Nanaimo bird report, June 03, 2012

Western Tanager: 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 June 03, 2012: The Sunday bird walk went to Linley Valley in Nanaimo. The morning was cloudy with light rain showers but there were a few periods of sunshine. The bird of the morning was the Western Tanager. We had great close looks at the Tanager perched in some short bushes near the trail. Eighteen birders saw and heard the following thirty-nine species: Canada Goose, Mallard, Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, Rufous Hummingbird, Anna’s Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Hammonds Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Common Raven, Violet-green Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow,Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's Wren, Pacific Wren, Bushtit, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Orange-crowned Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Common Yellow-throat, Wilson's Warbler, Yellow warbler, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Black-headed Grosbeak, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Fox Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Purple Finch and American Goldfinch. ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* Saturday June 02: One Greater White Fronted Goose was seen in with Canada Geese on the grounds of Parksville Beach Park . ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Tuesday May 29: The Tuesday bird walk went to Springwood Park in Parksville. The morning was cloudy and a little cool with calm winds. We spotted and heard seven of the eight warbler species we get on the island---Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, McGillivray’s Warbler, Common Yellowthroat and Wilson's Warbler. We had excellent views of the Black-throated Gray Warbler as he perched high up on a snag singing his heart out. We saw a Western Wood-Pewee, Willow Flycatcher, Hammond's Flycatcher and heard a Pacific-slope Flycatcher singing for most of the morning. Twenty-three birders saw and heard the following forty-four species:Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Band-tailed Pigeon, Eurasian-collared Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Western Wood-Pewee, Willow Flycatcher, Hammond's Flycatcher, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Violet-green Swallow, Barn Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper,Bewick's Wren, Pacific Wren, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, European Starling, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Black-headed Grosbeak, Red-winged Blackbird, Purple Finch, House Finch and American Goldfinch. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Monday May 28: Two Sooty Grouse, one Barred Owl and ten to fifteen Black Swifts were seen from Westwood Ridge in Nanaimo. A pair of blue-winged Teal was seen at Holden Creek in south Nanaimo. A Northern Shrike was seen at the Nanaimo River in south Nanaimo A female American Kestrel spotted was hunting by Quennel Lake in Cedar. ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Sunday May 27: One intrepid birder was on the bridge of the Coast Guard Ship VECTOR as it made its way around Cape St. James from Skincuttle Inlet to Flamingo and Louscoone Inlets. Highlights were travelling through ten miles of mixed flocks of Ancient Murrelet, Cassin's Auklet, Rhinoceros Auklet, Pigeon Guillemot, Tufted Puffin, Common Murre, Sooty Shearwater and three Black-Footed Albatross. Inshore species seen or heard included Bald Eagle, Glaucous-Winged Gull, Common Merganser, Marbled Murrelet, Pelagic Cormorant, Townsend's Warbler, Varied Thrush and Hermit Thrush. We collected, dried and released seven Leach's Storm-Petrels and one Fork-Tailed Storm Petrel that had made their way onto the ship last night. An added bonus was several Humpback Whales and a small pod of Orca. Other notables for the trip include Eurasian Collared-Dove, Caspian Tern and Glaucous Gull at Port Hardy, Red-throated Loon Fish Egg Inlet, Wandering Tattler at Penrose Island, and Sandhill Crane at Gale Passage and Skincuttle Inlet. **************************************************************************************************** Arrowsmith Naturalists meet Monday, June 25th, 7.30pm at Springwood School. ***************************************************************************************************** Nanoose Naturalists Meeting will be on Thursday, June 14th at 5:30 pm Summer picnic BBQ for members at the home of Tony and Jenny Ransom. ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** 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. ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* The Tuesday Birdwalk on June 05, 2012 will be going to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River in Parksville. We will meet at Parksville Bay at the Lion's Playground parking area in Parksville at 9:00 a.m. or at the Oceanside of Shelly Road off Highway 19a at about 9:10.a.m. ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** The Sunday Bird Walk on Sunday June 3, 2012 will be going to the Beaver Ponds at Nanoose Bay. We will meet at the bird store at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking area off Power Point Road-- about 100 feet past the four way stop at about 9:20 a.m. (from the Petro-Can on Highway 19 follow Northwest Bay Road to Power Point Road turn right and follow Power Point Road to about 100 feet past the four-way stop to the parking area on the left.) **************************************************************************************************** Good birding Neil Robins 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 **************************************************************************************************************************************++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ “BIRDING AND NATURALIST GETAWAY” ALONG THE THOMPSON RIVER BETWEEN ASHCROFT AND LYTTON. JUNE 18-20 or JULY 1-3 For more information go to rafting@kumsheen.com 1-800-663-6667 www.kumsheen.com