingfisher
 Eurasian-collared Dove
European Starling
Northern Flicker
 Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
American Robin
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-winged Blackbird
Spotted Towhee
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
 Dark-eyed Junco 
 House Sparrow

Glaucous Gull: Ralph Hocken Photo:

The Tuesday Bird walk on October 24, 2017, 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 in front of the Lions Club Playground) at 9:00 a.m. or at the end of Shelly Road on the oceanside of highway 19a in Parksville at about 9:10 a.m.

Good birding 
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD WILDBIRD &  NATURE STORE
314 Metral Drive
Nanaimo B.C.
V9T-2L8
Phone: 250-390-3669
Fax: 250-390-1633










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