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 by 8am the day of the walk.

Tuesday 13 March 2018

Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, March 13, 2018


The Tuesday bird walk went to the Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park in Parksville.  The morning was cloudy with a calm wind off the Strait of Georgia.  Light rain started just as we were finishing the walk.  Over three hundred Dunlin, several  Black-bellied Plovers and one Sanderling were seen feeding along the shoreline.  Hundreds of Mew Gulls,  California Gulls, Iceland(Thayer's) Gulls and Glaucous-winged Gulls noisily filled the shore all morning.  A very large raft of thousands of Brant, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters, Black Scoters and  Long-tailed Ducks were  seen further offshore. Pacific Loons and Common Loons were spotted even further offshore. As we were doing the tally at the end of the walk a Northern Harrier did a fly pass!
Dunlin: Ralph Hocken Photo.

Seventeen birders including visiting birders from Edmonton saw and heard the following fifty-six species:
Canada Goose
Brant
 American Widgeon
 Green-wing Teal
Mallard
 Northern Pintail
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
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
 Common Murre
Pigeon Guillemot
 Double-crested Cormorant 
Pelagic Cormorant 
Brandt’s Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
 Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Mew Gull
 California Gull
Iceland(Thayer's} Gull
Herring Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull 
 Black Oystercatcher
Dunlin
 Black-bellied Plover
Sanderling
Northern Flicker
 Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
 Chestnut-backed Chickadee
 Red-breasted Nuthatch 
Anna’s Hummingbird
 Brown Creeper 
Pacific Wren
 Bewick’s Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
 Ruby-crowned Kinglet
 American Robin
Varied Thrush 
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow 
Golden-crowned Sparrow 
Dark-eyed Junco
                                                 Northern Harrier: Ralph Hocken Photo:

Please Note
Check this site (www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com) early Tuesday and Sunday on stormy mornings to see if the walks have been cancelled!
The Tuesday Bird Walk on March 20, 2018 will be going to the Little Qualicum River Fish Hatchery.  Meet at the Parksville Community Park (near the Lions Club playground parking lot) in Parksville at 9:00 am, or at the Brant viewing platform in north Qualicum Beach at about 9:20 am.
Good birding
Neil Robins 
THE BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE
314 Metral Drive
Nanaimo B.C.
V9T-2L8
Phone: 250-390-3669
Fax: 250-390-1633

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