The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store

Cedar Waxwing: Ralph Hocken Photo

The Backyard Wildbird & Nature Store
Nanaimo Bird Alert

To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@shaw.ca
call the Bird Alert at 250-390-3029
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***A Notice From Ralph Hocken***

My hard drive crashed,and I lost all the addresses in my address
book. I had a list of over 100 people that I sent bird pictures to. If
you were on that list, or would like to be on the list, send me an email
to: ralphhocken@ shaw.ca

Cheers,Ralph Hocken
Lantzville,BC
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Also check the birdstore blog for the latest bird alerts and updates:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Post your sightings on this site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbirdingvanisland/messages

Birds of British Columbia:
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/SpeciesChecklists.html

International Birdwatching Guides
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com

Birdwatching contacts and information find a local birder to go birdwatching with:
http://www.birdingpal.org/

Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone number, along with the date, name and location of your sighting.

Sunday March 01, 2009:
The Sunday bird walk went to Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo. The morning was cloudy with light showers but nine birders saw and heard the following thirty-seven species birds:
Canada Goose, Great Blue Heron, Mallard, Pied-billed Grebe, Ring-necked Duck, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, American Coot, California Quail, Glaucous-winged Gull, Red-tailed Hawk, Rock Pigeon, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Steller's Jay, Common Raven, Northwestern Crow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Bewick's Wren, Marsh Wren, American Robin, Varied Thrush, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Red-winged Blackbird, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Dark-eyed Junco and House Sparrows.

A pair of Townsend's Warblers are visiting feeders in the 6000 block of Forest Crescent in Nanaimo.

Saturday February 28:
A Townsend's Warbler was spotted eating sunflower chips in the 3200 block of Douglas Street in Chemainus.

Purple Finch and Anna's Hummingbirds are visiting feeders in the 200 block of Dawkins lane in Nanaimo.

Thursday February 26:
A Varied Thrush and a Northern Flicker are visiting feeders in the 400 block of Stirling Avenue in Nanaimo.

A Varied Thrush was spotted in a backyard in the 1100 block of Morrell Circle in Nanaimo.

A Yellow Shafted Northern Flicker was seen at feeders in the 2600 block of Kevin Drive in Nanaimo.

Wednesday February 25:
Canada Goose, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser,
California Quail, Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, American Coot, Glaucous-winged Gull, Rock Pigeon, Northern Flicker, Steller's Jay,
Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Bewick's Wren, Marsh Wren, American Robin, Varied Thrush, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing,
Spotted Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, House Finch, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch and House Sparrow were seen at Buttertubs Marsh In Nanaimo.

A young Anna's Hummingbird was sighted in the East Wellington area of Nanaimo.

Tuesday February 24:
The Tuesday Bird Walk went to Columbia Beach. Eighteen birders saw and heard forty-four species of birds. The morning was clear with sunny periods and the winds were calm. We had good a view across the Strait of Georgia with our spotting scopes. Long lines of Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters, Black Scoters and Greater Scaup were heading up the Strait. Long-tailed Ducks, Harlequin Ducks, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Mergansers, two Horned Grebes and two Barrow's Goldeneye spent most of the morning just off-shore. A large flock of Common Murres headed up the Strait and there were several Common Murres resting on the water a long way from shore. Thousands of Gulls streamed overhead, heading up island, all morning.
Two Black-bellied Plovers and a Killdeer were feeding near the gravel bar. We saw large flocks of California Gulls, Mew Gulls, Thayer's Gulls, Glaucous-winged Gulls and a few Ring-billed Gulls roosting on the leeward side of the gravel bar. We watched a White-crown Sparrow sing from the top of a bush. As we were leaving the parking area at the end of the walk we spotted a Merlin attempt to catch a small bird.
Eighteen birders found the following forty-four species of birds.
Canada Goose, Brant, American Wigeon, Mallard, Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Barrow's Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant,
Pelagic Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Merlin, Black-bellied Plover, Killdeer, Black Oystercatcher,
Mew Gull, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Common Murre, Rock Pigeon, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow, American Robin, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch and Pine Siskin.

A pair of Pileated Woodpeckers are visiting feeders in the 4700 block of Spirit Place in Nanaimo.

Monday February 23:
A Northern Shrike was seen perched high up in a Weeping Willow Tree by the Cat Stream in the 600 block of Beaconsfield Road in Nanaimo.

A Small flock of Cedar Waxwings were seen feeding on the Hawthorne berries at Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo.

Saturday February 21:
Two American Goldfinch were seen in a yard in the 500 block of Temple Street in Parksville.

For further information on these sightings or for help in identifying a
bird please call The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
@ (250) 390-3669
Toll Free @ 1-888-249-4145
e-mail: thebackyard@shaw.ca
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The Nanoose Naturalists
Thursday March 12, 2009 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
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Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monday March 23, 2009 @ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
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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. 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 March 03, 2009 will be going to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville.
Meet at the Parksville Beach Community Park near the parking area at the Lion's
Playground at 9:00 A.M. Or meet at the end of Shelly Road (on the oceanside of Highway 19a) about 9:10 A.M.
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The Sunday Bird Walk on March 08, 2009, will be going to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach.
Meet at the Bird Store at 9:00 A.M. or meet at the Viewing Tower at Highway 19a and Garrett Road in Qualicum Beach at about 9:30 A.M.
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Good birding
Neil Robins
Nanaimo