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 1 April 2014

Parksville/Qualicum Baech Tuesday bird walk

The Tuesday bird walk went to Rathtrevor Provincial Park in Parksville. The morning was sunny and warm with a breeze off the Strait of Georgia. We estimated that we saw at least three thousand Brant flocking and then landing near shore after the Bald Eagle flew over. Further off shore we saw Western Grebes, Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemots and Brandt’s Cormorant. Horned Grebes and Red-necked Grebes showed off their colorful breeding plumage not far from shore. Yellow-rumped Warblers were singing and we spotted our first of the season Orange-crowned Warbler also singing from a perch not far from us.                                                    
                                                                        
                                                        Orange-crowned Warbler: Ralph Hocken Photo.                          

Twenty-four birders saw and heard the following forty-nine species:
Brant
American Wigeon
Mallard
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Bufflehead
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Western Grebe
Common Murre
Pigeon Guillemot
Brandt’s Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Bald Eagle
Turkey vulture
Mew Gull
California Gull
Thayer's Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Dunlin
Black-bellied Plover
Black Oystercatcher
Northern Flicker
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Anna’s Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Brown Creeper
Pacific Wren
Bewick’s Wren
Bushtit
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Varied Thrush
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco  

                                                             Pigeon Guillemot:  Ralph Hocken Photo. 

The Tuesday bird walk on April 08, 2014 will be going to the ponds in Port Alberni. Meet at the Parksville Community Park at the Lions Club Playground area at 8 am or at Tim Horton's on the Highway 4 as you go into the Port at about 8:45 am. 

Good birding
Neil Robins
Parksville

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