Long-tailed Duck: Ralph Hocken Photo.
The Tuesday bird walk went to Columbia Beach. The morning was clear and cool with calm winds. Two Trumpeter Swans flew high overhead to start the morning off. We saw Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters, Black Scoters and our first sighting of the season of a Long-tailed Duck. There were Pacific Loons in breeding plummage, a large number of Horned Grebes and Red-necked Grebes. One lone Western Grebe was not far off shore. Further off shore we saw a long line covering miles of an estimated 1.5 million gulls that including Bonaparte's Gulls, Mew Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls, California Gulls, Thayer's Gulls and Glaucous-winged Gulls. They were in a hugh feeding frenzie--an awesome sight through the scopes as the sun shone down on them. Near the Pebble Beach gravel bar, close to shore, three Sea Lions put on a spectacular show as they fed on salmon.
Fourteen birders saw and heard the following forty-two species of birds:
Trumpeter Swan
American Wigeon
Mallard
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Western Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Merlin
Black-bellied Plover
Black Oystercatcher
Bonaparte's Gull
Mew Gull
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Thayer's Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Eurasian Collared Dove
Northern Flicker
Northwestern Crow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Purple Finch
House Finch
House Sparrow
Good birding
Neil Robins
parksville
British Columbia
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