Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, March 20, 2018

Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday Bird Walk, March 20, 2018

The Tuesday bird walk stopped at the Brant Viewing Area in Qualicum Beach on our way to the Little Qualicum River Fish Hatchery north of Qualicum Beach. The morning was cloudy with calm winds.  We estimated that we could see over twenty thousand Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters, Black Scoters, Brant, Lesser Scaup and Greater Scaup on the Strait from the Brant viewing area.  A large raft of Long-tailed Ducks and Western Grebes  were seen further off shore. Black Turnstones and Black-bellied Plovers were resting along the shoreline.  There were two American Dippers on the Little Qualicum River at the fish hatchery.  Varied Thrush and American Robins entertained us with their singing all morning.  Red-breasted Sapsuckers were seen feeding from tree sap just off the trail.  Several Yellow-rumped Warblers were seen not far from the trail. We spotted six Bald Eagles circling high above us.

American Dipper: Ralph Hocken Photo.

Twenty-two  birders including visiting birders from Ottawa and Saskatoon saw and heard the following fifty-two species:

Canada Goose

Brant

American Widgeon

Mallard

Long-tailed Duck

Lesser Scaup

Greater Scaup

Surf Scoter

White-winged Scoter

Black Scoter

Bufflehead

Barrow’s Goldeneye

Common Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Pacific Loon

Common Loon

Horned Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Western Grebe

Common Murre

Belted Kingfisher

Great Blue Heron

Mew Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

California Gull

Iceland(Thayer's) Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Black Turnstones

Black-bellied Plover

Bald Eagle

American Dipper

Pileated Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Downy Woodpecker

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Northwestern Crow

Common Raven

Violet-green Swallow

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Pacific Wren

Bewick’s Wren

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Golden-crowned Kinglet

American Robin

Varied Thrush

European Starling

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

House Finch

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-breasted Sapsucker: Ralph Hocken Photo:

PleaseNote
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 27, 2018 will be going to the Little Qualicum River Estuary.  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.

The Sunday Bird Walk on Marsh 25, 2018 will be going to the Bowen Park in Nanaimo. Meet at the Bird store at 9:00 AM., or the main parking lot off Bowen Road at Bowen Park near the bowling green of at about 9:20AM.

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

Email: thebackyard@shaw.ca

www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com