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 23 November 2008

Nanaimo bird alert, November 23, 2008
















Dunlin: Ralph Hocken 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

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

Birdwatching contacts and information find a local birder to go birdwatching with:
http://www.birdingpal.org/

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

Sunday, November 23, 2008:
The Sunday Bird Walk went to Neck Point in Nanaimo.
Among the highlights were the sightings of Pacific Loons, Common Murres and
Marbled Murrelets off shore. A flock of one hundred Dunlin moved along the shoreline. A mixed flock of Bushtits and Golden-crowned Kinglets flew through the low bushes near Sunset Beach.
Eighteen birders found the following forty-five species of birds:
Trumpeter Swans, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Brandt's Cormorant,
Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Mallard, Common Goldeneye, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Harlequin Duck, Long-tailed Duck, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Dunlin, Black Turnstone, Black Oystercatcher, Spotted Sandpiper, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shined Hawk, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Common Murre, Marbled Murrelet, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, European Starling, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bushtit, Winter Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Spotted Towhee, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch, Song Sparrow and Pine Siskin.

Saturday November 22:
Eleven California Quail were feeding under a bird feeder as Steller's Jays
tossed seed to the ground and ten Golden-Crowned Sparrows were seen in a backyard in the 2500 block Glenayr Drive in Nanaimo.
A female Merlin, a Northern Harrier, two Anna's Hummingbirds, Northern Flickers, Downy Woodpecker, European Starlings, Spotted Towhees, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, House Finches, Dark-eyed Juncos, Stellars Jays, Pileated Woodpecker, Trumpeter Swans, Canada geese, Great Blue Heron, Pine Siskins were seen in a backyard in the Five Acres area of Harewood in Nanaimo.

Thursday November 20:
"Rare Bird Alert: Black-tailed Gull" A Black-tailed Gull was seen resting on the bank of a channel near the viewing
tower at the end of Shelley Road at the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. The Black-tailed Gull is normally found in Asia.
One Hairy Woodpecker, four Northern Flickers and two Pileated Woodpeckers were seen in a backyard in Qualicum Beach.
One Snow Bunting was seen at Parksville Beach Community Park in Parksville.


Wednesday November 19:
"Rare Bird Alert: Black-tailed Gull"
A Black-tailed Gull was seen at the Parksville Community Park Beach near the
Volleyball sand boxes area and later off the gravel bar near the Hovercraft Landing Pad.


Tuesday November 18:
Sixteen birders saw and heard forty-five species of birds on a sunny November morning.
Highlights of the morning included the sighting of over five hundred Dunlin who came towards us in a huge cloud and moved along the shore. We followed one Clark's Grebe in our scopes as it swam towards Denman Island. Eight Western Grebes off shore caught our attention throughout the morning. We watched over three hundred Red-necked
Grebes and at least thirty Horned Grebes. Huge rafts of Surf, Black and White-winged Scoters stretched on for the length of Denman Island.
There were several Long-tailed Ducks off shore.
Sixteen birders found the following forty-five species of birds.
Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, American Wigeon, Mallard, Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, 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, Western Grebe, Clark's Grebe, Brandt's Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Dunlin, Mew Gull, California Gull, Thayer's Gull,
Glaucous-winged Gull, Pigeon Guillemot, Rock Pigeon, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Steller's Jay, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch and House Sparrow.
"Rare Bird Alert: Black-tailed Gull"
A Black-tailed Gull in winter plumage was seen on the mudflats at the south end
of the Courtenay Air Park in Courtenay.

Monday November 17:
A Mourning Dove was seen in the 1900 block of Bay Street in Nanaimo.

Sunday November 09:

A Snow Bunting in winter plumage was seen on a gravelly/rocky area beside the road at Logan's Run in north Nanaimo, .
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
Guess Speaker " Chris Czajkowski," naturalist and author, will speak on "The
plants of Tweedsmuir Provincial Park".
Monday November 24, 2008@ 7:30 pm.
Springwood School
Parksville
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The Nanoose Naturalists
Thursday December 11, 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
Tuesday 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 Beach Community Park at 9 A.M. on Tuesdays and go to different areas in and around the Oceanside area.
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The Tuesday Bird Walk on Tuesday November 25 will be going to the Englishman River Estuary, Shelly Road side in Parksville.
Meet at the Parksville Community Park at the parking area in front of the playground area at 9:00 a.m.
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The Sunday Bird Walk on November 30, 2008 will be going to the Nanaimo River Estuary in south
Nanaimo.
Meet at the Bird Store at 9:00 A.M. or the parking area at the end of Raines Road at about 9:30 a.m.
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Good birding
Neil Robins
Nanaimo

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