Parksville/Qualicum Beach Tuesday bird walk, March 04, 2014

The Tuesday bird walk went to the Shelly Road side of the Englishman River Estuary in Parksville. The morning was cloudy with wet snow falling but the wind was calm. We spotted two Pileated Woodpeckers moving up a tall snag. A pair of Common Mergansers and one Bufflehead were swimming down the river. A Belted Kingfisher flew noisily up the river. Several Brant, Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters and two Long-tailed Ducks were heading up the Strait of Georgia. We spotted a first of the season-- four Band-tailed Pigeons perched in a high tree.                                               

 

                                                      Pileated Woodpecker: Ralph Hocken Photo.                                                            

 Twelve birders saw and heard the following forty-five species: 

Canada Geese

Brant

American widgeon

Mallard

Gadwall

Northern Pintail

Green-winged Teal

Surf Scoter

White-winged Scoter

Bufflehead

Greater Scaup

Long-tailed Duck

Common Goldeneye

Barrow’s Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Pacific Loon

Common Loon

Red-necked Grebe

Horned Grebe

Killdeer

Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Mew Gull
California Gull
Thayer's Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Band-tailed Pigeon
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
Varied Thrush
American Robin
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Bewick’s Wren
Belted Kingfisher
European Starling
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Purple Finch

                                      Common Merganser: Ralph Hocken Photo.

The Tuesday bird walk on March 11, 2014 will be going to the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River in Parksville.

Good birding
Neil Robins
Parksville