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 here by 8am the day of the walk. Our first bird walks of the year are going out on Sunday February 4th and Tuesday February 6th. Locations will be posted to our next Bird Report.

Sunday 22 March 2015

Nanaimo bird report, March 22, 2015


 

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.


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Sunday, March 22, 2015:

The Sunday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach. The morning was cloudy with calm winds.  A flock of over one thousand singing Brant were feeding along the tide line near the estuary. Two Turkey Vultures flew over head.
Seventeen birders saw and heard the following fifty-nine species:
Brant
Canada Geese
Mallard
Gadwall
Green-winged Teal
Blue-winged Teal
American Widgeon
Eurasian Widgeon
Harlequin Duck
Northern Shoveler
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tail Duck
Lesser Scaup
Greater Scaup
Bufflehead
Northern Pintail
Barrows Goldeneye
Common Goldeneye
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Merganser
Common Loon
Pacific Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
Pigeon Guillemot
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Turkey Vulture
Killdeer
Black Oystercatcher
Black Turnstone
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Mew Gull
California Gull
Thayer’s Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
Eurasian-collared Dove
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer’s Blackbird
House Finch 

 Over forty Snow Geese were seen and heard flying over Departure Bay, Nanaimo. 

Brant: Ralph Hocken Photo.
 

Tuesday, March 24: 
The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach. The skies were cloudy and the water on the Strait of Georgia was calm.  The highlight was the sighting of two rafts of Surf Scoters, Long-tail Ducks, Lesser Scaup and Greater Scaup. The two rafts of seabirds stretched offshore from the viewing platform along highway 19a to the Little Qualicum River Estuary.   Over seventy Trumpeter Swans flew over and landed on the far side of the raft of seabirds. Bonaparte's Gulls, Herring Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls Mew Gulls, California Gulls, Thayer’s Gull and Glaucous-winged Gulls covered the gravel bars from the viewing platform and along the shore to the estuary. Three Eurasian Widgeon, a Herring Gull, a Ring-billed Gull, large numbers of Barrow’s Goldeneye and Common Goldeneye were seen from the estuary side offshore. Four Yellow-rumped Warblers were feeding near the parking area at the “A” frame house. We watched a Bewick’s Wren gathering nesting material close-by.

 
         Surf Scoters: Ralph Hocken Photo. 


Greater Scaup & Lesser Scaup: Ralph Hocken Photo. 

Eleven birders saw and heard the following fifty–two species:
Trumpeter Swans
Brant
Canada Geese
Mallard
American Widgeon
Eurasian Widgeon
Harlequin Duck
Northern Shoveler
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tail Duck
Lesser Scaup
Greater Scaup
Bufflehead
Northern Pintail
Barrows Goldeneye
Common Goldeneye
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Merganser
Common Loon
Pacific loon
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Killdeer
Black Oystercatcher
Bonaparte's Gull
Herring Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Mew Gull
California Gull
Thayer’s Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Northwestern Crow
Eurasian-collared Dove
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bewick’s Wren
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
House Finch
Purple Finch
 

Saturday March 21:
An Orange-crowned Warbler was seen near the Bowen Road entrance to Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo.

 

Wednesday March 18.
A flock of Bushtits were seen covering a suet feeder by the Little Qualicum River in Qualicum Beach

 

Tuesday March 17.
 . A Virginia Rail was seen and heard on the west marsh at Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo. 

 A Northern Shrike was seen at the Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo.  

Monday, March 16.
A Northern Goshawk was seen at Milner Gardens in Qualicum Beach. 

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Monday March 23.
Arrowsmith Naturalists meet at 7 pm at Knox United Church in Parksville.  Meeting begins at 7.30 pm with guest speaker Michael Kusugak an Inuit Storyteller.  Cost for this time only $5. More info 752-7588.

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Tofino-Shorebird –Festival
18th Annual May 1-3, 2015
For  information please contact---- 
http://raincoasteducation.org/events/tofino-shorebird-festival

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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. on 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 March 24 will be going to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River in Parksville..  Meet at the Parksville Community Park playground parking lot at 9 a.m. or at the corner of Plummer Road and Shorewood Drive in Parksville at about  9:15 a.m.
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The Sunday bird walk on March 29, 2015 will be going to the Neck Point Park in Nanaimo.
Meet at the Bird Store at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking lot at Neck Point off Hammond Bay Road at about 9:15 a.m.

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British Columbia Rare Bird Alert link---
http://www.bcbirdalert.blogspot.ca/

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A must read for those of us who live along the Strait of Georgia.

THE SEA AMONG US
THE AMAZING STRAIT OF GEORGIA
RICHARD BEAMISH AND GORDON McFARLANE
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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

 


 

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