Nanaimo bird report, May 26, 2013

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, May 26, 2013:
The Sunday bird walk went to the Morden Colliery Historic Park in south Nanaimo.  The morning was cloudy and calm. There was a symphony of bird sounds as we started the bird walk. Over twenty Black Swifts circled high above the river.  A Northern Goshawk  was catching a thermo high above us  giving us great views. We spotted a Red-breasted Sapsucker tapping on a tree just off the trail.  We watched as a Red-breasted Nuthatch brought food to a nest hole in a tall snag several times.

 

Red-breasted Sapsucker:  Ralph Hocken Photo.

 

Thirteen birders saw and heard the following forty-one species: 

Barred Owl, Northern Goshawk, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker,  Red-breasted Sapsucker,  Rufous Hummingbird,   Pacific-slope Flycatcher,  Warbling Vireo,  Northwestern Crow,  Common Raven,  Band-tailed Pigeon, California Quail, Violet-green Swallow, Barn Swallow,  Black Swift,   Chestnut-backed Chickadee,  Brown Creeper,  Red-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned Kinglet,  Bewick's Wren,  Pacific Wren,  Marsh Wren,  European Starling,  Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, Orange-crowned Warbler,  Black-throated Gray Warbler,  Wilson's Warbler,  Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Western Tanager,  Black-headed Grosbeak, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird,  Spotted Towhee,  White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow,  Dark-eyed Junco and Purple Finch, Pine Siskin.

 

Thursday, May 23”

Four  Whimbrel were spotted between Newcastle Island and Protection Island.

 

Wednesday, May 22:

Twelve Red Crossbills were seen at backyard feeders along Oakmont Place in Nanaimo.

 

 

Tuesday, May 21:

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. The morning started off with rain showers but soon turned quite pleasant. We heard a Wilson's Warbler singing and then caught a glimpse of him as he flew over us.  A Yellow Warbler was perched close to the trail for a long time giving us great views as he looked us over from his perch. We watched a Merlin give chase to a Northern Harrier, who was flying low over the meadow in search of prey. We spotted four Spotted Sandpipers feeding along the edge of the river. We heard and saw two Western Tanagers singing and feeding across the river. Three Western Tanagers flew over the river and landed in a conifer tree above us giving us good views through the scopes.

Western Tanager: Ralph Hocken Photo.

 

Ten birders saw and heard the following fifty species. 

Canada Goose, Mallard, Surf Scoter, Harlequin Duck, Common Merganser, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture,
Bald Eagle, Merlin, Northern Harrier, Killdeer, Black Oystercatcher, Spotted Sandpiper, Bonaparte's Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull,
Band-tailed Pigeon, Eurasian-collared Dove, California Quail, Ring-necked Pheasant, Rufous Hummingbird, Anna’s Hummingbird,
Northern Flicker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Violet-green Swallow,

Barn Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bushtit, Bewick’s Wren, Pacific Wren, Swainson’s Thrush, Varied Thrush, American Robin, European Starling, Warbling Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch and Pine Siskin.

 

An American Dipper with chicks was seen at the Morden Park in Nanaimo.

 

Monday, May 20:

A Western Tanager was seen in the Seal Bay area of Courtney.

 

A Cinnamon Teal was seen at the east end of Brookwood Park Pond in Nanaimo.

 

Sunday, May 19:

An Olive-sided Flycatcher was spotted at the Little Qualicum River Village.

 

 

Thursday, June 13:

 7pm, Nanoose Naturalists will hold their June Meeting at the Nanoose Library Hall in Nanoose Bay.  The speaker will be Geologist Tony Ransom and the topic ---"Earthquakes - Why We Should Be Concerned About the Next BIG ONE!"
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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 May 28 will be going to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. We will meet at Parksville Bay next to the Lions Playground at 9:00 a.m. or at the corner of Plummer Road and Shorewood Drive on the ocean side of Highway 19a at about 9:10 a.m.

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The Sunday Bird Walk on June 02, 2013, will be going to Neck Point Park in Nanaimo. We will meet at the bird store at 9:00 a.m. or at the parking lot at Neck Point off Hammond Bay Road 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