Parksville/ Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, January 29, 2013

    

Black Scoter: Ralph Hocken Photo.

 

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach. The morning was cloudy but quite warm. The highlights included seeing five Long-tailed Ducks, hundreds of Red-necked Grebes and many Horned Grebes off shore from the viewing platform off Highway 19A. A large flock of Black Scoters were seen not far from shore at the estuary. Further off shore there were thousands of Common Murre on the water.

“ Rare Bird Alert Arctic Loon”----- We found an Arctic Loon feeding near the far shore at the mouth of the Little Qualicum River. We watched the Loon for thirty minutes (11:20 until 11:50 a.m.) through our scopes. The adult, non-breeding Loon displayed a dark nape with white cheeks, and extensive bright white tuft along its flank. The Arctic Loon was smaller than the Common Loon that swam near it. We used The Sibley Guide to Birds, page 24, first edition, published October 2000 to confirm the identification of the Arctic Loon.

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

Canada Goose
Trumpeter Swan
Mallard

American Widgeon

Eurasian Widgeon

Green-winged Teal
Northern Pintail
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead

Barrow’s Goldeneye
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Pacific Loon
Common Loon

Arctic Loon
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Black-bellied Plover
Black Turnstone
Dunlin
Mew Gull
California Gull
Western Gull
Thayer's Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Common Murre
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Northwestern Crow

Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee

European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Purple Finch
House Finch
House Sparrow

The next Tuesday bird walk on February 05, 2013 will be going to Deep Bay.

Good birding

Neil Robins

Parksville

British Columbia