Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, April 12, 2011

Pigeon Guillemot: Ralph Hocken Photo.

Hi birders,

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Englishman River Estuary on the Plummer Road side. The morning was cloudy with a strong biting wind. At the start of the walk we saw a Rufous Hummingbird perched on the top of a short bush on one side of the trail. On the other side of the trail an Anna's Hummingbird was perched on top of a short bush. Just off the Englishman River, we spotted a Northern Shoveler and a Gadwall roosting in among a flock of Mallards, American Wigeon and Northern Pintail. A large flock of Green-winged Teal were feeding on the mud flats. Three Marbled Murrelets flew by just above the water heading down the Strait of Georgia and a Pigeon Guillemot was riding the waves offshore. Large numbers of Brant Geese, Greater Scaup, Harlequin Ducks, Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye and Red-breasted Mergansers were moving down the Strait throughout the morning, giving us great views.

Sixteen birders saw and heard the following fifty-one species of birds:
Canada Goose
Brant
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Greater Scaup
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Red-breasted Merganser
California Quail
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Black Oystercatcher
Mew Gull
California Gull
Thayer's Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Pigeon Guillemot
Marbled Murrelet
Anna's Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bushtit
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Varied Thrush
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Purple Finch

Good birding
Neil Robins
Parksville
British Columbia