Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, September 20, 2016

 

Parksville/Qualicum Beach--Tuesday bird walk, September 20, 2016:

The morning started out with rain showers, but it soon cleared and the sun shone, brightly.  The winds were calm on the Strait of Georgia.  A large flock of Cedar Waxwings and American Robins greeted us at the start of the walk. We spotted a Townsend’s Solitaire perched high up in a tall conifer tree. Two Ring-billed Gulls, several Bonaparte's Gulls, Mew Gulls, California Gulls, Glaucous-winged Gulls and one lone Thayer’s Gull were preening near the shore.  Horned Grebes, Red-necked Grebes, Western Grebes and a Pacific Loon in breeding plumage were seen further offshore.  We were entertained by a Townsend’s Warbler, a large number of Orange-crowned Warblers and several Yellow-rumped Warblers in the forest. Many flocks of American Robins were seen through out the morning. A very large flock of Canada Geese flew high overhead heading south.        

                                                      Townsend’s Solitaire: Ralph Hocken Photo.

Twenty-three birders including visiting birders from the United Kingdom, Georgetown Ontario, Edmonton and Red Deer Alberta saw and hear the following fifty-three species:

Canada Geese

Mallard

American Wigeon

Surf Scoter

White-winged Scoter

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Horned Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Western Grebe

Pacific Loon

Common Loon

Double-crested Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorant

Marbled Murrelet

Common Murre

Turkey Vulture

Belted Kingfisher

Ring-billed Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

Mew Gull

Thayer’s Gull

California Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Northwestern Crow

Common Raven

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Brown Creeper

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Hammonds Flycatcher

Townsend’s Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Anna’s Hummingbird

American Robin

Townsend’s Solitaire

Hermit Thrush

Cedar Waxwing

Bewick’s Wren

Pacific Wren

European Starling

Spotted Towhee

Golden-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Purple Finch

House Finch  

The Tuesday bird walk on September 27, 2016 will be going to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River in Parksville. Meet at the Parksville Community Park at the parking lot near the Lions Club Kids Playground 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

thebackyard@shaw.ca