Black-bellied Plover: Ralph Hocken Photo.
The Tuesday Bird Walk started in Rathtrevor Provincial Park but we were quickly convinced by the brisk winds to go to the more protected beach at Parksville Community Park. Before we left Rathtrevor we did spot twelve Trumpeter Swans.
The morning was cloudy with a strong southeast wind.
We were greeted at the Parksville Bay by an estimated one thousand Brant Geese and at least one hundred thousand gulls--Bonaparte's Gulls, Mew Gulls, California Gulls, Herring Gulls,Thayer's Gull, Western Gulls, Glaucous-winged Gulls. We had good close looks and were able to compare the yellow legs, black wingtips and short yellow bill of the Mew Gull with the deep yellow legs, black wingtips and bright yellow bill with a bright red and black marks of the larger California Gull who are in their clean crisp breeding plummage. Greater Scaup, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Barrow's Goldeneye and Red-breasted Merganser were seen further offshore. A flock of Black-bellied Plover and Dunlin left the gravel bar in a large cloud flew south down the Strait of Georgia. A Pigeon Guillemot, one Pacific Loon and one Common Loon were seen off the tip of the hovercraft landing pad at the north end of the Bay. We saw
two male Yellow-rumped Warblers, one Song Sparrow and three White-crowned Sparrows on the bushes near the RV Park at the north end of the Bay.
Eleven birders saw and heard the following thirty-five species of birds:
Canada Goose
Brant
Trumpeter Swan
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Greater Scaup
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Red-breasted Merganser
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Pelagic Cormorant
Bald Eagle
Black-bellied Plover
Black Oystercatcher
Dunlin
Bonaparte's Gull
Mew Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull
Thayer's Gull
Western Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Pigeon Guillemot
Northwestern Crow
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Good birding!
Neil Robins
Parksville
British Columbia
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