Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, January 16, 2018

Tuesday bird walk, January 16, 2018:

The Tuesday Bird Walk went to Deep Bay.

The morning was mostly cloudy with light showers but we finished the morning in sunshine and blue skies!  A large flock of Dunlin flew along the far shore.  We spotted a Pie-billed Grebe just off shore.  A Black-bellied Plover was seen resting on the gravel near the shoreline. A Black Oystercatcher was spotted further along the shoreline. We saw eight Long-tailed Ducks in different plumages swimming and diving not twenty yards off shore giving us great views.  A large flock of Greater Scaup, Harlequin Ducks, Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters and Black Scoters were seen further off shore. The two surprise sightings of the morning were an Rufous Hummingbird and a Chipping Sparrow seen just off the trail at the point.

Long-tailed Ducks: Ralph Hocken Photo:

Sixteen birders saw and heard the following forty-six species:

Canada Geese

American Widgeon

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

Ancient Murrelet

Pie-billed Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorant

Brandt’s Cormorant

Bald Eagle

Black Oystercatcher

Black-bellied Plover

Dunlin

Mew Gull

Thayer's Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Eurasian-collared Dove

Northwestern Crow

American Robin

European Starling

Spotted Towhee

Brewer’s Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Anna’s Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Chipping Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Purple Finch

House Finch

                                              Black Scoter: Ralph Hocken Photo:

The Tuesday Bird walk on January 23, 2018, will be going 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) at about 9:10 a.m.

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
The Blog: http://thebirdstore.blogspot.ca