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.

Sunday 18 May 2008













Long-billed Dowitchers at French Creek: John Purves Photo

The Backyard Wildbird & Nature Store
Nanaimo Bird Alert
To report your sightings
phone the Store at 250-390-3669
e-mail us at
thebackyard@shaw.ca
call the Bird Alert at 250-390-3029
or
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com
Also check the birdstore blog for the latest bird alerts and updates:
www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

Post your sightings on these site:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bcbirdingvanisland/messages

Birds of British Columbia:
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/SpeciesChecklists.html

International Birdwatching Guides
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com

Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone
number, along with the date, name and location of your sighting.

Sunday, May 18, 2008
The Sunday bird walk went to Beck Creek in south Nanaimo. Among the highlights was the sighting of a Greater Yellowlegs, a Spotted Sandpiper, over twenty Purple Martins, a Tree Swallow and several Violet-green Swallows.
Twelve birders saw and heard the following thirty-six species of birds:
Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Merganser, Bald Eagle, Greater Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Glaucous-winged Gull, Band-tailed Pigeon, Rufous Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Purple Martin, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bushtit, Black-headed Grosbeak, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, European Starling, Wilson's Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pacific-sloped Flycatcher, Hammonds Flycatcher, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird and Pine Siskin.

An American Kestrel and a Red-tailed Hawk were seen at the Ugly Dwarf Meadows in Nanoose Bay.
Six Bald Eagles, thirty-six Great Blue Herons and three Oystercatchers were seen at low tide off Jack Point Park in south Nanaimo.

Saturday, May 17:
Five nestling Barn Owls were seen on Gabriola Island.
Two male Blue-winged Teal and four Long-billed Dowitchers were seen at French Creek.
A Barred Owl and a Cassin's Vireo were seen at the Englishman River, Shelly Road side in Parksville.
Evening Grosbeaks were seen in Cinnabar Valley in south Nanaimo.
A male Black-headed Grosbeak was spotted just north of the Little Qualicum River in Qualicum Beach.
Caspian Tern, Common Loon, Pacific Loon, 200 plus Bonaparte's Gull, Bald Eagle, Barn Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Mute Swan and a small pod of killer whales were seen at the mouth of the Campbell River Estuary in Campbell River.

Friday, May 16
A Western Tanager, a Bullock's Oriole, Townsend's, Wilson's and Yellow Warblers were seen at Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo.
A Black-headed Grosbeak was seen sitting on a clothesline at Extension, south of Nanaimo.

Thursday, May 15:
Four Caspian Terns were seen at Biggs Park near the Duke Point Ferry in south Nanaimo.
A male Black-headed Grosbeak is coming to feeders at Morningstar Golf Course in French Creek.

Wednesday, May 14:
The Wednesday Bird Walk went to the Beaver Ponds in Nanoose Bay. Twelve birders found forty-four species of birds during a foggy spring morning. Among the highlights was the sighting of a Cassin's Vireo on a tree not far from us just as we were leaving the trail. He had serenaded us all morning, but we had not been able to see him until then. Hutton's Vireos and several Warbling Vireos sang all morning as well. We saw seven species of Warblers including: many Orange-crowned Warblers, a Yellow Warbler, twelve flycatching Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Black-throated Gray Warbler, several Townsend's Warblers, a Common Yellowthroat and many Wilson's Warblers.
Twelve birders found the following forty-four species of birds:
Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Wood Duck, Mallard, Hooded Merganser, Ruffed Grouse, Great Blue Heron, Band-tailed Pigeon, Rufous Hummingbird, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Hammond's Flycatcher, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Cassin's Vireo, Hutton's Vireo,
Warbling Vireo, Common Raven, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Purple Finch, Red Crossbill and
Pine Siskin
An Anna's Hummingbird, a Western Wood-Pewee, a MacGillivray's Warbler, a Common Yellowthroat, a Wilson's Warbler and a Golden-crowned Sparrow were seen in Foothills development of Auld's Road in Upper Lantzville.
Forty-eight Pacific Loons were seen off Stephenson Point at the entrance to Departure Bay in Nanaimo.

Tuesday May 23:
Three Evening Grosbeaks were seen along Lauren Place in Nanaimo.

Monday, May 12:
A Black-headed Grosbeak was seen in the 1100 block of Cloke Road in Ladysmith.

Sunday May 11:
A male Bullock's Oriole was seen over the river at Eagle Ridge Place in Qualicum Beach.
Five Caspian Terns were seen at the Campbell River Estuary.
A Yellow-headed Blackbird, Pine Siskins, Northern Flicker, House Finch. Rufous Hummingbirds. Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Ravens, European Starlings were seen in a garden in Cedar.

For further information on these sightings or for help in identifying a
bird please call The Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store
@ (250) 390-3669
Toll Free @ 1-888-249-4145
e-mail:
thebackyard@shaw.ca
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Arrowsmith Naturalists
Monthly Meeting,
Monday May 26, 2008@ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
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The Nanoose Naturalists
Monthly Meeting
Thursday June 12, 2008 @ 7:00 pm
Nanoose Library,
Nanoose Bay
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Everyone is welcome to join us for a 2-3 hour bird walk on the Sunday and Wednesday mornings. We leave from the Store at 9 A.M. Sunday Mornings and go to a different location in and around Nanaimo and from the Parksville Visitor Centre in Parksville at 9 A.M. Wednesdays and go to different areas in and around the Oceanside area.
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The Wednesday Bird Walk for May 21, 2008 will be going to the Springwood Park in Parksville. Meet at the Parksville Visitor Centre at Highway 19A and Northwest Bay Road, near Craig Bay in Parksville, at 9:00 A.M. or the west end of Despard Road at about 9:20 A.M.
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The Sunday Bird Walk on May 25, 2008, will be going Legacy Marsh in upper Lantzville.Meet at the Bird Store at 9:00 A.M. or under the Hydro lines on Normarel Drive (off Superior Road) at about 9:20 A.M.
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Good birding
Neil Robins
Nanaimo
British Columbia

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