Nanaimo bird report, February 19, 2012

Black Oystercatcher: 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 19: 2012:
The Sunday bird walk went to Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo. The morning was cloudy and cool with calm winds. The highlights included seeing and hearing several Marsh Wrens. The Song Sparrows sang throughout the morning. There were large flocks of Cedar Waxwings and American Robins feeding on the berry trees. We spotted a Steller’s Jay perched high up in a tree.
Twenty-six birders saw and heard the following forty-five species of birds:
Trumpeter Swans, Canada Goose, Great Blue Heron, Mallard, Bufflehead, American Wigeon, Hooded Merganser, Ring-necked Duck, Bald Eagle, Pied-billed Grebe, Wood Duck, American Coot, Virginia Rail, California Quail, Merlin, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Glaucous-winged Gull, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian-collared Dove, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Steller’s Jay, Common Raven, Northwestern Crow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Marsh Wren, Anna's Hummingbird, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Varied Thrush, European Starling, Red-winged Blackbird, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, House Finch, Purple Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, Pine Siskins, American Goldfinch and House Sparrows.

Saturday, February 18:
Ten American Goldfinch, twenty Bushtits and twelve Dark-eyed Juncos are visiting backyard feeders along Meridian Way in Parksville.

Friday, February 17:
A Barred Owl was seen at the Morrell Wildlife Sanctuary in Nanaimo.

Tuesday, February 14:
The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach. The morning was sunny with cloudy periods and the wind was calm. The highlights at the viewing platform included seeing eight Black Oystercatchers, four Black-bellied Plovers, one Black Turnstone and a Dunlin fly to the shore just in front of us. We saw Common Murre, Pacific Loons, Common Loons, Horned Grebes Red-necked Grebes and a Western Grebe further offshore. We saw and heard many Black Scoters at the estuary as we walked to the River. One hundred and forty Trumpeter Swans along with Mallards, Northern Pintail and Greater Scaup lifted off the water at the mouth of the Little Qualicum River, giving us a spectacular display.
Eighteen birders saw and heard the following forty-nine species:
Canada Goose, Brant, Trumpeter Swan, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, 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, Black-bellied Plover, Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstone, Dunlin, Mew Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Common Murre, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, American Robin, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, Purple Finch, House Finch and House Sparrow.

An American Kestrel was seen at the Nanaimo Airport in south Nanaimo.

A Rufous Hummingbird was seen along Glen Oars Drive in Nanaimo.

Many Common and a few Hoary Redpolls were seen near the swamp near Sunset Bay at Neck Point Park in Nanaimo.

Over one hundred Trumpeter Swans, a Northern Harrier and a Great Horned Owl were seen in a farmer’s field beside the Nanaimo Airport in south Nanaimo.

Monday, February 13:
Two Turkey Vultures were seen circling above Northfield Road near Mostar east of the Parkway in Nanaimo.

Over fifty Common Redpolls were seen at the end of the swamp where the trail makes a corner right by Sunset Bay at Neck Point Park in Nanaimo.

Two Saw-whet Owls and a Barred Owl were seen along Parkway Place at the Englishman River Falls.

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Arrowsmith Naturalists Meeting,
Monday February 20, 7:30P.P.M. Springwood School, Parksville.
Guest speaker will be Steve Mitchell of Bee Haven Farms in Duncan. Topic "Apiculture". Visitors welcome. More info at 250-752-7588
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Nanoose Field Naturalists Meeting.
Thursday, March 08, 7 pm in the Library on Northwest Bay Road.
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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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TUESDAY BIRD WALK, FEBRUARY 21, 2012
We will meet at Parksville Bay at the Lion's Playground parking area in Parksville at 8:00 a.m. and drive up to Port Alberni.
Sandy will meet us at Tim Horton's in Port Alberni at 9:00 a.m.
We plan to go to the Harbour Quay to scan the Alberni inlet for birds and then onto the Somass Estuary for the bird walk. We are all looking forward to going to this new birding spot.
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The Sunday Bird Walk on February 26 will be going to the Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo. We will meet at the Birdstore at 9:00 A.M. or at the parking area at the end of Raines Road at about 9:30 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 Programs 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.