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Tuesday, 3 December 2013

Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, December 03, 2013

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. The morning was bright and sunny but cool with a biting wind blowing in from the Strait of Georgia. Hundreds of Mallards, American Widgeon, Northern Pintail and Green-wing Teal were feeding on the mudflats at low tide. Four Hooded Mergansers and two Gadwall  were swimming on the River. Several large flocks, numbering over two hundred, Brant Geese flew in and landed on the Strait during the morning. We spotted a Western Grebe far off shore. A flock of twelve Long-tailed Ducks flew low over the Strait. Two small flocks of Black Turnstones flew past heading to the estuary.  It was an active morning for birding!

                                                        Brant Geese: Ralph Hocken Photo.
 
Fourteen birders saw and heard the following fifty-three species.
Brant
Trumpeter Swan
American Widgeon
Mallard
Harlequin Duck
Northern Pintail
Gadwall
Green-wing Teal
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Loon
Pacific Loon
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Western Grebe
California Quail
Dunlin
Black Turnstones
Pelagic Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Belted Kingfisher
Bald Eagle
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Mew Gull
California Gull
Thayer's Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Common Murre
Anna's Hummingbird
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
American Robin
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer’s Blackbird
House Finch
Purple Finch 

The Tuesday bird walk on December 10 will be going to the Englishman River Estuary, Shelly Road side.         
 

                                                          Purple Finch: Ralph Hocken Photo.
Good birding
Neil Robins
Parksville

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