Nanaimo bird report, September 30.

 

 Northern Harrier: 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 September 30, 2012:
The Sunday bird walk went to The Nanaimo River Estuary in Nanaimo. The morning was cool with fog on the Strait of Georgia. The highlights included

seeing three female Northern Harriers flying low to the ground hunting for prey. We saw many Savannah Sparrows

Fourteen birders saw and heard the following thirty-six species:

Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Great Blue Heron, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Common Merganser, Bufflehead, American Widgeon, Doubled-crested Cormorant,  Belted Kingfisher, European Starling, Bald Eagle, Cooper’s Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk,  Northern Harrier, Killdeer, California Gull,  Glaucous-winged Gull,  Northern Flicker,   American Robin,  Cedar Waxwing, Steller’s Jay, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Bewick’s Wren,  Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow,  White-crowned Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, American Goldfinch, Purple Finch and House Finch.

Saturday, September 29:

A kettle of about fifty Turkey Vultures were seen circling and heading south above a house on Western Acres Road in Nanaimo.   

Tuesday, September 25:  The Tuesday bird walk went to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. The morning was sunny with the feel of autumn in the air. The bird of the morning was the unusual sighting of a Black-and-White Warbler feeding on insects in a tree near the trail. Black and White Warblers are normally observed east of the Rockies and have only been sighted here on rare occasions. We saw and heard a Cassin’s Vireo feeding on a large bush near the trail. Both the Warbler and the Vireo co-operated and we were able to watch them both for a long period of time. A Steller’s Jay and a flock of Golden-crowned Sparrows were singing and feeding next to the trail. A Western Grebe and a Red-necked Grebe were seen just off shore at low tide. 

Fifteen birders saw and heard the following fifty-three species:

Canada Geese, American Widgeon, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Western Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Common Merganser, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Coopers Hawk, Killdeer, Black Oystercatcher, Bonaparte's Gull, Mew Gull, California Gull, Thayer's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Eurasian Collared- Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Cassin’s Vireo, Orange-crowned Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, Belted Kingfisher,
Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Steller’s Jay, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Pacific Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Spotted Towhee, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow,
Dark-eyed Junco, Brewer's Blackbird, Purple Finch, House Finch, Pine Siskin and American Goldfinch. 

Thursday, September 27:

The BC Naturists bird walk went to Neck Point in Nanaimo. The morning was sunny and warm with calm winds and sea. Among the highlights were the sightings of three Western Grebe’s, two Marbled Murrelets, Common Murre and several Pacific Loons racing down the Strait of Georgia just above the water.

Fifty birders saw and heard the following thirty-one species:

Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Western Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Pacific Loon, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Black Turnstone, Mew Gull, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Common Murre, Marbled Murrelet, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, European Starling, Anna’s Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Black-throated Grey Warbler, Brown Creeper, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco and Pine Siskin. 

A Western Meadowlark was seen at Piper’s Lagoon in Nanaimo. 

Sunday September 23:

 A White-throated Sparrow was seen in a backyard along Chestnut Street in 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. *************************************************************************************
The Tuesday bird walk on October 02, 2012 will be going to Rathtrevor Provincial Park in Parksville. We will meet at Parksville Community Park at the parking lot near the Lions Playground at 9:00 A.M. or at the main parking lot at Rathtrevor provincial Park at about 9:10 am.
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The Sunday Bird Walk on Sunday October 07, 2012 will be going to the Neck point Park in Nanaimo. We will meet at the bird store at 9:00 a.m. or the parking lot at Neck Point off Hammond Bay Road at about 9:15 a.m.
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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
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