Clear Skies - Venus and Jupiter

 Clear Skies - Venus and Jupiter

You have undoubtedly seen in the news that Venus and Jupiter are approaching each other in the evening sky.  They will be closest on Monday/Tuesday, and they are both a delight to see now and in the next few days.

Venus, Earth, and Jupiter – and all of the planets – orbit the Sun.  Venus is closest to the Sun so orbits faster than Earth and Jupiter, and Earth is closer than Jupiter, so Earth orbits faster than Jupiter.

What we are seeing is that Venus is “catching up” to Jupiter from our vantage point on Earth.  Because Earth is orbiting faster than Jupiter, we are leaving Jupiter behind, meaning it appears lower to the horizon each day.

It is best to see this pairing 45 to 90 minutes after sunset, where you will find them low in the west.  Venus is much brighter than Jupiter, but both are unmistakable. 

If you have binoculars, try to see the moons of Jupiter, which will appear like a little string of up to four “stars” in a line on either side of Jupiter.  They change position fairly rapidly from night to night, so it can be a pleasure to note their dance over the course of a few days.  There are four of these bright moons – the so-called Galilean moons in honour of Galileo who first saw them in a telescope, but sometimes one or more may be in front or behind Jupiter and so not seen.

At their closest, Venus and Jupiter will be one and half degrees apart – about one and half widths of your little finger held at arm’s length.  You can follow them for a few more nights as the distance between them increases.

Clear skies.

David

 The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store

Nanaimo Bird Report

June 5, 2026

“EXPLORE NATURE” --- GO BIRDING:
To report your sightings phone the Store at 250-390-3669 or e-mail us at birding@thebackyard.ca. Please remember, when reporting a sighting to leave your name and phone number along with the date the species was seen and location of your sighting.
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American Dipper (John Morrison)

Tuesday June 2, 2026: 

The Tuesday Bird Walk went to the Little Qualicum River Fish Hatchery in Qualicum Beach. Weather was sunny and 19C. A few highlights from the walk were American Dipper, Common Merganser, and Spotted Sandpiper seen in the river and a few Red-breasted Sapsuckers along the walk, or one that followed us around.

14 birders saw and heard the following 42 species:

Common Merganser

Cooper’s Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Bald Eagle

Turkey Vulture

Spotted Sandpiper

Glaucous-winged Gull

Band-tailed Pigeon

Anna’s Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Western Flycatcher

Hammond’s Flycatcher

Willow’s Flycatcher

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Violet-green Swallow

Warbling Vireo

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Brown Creeper

Pacific Wren

House Wren

American Dipper

American Robin

Swainson’s Thrush

Cedar Waxwing

Orange-crowned Warbler

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Yellow Warbler

MacGillivray’s Warbler

Wilsons’s Warbler

Western Tanager

Black-headed Grosbeak

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Brown-headed Cowbird

Purple Finch

Pelagic Cormorant (Ralph Hocken)

Sunday May 31, 2026:

The Sunday Bird Walk went to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. Weather was sunny and very windy on the water side, 12C, and tide was going out. A few highlights from the walk were Wood Duck in the ponds by the parking lot, Violet-green Swallow feeding low over the beach and a Yellow-rumped Warbler was heard at the parking lot.

13 birders, including a birder from the United Kingdom, saw and heard the following 28 species.

Canada Goose

Wood Duck

Double-crested Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorant

Brant’s Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

Glaucous-winged Gull

Rock Pigeon

Anna’s hummingbird

Western Flycatcher

Violet-green Swallow

Warbling Vireo

American Crow

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Brown Creeper

Bewick’s Wren

Pacific Wren

American Robin

Swainson’s Thrush

Orange-crowned Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Brown-headed Cowbird

American Goldfinch

If you have any bird sightings to report or need help identifying, just email or call the store, birding@thebackyard.ca or 250-390-3669, toll-free 1-888-808-BIRD (2473)

The Backyard Bird Walks

Our bird walks go out Sunday mornings in Nanaimo and Tuesday mornings in Parksville and Qualicum Beach area, are easy walks that go for two to three hours (back for lunch is the plan). Bring binoculars and a field guide. The walks are weather pending.

Please check our blog (www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com) for any cancelations.

Sunday Bird Walk, June 7, 2026:

Sunday Bird Walk will be going to Buttertubs Marsh, in Nanaimo.

Meet directly at the parking lot on Jingle Pot Road at 9:00am. Weather cooperating.

Tuesday Bird Walk, June 9, 2026:

Tuesday Bird Walk will be going to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville.

Meet at the parking lot located at the end of Shelly Road at 9:00 am. Weather cooperating.

Good birding! Colin Bartlett

 The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store

Nanaimo Bird Report

May 26, 2026
“EXPLORE NATURE” --- GO BIRDING:
To report your sightings phone the Store at 250-390-3669 or e-mail us at birding@thebackyard.ca. Please remember, when reporting a sighting to leave your name and phone number along with the date the species was seen and location of your sighting.
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MacGillivray’s Warbler (J. Morrison)

Tuesday May 26, 2026:  

The Tuesday Bird Walk went to Springwood Park / Parksville Wetlands in Parksville. Weather was cloudy with sunny breaks, light breeze, and 12C. A few highlights from the walk were Pileated Woodpecker, and Cedar Waxwing. A pair of Black-headed Grosbeaks were seen, and Western Tanagers were heard singing. Our parking lot bird for the walk, last bird we see at the end of the walk, was California Quail running along the barrier at the end of Despard Avenue.

10 birders saw and heard the following 42 species:

California Quail

Cooper’s Hawk

Bald Eagle

Killdeer

Band-tailed Pigeon

Eurasian Collared Dove

Anna’s Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Pileated Woodpecker

Western Flycatcher

Willow’s Flycatcher

Violet-green Swallow

Tree Swallow

Warbling Vireo

Common Raven

American Crow

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Bushtit

Bewick’s Wren

American Robin

Swainson’s Thrush

Cedar Waxwing

European Starling

Orange-crowned Warbler

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Yellow Warbler

MacGillivray’s Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Western Tanager

Black-headed Grosbeak

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Brown-headed Cowbird

Brewer’s Blackbird

House Finch

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

Yellow Warbler (J. Morrison)

Sunday May 24, 2026:

The Sunday Bird Walk went to Bowen Park in Nanaimo. Weather was sunny and 13C. A few highlights from the walk were Red-tailed Hawk perched in a snag and could be seen from the parking lot. A Hutton’s Vireo was heard along the pathway not far from the parking lot and a Red-breasted Sapsucker was seen by the river.

13 birders, including a birder from the United Kingdom, saw and heard the following 26 species.

Mallard

Red-tailed Hawk

Bald Eagle

Band-tailed Pigeon

Anna’s hummingbird

Northern Flicker

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Western Flycatcher

American Crow

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Bewick’s Wren

Pacific Wren

Brown Creeper

Bushtit

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Hutton’s Vireo

American Robin

Swainson’s Thrush

European Starling

Orange-crowned Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

House Finch

Backyard Happenings

Anna’s Hummingbird fun facts.

-Anna’s Hummingbird was named after 19th century duchess Anna De Belle Massena. She probably never saw a hummingbird, she was a relative to one of the explorers.

-Anna’s are west coast birds, ranging from Baja California to southern BC

-Hummingbird weighs between .1 to .2 of an ounce (3 to 5 grams)

-Male courtship dive travels at a velocity of 27 m/s or 385 body lengths per second.

-Anna’s arrived on Vancouver Island in the late 60’s and first Christmas Bird Count report for Nanaimo was 1971.

-Anna’s Hummingbird wings beat around 40-50 beats a second in flight

If you have any bird sightings to report or need help identifying, just email or call the store, birding@thebackyard.ca or 250-390-3669, toll-free 1-888-808-BIRD (2473)

The Backyard Bird Walks

Our bird walks go out Sunday mornings in Nanaimo and Tuesday mornings in Parksville and Qualicum Beach area, are easy walks that go for two to three hours (back for lunch is the plan). Bring binoculars and a field guide. The walks are weather pending.

Please check our blog (www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com) for any cancelations.

Sunday Bird Walk, May 31, 2026:

Sunday Bird Walk will be going to Neck Point Park, in Nanaimo.

Meet directly at the parking lot at the end of Morningside Drive at 9:00am. Weather cooperating.

Tuesday Bird Walk, June 2, 2026:

Tuesday Bird Walk will be going to the Little Qualicum Fish Hatchery in Qualicum.

Meet at the hatchery parking lot, located on Claymore Road off of Laburnum Road Qualicum, at 9:00 am. Weather cooperating.

Good birding! Colin Bartlett

 

The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store

Nanaimo Bird Report

May 22, 2026
“EXPLORE NATURE” --- GO BIRDING:

To report your sightings phone the Store at 250-390-3669 or e-mail us at birding@thebackyard.ca. Please remember, when reporting a sighting to leave your name and phone number along with the date the species was seen and location of your sighting.
*********************************************************

Red-tailed Hawk (Ralph Hocken)

Tuesday May 19, 2026:

The Tuesday Bird Walk went to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. Weather was cloudy with sunny breaks, 14 C, and the tide was out. A few highlights from the walk were seeing Spotted Sandpipers in the river, Red-breasted Sapsucker low on the tree in front of us and hearing the Swainson’s Thrush sing.

10 birders saw and heard the following 43 species:

Canada Goose

White-winged Scoter

Common Merganser

Great Blue Heron

Red-tailed Hawk

Bald Eagle

Turkey Vulture

Killdeer

Black Oystercatcher

Spotted Sandpiper

Bonaparte’s Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Eurasian Collared Dove

Anna’s Hummingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Pileated Woodpecker

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Northern Flicker

Western Flycatcher

Hammond’s Flycatcher

Violet-green Swallow

Warbling Vireo

Common Raven

American Crow

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Bewick’s Wren

Pacific Wren

American Robin

Swainson’s Thrush

European Starling

Orange-crowned Warbler

Black-headed Grosbeak

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Brown-headed Cowbird

Brewer’s Blackbird

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

Brown-headed Cowbird (Ralph Hocken)

Sunday May 17, 2026:

 There was no Sunday Bird Walk this week, as it was a long weekend

Backyard Happenings

With nesting in full swing and new juveniles about in the backyard we start to get the question of what bird is this? Some juveniles like the Dark-eyed Juncos and Spotted Towhee have a different plumage than the adults. The juveniles are same size as the adults but are streaky on the chest and a dull brown or gray-brown body colour. Not all bird identification books will show the different plumage of a species which make identification a bit harder. Associating the other birds that the mystery bird is with can help in the identification sometimes.

Some juveniles will be the same plumage as the female of a species, like American Goldfinch and House Finch. Other species, the juvenile plumage and size are the same as the adults, like Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Northern Flicker and Bewick’s Wren. It is easy to identify the juveniles by their actions such as begging for food, no fear to people, or trying to figure out how the hummingbird feeder works.

Attracting the bird to your backyard can been done all year round with feeders, a fresh water supply and nests boxes. This provides for the birds as a supplement food source for the birds during nesting and brings us many pleasures of watching them.

 If you have any bird sightings to report or need help identifying, just email or call the store, birding@thebackyard.ca or 250-390-3669, toll-free 1-888-808-BIRD (2473)

The Backyard Bird Walks

Our bird walks go out Sunday mornings in Nanaimo and Tuesday mornings in Parksville and Qualicum Beach area, are easy walks that go for two to three hours (back for lunch is the plan). Bring binoculars and a field guide. The walks are weather pending.

Please check our blog (www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com) for any cancelations.

Sunday Bird Walk, May 24, 2026:

Sunday Bird Walk will be going to Bowen Park, in Nanaimo.

Meet directly at the upper parking lot by the lawn bowling pitch at 9:00am. Weather cooperating.

Tuesday Bird Walk, May 26, 2026:

Tuesday Bird Walk will be going to the Parksville Wetlands / Springwood Park in Parksville.

Meet directly at the end Despard Ave W and Chestnut Street at 9:00 am. Weather cooperating.

Good birding! Colin Bartlett

The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store

Nanaimo Bird Report

May 14, 2026
“EXPLORE NATURE” --- GO BIRDING:
To report your sightings phone the Store at 250-390-3669 or e-mail us at birding@thebackyard.ca. Please remember, when reporting a sighting to leave your name and phone number along with the date the species was seen and location of your sighting.
*********************************************************

California Quail (R. Hocken)

Tuesday May 12, 2026:  

The Tuesday Bird Walk was unfortunately cancelled today but will resume next week.

Sunday May 10, 2026:

The Sunday Bird Walk went to Legacy Marsh in Lantzville. Weather was sunny with some clouds, 15C. It was quite walk with not a lot of singing happening, must be nesting already. A few highlights from the walk were seeing the Warbling Vireo a few times, a Hammond’s Flycatcher was seen up the power line trail with a Wilson’s Warbler singing. 

8 birders saw and heard the following 34 species:

Mallard

Pied-billed Grebe

California Quail

Great Blue Heron

Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagle

Rufous Hummingbird

Anna’s Hummingbird

Hairy Woodpecker

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Western Flycatcher

Hammond’s Flycatcher

Violet-green Swallow

Common Raven

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Pacific Wren

Warbling Vireo

American Robin

Wilson’s Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Black-headed Grosbeak

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Brown-headed Cowbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

Chipping Sparrow (J. Morrison)

Wednesday May 6, 2026:

Black-headed Grosbeak was seen at Morrell Wildlife Sanctuary.

If you have any bird sightings to report or need help identifying, just email or call the store, birding@thebackyard.ca or 250-390-3669, toll-free 1-888-808-BIRD (2473)

The Backyard Bird Walks

Our bird walks go out Sunday mornings in Nanaimo and Tuesday mornings in Parksville and Qualicum Beach area, are easy walks that go for two to three hours (back for lunch is the plan). Bring binoculars and a field guide. The walks are weather pending.

Please check our blog (www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com) for any cancelations.

Sunday Bird Walk, May 17, 2026:

Sunday Bird Walk is CANCELLED for the long weekend and will resume on May 24^th.

Tuesday Bird Walk, May 19, 2026:

Tuesday Bird Walk will be going to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville.

Meet at the end of Shelly Road, off of HWY 19A, at 9:00 am. Weather cooperating.

Good birding! Colin Bartlett