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, April 07, 2013:
The Sunday bird walk went to Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo
The morning was cloudy with a strong wind blowing throughout the morning. A large flock Violet-green Swallows, Tree Swallows, a Northern Rough-winged Swallow and a Barn Swallow were hawking insects just above the marsh at the start of the walk. We spotted two Bushtits busy building a nest above the trail. A Yellow-rumped Warbler and a Common Yellow-throat were seen near the trail. Marsh and Bewick’s Wrens were singing their songs during the morning.
Nineteen birders saw and heard the following forty-two species:
Canada Geese, Mallard, Wood Duck, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Anna's Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Common Raven, Northwestern Crow, Brewer’s Blackbird, Violet-green Swallow, Tree Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Eurasian-collared Dove, Rock Pigeon, Bushtit, Brown Creeper, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bewick’s Wren, Marsh Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Great Blue Heron, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Common Yellow-throat, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, House Finch, Pine Siskin and House Sparrow.
Three Townsend's Solitaires, a Sharp-shinned Hawk and a large number of Orange-crowned Warblers were seen along the power line right of way in the Harwood area of Nanaimo.
Tuesday, April 09:
The Tuesday bird walk went to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. The morning was cloud but warm with calm winds. We heard Bewick's Wrens, Pacific Wrens, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Varied Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warblers and White-crowned Sparrows singing their songs throughout the morning.
A flock of Red Crossbills greeted us from high up in the tall trees. We spotted two Band-tailed Pigeons and three Yellow-rumped Warblers high up on the snags across the river. One juvenile Peregrine Falcon was perched on a snag on the estuary giving us great views through the scopes. We saw several large flocks of Brant and small flocks of Long-tailed Ducks flying up and down the Strait of Georgia. The bird of the morning showed up on the meadows--a Mountain Bluebird! The Bluebird was perched on top of a small bush, leaving once in a while to hawk insects only to return to perch and give us great views. A Northern Shrike was perched not far from the Bluebird also hunting from small bushes. The scopes provided good close up views. We spotted Orange-crowned Warblers feeding fairly high up in the trees. A Barred Owl was spotted roosting low in a cedar tree as we finished the walk.
Sixteen birders saw and heard the following sixty-three species:
Canada Goose, Brant, Eurasian Wigeon, American Wigeon, Mallard, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Long-tailed Duck, Surf Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, California Quail, Common Loon,
Pacific Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle , Peregrine Falcon, Northern Shrike, Barred Owl, Mew Gull, California Gull, Thayer's Gull, Western Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Pigeon Guillemot, Common Murre, Band-tailed Pigeon, Eurasian-collared Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird , Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bushtit, Bewick's Wren, Pacific Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Varied Thrush, Mountain Bluebird, European Starling, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, House Finch, Red Crossbill and Pine Siskin
Thursday, April 04:
A Northern Shrike was seen in a backyard along Tamara Drive in Nanaimo.
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Thursday, April 11:
The Nanoose Naturalists look forward to a presentation by photographer, Terry Thormin on Dragonflies of Vancouver Island at our next meeting; 7 pm at the Nanoose Library Hall on NW Bay Road. Visitors are welcome. For more info, call Joe at 250-468-1728.
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Monday, April 22:
Arrowsmith Naturalists - GENERAL MEETING - at Knox United Church, 345 Pym, Parksville @ 7:30 p.m.
Topic: Bear Smart Program Speaker: Crystal McMillan
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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.
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The Tuesday bird walk on April 09, 2013 will be going to Columbia Beach.
We will meet at Parksville Bay at the Lion's Playground parking area in Parksville at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking area, off Admiral Tryon Blvd. and Columbia Drive , on the Oceanside of highway 19a, at about 9:10 a.m.
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The Sunday Bird Walk on April 14, 2013, will be going to Morrell Sanctuary in Nanaimo. We will meet at the bird store at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking lot at Morrell off Nanaimo Lakes Road in Nanaimo at about 9:20 A.M.
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Here is an interesting website re-the Coastal Tar Sands-
http://coastaltarsands.ca/w1/
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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