Black Oystercatcher: Ralph Hocken Photo.
The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach. The morning was clear and cool with calm winds. The tide was high. A flock of twenty-one Black Oystercatchers flew in and landed on the rocks right in front of us at the viewing platform off Highway 19A. A massive raft of gulls were further off shore. A raft of Black Scoters was on the ocean near the estuary and further off shore we spotted a flock of Long-tailed Ducks that flew in and landed giving us great views. There was a large flock of Bonaparte's Gulls near shore, one of them was still in breeding plumage. A flock of twenty-three singing Trumpeter Swans flew in low over the mouth of the river. They went past us giving us excellent views. We saw over thirty Bald Eagles perched, flying and circling high overhead during the morning. A female Northern Harrier flew low over the estuary, while eight Great Blue Herons lifted from the estuary at the end of the walk.
Fourteen birders saw and heard the following forty species:
Canada Goose
Trumpeter Swan
American Wigeon
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Greater Scaup
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Barrow's Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Northern Harrier
Black-bellied Plover
Killdeer
Black Oystercatcher
Black Turnstone
Bonaparte's Gull
Mew Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull
Thayer's Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Steller's Jay
Northwestern Crow
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Good birding
Neil Robins
Parksville
British Columbia
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