Nanaimo bird report, October 09, 2011

Greater Yellowlegs:Ralph Hocken Photo.

NANAIMO BIRD REPORT

“GO BIRDING--EXPLORE NATURE”

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

To report your sightings phone the Store at 250-390-3669 or e-mail us at thebackyard@shaw.ca

Sunday October 09, 2011:
The Sunday bird walk went to Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo. The morning was mostly sunny and with no winds, giving us a very pleasant walk.
The highlights included seeing a large numbers of sparrow species. Song Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, Lincoln’s Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos were in great abundance. We spotted a Western Meadowlark perched on a bush over the estuary. A Northern Harrier was flying low over the grass, hunting rodents, for most of the morning. A Greater Yellowlegs was on a gravel bar near the viewing tower and was joined there by a Lesser Yellowlegs giving us a good comparison between the two.

Ten birders saw and heard the following thirty-four species:
Canada Goose, Great Blue Heron, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Common Merganser, Bald Eagle, Cooper’s Hawk, Merlin, Northern Harrier, Osprey, Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Ring-necked Pheasant, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Western Meadowlark, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Red-winged Blackbirds, Bewick’s Wren, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Purple Finch and House Finch.

Saturday October 08:
Two Orange-crowned Warblers were seen along Drew Road in French Creek.

A Western Screech-Owl was spotted being chased by a Barred Owl in a bush near Northfield Road in Nanaimo.

Friday October 07:
An Orange-crowned Warbler was observed in a yard along the 5300 block of Hammond Bay Road in Nanaimo.

A White-throated Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrow were seen at Neck Point Park in Nanaimo.

Wednesday October 05:
Two Fox Sparrows were seen at feeders in the 5300 block of Hammond Bay Road in Nanaimo.

Tuesday: October 04:
The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary, just past Qualicum Beach. The morning was cloudy with strong winds off the Strait of Georgia. We saw one Greater Scaup land in with a raft of White-winged and Black Scoters. Three Bald Eagles flew over the estuary, giving rise to a mixed flock of Mallards and American Wigeon. A Western Sandpiper and a Long-billed Dowitcher were feeding along the shore in the estuary with American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal and Northern Pintail.
Twenty birders saw and heard the following forty-eight species:
Canada Geese, Mallard, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Greater Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Killdeer, Black Oystercatcher, Greater Yellowlegs, Black Turnstone, Western Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Bonaparte's Gull, Mew Gull, California Gull, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Cedar Waxwing, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, House Finch, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch and House Sparrow.

Monday October 03:
A female Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco appeared among a growing number of Dark-eyed Junco in the 5300 block of Hammond Bay Road in Nanaimo.

Sunday October 02:
A juvenile Black-throated Gray Warbler and an Orange-crowned Warbler were seen in a backyard in the 5300 block of Hammond Bay Road in Nanaimo.

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Nanoose Naturalists Meeting Sunday October 02
Thursday, October 13 at 7 pm.
Guest Speaker, Bill Merrilees, will give a slide presentation about Buttertubs Marsh.
@ The Library Centre along Northwest Bay Road, Nanoose Bay.
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Arrowsmith Naturalist Meeting
Monday, October 24 at 7:30 pm.
General Meeting @ Springwood Middle School, Parksville
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Everyone is invited 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 October 11 will be going to the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville, Shelley Road side. We will meet at Parksville Community Park at the parking lot near the Lions Playground at 9:00 A.M. or at the end Shelly Road and on the Oceanside of Highway 19A at about 9:10 A.M.

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The Sunday Bird Walk on October 16 will be going to Nanoose Bay. We will meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 A.M. or at the beach side of the Church Camp off highway 19 and Arlington Road at about 9:20A.M.

Good birding
Neil Robins


THE BACKYARD Wildbird & Nature Store
6314 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, BC V9T 2L8
250-390-3669
thebackyard@shaw.ca
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG---> www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

The Purple Martin charity dinner and silent auction:

Come join us on Saturday, November 12 at the Coast Bastion in Nanaimo for "A Night in Brazil" charity dinner and silent auction for the BC Purple Martin Recovery Program. We are celebrating the most successful year of the 25-year nest box recovery program (730 pairs up from 5 pairs in 1985) and the fall migration of our Purple Martins to SE Brazil, a 11,000 km trip one way as well as raising funds for the 2012 recovery program.

Guest speakers:

Tony Ransom, retired geologist and current President of the Nanoose Naturalists, on " A Tour of Brazil's Pantanal - the World's Largest Freshwater Wetland"
Mike Yip, well known Bird Photographer, on "Migratory Birds on Vancouver Island"

No Host Bar at 5 pm with a buffet dinner at 6 pm. Tickets: $60/person (includes a $23 donation) available at the Backyard Wildbird and Nature Store in Nanaimo or by emailing Charlene at gbears@island.net. Advance purchase of tickets required.