NANAIMO BIRD REPORT
" EXPLORE NATURE---GO BIRDING"
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 13, 2014:
The Sunday bird walk went the Plummer Road side of the Englishman River
Estuary in Parksville. The morning was sunny and the winds were calm. The
highlights included seeing a Blue-winged Teal and a Eurasian Teal in with the
Green-winged Teal on the mud flats. Thousands of Greater Scaup, Surf Scoters,
White-winged Scoters and Brant Geese were in a large raft along the far shore
where the estuary meets the ocean. The raft extended on past French Creek. We
saw several Ruby-crowned Kinglets feeding as we walked along the trail.
Blue-winged Teal: Ralph Hocken Photo.
Seventeen birders saw and heard the following sixty-two species:
Canada Geese, Brant, American Wigeon, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard,
Northern Pintail, Eurasian Teal, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal,
Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Bufflehead,
Harlequin Duck, Common Goldeneye, Barrow's Goldeneye, Red-necked Grebe, Horned
Grebe, Western Grebe, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Pacific Loon,
Common Loon, Pelagic Cormorant, Doubled-crested Cormorant, Marbled Murrelet,
Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Turkey Vulture,
Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater Yellowlegs, Killdeer, California Quail, Mew Gull,
California Gull, Thayer's Gull, Bonaparte’s Gull, Glaucous Gull, Glaucous-winged
Gull, Violet-green Swallow, Rufous Hummingbird, Northern Flicker, Northwestern
Crow, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Raven, Pacific Wren,
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, European Starling, Red-winged Blackbird,
Brewer’s Blackbird, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Purple
Finch, House Finch and American Goldfinch.
A Mourning Dove was calling in the 800 block of Harewood Mines Road in
Nanaimo.
Friday, April 11:
Two Mountain Bluebirds were seen at Rathtrevor Provincial Park in
Parksville.
Tuesday, April 08:
The Tuesday bird walk went to the Alberni Inlet in Port Alberni. The
morning was mostly sunny with a strong wind off the inlet but it was calm in the
forest. We were greeted at the start of the walk with singing Yellow-rumped
Warblers and a Orange-crowned Warbler just off the trail. We spotted four Red
Crossbills down low to the ground, close to the trail, drinking at the waters
edge. A male and female Mountain Bluebird gave us great views on the meadow
area near the pipeline right of way. We had great looks at a female American
Kestrel perched on a hydro line near the pipeline trail. We heard and saw many
Marsh Wrens throughout the morning. A good number of Northern Shoveler's,
Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Greater Scaup and Lesser Scaup
were on the ponds.
Northern Shoveler: Ralph Hocken Photo.
Fifteen Birders saw and heard the following forty-nine species:
Canada Goose, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallard, Greater Scaup, Lesser
Scaup, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck,
Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Pelagic Cormorant,
Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, American Kestrel, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-tailed
Hawk, Turkey Vulture, American Coot, Mew Gull, Thayer's Gull, California Gull,
Glaucous-winged Gull, Rock Pigeon, Belted Kingfisher, Northwestern Crow, Common
Raven, Northern Flicker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Chestnut-backed Chickadee,
Brown Creeper, Bewick's Wren, Marsh Wren, Pacific Wren, Rufous Hummingbird,
American Robin, Mountain Bluebird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Orange-crowned
Warbler, Song Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Red-winged Blackbird, Purple
Finch, American Goldfinch, House Finch, Red Crossbill and Pine Siskin.
Monday, April 07:
Thousands of Mew Gulls, Thayer's Gulls, California Gulls and
Glaucous-winged Gulls were seen on the mud flats at the Plummer road side of the
Englishman River Estuary. Further off shore were hundreds of Pacific Loons and
Common Murre.
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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. on 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 15, 2014 will be going to Springwood Park in
Parksville. Meet at the Parksville Community Park at the parking lot near the
Lions Club playground at 9:00 am or at the west end of Despard Avenue at about
9:15 am.
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There will not be a Sunday Bird Walk on Easter Sunday, April 20, The Sunday
bird walks will resume on April 27.
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British Columbia rare bird alert link---
http://www.bcbirdalert.blogspot.ca/
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WildResearch link---
http://www.wildresearch.ca/
Spring Pelagic Seabird Trip Announced – May 11, 2014
WildResearch is pleased to announce that WildResearch's 2014 Spring Pelagic
Seabird Trip will run on Sunday May 11, 2014! Proceeds generated from the
pelagic trip fundraiser will go towards running WildResearch’s research
programs.
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West coast environment link--
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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
Blog: www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com
