NANAIMO BIRD REPORT -----” GO BIRDING--EXPLORE NATURE”
To report your sightings phone the Store at 250-390-3669 or e-mail us at thebackyard@shaw.ca
Please remember, when reporting a sighting, to leave your name and phone number along with the date, the species and location of your sighting.
Sunday, February 03, 2013:
The Sunday bird walk went to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. The morning was cloudy with calm winds. We spotted a Brandt’s Cormorant on the Strait of Georgia. A large flock of Red Crossbills flew into a tall conifer tree and started feeding on the acorns, giving us good views of them.
Fifteen birders including visiting birders from Ontario, saw and heard the following thirty-three species:
Canada Geese, Mallard, Bufflehead, Harlequin Duck, Common Goldeneye, Red-necked Grebe, Horned Grebe, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Brandt’s Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Surf Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Black Oystercatcher, Spotted Sandpiper, Marbled Murrelet, Bald Eagle, Thayer’s Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Anna’s Hummingbird, Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pacific Wren, Bewick's Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Fox Sparrow and Red Crossbill.
Saturday February 02:
A Palm Warbler and a Western Meadowlark were seen at the Nanaimo River Estuary in south Nanaimo.
Wednesday, January 30:
Fifty Evening Grosbeaks were seen along Bob-O-Link Way in Nanaimo.
Tuesday, January 29:
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 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 and House Sparrow.
*****************************************************************
Thursday, February 14:
Everyone is invited to attend the Nanoose Naturalists’ Thursday, February 14 meeting where we will hear a presentation “Alpine Plants of BC” by Andy MacKinnon (co-author of Native Plants of BC). Arrive before 7 pm to the Nanoose Library Hall. Admission by donation. Call Margot @ 250-468-9167.
****************************************************************************
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 will be going to Deep Bay on Tuesday, February 05, 2013. We will meet at Parksville Community Park at the Lion’s Playground at 9:00, p.m. or at the Deep Bay Marine near the café, at about 9:35 a.m.
*************************************************************************************
The Sunday Bird Walk on February 10, 2013, will be going to Columbia Beach. We will meet at the bird store at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking area along Admiral Tryon Blvd. (Turn into Columbia Beach off Highway 19A onto Columbia Drive. Turn right onto Admiral Tryon Blvd and go about 100 yards, past the mail boxes until you come to a parking area along the beach.)
****************************************************************************************************
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
No comments:
Post a Comment