Nanaimo bird report, October 13, 2013

NANAIMO BIRD REPORT
” EXPLORE NATURE-GO BIRDING”

To report your sightings phone the Store at 250-390-3669 or e-mail us at thebackyard@shaw.ca 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, October 13, 2013:

The Sunday bird walk went to the Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. The morning was sunny and warm. We saw several Red-necked Grebes, Surf Scoters, Pacific Loons and Pelagic Cormorants on the water. The surprise of the morning was the sighting of a Hermit Thrush just off the path.

Fifteen birders saw and heard the following forty-five species:

Canada Geese, Mallard, Harlequin Ducks, Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, Red-necked Grebe, Common Mergansers, Red-breasted Mergansers, Doubled-crested Cormorant,  Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Belted Kingfisher,  European Starling,  Bald Eagle, Black Turnstones,  Black Oystercatchers, Spotted Sandpiper, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Thayer’s Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, American Robin, Varied Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Northwestern Crow, Pacific Wren, Bewick’s Wren, Brown Creeper, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Anna’s Hummingbird, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Spotted Towhee, Fox Sparrow,  Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco and Red Crossbill.

Hermit Thrush: Ralph Hocken Photo.

 

Friday, October 11:  A Lapland Longspur and a Horned Lark were seen at Piper’s Lagoon in Nanaimo.

 

Nine Western Meadowlarks, Lincoln's Sparrows, Savannahs Sparrows, Golden-Crowned, White-crowned Sparrows, a Northern Harrier and a Pectoral Sandpiper were seen this morning at the Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo

 

Fifteen Western Meadowlarks were seen this evening at the Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo.

 

Wednesday, October 09:

A Barn Owl was spotted near Coventry Place in Nanoose Bay.

 

Tuesday, October 8:

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Englishman River Estuary Plummer Road side. The morning was very windy as there was a strong wind off the Strait of Georgia. The tide was very high and we were not able to walk along the shore of the estuary. The surf was up, but we did manage to spot two Pacific Loons in breeding plumage in the surf. A large flock of Pacific Loons and Surf Scoters flew down the Strait. A good number of American Robins, Chestnut-backed Chickadees and Dark-eyed Juncos spent most of the morning flying and perched. We spotted our first of the year Eurasian Widgeon in with a flock of American Widgeons on the receding tide.

 

Seventeen birders saw and heard the following thirty-four species:

Canada Goose, American Widgeon, Eurasian Widgeon, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter,

White-winged Scoter, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Red-necked Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Cooper’s Hawk, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, European Starling,  Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Anna’s Hummingbird, Bewick's Wren, American Robin, Varied Thrush, Cedar Waxwing, Orange-crowned Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch and Purple Finch.

 

Over three Hundred Surfbirds were seen at Piper’s Lagoon in Nanaimo

 

Monday, October 07:

Four Sandhill Cranes were seen in a farm field near the Englishman River Falls.

 

Saturday, October 05:

.  A possible Red-napped Sapsucker was spotted near Westdale Road and Norasea Road in Nanaimo.

 

Thursday, November 14:

The Nanoose Naturalists meeting will be held at 7pm at the Nanoose Library Hall.

Guest speaker will be John Neville and he will talk about the Raptors of Canada.

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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 October 15 will be going to The Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach. Meet at the Parksville Community Park at the parking lot near the Lions Club playground at 9:00 am or the viewing platform in north Qualicum Beach Park at about 9:20 am.

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The Sunday Bird Walk on October 20 will be going to Nanoose Bay. Meet at the birdstore at 9:00 am or at the parking area on the beach behind the Church Camp off Highway 19 and Arlington Road about 9:15 am.
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British Columbia rare bird alert link--- http://www.bcbirdalert.blogspot.ca/  
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WildResearch link---http://www.wildresearch.ca/

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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
Blog: www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com