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 here by 8am the day of the walk. Our first bird walks of the year are going out on Sunday February 4th and Tuesday February 6th. Locations will be posted to our next Bird Report.

Sunday 25 July 2010

Nanaimo bird report, July 25, 2010


Common Nighthawk: Ryan Cathers Photo.

NANAIMO BIRD REPORT
********************************************
To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@shaw.ca
call the Bird Report at 250-390-3029

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

Identify backyard birds:
National Geographic Bird Identifier Site

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, the species and location of your sighting.

Sunday July 25, 2010:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to Beck Creek in south Nanaimo.
The morning was sunny but there was a strong wind off the water. We observed a great deal of activity around the Purple Martin nests on the estuary. Many Turkey Vultures flew overhead throughout the morning.
Twelve birders saw and heard the following thirty-three species of birds:
Canada Goose, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Band-tailed Pigeon, Rock Pigeon, Belted Kingfisher, Rufous Hummingbird, Yellow Warbler, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Purple Martin, Barn Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Bushtit, Golden-crowned Kinglet, European Starling, Swainson's Thrush, Western Tanager, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Red-winged Blackbird, House Sparrow.

Two Osprey were seen in a nest at Bowen Park in Nanaimo.

Four Merlins have make their home on Sugarloaf Mountain in Nanaimo.

Saturday July 24:
Western Tanager, Black-throated Grey Warbler, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Swainson's Thrush were seen along with Belted Kingfishers and Northern Rough-winged Swallows that are nesting in a sand cliff above the Little Qualicum River in the Cedar Grove Campground in Qualicum Beach.

A Black-headed Grosbeak is a frequent visitor to feeders along Meridian Way in Parksville.

Friday July 23:
Fifty-six Common Nighthawks and three Vaux's swifts flew by from east to west over the 2500 Block of Glenayr Drive in Nanaimo.

A Semipalmated Plover, a Semipalmated Sandpiper along with several Western and Least Sandpipers were seen at the mud flats on the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville.

Wednesday July 21:
A Vesper Sparrow, seven Turkey Vultures and two House Finch were heard and seen over the Cassidy Airport in south Nanaimo.

Tuesday July 20:
Twenty-four Common Nighthawks were spotted flying over Northfield Road in Nanaimo.

An Osprey was seen heading towards Westwood Lake in Nanaimo.

An Osprey was spotted in the pond at the bottom of the hill at Nanaimo North Town Centre in north Nanaimo.

A large flock of over thirty Common Nighthawks was seen flying above the Nanaimo Golf Club along highway 19A.

Over seventy Common Nighthawks and twenty Black Swifts were seen hawking insects in a spectacular twinkling 'ballet' flight over the 2500 block of Glenayr Drive in Nanaimo.

Monday July 19:
Turkey Vulture, Black Swift, Vaux's Swift, Rufous Hummingbird, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Hammond's Flycatcher, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Cassin's Vireo, Hutton's Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Northern Flicker, Steller's Jay, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Purple Martin, Violet-green Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's Wren, Winter Wren, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, Varied Thrush, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Western Tanager, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-headed Grosbeak, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, and Evening Grosbeak were seen in the forest at Lot33 in Nanoose Bay.

Canada Goose, Merlin, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, Belted Kingfisher, Bushtit, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing and Orange-crowned Warbler were seen on the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville.

A Wandering Tattler and a Marbled Murrelet were seen off Amphimite Point at Tofino.

A Western Tanager was seen in a backyard at the northend of Gabriola Island.

Sunday July 18:
A Common Nighthawk was calling loudly, and hawking insects at close range and made a few dramatic dives that produced wing-whistle as it pulled out above Colbourne Drive in North Nanaimo.

A family of Merlin was spotted in a yard in Yellowpoint at Cedar.

Two Purple Martins were observed hawking bugs and scooping water near the dyke and old observation tower. An Eurasian Collared Dove was seen perched on a snag at the back of the trailer court at Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo.

An Eurasian Collared Dove has been seen among backyard trees along Honeysuckle Terrace in Nanaimo.

Thursday July 15:
A Stellar's Jay was seen in a backyard at the east end of Lost Lake Road in Nanaimo.

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
**********************************
The Arrowsmith Naturalist meetings will resume in September, 2010

**********************************
The Nanoose Naturalists meetings will resume in September, 2010
*********************************
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.
**************************************************************
The Tuesday Bird Walks will resume on September 07, 2010.
**************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on August 01, 2010 will be going to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville.
We will meet at The Backyard Bird Store at 9:00 A.M. or at the parking area at the corner of Plummer Road and Shorewood Drive in Parksville at about 9:25 A.M.
*******************************************************

Good birding
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD
Wildbird & Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, BC V9T 2L8
250.390.3669
250.390.1633 fax
thebackyard@shaw.ca
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG---> www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Sunday 18 July 2010

Nanaimo bird report, July 18, 2010


Purple Martin: Ralph Hocken Photo.



NANAIMO BIRD REPORT
********************************************
To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@shaw.ca
call the Bird Report at 250-390-3029

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 July 18, 2010:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to Maritime Society Marina at Ladysmith Harbour in Ladysmith.
The morning was sunny with a breeze blowing off the Strait of Georgia. The highlight was the sighting of the forty-five pairs of Purple Martins nesting on the harbour.
Twelve birders saw and heard the following twenty-four species of birds:
Double-crested Cormorant,Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Killdeer, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Pigeon Guillemot,Rock Pigeon, Belted Kingfisher, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Purple Martin, Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, European Starling, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, House Finch and American Goldfinch.

Saturday July 17:
Two Lesser Yellowlegs, seven Greater Yellowlegs, one Pectoral Sandpiper, two Semi-palmated Sandpipers, Western and Least Sandpipers were seen at the Holden Creek side of the Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo.

A mixed flock of Least and Western Sandpipers were seen at Englishman River Estuary, Plummer Road side in Parksville.

Three Black-bellied Plovers were seen at the Shelley Road of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville.

Three Black Turnstones were seen along the shore from the viewing platform along highway 19a in Qualicum Beach.

A Downy Woodpecker, Steller's Jay and Bushtits were seen along Dawkins Lane in Nanaimo.

Friday July 16:
A Whimbrel, four Black Turnstones and twelve Black-bellied Plovers were seen at Columbia Beach at the Admiral Tryon Pools

Two Greater Yellowlegs, twelve Western Sandpipers, a Least Sandpiper and one Semi-palmated Sandpiper were seen at French Creek.

Cedar Waxwings were spotted at Morrell Wildlife Sanctuary in Nanaimo.

Thursday July 15:
A Merlin was seen at MacGregor Marsh in north Nanaimo.

Seven Common Mergansers were spotted swimming and diving on Cameron lake.

Greater Yellowlegs, Western and Least Sandpipers were seen at French Creek.

Three Black Turnstones and twelve Black-bellied Plovers were seen at Columbia Beach.

A Parasitic Jaeger were seen off-shore at Columbia Beach.

Monday July 12:
A Great Horned Owl was heard singing along Corfield Road near Bridgewater Lane in Parksville.

A Brant was spotted swimming with a flock of Canada Geese at French Creek.

Sunday July 11:
A Brant Goose was seen with a flock of Canada Geese at Nile Creek.

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
**********************************
The Arrowsmith Naturalist meetings will resume in September, 2010

**********************************
The Nanoose Naturalists meetings will resume in September, 2010
**********************************
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.
**************************************************************
The Tuesday Bird Walks will resume on September 07, 2010.
**************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on July 25, 2010 will be going to the Beck Creek in south Nanaimo.
We will meet at The Backyard Bird Store at 9:00 A.M. or at the parking area near entrance to the Living Forest Campground along Maki Road in south Nanaimo at about 9:30 A.M..
*******************************************************

Good birding
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD
Wildbird & Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, BC V9T 2L8
250.390.3669
250.390.1633 fax
thebackyard@shaw.ca
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG---> www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Sunday 11 July 2010

Nanaimo bird report, July 11, 2010


Pelagic Cormorant: Ralph Hocken photo.



NANAIMO BIRD REPORT
********************************************
To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@shaw.ca
call the Bird Report at 250-390-3029

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 July 11, 2010:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo.
The morning was overcast with a breeze blowing off the Strait of Georgia. We saw two Marbled Murrelets in the bay near the parking lot at the beginning of the walk. A Cassin's Auklet and a Pigeon Guillemot flew low over the water. A Black-throated Grey Warbler was singing near the end of the walk.
Thirteen birders, including three from Ontario saw and heard the following thirty-two species of birds:
Canada Goose, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Black Oystercatcher, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Cassin's Auklet, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, Belted Kingfisher, Rufous Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Black-throated Grey Warbler, Common Raven, Northwestern Crow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Cedar Waxwing, American Robin, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Purple Finch,
House Finch and American Goldfinch.

Saturday July 10:
An American Wigeon was seen at Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo.

Common Nighthawks were heard over Lancashire Avenue in Nanaimo.

A Olive-sided Flycatcher was heard and seen near the corner of Despard Avenue and Meridian Way in Parksville.

Tuesday July 06:
An Immature Golden Eagle was spotted soaring over Divers Lake in Nanaimo.

Monday July 05:
A Red-throated Loon, a Pelagic Cormorant and two Pigeon Guillemots were seen from the Englishman River, Plummer Road side, looking out on the Strait of Georgia 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
**********************************
The Arrowsmith Naturalist meetings will resume in September, 2010

**********************************
The Nanoose Naturalists meetings will resume in September, 2010
**********************************
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.
**************************************************************
The Tuesday Bird Walks will resume on September 07, 2010.
**************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on July 18, 2010 will be going to the Maritime Society Marina at Ladysmith Harbour in Ladysmith.
We will meet at The Backyard Bird Store at 9:00 A.M. or at the gravel parking area near Transfer Beach in Ladysmith at about 9:40 A.M..
*******************************************************

Good birding
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD
Wildbird & Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, BC V9T 2L8
250.390.3669
250.390.1633 fax
thebackyard@shaw.ca
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG---> www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Sunday 4 July 2010

Nanaimo bird report, July 04, 2010


Whimbrel at Columbia Beach: John Purves Photo.


NANAIMO BIRD REPORT
********************************************
To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at thebackyard@shaw.ca
call the Bird Report at 250-390-3029

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 July 04, 2010:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to Legacy Marsh in Upper Lantzville.
The morning was partly cloudy with calm winds. We saw several Western Tanagers and Cedar Waxwings through out the morning. We had great looks at several Willow Flycatchers singing from perches low down in the trees. There were four Purple Martins and two Black Swifts hawking insects above the marsh.
Twenty-two birders saw and heard the following fifty-two species of birds:
Great Blue Heron, Pied-billed Grebe, Wood Duck, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Barred Owl, California Quail, Rufous Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Common Raven, Northwestern Crow, Violet-green Swallow, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Purple Martin, Black Swift, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Marsh Wren, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren,
Winter Wren, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Black-headed Grosbeak, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Warbling Vireo, Cassin's Vireo, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Black Throated-grey Warbler, MacGillvray's Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Pacific-sloped Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Purple Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch, American Goldfinch and Red Crossbill.

Saturday July 03:
Two Semi-palmated Sandpipers among seventy Least Sandpipers and ten Western Sandpipers were seen on the Holden Creek side of the Nanaimo River Estuary.

Friday July 02:
An Eurasian Collared-dove was seen preening itself at the top of the snag on the dyke near where the fence crosses between the tower and the Third Street parking lot. It then flew off over the marsh and the houses on the Bird Sanctuary Drive at Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo.

There is an Olive-sided flycatcher leading the dawn chorus each day at the top end of Colbourne Drive in Nanaimo.

Two Common Nighthawks were seen in Cedar.

Two Whimbrel were seen along the shore at Columbia Beach.

Tuesday June 29:
The Tuesday bird walk went to Springwood Park in Parksville. The morning was mostly sunny but cool in the forest. The Swainson's Thrush and Warbling Vireo were singing throughout the morning. We watched several Willow Flycatcher's singing their hearts out from different perches. A flock of Cedar Waxwings were perched in a tall snag. A MacGillivray's Warbler made a quick appearance.
Sixteen birders saw and heard the following thirty-seven species:
Ring-necked Pheasant, California Quail, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Killdeer,
Glaucous-winged Gull, Band-tailed Pigeon, Rufous Hummingbird, Northern Flicker,
Willow Flycatcher, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Northwestern Crow,
Common Raven, Violet-green Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Purple Finch, Red Crossbill. American Goldfinch.

A Flock of Red Crossbills was seen in the 1900 block of Harlequin Crescent in Nanoose Bay.

Saturday June 26:
A pair of Evening Grosbeaks were visiting feeders at the Nanoose Estuary in Nanoose Bay.

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
**********************************
The Arrowsmith Naturalist meetings will resume in September, 2010
**********************************
The Nanoose Naturalists meetings will resume in September, 2010
**********************************
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.
**************************************************************
The Tuesday Bird Walks will resume on September 07, 2010.

**************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on July 11, 2010 will be going to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo.
We will meet at The Backyard Bird Store at 9:00 A.M. or at the parking lot at Neck Point Park off Hammond Bay Road at about 9:20 A.M..
*******************************************************

Good birding
Neil Robins

THE BACKYARD
Wildbird & Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, BC V9T 2L8
250.390.3669
250.390.1633 fax
thebackyard@shaw.ca
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG---> www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com