Nanaimo bird report, November 24, 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, November 24, 2013:

The Sunday bird walk went to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. The morning was partly cloudy with mostly calm winds.  We saw and heard a large number of American Robins throughout the morning. We spotted two Yellow-rumped Warblers just off the trail. There were Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstones, Dunlin, Black-bellied Plovers on the rocks just off the shore.

Yellow-rumped Warbler:  Ralph Hocken Photo.

Twenty-two birders saw and heard the following forty species:

Harlequin Duck, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Mergansers,  Bufflehead, Red-necked Grebe, Common Loon, Pacific Loon, Brant Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Spotted Sandpiper, Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstones, Dunlin, Black-bellied Plovers, Common Murre, Bald Eagle,  

  Mew Gull, Thayer’s Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven,  European Starling, Anna’s Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Pacific Wren, Bewick's Wren, Brown Creeper, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Robin,  Varied Thrush,   Spotted Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco.

 

Saturday, November 23:

Three Canvasback ducks were seen in with a flock of Ring-necked Ducks on the Morningstar Ponds in French Creek.

 

An American Kestrel was spotted at the Nanaimo Airport in south Nanaimo.

 

Tuesday, November 19: 

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach. The surf was up and the Strait of Georgia was filled with white caps making for a wild windy morning of birding. We spotted a flock of Dunlin on the gravel bar at the viewing platform.  Further offshore there were Pacific Loons, Common Loons, Horned Grebes, Red-necked Grebes and Double-crested Cormorants riding the surf.  A Northern Shrike entertained us from a short bush near the road.  Nine Black Turnstones were huddled against the wind along the rocky shore. Trumpeter Swans flew above us, singing as they moved. Hundreds of Bonaparte's Gulls, Mew Gulls, a Ring-billed Gull, California Gulls, a Herring Gull, Thayer's Gulls and Glaucous-winged Gulls gathered and bathed in the fresh water of the Estuary. One lone Glaucous Gull perched on a gravel bar close to shore allowing us to study him.         

                                                        

                                     Glaucous Gull: John Purves Photo.

Twelve birders, including two birders from Alberta, saw and heard the following thirty-eight species:

Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, American Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Green-wing Teal, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter,

White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Northern Shrike, Dunlin, Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstone, Bonaparte's Gull, Mew Gull, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, European Starling, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Dark-eyed Junco and House Finch.

 

A Sooty Grouse was seen along Drew Road and Highway19a in French Creek 

Monday, November 25:

Arrowsmith Naturalists meet at 7.30 pm at Knox United Church in Parksville.  Topic - ‘In Stream Fish Habitat – Restoration Works’-- Speaker Sean Wong, biologist with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

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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 November 26 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 at the parking area off Admiral Tyron Bld. at about 9:20 am.
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The Sunday Bird Walk on December 01 will be going to Nanoose Bay. Meet at the birdstore at 9:00 am or beach behind the church camp off Highway 19a and Arlington Road at 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/

 

The 2013 data report for the banding project at Buttertubs West Marsh is available at the following link:
http://web.viu.ca/demerse/birds/VIU_Banding_Report_2013.pdf

The report highlights songbird and owl banding, swallow nest box monitoring, volunteer effort and training, and public demonstrations and education.

Let me know if you have any questions, or would like to find out more about our results.

Thanks again to everyone.
Enjoy!
Eric Demers
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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