Nanaimo bird report, December 27, 2015

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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HAPPY NEW YEAR

                 From all of us at the birdstore

    Colin, Denise, Nichole, Carol, Ralph,

Marilynne and Neil

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For Rare bird reports of Indigo Bunting, Red Wing (old world thrush) and Summer Tanager

please check this site

http://bcbirdalert.blogspot.ca/

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Tuesday, December 22.

 The Tuesday bird walk went to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River in Parksville. The morning sun was shining when we started the walk, but it got cloudy and cool near the end. We spotted a young Northern Shrike whose “mask” was not complete, perched on the top of a bush just across the river. Several flocks of Pine Siskin and Red Crossbills flew in and landed at the top of the tall trees during the morning giving us great views through the scopes. A Yellow-billed Loon, a Rhinoceros Auklet and a Common Murre were seen on the Strait of Georgia, along with two Long-tailed Ducks, a small flock of Surf Scoters and one Black Scoter.

Northern Shrike: Ralph Hocken Photo.

Eight birders saw and heard the following fifty-five species:

Canada Geese

Brant

 American Widgeon

 Mallard

Greater Scaup

 Northern Pintail

 Green-winged Teal

 Harlequin Duck

Long-tailed Duck

 Surf Scoter

Black Scoter

 Bufflehead

 Common Goldeneye

 Common Merganser

 Red-breasted Merganser

 Pacific Loon

Common Loon

Yellow-billed Loon

Horned Grebe

 Double-crested Cormorant

 Brandt’s Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

 Bald Eagle

 Northern Shrike

Cooper’s Hawk

 California Quail

 Black Turnstone

Dunlin

Mew Gull

California Gull

 Thayer’s Gull

 Glaucous-winged Gull

 Common Murre

Rhinoceros Auklet

 Downy Woodpecker

 Northern Flicker

Steller’s Jay

 Northwestern Crow

Common Raven

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Anna’s Hummingbird

 Golden-crowned Kinglet

 American Robin

 European Starling

Brewer’s Blackbird

Red-wing Blackbird

 Spotted Towhee

 Golden-crowned Sparrow

 Song Sparrow

 Dark-eyed Junco

Purple Finch

Pine Siskin

House Finch

A Common Loon and a Yellow-billed Loon: Ralph Hocken Photo.

 

A Northern Shrike has been seen for the last four weeks on a field along Gomerich Road in South Wellington in south Nanaimo. 

Monday, December 14.

A Clarks Grebe and Western Grebes were seen from the viewing platform at north Qualicum Beach. 

A Red-throated Loon, hundreds of Pacific Loons, ninety-eight Brant and a Yellow-billed Loon were seen on the Strait of Georgia from the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River in Parksville.               

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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 December 29 will be going to the Mills Street north side of the Englishman River in Parksville. Meet at the parking lot near the Lions Club Kids Playground at Parksville Community Park at 9:00 a.m. Or at the end of Mills Street north on the ocean side of highway 19A in Parksville.

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The Sunday bird walk on January 03, 2016 will be going to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. Meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 a.m. or at Neck Point parking lot off Hammond Bay Road at about 9:15 a.m.

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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.co