NANAIMO BIRD REPORT
” EXPLORE NATURE-GO BIRDING”
To report your sightings phone the Store at 250-390-3669or 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, October 20, 2013:
The Sunday bird walk went to the Nanoose Bay. The morning was cloudy and cool. We saw several Red-necked Grebes, Surf
Scoters, Pacific Loons and Pelagic Cormorants on the water. A Western
Meadowlark gave us great close views as he perched on a short shrub. We spotted
a Northern Shrike perched on the top of a tall snag at the end of the walk.
Eight birders saw and heard the following forty-three species:
Canada
Geese, Mallard, Bufflehead, American Widgeon, Northern Pintail, Green-winged
Teal, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Common Loon, Pacific Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked
Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Killdeer,
Bald Eagle, Northern Shrike, Mew Gull, California Gull, Bonaparte Gull, Thayer’s
Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Bewick’s Wren, Pacific Wren,
Western Meadowlark, Northwestern Crow, Common Raven, Northern Flicker,
American Robin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Fox Sparrow,
Lincoln’s Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow,
Spotted Towhee, Purple Finch and Dark-eyed Junco.
Northern Shrike: Ralph Hocken Photo.
Friday, October 18:
Five Horned Larks, two
American Pipits and a Western Meadowlark were seen at Pipers Lagoon in Nanaimo .
A Great Horned Owl was
spotted near the parking lot at Neck Point Park in Nanaimo.
Over fifteen Townsend’s Solitaires
and three Anna’s Hummingbirds were seen at the top of Little Mountain just
outside of Parksville.
Saturday, October 19:
One Sandhill Crane was
seen on a cornfield by the seventeen hole of the Cottonwood Golf Course in
south Nanaimo.
An American Dipper was
seen at the lower pond of the Colliery Dam Park in Nanaimo.
An Orange-crowned
Warbler was seen along the Maki Road in south Nanaimo. A Western Gull was seen
roosting with the hordes of Gulls near the Living Forest Campground in south
Nanaimo.
Tuesday, October 15:
The
Tuesday bird walk went to the Little Qualicum River Estuary in Qualicum Beach.
The morning was sunny and warm giving us a great morning of birding. The
highlights included seeing a flock of over one thousand Pacific Loons
stretching in a very long line offshore. Over two hundred Western Grebes gave
us great views further offshore. Many Common Loons were not far from shore. We
saw thirty Bonaparte's Gulls in with the mixed flock of gulls. There were
Black Scoters not far from shore. A season of Killdeer was bathing in the
estuary. We spotted a Western Meadowlark at the top of a tall conifer tree. A
dark-phased Red-tailed Hawk perched on top a conifer tree giving us good views.
Black Scoter: Ralph Hocken
Photo.
Fifteen
birders saw and heard the following forty-two species.
Canada
Goose, American Wigeon, Mallard, Harlequin Duck, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter,
Black Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Merganser, Pacific Loon, Common
Loon, Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Western Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant,
Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Killdeer,
Black Turnstone, Bonaparte's Gull, Mew Gull, California Gull, Thayer's Gull,
Glaucous-winged Gull, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Northwestern Crow,
Common Raven, Western Meadowlark, American Robin, , Ruby-crowned Kinglet,
Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown-headed Cowbird,
Red-winged Blackbird, Brewer’s Blackbird, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed
Junco and House Finch.
Two
Long-billed Dowitchers were seen at Holden Creek in south Nanaimo.
A Harlan’s
subspecies Red-tailed Hawk was seen along Keene Road and Yellowpoint Road in
Cedar.
Monday,
October 14:
A
Red-breasted Sapsucker was seen in a Backyard at Coombs.
A Steller’s
Jay was seen in a backyard near Morningstar Golf Course in French Creek.
Four Horned
Larks, two Lapland Longspurs and two Western Meadowlarks were seen at Piper’s
Lagoon in Nanaimo.
Sunday, October 13:
A Lapland Longspur and three Horned Larks
were seen at Piper’s Lagoon in
Nanaimo.
A Lapland
Longspur was seen at St. Jean Point on Hornby Island.
Lapland Longspur: Nick Smith Photo.
Thursday, November 14:
The Nanoose Naturalists meeting will be held at 7 pm at the
Nanoose Library Hall.
Guest speaker will be John Neville and he will talk about the Raptors of Canada.
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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 October 22 will be going to Columbia Beach. Meet at
the Parksville Community Park at the parking lot near the Lions Club playground
at 9:00 am or the parking area at Admiral Tyron Bldg. off Columbia Drive at
about 9:10 am.
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The Sunday Bird Walk on October 20 will be going to Englishman River Estuary,
Plummer Road side. Meet at the birdstore
at 9:00 am or at the corner of Plummer Road and Shorewood Drive in Parksville
about 9:25 am.
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Good birding
