The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store

Nanaimo Bird Report

September 10, 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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Wilson’s Snipe (J. Morrison)

Thursday September 10, 2026:

Wilson’s Snipe was seen feeding in a backyard along Lakeside Drive in Cinnabar Valley, Nanaimo.

Tuesday September 8, 2026:  

The Tuesday Bird Walk went to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. Weather was overcast to sunny, 16C, and the tide was out. A few highlights from the walk were a couple of Hairy Woodpeckers, a few Savanah Sparrows were seen in the estuary, Cooper’s Hawk and lots of Red Crossbills heard and a few seen.

7 birders saw and heard the following 33 species:

Mallard

Northern Pintail

Surf Scoter

Common Merganser

Great Blue Heron

Cooper’s Hawk

Turkey Vulture

Killdeer

California Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Anna’s Hummingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Steller’s Jay

Common Raven

American Crow

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Bewick’s Wren

Pacific Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

American Robin

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Savanah Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red Crossbill

House Finch

Pine Siskin

American Goldfinch

Cooper’s Hawk (J. Morrison)

Backyard Happenings

It feels like fall is already here and the birds in the backyard are changing with the season. We have had reports of Steller’s Jays returning to backyards in recent weeks along with Red Crossbills. In my backyard I have been hearing the Red Crossbills in the fir trees but not at the feeders and I have also been hearing a Golden-crowned Sparrow but have not seen it visiting the bird feeder yet. A steller’s Jay has also just found the feeder with peanuts in the shell so the battle for the peanuts with the squirrel will begin soon.

The bird feeders are busy with House Finch and American Goldfinch that just arrived, chickadees, nuthatch and Bushtits, although since the Cooper’s Hawk was perched atop the shepherd with the feeders, the birds have not been visiting the feeders as much.

Make sure your feeders are full and ready to go for those birds migrating and for the fall and winter season.

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.

The Sunday bird walk, September 13, will be going to Maki Road Trail in south Nanaimo.

Meet at the parking lot at the end of Maki Road, turn off HWY 19A at Rona, at 9:00am.

Weather cooperating.

Tuesday Bird Walk, September 15, 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

Fall Bird Walks

 It feels like fall is here and the birds are busy preparing and moving south. It is time for our weekly bird walks to resume.

Tuesday Bird Walks start on September 8th at the Shelley Road entrance to the Englishman River Estuary. Meet at the end of Shelley Road, off of HWY 19A, at the park entrance at 9:00am, weather cooperating.

Sunday Bird Walks will begin on September 13 going to Maki Road Trail in south Nanaimo. Meet at the end of Maki Road, by Living Forest Campground, at 9:00am, weather cooperating.

Good birding, Colin.

Red-crossbill by R. Hocken

Clear Skies - Perseid Meteor Shower on Wednesday and the Planets

The astronomy news this week is the Perseid meteor shower, which peaks Wednesday evening, Aug 12.  The Moon won’t be a factor, as it is almost exactly a New Moon, meaning it is close to the Sun from our vantage point.  Therefore, we will have a dark background sky against which to see the meteors.  

You will hopefully see a few more meteors than normal, and possibly even a spectacular fireball.  You can start looking for meteors even tonight and for a few nights afterwards.  Over the past couple nights, I caught two each night in about a half hour.

With the darker skies, you will also probably be able to see a few satellites crossing the sky – moving steadily and looking just like stars.  

Remember to dress warmly as you won’t be active and will get colder more quickly.  Set up a lounge chair or a blanket and face the widest stretch of sky you can see.  Avoid any lights around you and give yourself at least 10 to 20 minutes for your eyes to adapt.  Don’t use your phone unless it is for astronomy where you can set it to night mode – which is red – a colour that doesn’t affect you night vision.

This shower is called the Perseids, as it appears to originate in the constellation Perseus, which is in the northwest in the evening.   We don’t see them start there, but only find them as they hit the atmosphere, which could be anywhere in the sky, but if you follow their track back, it will point back to Perseus. 
 
You may see some other meteors in different directions.  These are referred to as “sporadics” and aren’t part of the old comet.  Dust and meteors are very common up there.  As Earth orbits the Sun, its gravity continues to sweep up dust that is still floating in space from the original creation of our solar system and other events over the past few billion years.  

As a reminder, what we’re seeing are bits of dust that have been left behind in the tail of comet Swift-Tuttle when it passed across Earth’s orbital path in the 1990’s.  As we pass through these particles, mostly smaller than a grain of sand, they burn up with great intensity due to their speed through our atmosphere, giving us some quite impressive meteors, and occasionally even a very bright fire ball, which is a spectacularly intense meteor, sometimes bright enough to cast shadows.  They are rare, so don’t expect to see one, but if do, don’t be surprised either.

The Planets in the evening

Venus is shining very brightly low in the southwest just after sunset.  It sets around 10 p.m.  On Sunday evening, Aug. 16, look for a crescent Moon just below Venus, and note that you can see the full disk of the Moon due to earthshine, which is sunlight reflected off Earth.

Saturn is visible later in the evening in the southeast.  It is not very bright, but brighter than anything around it, so easy to identify.  Above Saturn, you should be able to see the large square of the constellation Pegasus.  On August 31 the Moon will be just above Saturn.  

Jupiter and Mercury are barely visible in the very early morning, just before sunrise,  A bit earlier than that you may see reddish Mars a bit above the eastern horizon.

Partial solar eclipse in eastern Canada

There will be a partial solar eclipse visible in eastern Canada around midday, however the Sun will only be 15% covered in Ontario and over 40% in the Maritimes.  Please use eclipse glasses if you are planning to look at.  Never look directly at the Sun with the naked eye and never look with binoculars.

Clear skies.
David

 The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store

Nanaimo Bird Report

July 4, 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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Pelagic Cormorant (R. Hocken)

Sunday June 28, 2026:  

The Sunday Bird Walk went to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. Weather was sunny, 14C, and the tide was out. A few highlights from the walk were Violet-green Swallow fly low and close to us on the waterfront, Brown Creepers were busy feeding, and a few Pelagic Cormorants were seen.

15 birders saw and heard the following 29 species:

Canada Goose

Pelagic Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

Turkey Vulture

Glaucous-winged Gull

Pigeon Guillemot

Anna’s Hummingbird

Northern Flicker

Warbling Vireo

Western Flycatcher

Violet-green Swallow

Common Raven

American Crow

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Bewick’s Wren

American Robin

European Starling

Western Tanager

Spotted Towhee

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Brown-headed Cowbird

House Finch

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

House Finch (J. Morrison)

Backyard Happenings

The Backyard feeders are very busy these days with House Finches, chickadees, nuthatch and junco juveniles. Juvenile flickers are also at the feeders, both the suet and awkwardly hanging on to the silo feeder for the sunflower chip seed. Touch wood, the starlings have stopped attacking the suet feeder which is nice for the other birds and hopefully I have not jinxed it. A male Northern Flicker is getting ready for the second nesting as he is drumming again on the metal exhaust vent. A Pileated Woodpecker and 2 newly fledged young have been busy at the suet as well, such a sight to watch when they arrive. Other regular visitors are Chipping Sparrows, Bushtits, American Robins and my resident Bewick’s Wren.

One of the biggest attractants for birds during the summer months is water. Any source of fresh water is a magnet during the dry weather and adding the sound of moving water will help to increase its popularity.

All this bird activity is reason we feed the birds. The fun of watching their antics, learning their habits, and just the shear relaxation of sitting quietly and watching them. Enjoying nature in our own backyards.

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.

The Tuesday and Sunday bird walks will be taking a break for the summer and will be resuming in the fall.

Good birding! Colin Bartlett

 The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store

Nanaimo Bird Report

June 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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Great Blue Heron (J. Morrison)

Tuesday June 23, 2026:  

The Tuesday Bird Walk went to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River Estuary. Weather was sunny and warm, 26C, and the tide was out. A few highlights from the walk were Pigeon Guillemots seen on the open water, Cedar Waxwing and a MacGillivray’s Warbler.

12 birders saw and heard the following 40 species:

Canada Goose

White-winged Scoter

Common Merganser

Pelagic Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Bald Eagle

Turkey Vulture

Killdeer

Glaucous-winged Gull

Pigeon Guillemot

Marbled Murrelet

Eurasian Collared Dove

Anna’s Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Western Flycatcher

Willow’s Flycatcher

Violet-green Swallow

Common Raven

American Crow

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Bewick’s Wren

Pacific Wren

Bushtit

American Robin

Swainson’s Thrush

Cedar Waxwing

European Starling

Orange-crowned Warbler

Northern Yellow Warbler

MacGillivray’s Warbler

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Brown-headed Cowbird

House Finch

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

Red-winged Blackbird (J. Morrison)

Sunday June 21, 2026:

The Sunday Bird Walk went to Linley Valley in Nanaimo. Weather was sunny and 16C. A few highlights from the walk were Great Horned Owl, being mobbed by American Robins, Wood Duck with chicks and a male in eclipse plumage, and Purple Martin.

15 birders saw and heard the following 33 species:

Wood Duck

Hooded Merganser

Great Blue Heron

Cooper’s Hawk

Bald Eagle

Turkey Vulture

Great Horned Owl

Pileated Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Western Flycatcher

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher

Violet-green Swallow

Barn Swallow

Purple Martin

Western Warbling Vireo

Common Raven

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Bewick’s Wren

American Robin

Swainson’s Thrush

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Wilson’s Warbler

Western Tanager

Black-headed Grosbeak

Spotted Towhee

Song Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Brown-headed Cowbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Purple Finch

Backyard Happenings

Summer is official here and with it comes the heat. Water is important for the birds year round but especially during the hotter days in the summer. A water source can also attract other species of birds not usually seen at your backyard feeders, such as Western Tanager, American Robins or Northern Yellow Warbler. Birds also have great hearing and can be attracted to the sound of moving water, which can be created with a fountain. Any source of a fresh water supply will help the birds in your backyard. It can be as fancy as a nice bird bath or as simple as a shallow saucer of water. Change and clean the water daily due to evaporation and bird use or every couple of days with a bigger bird bath. This will also help to keep the mosquitoes from breeding in the water. A cleaning solution of 1 part bleach or industrial white vinegar to 9 parts water is used to disinfect the bird bath. If alge is a problem try using a 99% pure copper disk to prevent the problem or copper pennies, but it does take a few about twenty to twenty-five cents worth.

Don’t forget about the hummingbirds as the sugar water will ferment quicker in the heat. Use less at a time and change every other day and remember to give them a good cleaning each time with the same cleaning solution as for the bird bath. Make a little extra solution and keep it in the refrigerator for easy filling.

Bird seed in tube or silo style feeders can also be affected by the heat as it will create moisture causing mold or sprouting if in the feeder for a long time. I recommend using a little less at a time and filling it frequently which will keep the bird seed fresh and the ground a bit tidier.

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.

The Tuesday and Sunday bird walks will be taking a break for the summer and will be resuming in the fall.

Good birding! Colin Bartlett