Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, January 19, 2016

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach. The morning was partly sunny with calm winds making a good day for birding. 

A large number of Black-bellied Plovers, Black Turnstones, Black Oystercatchers and one lone Dunlin greeted us at the viewing tower.  There was a flock of Ancient Murrelets further off shore. We had the unusual sighting of four River Otters swimming and playing at the mouth of the river. There were also many Seals offshore keeping an eye on us. The trees around the estuary were loaded with Bald Eagles.  Four Trumpeter Swans and large numbers of Great Blue Herons were resting on the estuary. Hundreds and hundreds of Pacific Loons and Common Murre were flying down the Strait of Georgia.

                                                                               River Otters: Len Bettam Photo. 

Twenty birders saw and heard the following sixty species:

Canada Goose

Snow Goose

Trumpeter Swan

Mallard

American Widgeon

Green-winged Teal

Northern Pintail

Greater Scaup

Harlequin Duck

Surf Scoter

White-winged Scoter

Black Scoter

Long-tailed Duck

Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Pacific Loon

Common Loon

Horned Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

Merlin

Cooper’s Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Black-bellied Plover

Black Turnstone

Dunlin

Black Oystercatcher

Killdeer

Mew Gull

California Gull

Thayer's Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Common Murre

Ancient Murrelet

California Quail

Belted Kingfisher

Northern Flicker

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Northwestern Crow

Common Raven

Anna’s Hummingbird

Pacific Wren

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

European Starling

Spotted Towhee

Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-winged Blackbird

Purple Finch

House Finch

House Sparrow

 

                                                                       Bald Eagle: Rosemary Taylor Photo. 

The Tuesday bird walk on January 26, 2016 will be going to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River in Parksville. Meet at the Parksville Community Park near the Lions Club Kids Playground Parking Lot at 9:00 a.m. or at the corner of Plummer Road and Shorewood Drive at about 9:10 a.m. 

Good birding

Neil Robins

Parksville 

Thebirdstore.blogspot.com