Harlequin Duck: Ralph Hocken Photo.
The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary. The morning started out cloudy with rain and a sharp wind off the Strait of Georgia, however the morning finished with only cloudy skies and no rain. Harlequin Ducks, Black Oystercatchers, Black Turnstones and large numbers of Bonaparte's Gulls, Mew Gulls, California Gulls, Thayer's Gulls, Glaucous-winged Gulls and a Herring and Western Gull lined the rocks along the shore line from the viewing platform in Qualicum Beach. A hugh raft of Brant Geese, Greater Scaup, Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters, Black Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Barrow's Goldeneye, Common Mergansers, Red-breasted Mergansers, Pacific Loons, Common Loons, Horned Grebe's and a Red-necked Grebe were just off shore from the viewing platform. We spotted a Northern Shrike at the estuary. As we left the mouth of the river we saw a massive flock of Gulls lift from the water. The flock stretched from Qualicum Bay past Chrome Island and on towards the mainland---IT WAS A SPECTACULAR SIGHT!
Fourteen birders saw and heard the following fifty-one species of birds:
Canada Goose
Brant
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Greater Scaup
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Northern Shrike
Killdeer
Black Oystercatcher
Black Turnstone
Bonaparte's Gull
Mew Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull
Thayer's Gull
Western Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Eurasian Collared Dove
Northern Flicker
Violet-green Swallow
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
Pine Siskin
House Sparrow
Good birding!
Neil Robins
Parksville
British Columbia
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