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 3 January 2012

Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk,January 03, 2012





















Long-tailed Duck: Ralph Hocken Photo.

The Tuesday bird walk went to Columbia Beach. It was a blustery morning with clouds, rain and a strong wind. The surf was rolling off the Strait of Georgia all morning. Our highlights included seeing two Long-tailed Ducks flying right at us and then disappearing in the waves not far from shore. Pacific Loons and Common Murres were spotted flying further offshore. We spotted several Black Oystercatchers, one Greater Yellowlegs, over twenty Black Turnstones, two Sanderling, Mew Gulls, one Herring Gull, Thayer's Gulls, Glaucous-winged Gulls and six Brant on the gravel bar at Pebble Beach. As we were returning to our cars, we watched as twelve White-crowned Sparrows and one House Finch bathed in a puddle of water on the side of the road.
Eight very wet and wind blown birders, including two visiting birders from New Zealand and one visiting birder from Australia, saw the following thirty-five species:
Brant
Mallard
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Bald Eagle
Black-bellied Plover
Black Oystercatcher
Greater Yellowlegs
Black Turnstone
Sanderling
Dunlin
Mew Gull
Herring Gull
Thayer's Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Common Murre
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian-collared Dove
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
American Robin
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
House Finch

Good birding
Neil Robins
Parksville
British Columbia

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