The Backyard's Weekly Bird Walk locations are found in the Backyard Bird Report at the very end of the most recent report. Any cancellations will be posted by 8am the day of the walk.

Sunday 5 February 2012

Nanaimo bird report, February 05, 2012





















Northern Shrike: 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 February 05: 2012:
The Sunday bird walk went to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River in Parksville. The morning was cloudy and cool with calm winds. We spotted a flock of Evening Grosbeaks high up in the trees near the trail at the start and again at the end of the walk.

Sixteen birders saw and heard the following fifty-five species of birds: Canada Goose, American Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Surf Scoter, Long-tailed Duck , Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Red-necked Grebe, Horned Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, Mew Gull, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Common Murre, Eurasian-collared Dove, California Quail, Downy Woodpecker , Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's Wren, Pacific Wren, Brown Creeper, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Belted Kingfisher, Anna’s Hummingbird, American Robin, Varied Thrush, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Evening Grosbeak, Red-winged Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin and House Finch.
Friday, February 04:
Twelve Evening Grosbeaks were spotted off Renz Road in Parksville.
Wednesday, February 01:
An estimated 100, 000 Common Murre and many thousands of Pacific Loons and Long-tailed Ducks and lesser numbers of Ancient and Marbled Murrelets and perhaps 25,000 gulls were seen off the shore near the mouth of the Little Qualicum River north of Qualicum Beach.
Tuesday, January 31:
A special thanks to John Purves for leading this week’s walk!
The Tuesday bird walk went to Columbia Beach. The morning was rain free with a cool breeze off the Strait of Georgia. Among the highlights of the morning was great looks at a Northern Shrike.
Fourteen birders including visiting birders from Australia and Chicago, Illinois saw and heard the following forty-three species: Brant , American Wigeon, Mallard, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Long-tailed Duck , Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Barrow's Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser,Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Pelagic Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Cooper's Hawk, Black-bellied Plover, Black Oystercatcher, Greater Yellowlegs, Black Turnstone, Dunlin, Mew Gull, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Common Murre, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian-collared Dove, Belted Kingfisher , Northern Flicker, Northern Shrike, Northwestern Crow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, American Robin, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, House Finch and Pine Siskin.
Saturday, January 28:
A flock of Cedar Waxwings were seen in a backyard along Dawkins Lane in the Westwood area of Nanaimo.
Friday, January 27:
Seven Western Meadowlarks, one Northern Harrier, twelve Bald Eagles and a pair of Hooded Mergansers were seen at the Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo.
Saturday, January 21:
Several Varied Thrush were spotted at The Origins subdivision off highway 19A in north Nanaimo.
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Nanoose Field Naturalists Meeting.
Thursday, February 09, 7 pm in the Library on Northwest Bay Road.
Guest Speaker--Stan Orchard, “Bullfrogs – The Scourge of the Island”. Visitors and new members most welcome. nanoosenaturalists.org
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Arrowsmith Naturalists Meeting,
Monday February 27, 7:00P.P.M.
Springwood School, Parksville.
Everyone is welcome 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 February 07, 2011 will be going to the Shelly Road side of the English River Estuary in Parksville. We will meet at the Parksville Beach, Community Park at the parking area in front of the Lions Playground at 9 A.M. or at the end of Shelly Road (on the oceanside of Highway 19a) at about 9:10 A.M.
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The Sunday Bird Walk on February 12 will be going to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. We will meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 A.M. or at the parking area at Neck Point, off Hammond Bay Road at about 9:20 A.M.
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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

Nanaimo Museum Presents: Our Feathered Friends

Why are feathers important to understanding birds? Why do some remain close to home year‐round and others migrate for thousands of kilometers? Answers to these questions are an integral part of Our Feathered Friends, a travelling exhibition from Ottawa’s Canadian Museum of Nature. The exhibition ‘takes flight’ at the Nanaimo Museum, from February 3 to May 21, 2012 and is suitable for all ages.
The exhibition’s display units and graphics provide an introduction to birds and birdwatching. “Visitors’ skill when identifying local birds will be enhanced via the exceptional photography of Ralph Hocken and study specimens loaned from VIU’s Museum of Natural History, “said curator David Hill‐Turner. “Novice birders will find the exhibition and programs very helpful in learning more about the hobby”.
Public Programmes offered as part of the exhibition will appeal to various birding interests. They include: a photography contest, Urban Bird tours, birding and nature photography presentations and ecology programs for Elementary School students. (Visit our website for full details, www.nanaimomuseum.ca or contact Aimee Greenaway at 250.753.1821)
Come along to the workshops and demonstrations, try your hand at the oriental art of Origami and even learn to prepare a meal for your favourite backyard bird. Using photos, specimens and video, learn what makes birds special, how they soar and glide and how to identify them. More than 400 species of birds have been identified in BC, more than any other province in Canada.
Whether you are an indoor or outdoor birdwatcher you will find something of interest in this traveling exhibit, Our Feathered Friends at Nanaimo Museum. This exhibition is sponsored by THE BACKYARD Wildbird and Nature Store.

THE BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE
6314 Metral Drive
Nanaimo B.C.
V9T-2L8
Phone: 250-390-3669
Fax: 250-390-1633
Email: thebackyard@shaw.ca
Blog: www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com

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