nanaimo bird report, October 20, 2013

NANAIMO BIRD REPORT
” EXPLORE NATURE-GO BIRDING”

To report your sightings phone the Store at 250-390-3669or 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 20, 2013:

The Sunday bird walk went to the Nanoose Bay.  The morning was cloudy and cool.  We saw several Red-necked Grebes, Surf Scoters, Pacific Loons and Pelagic Cormorants on the water. A Western Meadowlark gave us great close views as he perched on a short shrub. We spotted a Northern Shrike perched on the top of a tall snag at the end of the walk.
Eight birders saw and heard the following forty-three species:

Canada Geese, Mallard, Bufflehead, American Widgeon, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser,  Common Loon, Pacific Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Killdeer, Bald Eagle, Northern Shrike, Mew Gull, California Gull, Bonaparte Gull, Thayer’s Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Bewick’s Wren, Pacific Wren, Western Meadowlark, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Northern Flicker,  American Robin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Fox Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Purple Finch and Dark-eyed Junco.

 

 

Northern Shrike: Ralph Hocken Photo.

 

Friday, October 18: 

Five Horned Larks, two American Pipits and a Western Meadowlark were seen at Pipers Lagoon in Nanaimo .

 

A Great Horned Owl was spotted near the parking lot at Neck Point Park in Nanaimo.

 

Over fifteen Townsend’s Solitaires and three Anna’s Hummingbirds were seen at the top of Little Mountain just outside of Parksville.

 

Saturday, October 19:

One Sandhill Crane was seen on a cornfield by the seventeen hole of the Cottonwood Golf Course in south Nanaimo.

 

An American Dipper was seen at the lower pond of the Colliery Dam Park in Nanaimo.

 

An Orange-crowned Warbler was seen along the Maki Road in south Nanaimo. A Western Gull was seen roosting with the hordes of Gulls near the Living Forest Campground in south Nanaimo.

 

Tuesday, October 15:

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach. The morning was sunny and warm giving us a great morning of birding. The highlights included seeing a flock of over one thousand Pacific Loons stretching in a very long line offshore. Over two hundred Western Grebes gave us great views further offshore. Many Common Loons were not far from shore. We saw thirty Bonaparte's Gulls in with the mixed flock of gulls.  There were Black Scoters not far from shore. A season of Killdeer was bathing in the estuary. We spotted a Western Meadowlark at the top of a tall conifer tree. A dark-phased Red-tailed Hawk perched on top a conifer tree giving us good views.

 

Black Scoter: Ralph Hocken Photo.

 

Fifteen birders saw and heard the following forty-two species.

Canada Goose, American Wigeon, Mallard, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Western Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Killdeer, Black Turnstone, Bonaparte's Gull, Mew Gull, California Gull, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Western Meadowlark, American Robin, , Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown-headed Cowbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Brewer’s Blackbird, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco and House Finch.

 

Two Long-billed Dowitchers were seen at Holden Creek in south Nanaimo.

 

A Harlan’s subspecies Red-tailed Hawk was seen along Keene Road and Yellowpoint Road in Cedar.

 

Monday, October 14:

A Red-breasted Sapsucker was seen in a Backyard at Coombs.

 

A Steller’s Jay was seen in a backyard near Morningstar Golf Course in French Creek.

 

Four Horned Larks, two Lapland Longspurs and two Western Meadowlarks were seen at Piper’s Lagoon in Nanaimo.

 

Sunday, October 13:

 A Lapland Longspur and three Horned Larks were seen at Piper’s Lagoon in Nanaimo.

 

A Lapland Longspur was seen at St. Jean Point on Hornby Island.

Lapland Longspur: Nick Smith Photo.

 

Thursday, November 14:

The Nanoose Naturalists meeting will be held at 7 pm 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 22 will be going to Columbia Beach. Meet at the Parksville Community Park at the parking lot near the Lions Club playground at 9:00 am or the parking area at Admiral Tyron Bldg. off Columbia Drive at about 9:10 am.

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The Sunday Bird Walk on October 20 will be going to Englishman River Estuary, Plummer Road side.  Meet at the birdstore at 9:00 am or at the corner of Plummer Road and Shorewood Drive in Parksville about 9:25 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  250-390-3669 
Fax: 250-390-1633
Email: thebackyard@...
Blog: www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com