Nanaimo bird report July 08, 2012

***************************************************************************************** Brown Creeper: 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 July 08, 2012: The Sunday bird walk went Hemer Park in Cedar. The morning was sunny and warm. Highlights included hearing Common Yellowthroat singing throughout the morning. We saw a family of Brown Creepers crawling up a fir tree. We saw one Cliff Swallow near the “Swallow Barn”, off of Quenel Road. *************************************************************************************** Twenty-one birders saw and heard the following forty-seven species: Mallard, Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Cooper’s Hawk, Band-tailed Pigeon, Glaucous-winged Gull, Anna’s Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Common Raven, Violet-green Swallow, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Marsh Wren, Pacific Wren, Bewick’s Wren, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bushtit, Brown creeper, Black-headed Grosbeak, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, European Starling, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Pacific-sloped Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Purple Finch, American Goldfinch, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin and House Sparrow. ********************************************************************************** Saturday July 07: Two Common Nighthawks were seen flying high over Corfield Street near Despard Avenue in Parksville. ********************************************************************************* Friday July 06:: A flock of Red Crossbills were visiting feeders near Morningstar Golf Course in Parksville. *************************************************************************************** Wednesday July 04: A House Wren was seen on Gabriola Island. *********************************************************************************** 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. ************************************************************************************* Tuesday bird walks have stopped for the summer season. We will resume the Tuesday bird walks on September 04, 2012. Have a great summer. ************************************************************************************* The Sunday Bird Walk on Sunday July 15, 2012 will be going to Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo. We will meet at the bird store at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking lot at Buttertubs Marsh off Bowen Road at about 9:15 am. ********************************************************* 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 ************************************************************************************ WANTED Have you seen these birds? Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) have been released in Maple Bay as part of a species recovery program. These rare native songbirds may be foraging and nesting in your area! We need your help to find them so that we can record their nesting locations and habitat use, and monitor and care for them. General Identification Tips Smaller than a robin, about 5.5 inches, with a thin bill. Found in open habitat, pastureland, Garry Oak meadows; perched on fence lines or low branches. Some of the birds are wearing coloured leg bands—please note the colours if you can! To learn more about the Bring Back the Bluebirds Project, see www.goert.ca/bluebird. Please help us watch for Western Bluebirds and contact us immediately if you think you see them: bluebird@goert.ca; 250-383-3427. ************************************************************************************** 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