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 February 2009

Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, February 17, 2009


Long-tailed Duck, Deep Bay, Vancouver Island:
Ralph Hocken Photo.


The Tuesday Bird Walk went to Deep Bay.

Sixteen birders saw and heard forty-six species of birds. It was an ideal day for birding. The skies were sunny and the wind was calm. The highlight of the morning was the sighting of twelve Long-tailed Ducks within ten feet of the shore at the point. There were other Long-tailed Ducks out further on the water but the ones near shore were a spectacular sight. Not far off shore Black Scoters were singing their song. Large rafts of Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters, Horned Grebes, Red-necked Grebes, Harlequin Ducks and Common and Pacific Loons were seen further out from shore. A lone Western Grebe was spotted through our scopes not far from Denman Island. On shore we saw a Hutton's Vireo hawking insects from a snag. Ten Go
lden-crowned Sparrows were spotted feeding on the ground near a short bush. Large flocks of singing House Finches kept us entertained throughout the morning. We spotted a Cooper's Hawk perched high up in a large bush. Two Bald Eagles spent the morning looking over the Bay from high atop a Fir Tree. On the way back to Parksville, we spotted two Pigeon Guillemots at Nile Creek.

Sixteen birders saw and heard the following forty-six species of birds:
Canada Goose
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Western Grebe
Brandt's Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Cooper's Hawk
Black-bellied Plover
Black Oystercatcher
Black Turnstone
Mew Gull
California Gull
Thayer's Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Pigeon Guillemot
Rock Pigeon
Hutton's Vireo
Northwestern Crow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
American Robin
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
House Finch
Pine Siskin
House Sparrow

Good birding!
Neil Robins
Parksville
British Columbia

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