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.

Tuesday 5 April 2016

Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk

The Tuesday Birdwalk went to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. The morning was cloudy with a light shower but calm winds. We watched a Greater Yellowlegs sleeping on the mudflats while Killdeer sang and ran about nearby.  A Northern Harrier flew over the estuary looking for prey.  A fast flying Merlin flew over head.  A Greater Scaup was spotted with a flock of Surf Scoters racing down the Strait of Georgia.  Common Loons, Red-necked Grebes, Horned Grebes, Common Merganser and Red-breasted Mergansers were on the strait sporting their new breeding plumage---a colorful sight!  A Common Murre, a Marbled Murrelet and Brandt’s Cormorant were also spotted on the strait.  A flock of Bonaparte's Gulls flew just over the water heading south.  Western Gulls, a Herring Gull and a Glaucous Gull were resting with a large number of gulls on a gravel bar.   

                                             Glaucous Gull: John Purves Photo. 
Twenty birders, including visiting birders from Saskatchewan and Edmonton, saw and heard the following sixty-seven species:
Canada Geese
Brant
American Wigeon
Mallard
Gadwall
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Bufflehead
Greater Scaup
Long-tailed Duck
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Red-necked Grebe
Horned Grebe
Common Murre
Marbled Murrelet
Brandt’s Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Greater Yellowlegs
Black Oystercatcher
Killdeer
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Cooper’s Hawk
Northern Harrier
Merlin
Bonaparte's Gull
Mew Gull
California Gull
Thayer's Gull
Western Gull
Herring Gull
Glaucous Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Collared Dove
California Quail
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
American Robin
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Bushtit
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Marsh Wren
Bewick’s Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Rufous Hummingbird
Anna’s Hummingbird
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird
Fox Sparrow
Red-wing Blackbird
Dark-eyed Junco
Purple Finch
Pine Siskin

 

                                           Northern Harrier: Ralph Hocken Photo. 

The Tuesday bird walk will be going to Springwood Park in Parksville. Meet at the parking lot near the Lions Club Kids playground at 9:00 a.m. or at the west end of Despard Avenue at about 9:10 a.m.  

Good birding
Neil Robins

thebirdstore.blogspot.com

No comments: